The Giver of Stars - Jojo Moyes

[watervole]

 This is a gentle, but very well-written historical romance.

 

Moyes has a really subtle writing trick that's hard to analyse.  When introducing the love interest, there are no major heart palpitations, no 'he was so gorgeous, he took my breath away', etc. but you still know that this is the person the protagonist will eventually fall in love with.

 

It's very skilful, and I prefer it to the school of "he's really hot, but I hate him".

 

There's also some really great historical stuff.  I thought at first that the author had invented the packhorse library, with women on horseback delivering books to remote, rural areas during America's great Depression, but it really did happen, and it fits brilliantly well into this novel. (See https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/horse-riding-librarians-were-great-depression-bookmobiles-180963786/ for both history and photos)

 

The only thing I didn't like was the use of the 'non-consummated marriage trope'.  I know it's the only clean way for writers to get a character out of a marriage, but annulments were incredibly rare in reality and very difficult to obtain.

 

Overall, it's a book I can happily recommend, both for the quality of the writing and the interesting historical setting.