When Alice Wright meets handsome American Bennett Van Cleve while he vacations in her home country, England, she is caught up in a whirlwind romance and anticipates a wonderful marriage in Kentucky. To her dismay, she discovers that she and Bennett will be living with her controlling father-in-law. The house is brimming with clutter from the late Mrs. Van Cleve. The paper-thin walls make it impossible for Bennett and Alice to have intimicay. He soon ignores her and pushes away her advances. Lonely within her own home, Alice feels like she is trapped and suffocating.
When the opportunity to deliver books via horseback in the Kentucky hills arises, Alice volunteers. Margery, the leader of the traveling library, Beth, a tough farm girl, Izzy, a polio survivor, and Kathleen, a recent widow, join Alice in bringing hope and information to isolated Kentuckians.
Then the elder Mr. Van Cleve seeks revenge on Margery and Alice. His insidious methods threaten to destroy the traveling library and Margery's and Alice's lives. The librarians join forces to demonstrate the power of loyalty and friendship.
The writing is beautiful, the characters well-developed, and the plot is compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and learning about this portion of our nation's history. I am not "highly recommending" it because Margery and Alice participate in premartial sex (& Alice is still married to Bennett when she has intimacy with another man),which is deemed perfectly fine.
Warnings: premartial sex (most of the initmate scenes are just hinted at or minimal details are included which is rare these days), physical abuse
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