I love historical fiction, especially those centered around women, so I knew I would be a fan of this one. The plot felt slow to start, but ultimately had me hooked. I do wish there was more queer representation, I had expected more based on descriptions on Goodreads. If you like Kristin Hannah, I think you'd like this.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

A lovely story based on a true story of the struggles in early Montana. Libraries bringing the hope and escape of books to labor camps designed to extract as much work as possible from overworked bodies.

When WPA editor Millie Lang is exiled to Montana to work on the American Guide Series, she stumbles into more than missed deadlines—she uncovers whispers of sabotage, old secrets, and a missing librarian. As she digs deeper, the story of Alice Monroe’s Boxcar Library and the mysterious disappearance of Colette Durand come to light. Inspired by true history, this novel celebrates fierce women, the fight for workers’ rights, and the magic of books to connect even the most isolated hearts.

I honestly don’t know how Brianna does it. Every single one of her books leaves me shouting from the rooftops, telling everyone they have to read it. She is a true master wordsmith, breathing vivid life into the women of history who deserved a spotlight long ago. Brianna has an incredible gift for uncovering the overlooked corners of the past and reintroducing them in the most captivating way. Every time I finish one of her books, I find myself tumbling down research rabbit holes, feeling like I’m right there beside her, piecing history together. She’s simply brilliant!
Strong 3.5 stars!
As always thank you to NetGalley & Williams Morrow for introducing me to one of my auto-buy authors!

I found this story interesting. It had me a bit confused at times as it was kind of hard to keep the three main characters separated. All three are female and seem all about books and the library. The boxcar library. But still overall it was a good book. Kept me reading.

This story is told from three different female's povs.

Millie Lang is an editor in Washington, DC 1936. She left Texas to find a job. She was having a hard time in the boarding house she lived it. The other ladies made fun of her about everything.

Alice Monroe in Misoula, Montana 1924. Alice lives with her father. Alice started the boxcar library. She wanted to bring books to the minors so they would have something to do other than the mining. To possibly enhance their lives.

Colette Durand Hell Raising' Gulch, Montana 1914. Colette also lives with her father. He was a copper minor and rallied for better conditions. Better pay. Better everything. He spoke a lot about labor unions and the owners of the mines didn't like that. Not at all.

This was an interesting book. There was a murder. A betrayal. A love story. It had a lot going on. I was shocked a few time at who was actually bad. I enjoyed it but didn't love it. I am still a bit confused about things but did like this book for the most part. It's a work of fiction but based on real things the author learned about the libraries.

I didn't connect with any of the characters. I liked Alice though. She was strong and resilient. She just seemed to go after life. Especially at the end of this story. She gave life her all. Even at the end. Even as she died.

Overall this was a good story. Not great or wowing, but good. I would recommend it. It's well worth reading/listening too.

Thank you #NetGalley, #WilliamMorrow, for this arc.

This is my second Brianna Labuskes novel, and she might not be the author for me. I read the Liberian of Burned books and was excited to see the Boxcar Librarian, willing to give the author another try. But in the end, I don’t think she is for me.

This was absolutely fascinating – it has everything a good story needs: mystery, a little romance, suspense and so many secrets. I love stories about strong women and stories about libraries and this was so well done. The research is fascinating and I ended up doing a lot of googling on my own as I didn’t know much about the mining boom. Each chapter is told from either Millie’s, Alice’s or Colette’s point of view, and I kept turning the pages to see how their lives would intersect. Give yourself time to start this story well so you can fully settle in as the mystery unveils. Simply excellent.

Interesting historical fiction, and I know this is a popular topic. I'm sure people will enjoy it a lot.

This one took me a while to get into because it starts out with three POVs and three different timelines that were just close enough together to be a bit confusing. However, I think it was worth it in the end. The story of the boxcar library was fascinating, as well as the inner working of the WPA writer's project, and the miners/union piece of the story. I also enjoyed all the literary references and the way the author showed how books helped people connect with each other and even heal from trauma.

I usually devour a historical fiction book about librarians, but this one missed the mark for me. I didn't care for the characters, and there was a bit too much jumping from one timeline to another.

I did appreciate the parallel of the Company wanting to ban books from workers to the unfortunate book bans that are happening today. Sadly, some things do not change.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

How do I express how much I loved this book?I went into this blind.. anything with a librarian or bookshop always gets me but this was phenomenal! This book is inspired by true events and is a depression era novel about woman who works for the WPA (Workers Progress Administration) and finds herself on the wrong end of a political scandal. She is on a quest to figure out the mystery of a local librarian and the Boxcar Library that went to mining camps during the depression. This book was so full of mystery and unravels 3 individuals stories. I laughed, I cried and I didn't see some of the plot twists coming! This is an amazing must read! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟's! thank you @brilabuskes for an amazing read that will sit in my heart forever! Thank you @netgalley for an early copy of this book to read.

Really enjoyed this! Loved the multiple timelines, loved the story, loved the characters, loved that the project really existed and enjoyed learning about this time period in the Western United States. My historical fiction book club will be discussing it this week and I have a feeling everyone will have enjoyed it too!

The idea for The Boxcar Librarian is fantastic, but the execution lacked throughout. Labuskes tries to create a historical mystery that is not well developed when she could have focused on the history of the boxcar library and truly written a worthy historical fiction novel.

Told through the voices of Colette, Alice, and Millie, The Boxcar Librarian shares 20th-century Montana history of union disputes, copper mining, The Great Depression, and the need for information access. It looks at the development of information access in rural areas, and also the impact of big business on limiting access to their employees. It shares the harsh realities of seasons in Montana and the poverty of the Great Depression. It solves an unnecessary mystery. Each of these concepts works individually, but not together. I wanted another story like The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek, which also wasn't perfect, but shared the stories of the people much better than this novel. In the end, it's not a bad novel, it's just not the best. Colette's story was forced into Alice's and Millie's stories, and none of them worked well together.

The Boxcar Librarian, while interesting in its cast of characters and story, is mislabeled as LGBTQIA+. One brief mention of a sapphic relationship does not make this a queer novel. This is representation if, perhaps, this was 1999. This is not a queer novel, this is just life. It is disheartening seeing books misrepresented like that, as I was looking forward to that being a bigger part of the plot and was my main draw to the story as a lesbian.

While I didn't like all of the characters and having three points of view was a little confusing at times. I did enjoy this 1930s dual time novel that while set during the depression didn't feel depressing. As someone who loves learning about didn't type of libraries I loved learning that before the famous Pack Horse Librarians of Eastern during the depression taking books into the mountains their was a boxcar library attached to a mining train that got books to miners in Montana. I know what to find all the material I can on The Boxcar library.

DNF I couldn’t get into the story. I finished only 25%. Since I did not finish I won’t post on social media sites.

A fascinating look at life in Montana during the mining boom. I didn’t know much about this time period and found this book so well researched that I couldn’t help but learn more than I could have ever imagined, including the restrictive contracts and politics associated with the companies that ran these mines. I found the premise of a boxcar library ingenious and was happy to discover that it was real and can still be visited. The three characters were well-developed later on in the book but I felt the beginning started slowly and I couldn’t really get a sense of them. I also think this could have been shorter but I did enjoy the story overall.

I love a good historical novel based on a true story. What an interesting period/topic to build a story around. I did not know about the state guides funded by the government during the Depression. Loved the strong, resilient female characters.

I loved this book. I never knew that there was a boxcar library. I love historical fiction, it makes me want to learn more about the boxcar librarian.

Based on the true story of the Lumberman’s Library and the Works Progress Administration’s writing project, the novel captures the feelings, atmosphere and some of the desperation of those times. Millie is sent to Montana to work on the American Guide Series, but also to figure out who sabotaged the submission of notes. A second main character is Alice Monroe, a librarian in Montana who was the daughter of a tycoon. Colette is the third main character, the daughter of a union organizer, also obsessed with the power off books. What I loved most in the book was the emphasis on the variety and richness of our history. “ We are a country of beautiful and flawed and strong and cowardly and happy and fearful and loving people. And we will always be stronger together”. I highly recommend this well written and absorbing work of historical fiction. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A compelling historical novel that weaves mystery, politics, and the power of books. I loved the setting—Depression-era Montana—and the way the story highlights the resilience of women and the role of libraries in connecting people. The mystery of the Boxcar Library kept me hooked, and the blend of real history with fiction made it even more fascinating. A great read for fans of historical fiction and stories about the impact of books in unexpected places.