The Librarian of Boone's Hollow releases tomorrow, September 15 2020! If you are a fan of Kim Vogel Sawyer I'm sure you already have this book on order (or reserve at the library).
For fans of The Giver of Stars and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, this new release by Kim Vogel Sawyer emphasizes the importance of literacy, the power of storytelling, and the redemption found in overcoming generational prejudice.
I went into this book only knowing what the teaser from the publisher said. You see at the beginning of August, I had received an email from Waterbrook Multnomah inquiring if I would like to join the launch team for The Librarian of Boone's Hollow. It's been a while since I have signed up for a team, and so I said why not. After all the subject of the book sounded interesting, so I joined. Plus I have a love of Christian fiction, so that made my decision pretty easy.
While I enjoyed The Librarian of Boone's Hollow, I definitely felt myself struggling at times. If I'm honest, I almost set it aside. Maybe it was me, maybe it was the way the story unfolded, it's hard to say. That being said, there were things I enjoyed.
You'll notice that I'm focusing on the characters quite a bit, and that is because I can discuss them without giving away too much of the story.
1) Nanny Fay! She was probably my favorite out of the book, and she wasn't even the main focus of the story. Her history is amazing. Nanny Fay is simply herself. She doesn't care what her community members think of her, or how they avoid her. She knows that is on them, and their reactions are not reflective of who she is.
2) Addie Cowherd. From her work ethic, to her people skills, to her creativity with repurposing damaged periodicals, and finally to her way of thinking. Similar to Nanny Fay, Addie tries her best not to let other peoples thoughts of her affect her. She looks towards the positive.
3) Mr & Mrs Cowherd. They proved time and time again that they would do anything possible for their daughter, as well as her friends.
4) How Emmett, Addie, and Mr Cowherd continued to look for work even in an economy that was struggling. Did Emmett and Mr Cowherd want to take the jobs that were offered to them? Well no, not initially. However they both knew that they needed to provide for themselves and their families. They needed to do whatever they could to make ends meet. Also, did Addie really want to be a packhorse librarian? Well no. Her desire was to be a writer, and in the meantime working in a library was what she thought would work. Riding a horse and delivering books to people? Nope. But they each made their jobs work.
5) Mr Tharp. He works in the coal mines. It is a hard job, that many look down upon. That being said, Mr Tharp is proud of what he does. He would love for his sons to follow in his footsteps.
6) Ms Collins. She may be a minor character, but she helped Addie. Not only with a place to live, but also giving her the skills needed for future projects. Who would have through cutting quilting squares could help in other areas. Plus it's always nice to have another person in your corner, and cheering you on.
6) Ms Collins. She may be a minor character, but she helped Addie. Not only with a place to live, but also giving her the skills needed for future projects. Who would have through cutting quilting squares could help in other areas. Plus it's always nice to have another person in your corner, and cheering you on.
1) How long it took us to arrive in Boone's Hollow. I understand needing to set the stage, believe me I do, but this took too long.
2) There wasn't a ton of focus on the packhorse librarians. I know it wasn't meant to be the primary focus, however a little more insight would have been appreciated.
3) How Bettina was portrayed. She came off as needy, and a bit of a pest. Then there is the fact that she just assumed that she would get married to Emmett because of their "history". Also, the friendship between Glory, Alba, and Bettina wasn't really there. It came across as more of them being acquaintances. The only time we really had Glory and Bettina talking was when it was to discuss Bettina's relationship with Emmett. It seems like Bettina was alone in the world, and had no one to rely on.
4) How the story ended. It seriously just ended. No wrap up at all. Just poof it's over. Is there going to be a sequel? Because I have questions. (and obviously I can't say them because it would spoil the story)
2) There wasn't a ton of focus on the packhorse librarians. I know it wasn't meant to be the primary focus, however a little more insight would have been appreciated.
3) How Bettina was portrayed. She came off as needy, and a bit of a pest. Then there is the fact that she just assumed that she would get married to Emmett because of their "history". Also, the friendship between Glory, Alba, and Bettina wasn't really there. It came across as more of them being acquaintances. The only time we really had Glory and Bettina talking was when it was to discuss Bettina's relationship with Emmett. It seems like Bettina was alone in the world, and had no one to rely on.
4) How the story ended. It seriously just ended. No wrap up at all. Just poof it's over. Is there going to be a sequel? Because I have questions. (and obviously I can't say them because it would spoil the story)
Overall the story was decent. I do wish the book had ended differently, but there is nothing I can do about that. I will say one thing I would have loved to have been included was to have the story Addie wrote about Nanny Fay placed at the back of the book. Just a little something extra. Or heck, send me to to a website to read it! But maybe that's just me. Maybe I'm the only one that would have liked that.
One last thing before we go is that this book does contain material that may be sensitive for some. I'm including a trigger warning for abuse.
Have you read any of Kim Vogel Sawyers books? If so, which do you recommend? Also, if you've read The Librarian of Boone's Hollow, what did you think?
Hope whatever your current read is, that it is keeping you captivated.
Happy Reading,
Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for providing an ARC of this new release for review.
What Laura's Reading participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, and as an Amazon Associate I earn a commission through purchases made using my links.
What Laura's Reading participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, and as an Amazon Associate I earn a commission through purchases made using my links.
