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  • Published: 9 June 2022
  • ISBN: 9780718183219
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 464
  • RRP: $22.99

The Giver of Stars

The spellbinding love story from the author of the global phenomenon Me Before You




The latest bestselling novel from household name Jojo Moyes is back with a new look summer jacket - this is the escapist blockbuster that everyone must read

England, late 1930s, and Alice Wright makes an impulsive decision to marry wealthy American Bennett Van. But stuffy Baileyville, Kentucky, where her husband favours his work and overbearing father, is not what she had hoped for. Then she meets Margery O'Hare, troublesome daughter of a notorious felon. Margery's on a mission to spread the wonder of books and she needs Alice's help. Trekking through mountain forests under big open skies, Alice, Margery and their fellow sisters of the trail discover freedom and friendship. But when the town turns against them, will their belief in one another and the written word be enough to save them?

  • Published: 9 June 2022
  • ISBN: 9780718183219
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 464
  • RRP: $22.99

About the author

Jojo Moyes

Jojo Moyes was raised in London. She writes for the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Red and Woman & Home. She's married to Charles Arthur, technology editor of The Guardian. They live with their three children on a farm in Essex, England.

Also by Jojo Moyes

See all

Praise for The Giver of Stars

Praise for Jojo Moyes

-

Moyes somehow manages to break your heart before restoring your faith in love

Sunday Express

Raw, funny, real and sad, this is storytelling at its best

Marie Claire

A heart-stopping read. Destined to be the novel that friends press upon each other

Independent on Sunday

This truly beautiful story made us laugh, smile and sob like a baby - you simply have to read it

Closer

Britain's best contemporary female author

Sun on Sunday

Wonderfully written and completely engrossing, with exquisitely drawn characters in a brilliantly plotted narrative

Daily Mail

A tender, funny and hopeful look at love, grief and life. Bumper box of tissues required

Stylist

The storytelling treads the delicate balance between heartbreak and hope perfectly

Good Housekeeping

A triumph

Heat

Joyful, with a pitch-perfect ending

Daily Express

Immensely readable and enjoyable

Sunday Times

What a wonderful novel. The Giver of Stars is the most sweeping, dramatic, richly evocative book, full of brilliantly feisty women. I whipped through the pages, utterly agog, pretty much feeling as though I was on a horse in 1930s Kentucky myself

Sophie Kinsella

Purest joy - even as it cheerfully breaks your heart. A go-get-em adventure about E Roosevelt's horseback librarians, it celebrates female friendship and the power of books

Damian Barr

Based on a true story of the real Horseback Librarians of Kentucky this was a truly joyous and divine read. The rich, determined, extraordinary characters consumed me. The history, the setting; everything about this glorious book is superb

Nina Potell, Prima

Dipped into this on Saturday and then simply couldn't put it down. Superb characters, great story and sense of place. For me, her best yet. And I wept buckets over Me Before You!

Fanny Blake

With characters so real they feel like dear friends and a compelling storyline, this is a beautiful, special novel. I loved it and didn't want it to end!

Liane Moriarty

Timeless, Jojo Moyes' greatest work yet, and one of the most exquisitely-written - and absolutely compulsory - novels about women ever told. Brilliant and perfect and will remind you of why you read; even of why you breathe

Lisa Taddeo, bestselling author of Three Women

About five extraordinary women in 1920s Kentucky, who worked on horseback as travelling librarians

Woman & Home

A brand-new page-turner . . . based on a true story and tracks five feisty women living in America during the Great Depression

That's Life

Epic

David Nicholls, bestselling author of One Day

Her best yet

Bookseller

Touching on the still-burning issues of control, violence, poverty and racism, Moyes has created a rollicking story that's perfect for long autumn nights. Enjoy . . .

Stylist

This blisteringly good novel is one to add to your basket quick smart

Fabulous, Sun

Both a love letter to reading and a hymn to female friendship, this is a tale packed full of romance, tension, and brilliantly drawn characters. Pure pleasure

Sunday Mirror

Utterly enchanting

Mail on Sunday

Explores the interconnected lives of five women with honesty and hilarity

Cosmopolitan

The Giver of Stars is the story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond . . . a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion

SheerLuxe

Her best book yet. It's a romance - but about female friends, the outdoors and the magic of reading

Grazia

An entertaining, immersive and moving read. The Giver of Stars is rip-roaring popular fiction . . . but it is also a novel that celebrates education, intellectual curiosity and, above all, books and the knowledge, comfort, company and power that they can bring. Moyes shines a light on a historic footnote to pay tribute to women's work, endurance and female solidarity

The Sunday Times

I loved this dashing adventure set in 1930s Kentucky, America. Intensely moving and crammed with romance and emotion, this is a full-pack-of-tissues novel.

Sun

As passionate about challenging gender stereotypes as it is enthralling in narrative sweep

i

Moyes' best yet . . . A stonker of a read. Laced with humour and heartache, it's addictive

Sunday Post

With strong, memorable female characters and a sprinkling of men who can make a 'heart flutter like a clean sheet on a long line.' The Giver of Stars is a celebration of love, but also of reading, of knowledge, of female friendship . . . inspiring

Washington Post

Jojo Moyes is back with this tale based on the real-life horseback librarians of Kentucky

Hello!

While her novel is set in the midst of the Great Depression, Moyes crafts a tale that's remarkably contemporary. Moyes depicts the courage and resourcefulness of these women in loving detail. A tribute not just to the brave women who brought the light of knowledge in dark times, but also to the rejuvenating bond of women's friendship.

Daily Mail

An inspiring, romantic tribute to female friendship and the power of books

Woman's Own

It's an extraordinary story. This is the best thing she has written since Me Before You. Moyes writes with gusto and compassion

Metro

Moyes's book delivers evocative descriptions of the Kentucky landscape and rich historical detail. But it is in her compassionate portrayal of well-drawn characters that the novel's greatest strength lies

Hannah Beckerman, Observer

Jojo Moyes is on dazzling form

Sunday Express

Celebrates the world of books . . . A fictional yarn about a quintet of extraordinary intrepid women from disparate backgrounds

RTE Guide

This tribute to female friendship and the joy of books is a compelling read

Woman's Weekly

Based on a true story, this poignant novel is a celebration of strong women and friendship. With a fast-paced plot and intricate characters, fans of Moyes won't be disappointed

Heat

A captivating tale of love, friendship and self-actualisation

People

Misfit women rule in a beguiling tale of unlikely love. Moyes writes with warmth and intelligence . . . the most appealing thing about The Giver of Stars, however, is her wonderful way with romance. Delightful

The Times

Escapism in the form of adventure and sisterhood. A novel with real depth and feeling. Empowering

Press Association

Escapism in the form of adventure and sisterhood. This is a novel with real depth and feeling and touches on worker's rights, racism, environmentalism and education

i

For years I've been a huge Jojo Moyes fan. It's such a great narrative about personal strength and really captures how books bring communities together, especially for these women who are completely bonded by their love of literature

Reese Witherspoon

HER BEST NOVEL YET

The Times

The author of Me Before You pulls off a cracker with this stirring, exciting adventure story inspired by true events, in depression-era Kentucky, women find freedom and friendship by joining a brigade of horseback librarians

Best

Jojo Moyes is back with another page turner. Inspired by a remarkable true story, The Giver of Stars features five incredible women who will prove to be every bit as beloved as Lou Clark, the unforgettable heroine of Me Before You

Stellar

One to get lost in. Escape with this book and follow the story of five women who are embarking on a powerful journey - and refuse to obey any man's commands!

No. 1 Magazine, Books to cosy up with this winter

A genuinely entertaining book that's a perfect gift for people who need some escape from the everyday and just want to be absorbed in a really cracking story. Set in rural America in the 1930s, it's got a band of feisty characters who are funny and sweet with contemporary resonances to boot

The best books to give this Christmas, Stylist

Inspiring and wildly romantic

Daily Mail Books of the Year

She's done it again! Joyous. I loved this adventure story for girls for its plucky female characters and wonderful writing

Good Housekeeping, Books of the Year

Julia Whelan is perfect as Alice Wright

The Times, Pick of the Audiobooks

Concentrates on sisterhood and friendship

Scotsman, Best books to give this Christmas

A sweeping story of female friendship with a dash of romance, set in 1930s Kentucky

Daily Express

Took me to the mountains of depression-era Kentucky where brave women librarians risked all to deliver books on horseback

Damian Barr, Big Issue Books of the Year

Her writing is beautiful and whimsical with unique storylines

Liv Arnold, author of Etched in Stone

Jojo's characterisation is so vivid, and the insight into the gender and race discrimination of the 1930s is truly eye opening

Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go

Uplifting. One of Me Before You author Moyes's best novels

The Mail on Sunday

From the very first page, I was drawn into the world and the characters that Jojo Moyes has so carefully created

Health & Wellbeing

A fabulous adventure story

Best

This big-hearted tale will stay in your head long after you have finished reading it

Independent

Joyous. Pucky female characters and wonderful writing. This is her best

Good Housekeeping

A heart-wrenching love story, a nail-biting legal drama and a beautiful study of female friendship

Daily Mail

An exploration of people's cruelty and also their kindness

Ruth Junes, Good Housekeeping

An enthralling read based on a true story

My Weekly Special Series

Praise for Jojo Moyes

-

Moyes somehow manages to break your heart before restoring your faith in love

Sunday Express

Raw, funny, real and sad, this is storytelling at its best

Marie Claire

A heart-stopping read. Destined to be the novel that friends press upon each other

Independent on Sunday

This truly beautiful story made us laugh, smile and sob like a baby - you simply have to read it

Closer

Britain's best contemporary female author

Sun on Sunday

Wonderfully written and completely engrossing, with exquisitely drawn characters in a brilliantly plotted narrative

Daily Mail

A tender, funny and hopeful look at love, grief and life. Bumper box of tissues required

Stylist

The storytelling treads the delicate balance between heartbreak and hope perfectly

Good Housekeeping

A triumph

Heat

Joyful, with a pitch-perfect ending

Daily Express

Immensely readable and enjoyable

Sunday Times

What a wonderful novel. The Giver of Stars is the most sweeping, dramatic, richly evocative book, full of brilliantly feisty women. I whipped through the pages, utterly agog, pretty much feeling as though I was on a horse in 1930s Kentucky myself

Sophie Kinsella

Purest joy - even as it cheerfully breaks your heart. A go-get-em adventure about E Roosevelt's horseback librarians, it celebrates female friendship and the power of books

Damian Barr

Based on a true story of the real Horseback Librarians of Kentucky this was a truly joyous and divine read. The rich, determined, extraordinary characters consumed me. The history, the setting; everything about this glorious book is superb

Nina Potell, Prima

Dipped into this on Saturday and then simply couldn't put it down. Superb characters, great story and sense of place. For me, her best yet. And I wept buckets over Me Before You!

Fanny Blake

With characters so real they feel like dear friends and a compelling storyline, this is a beautiful, special novel. I loved it and didn't want it to end!

Liane Moriarty

Timeless, Jojo Moyes' greatest work yet, and one of the most exquisitely-written - and absolutely compulsory - novels about women ever told. Brilliant and perfect and will remind you of why you read; even of why you breathe

Lisa Taddeo, bestselling author of Three Women

About five extraordinary women in 1920s Kentucky, who worked on horseback as travelling librarians

Woman & Home

A brand-new page-turner . . . based on a true story and tracks five feisty women living in America during the Great Depression

That's Life

Epic

David Nicholls, bestselling author of One Day

Her best yet

Bookseller

Touching on the still-burning issues of control, violence, poverty and racism, Moyes has created a rollicking story that's perfect for long autumn nights. Enjoy . . .

Stylist

This blisteringly good novel is one to add to your basket quick smart

Fabulous, Sun

Both a love letter to reading and a hymn to female friendship, this is a tale packed full of romance, tension, and brilliantly drawn characters. Pure pleasure

Sunday Mirror

Utterly enchanting

Mail on Sunday

Explores the interconnected lives of five women with honesty and hilarity

Cosmopolitan

The Giver of Stars is the story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond . . . a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion

SheerLuxe

Her best book yet. It's a romance - but about female friends, the outdoors and the magic of reading

Grazia

An entertaining, immersive and moving read. The Giver of Stars is rip-roaring popular fiction . . . but it is also a novel that celebrates education, intellectual curiosity and, above all, books and the knowledge, comfort, company and power that they can bring. Moyes shines a light on a historic footnote to pay tribute to women's work, endurance and female solidarity

The Sunday Times

I loved this dashing adventure set in 1930s Kentucky, America. Intensely moving and crammed with romance and emotion, this is a full-pack-of-tissues novel.

Sun

As passionate about challenging gender stereotypes as it is enthralling in narrative sweep

i

Moyes' best yet . . . A stonker of a read. Laced with humour and heartache, it's addictive

Sunday Post

With strong, memorable female characters and a sprinkling of men who can make a 'heart flutter like a clean sheet on a long line.' The Giver of Stars is a celebration of love, but also of reading, of knowledge, of female friendship . . . inspiring

Washington Post

Jojo Moyes is back with this tale based on the real-life horseback librarians of Kentucky

Hello!

While her novel is set in the midst of the Great Depression, Moyes crafts a tale that's remarkably contemporary. Moyes depicts the courage and resourcefulness of these women in loving detail. A tribute not just to the brave women who brought the light of knowledge in dark times, but also to the rejuvenating bond of women's friendship.

Daily Mail

An inspiring, romantic tribute to female friendship and the power of books

Woman's Own

It's an extraordinary story. This is the best thing she has written since Me Before You. Moyes writes with gusto and compassion

Metro

Moyes's book delivers evocative descriptions of the Kentucky landscape and rich historical detail. But it is in her compassionate portrayal of well-drawn characters that the novel's greatest strength lies

Hannah Beckerman, Observer

Jojo Moyes is on dazzling form

Sunday Express

Celebrates the world of books . . . A fictional yarn about a quintet of extraordinary intrepid women from disparate backgrounds

RTE Guide

This tribute to female friendship and the joy of books is a compelling read

Woman's Weekly

Based on a true story, this poignant novel is a celebration of strong women and friendship. With a fast-paced plot and intricate characters, fans of Moyes won't be disappointed

Heat

A captivating tale of love, friendship and self-actualisation

People

Misfit women rule in a beguiling tale of unlikely love. Moyes writes with warmth and intelligence . . . the most appealing thing about The Giver of Stars, however, is her wonderful way with romance. Delightful

The Times

Escapism in the form of adventure and sisterhood. A novel with real depth and feeling. Empowering

Press Association

Escapism in the form of adventure and sisterhood. This is a novel with real depth and feeling and touches on worker's rights, racism, environmentalism and education

i

For years I've been a huge Jojo Moyes fan. It's such a great narrative about personal strength and really captures how books bring communities together, especially for these women who are completely bonded by their love of literature

Reese Witherspoon

HER BEST NOVEL YET

The Times

The author of Me Before You pulls off a cracker with this stirring, exciting adventure story inspired by true events, in depression-era Kentucky, women find freedom and friendship by joining a brigade of horseback librarians

Best

Jojo Moyes is back with another page turner. Inspired by a remarkable true story, The Giver of Stars features five incredible women who will prove to be every bit as beloved as Lou Clark, the unforgettable heroine of Me Before You

Stellar

One to get lost in. Escape with this book and follow the story of five women who are embarking on a powerful journey - and refuse to obey any man's commands!

No. 1 Magazine, Books to cosy up with this winter

A genuinely entertaining book that's a perfect gift for people who need some escape from the everyday and just want to be absorbed in a really cracking story. Set in rural America in the 1930s, it's got a band of feisty characters who are funny and sweet with contemporary resonances to boot

The best books to give this Christmas, Stylist

Inspiring and wildly romantic

Daily Mail Books of the Year

She's done it again! Joyous. I loved this adventure story for girls for its plucky female characters and wonderful writing

Good Housekeeping, Books of the Year

Julia Whelan is perfect as Alice Wright

The Times, Pick of the Audiobooks

Concentrates on sisterhood and friendship

Scotsman, Best books to give this Christmas

A sweeping story of female friendship with a dash of romance, set in 1930s Kentucky

Daily Express

Took me to the mountains of depression-era Kentucky where brave women librarians risked all to deliver books on horseback

Damian Barr, Big Issue Books of the Year

Her writing is beautiful and whimsical with unique storylines

Liv Arnold, author of Etched in Stone

Jojo's characterisation is so vivid, and the insight into the gender and race discrimination of the 1930s is truly eye opening

Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go

Uplifting. One of Me Before You author Moyes's best novels

The Mail on Sunday

From the very first page, I was drawn into the world and the characters that Jojo Moyes has so carefully created

Health & Wellbeing

A fabulous adventure story

Best

This big-hearted tale will stay in your head long after you have finished reading it

Independent

Joyous. Pucky female characters and wonderful writing. This is her best

Good Housekeeping

A heart-wrenching love story, a nail-biting legal drama and a beautiful study of female friendship

Daily Mail

This most recent book of Jojo's is her best . . . I loved this adventure story for girls for its plucky female characters and wonderful writing

Good Housekeeping

An exploration of people's cruelty and also their kindness

Ruth Junes, Good Housekeeping