Author | Jojo Moyes |
---|---|
Cover artist | Amanda Dewey |
Language | English |
Genre | Historical fiction |
Set in | Kentucky |
Publisher | Michael Joseph |
Publication date | 2019 |
Publication place | England |
Media type | Print, eBook |
Pages | 390 |
ISBN | 9780399562488 |
OCLC | 1227425302 |
823.92 | |
LC Class | PR6113.O94 |
The Giver of Stars is a 2019 historical fiction novel by Jojo Moyes about packhorse librarians in a remote area of Kentucky. Set in Depression-era America, The Giver of Stars is the story of five extraordinary women and their journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond. The women deliver library books to people in the mountains of Kentucky during the Great Depression, a real-life program launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. [1] Universal Pictures has acquired the movie rights to The Giver of Stars, and the feature film is in the early stages of production. [2]
The Giver of Stars was listed on USA Today's "top-100 books to read while stuck at home social distancing" and was a Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick by Reese Witherspoon. [3] [ better source needed ] The book is a #1 New York Times bestseller and has sold over 1 million copies. [4] [ better source needed ]The Giver of Stars spent 33 weeks on the New York Times best-selling list. [5]
Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve, hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So, when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt's new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.
The leader, and soon Alice's greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the "Packhorse Librarians" of Kentucky.
Accusations were made by Kim Michele Richardson that this book plagiarized from her book, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek . [6] However, Sourcebooks, Richardson's own publisher, has adamantly denied her accusations against Moyes. [6] [7] A spokeswoman for Sourcebooks said, “We were made aware of the similarities and upon review by our legal team, it was determined that Sourcebooks would not be taking any further course of action.” [7]
Richardson's finished manuscript was submitted to several imprints at Penguin Random House in September 2017, but the publisher claimed it could not publish the work given the very poor sales of Richardson's previous books. [8] Richardson's accusations caused what was sometimes referred to as a "literary scandal" during the last months of 2019. [9] Richardson acknowledged that history does not belong to any one person, and multiple people can have similar ideas. [7] Moyes has not commented on Richardson's plagiarism accusation, but her imprint spokesperson has denied that she or the publisher had any prior knowledge of the existence of Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, its contents or of Kim Michele Richardson. Richardson chose not to engage her own counsel to pursue a legal claim in court, and instead addressed her accusations to BuzzFeed News . [7]
Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was an American writer and socialite. She was the eldest child of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt and his only child with his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt. Longworth led an unconventional and controversial life. Her marriage to Representative Nicholas Longworth III, a Republican Party leader and the 38th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was shaky, and her only child, Paulina, was from her affair with Senator William Borah.
Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a merger that was finalised on 1 July 2013, with Bertelsmann initially owning 53% of the joint venture, and Pearson PLC initially owning the remaining 47%. Since 18 December 2019, Penguin Random House has been wholly owned by Bertelsmann.
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheimer and then acquired by the Penguin Group in 1975.
Monica Elizabeth Crowley is the former Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She has been a political commentator and lobbyist. She was a Fox News contributor, where she worked from 1996 to 2017. She is a former online opinion editor for The Washington Times and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. is an American publishing house that was founded by Blanche Knopf and Alfred A. Knopf Sr. in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in addition to leading American literary trends. It was acquired by Random House in 1960, and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group division of Penguin Random House which is owned by the German conglomerate Bertelsmann.
Pauline Sara Jo Moyes, known professionally as Jojo Moyes, is an English journalist and, since 2002, an award-winning romance novelist, #1 New York Times best selling author and screenwriter. She is one of only a few authors to have twice won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association and her works have been translated into twenty-eight languages and have sold over 40 million copies worldwide.
Dušan Šestić is a Bosnian-Serb musician and composer; he composed the national anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Naomi Ragen is an American-Israeli modern-Orthodox Jewish author and playwright. Ragen lives in Jerusalem, and writes in English. A recurring theme in her fictional works is injustice against women in the Haredi Jewish community. Ragen has been the subject of various lawsuits over claims of plagiarism.
Sourcebooks LLC is an American book publisher located in Naperville, Illinois. The company publishes books, eBooks, and digital products.
David J. Bell is an American writer and university professor of English. His most recent novel is She's Gone, his first young adult novel and a New York Times bestseller. Bell's next adult novel, Try Not To Breathe, will be published in June 2023.
Penguin Random House LLC is a British-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was originally founded in 1935 and Random House was founded in 1927. It has more than 300 publishing imprints. Along with Simon & Schuster, Hachette, HarperCollins and Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House is considered one of the 'Big Five' English language publishers.
Bethany Barton is an author and illustrator of children's books, as well as an Emmy-nominated Propmaster for film & TV. Barton's books combine colorful illustrations, humor, science communication and storytelling that aims to make STEAM-related topics enjoyable for kids.
Florence Amelia Deeks (1864–1959) was a Canadian teacher and writer. She is known for accusing British writer H. G. Wells of having plagiarized her work when he wrote The Outline of History. The case was eventually taken to the Judicial Committee of the British Privy Council, the highest court in the British Empire, which rejected her claim.
Me Before You is a romance novel written by Jojo Moyes. The book was first published on 5 January 2012 in the United Kingdom. A sequel titled After You was released on 24 September 2015 through Pamela Dorman Books. A second sequel, Still Me, was published in January 2018.
Emma Cline is an American writer and novelist from California. She published her first novel, The Girls, in 2016, to positive reviews. The book was shortlisted for the John Leonard Prize from the National Book Critics Circle and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Her story collection, Daddy, was published in 2020, and her second novel, The Guest, was published in 2023. Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Tin House, Granta, and The Paris Review. In 2017, Cline was named one of Granta's Best of Young American Novelists, and Forbes named her one of their "30 Under 30 in Media". She is a recipient of the Plimpton Prize and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.
The Pack Horse Library Project was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program that delivered books to remote regions in the Appalachian Mountains between 1935 and 1943. Women were very involved in the project which eventually had 30 different libraries serving 100,000 people. Pack horse librarians were known by many different names including "book women," "book ladies," and "packsaddle librarians." The project helped employ around 200 people and reached around 100,000 residents in rural Kentucky.
After You is a romance novel written by Jojo Moyes. It is a sequel to Me Before You. The book was first published on 29 September 2015 in the United Kingdom. A third novel in the series, Still Me, was published in January 2018.
Kim Michele Richardson is an American writer.
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a 2019 novel by Kim Michele Richardson. The story is a fictionalized account of real subjects in the history of eastern Kentucky. Cussy Mary is a "Book Woman" — one of the Packhorse Librarians who delivered books to remote areas of the Appalachian Mountains during the Great Depression, from 1935 to 1943, as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (WPA) program. Cussy Mary is also a "Blue" — the last of a line of blue-skinned people, whose skin appears the unusual shade due to a rare genetic disorder. As a Book Woman, Cussy Mary is highly regarded, but as a Blue, she is feared and reviled, and experiences racism, discrimination and violence.
Lara Prescott is an American author of fiction. Her debut novel, The Secrets We Kept, was a New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. It has been translated into over 30 languages and is being adapted for television.