The Giver of Starsby Jojo MoyesBY PHOEBE OZANNEThere are not many books like this one.There is the history, the love, the laughs,and the tears all in one book. Jojo Moyeshas created a sensation to help feel allthe emotions, make you love and hate thecharacters all while it tells a story based onthe true lives of the Packhorse Librarians inKentucky.The story shows the life of Alice,a wealthy girl from England whomarries Bennett Van Cleve, a highclassman from America.This heart-warming novel is set in thestunning mountains of Kentucky, whereAlice moves to with her husband. Her lifedoesn’t go the way she planned, and she isleft contemplating what there is to live for.She gets a job with the new programme, amobile library on horseback, and realisesBOOK REVIEWshe didn’t have to live the way her familyexpected her to. Alice is a character whostands up for what is right, and let’snothing stop her in her tracks. She makesfriends with Margaret, who is judgedand isolated by the people of the villagebecause of her bloodlines while she isbeing judged herself for being British.Jojo Moyes has captured my heart withthis new novel, drawing me into this lovingstory of a girl trying to find herself in aworld that is far more different than sheever expected. She leads a new life andmeets people that change her. This booktransported me from 2020 East Anglia to1930s Kentucky from the first couple ofpages, and involves the reader as if theywere there, omni-present, just watchingthe story unfold.One thing I adore about this book is howunpredictable it is. It turns with everycorner in unexpected ways, and with everychapter leaving you wanting more. Whatis so interesting is that it is set during TheGreat Depression but that is not the focus.The focus is on a story I, and likely manyother people, didn’t know about. It wentabove and beyond my expectations when Ipre-ordered this book, already a fan of JojoMoyes’ books, and I’m still in love with it.If you are looking for a book to captureyour heart that also teaches you a partof history nearly forgotten, I could notrecommend a better book.28 • ISSUE 37 • STUDENT LIFE

Normal Peopleby Sally RooneyBOOK REVIEWBY SHANNON FOURMY-LOWEOne of the most daunting andunanswered questions we face inlife is this: How do we love?We find it daunting, because it isunanswered, and we find it unansweredbecause there isn’t one set way to love.What I found fascinating about NormalPeople is how it provides a very mundanecommentary on that question. Throughdifferent aspects that affect both maincharacters, we learn something more asto why love cannot truly be defined. In thenovel, the sophomore novel of brilliantIrish writer Sally Rooney, we meet Connelland Marianne; two 18 year olds navigatingtheir last year at school and their buddingrelationship with regards to their statuses.From there, we see them grow into youngadults whose lives aren’t simple, andwhose paths cross when they least expectit. It could be taken as a love story, but Ithink it goes deeper than that. It discussesmodern issues such as the class system,and privilege, and does so in a mature way.It is a revolutionary novel. It is one of thosebooks that doesn’t feel like a story; a bookthat speaks to you, and on your darkestdays, a book that understands. In myeyes, it is most definitely Rooney’s currentmagnum opus (and I say current becausewe have yet to read what she willproduce next!)What I loved about Normal Peopleis that Rooney lets us, the readers,understand that love is complicated,and love is sometimes hurtful but thatdoesn’t mean it isn’t love. Because love,sometimes, can be beautiful.If you haven’t read it, I would definitelyencourage you to. It’s just under 300 pagesand is so incredibly worth it. And if youhave read the book, and are searching formore Sally Rooney, you could always readher debut, Conversations With Friends. Iguarantee you’ll love it!29 • ART • STUDENT LIFE

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