The Boxcar Librarian, Brianna Labuskes (Review by Kristin Kurek)

Rating: 5.0/5 Stars

This novel is a beautiful portrait of storytellers and the stories that bind us and heal us.

The Boxcar Librarian is a work of historical fiction inspired by actual events. The novel details the life of Millie Lang, an editor from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), in depression-era Washington D.C. She is asked to transfer to the Missoula, Montana WPA office to determine why the staff turned in blank pages instead of their assigned work.

Millie discovers that the answers that she is seeking may be entangled with the town’s librarian, Alice Monroe. In the 1920’s, Alice started a mobile boxcar library to serve the mining towns throughout Montana. She hires Colette Durand, a no-fuss miner’s daughter as the boxcar’s librarian. However, after the inaugural boxcar library trip, no one seems to know of Colette’s fate. Could this be related?

This book focuses on many strong and fascinating characters replete with flaws and complexity. It discusses challenging themes such as independence, revenge, financial hardship, labor unions, politics, and PTSD. Spies! Murder! Shakespeare! But, the principal theme is the unifying power of storytelling. What does this book not have?

I found myself reflecting on the stories that have impacted me through the pointent moments of my life. And, while far from a romance novel, I fell head-over-heels for the main love interest in the book. Swoon! The Boxcar Librarian was a joy to read cover-to-cover. This is for you, Historical Fiction Lovers! You will enjoy every page of this book and think of the characters long after the last word.