The Giver of Stars vs. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes – Rating: 3.5⭐️

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson- Rating: 4⭐️

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Most of you have probably heard the controversy surrounding The Giver of Stars JoJo Moyes’s latest book. I read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek earlier this year and enjoyed it. After reading the Buzzfeed article, I knew I would want to read The Giver of Stars myself. Now I have never read one of Moyes’s books before, so I don’t really have an opinion on her writing from a previous book and I tried to give this novel a fair shot.

I will provide the synopsis for both books along with my quick thoughts on each book. You can then scroll down to the bottom for my thoughts on the controversy.

The Giver of Stars Synopsis from the Publisher:

“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.

What happens to them–and to the men they love–becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.

Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic–a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.”

My Quick Thoughts on Giver of Stars:

The Giver of Stars follows a group of Packhorse Librarians in a small town in Kentucky during the 1930s. I thought this book started very slow, but the last half of the book picked up and the story did get better.

Alice’s character really annoyed me in the beginning, but I appreciated the growth of her character as the story went on. I really liked the theme of friendship and how they ended up leaning on one another in the difficult times.

The dialogue seemed a bit modern for historical fiction and the story was romanticized.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek synopsis from the publisher:

“The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything―everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome’s got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter. Cussy’s not only a book woman, however, she’s also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy’s family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble.

If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she’s going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler.

Inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman’s belief that books can carry us anywhere―even back home.”

My Quick Thoughts on The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

My thoughts on the controversy after reading this book:

Is this book plagiarized? That is really hard for me to judge.

Are there eerily similar sections? Yes. I noticed even more similarities between the two stories than even the original article pointed out.

Is it a similar topic? Yes and No. Both books are about the Pack Horse Librarian Program, but Book Woman also brings in the Blue People of Kentucky. The Giver of Stars talks more about the friendship between the women.

Are their similar themes? Yes. Both books tackle issues of prejudice, racism, domestic abuse, poverty and abuse of power.

Is this the exact same story? No.  This is definitely not a case of direct plagiarism. But we all know there are more types of plagiarism than copying someone’s work word for word.

As noted above, there are also a few differences to both stories. The Giver of Stars focused more on the friendship of the women and their various romances. It talked about banding together and women’s rights. While Book Woman dug a little deeper into the history of the time and the day-to-day struggle of the librarians. Book Woman also offered the additional storyline of the Blue People of Kentucky.

I definitely felt déja vu during various sections of this book, and it has been about 6 months since I read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. I went back to look and these two books really do have many similarities.

That being said, I am not sure what happened in the publishing process. The similarities are more than what you generally see with other historical fiction books about the same period and the publishing timeline is very close. There may also be less material about this particular topic. It does seem like Moyes may have (perhaps unintentionally) taken ideas from Richardson’s book because some of the characters and events that happen in the story are so similar.

In Conclusion:

I can tell you that I did enjoy both books. I had a stronger emotional connection with the troubles the characters in Book Woman endured. I also had a greater desire to research the history of the Pack Horse Librarians and Blue People after finishing that book. The Giver of Stars felt a little more contemporary in dialogue and I was swept up by the romance.

Personally, I liked The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek a bit more. I found the story to be more interesting and compelling. I do think both books are worth reading. I would encourage you to pick up The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek if you haven’t already and vice versa if you read The Giver of Stars first.

I would love to hear your thoughts if you have read both books.

*I received a gifted copy of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek earlier this year from the publisher. All opinions are my own. I checked out The Giver of Stars from my local library. It was on my radar as a book I wanted to read prior to this controversy and I was disappointed when I first heard the accusations.

I want to read another Moyes book because I am not sure if I can form an opinion on her writing based on this book alone. What is your favorite book by her?