The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded to 4.0 stars -
This book was a solid 3.5 stars for me, but if I have to round, more deserving of a 4 star rating than a 3 star. The setting is a mining town in Kentucky during the Depression. The story opens in Lexington where Addie and Emmett briefly meet. Addie, a top student, has just found out that she has lost her position in the last week of her junior year, due to her family's financial straits. Emmett is about to graduate with a degree in commerce and is in the library looking for jobs in the want ads. They next meet up in Lynch, Emmett's home town, where Addie has been offered a job as a traveling librarian. It is here she meets Miss West, the library manager, who captures what I love about reading in the following quote:

"A book takes one into another person's thoughts and emotions. Books open up worlds beyond the view from one's own window. Stories can stir compassion, can inspire integrity, can show different lifestyles and problem-solving skills. Books, Addie, have the power to change people for the better." (p. 158 - Miss West to Addie)

Why would you want to read this book? I think it depends on what you're in the mood for. This book is uplifting, light reading. It is Christian Fiction, but not preachy. It is Historical Fiction, but a little light on the historical details surrounding the traveling librarian program. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek does a much better job in that respect. During this difficult year of pandemics and politics, it offers hope for the future. There are lessons to be learned about looking for the blessings in your daily life, even when they're not easily found; about treating others based on who they are inside, not listening to biases other people have about them; and about never giving up.
In short, if you're looking for a deep book with lots of historical details, this might not be for you. But if you're looking for something that will bring you peace and hope, within a historical setting, this is for you.
Book 161 of 2020.
Also reviewed on my blog: http://xbmill.blogspot.com/


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