I had no idea at the time that there is quite the controversy surrounding The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. I'm not going to into the controversy there, it's not my place. It's something that you're able to google and find articles on. In a nutshell, it's been said that there are striking similarities between The Giver of Stars and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek- paragraphs and characters and events are almost verbatim. Which, if that's the case, is rather crumby... And I apologize to the author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek if there are great similarities because again, this is a crumby situation to be in. (and had I know this, I would have borrowed the book from the library and I wouldn't have gone out and bought a copy).
The first thing that I noticed about the book was it was very descriptive. It was very easy to put Moyes' words into pictures.
Aside from noticing that the prologue was focused on Margery’s experience with Clem McCculough. I only mention this because a lot of the book focused on Alice Van Cleve’s character. Yes, Margery was a large character but I wouldn’t go on to say that she was much as a main character as Alice. The other women: Beth, Izzy, Sophia and Mrs. Brady, seemed to be all minor. (But I will say about half way through the book, the prologue makes sense)Needless to say, I was hooked. I couldn’t put the book down for much. I found myself wishing I could past certain sections faster because I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen. Any book that makes the reader want to keep the page turning, is a good book to me. (I was terrified for Margery. She became the character that I was hoping everything turned out well for).
On thing I didn’t like about this book was the ending! It was so goofy! I didn’t think that the futures of all the characters had to laid out. As much as I liked Sophia as a character, did I need to know how she lived out her life after the library? No. Did I know about Beth? No I didn’t (and this is a small spoiler: Beth’s future with who she ended up marrying, didn’t even make sense!). As I said to MB, it felt like the ending of the book and the body of the book were authored by two different people. That, or it felt like it was thrown together haphazardly.
Even before that, once the trail ended; you could tell the ending was gonna take a much different approach. Even Fred’s character changes. He went from being a well mannered and minded guy, into someone who ultimately surprised me. Don’t get me wrong, I was rooting for Fred and Alice but the way that their relationship progressed. It could have been a little different?
I have so much guilt toward this book! I really really enjoyed it. But for it to have been the works of something that was plagiarized?? Gah.
If you’re interested in reading this book, I would definitely say to get your name on the list for it at your local library. I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it. Just because of the possibility behind it. (And that’s not far to the author of The Book Woman it Troublesome Creek, if true).
I give The Giver of Stars 4 coffee beans out of 5.
- Jillian
