First Lines: Millie Lang could hear the girls gossiping through the thin walls of the boardinghouse. They were talking about her.
On the wrong side of a political scandal, Works Progress Administration (WPA) editor Millie Lang is shipped off to Montana to work on the state's American Guide Series-- travel books intended to put the nation's destitute writers to work.
Upon her arrival, staff members claim their missed deadlines are due to sabotage, possibly from the state's powerful mine owners who don't want their long and bloody history with union organizers available for the rest of the country to read. Instead, Millie suspects that the answer might lie with the town's mysterious librarian, Alice Monroe.
A decade before, Monroe created the Boxcar Library to deliver books to isolated mining towns where men craved entertainment and connection. Monroe thought miner's daughter Colette Durand would be the perfect librarian to staff the train car. Now no one in Missoula will tell Millie why Alice and Colette went out on the inaugural journey of the Boxcar Library, but only Alice returned.
What happened to Colette Durand?
~
The Boxcar Librarian pulled me right in and wouldn't turn me loose. The characters of Millie Lang, Alice Monroe, and Colette Durand were well-drawn, and they all made me care about their well-being.
While the mystery was a good one that kept me guessing, I think the setting had the strongest grip on me. The Depression-Era time period was fascinating. I loved learning about the Boxcar Library (based on Montana's Lumberman's Library-- don't miss the author's note at the end), Montana's mining history, and the Federal Writers' Project. I have a reprint of the Arizona edition of the American Guide Series, and this book made me take it off the shelf to reread sections.
Strong setting, story, and characters. I definitely recommend The Boxcar Librarian.
The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes
eISBN: 9780063376311
William Morrow © 2025
eBook, 464 pages
Historical Fiction, Standalone
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley
I'd never heard of the Lumberman's Library, Cathy, but it sounds fascinating, and a really effective choice for an inspiration. Millie Lang sounds like a great character, too. Librarians are bada** heroes to me, so I already like her a lot. And of course, throw in the historical element and you've got my ears pricked up!
ReplyDeleteGood! :-)
DeleteSounds really good. Just put a hold on it at my library.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it, Lynn.
DeleteI find it so interesting that all these 'librarians' existed in past times and they served such far-flung communities. So glad that authors are digging out stories and then giving us the scoop on them. Women did do and continue to do so many wonderful things.
ReplyDeleteYes, we do.
DeleteI remember with fondness the "Bookmobile" that used to visit my rural elementary school when I was growing up. The school had only a rudimentary library and that mobile library was such a gift to us budding readers.
ReplyDeleteMy mother was our village librarian, and I literally grew up in the stacks. Memories!
DeleteI had heard about this one somewhere along the way, so it was already on my list. I'm glad to see such a good review from you to bump it higher :)
ReplyDeleteI aim to please! ;-)
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