I loved this Depression Era story. We are following three strong female characters, Millie, Alice, and Colette. Brianna Labuskes does a masterful job of balancing these various perspectives through multiple timelines. She also touches on some powerful elements of Depression Era society that I appreciated being brought to the foreground. I was particularly fascinated by her discussion of the union organizing and labor movements in early 20th century USA. This was my first book from Brianna Labuskes, but it will definitely not be my last. I strongly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and strong female stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an eARC in return for my honest thoughts.

The place is Montana, time is the Great Depression Era, purpose is to get the boxcar of a train repurposed into being a community library, and the how all rests in the hands of 3 primary characters: Millie, Colette and Alice. These are three separate women from different aspects of life. That's how this braid begins.

I thoroughly enjoyed the author's attention to and providing context - war worries, both sides of the union troubles, the lumber industry hanging on to its part of the pie, and earnest efforts of the FWP (Federal Writer's Project). But (just a little but) the read goes a little longer than it needs to, and the wee bit of physicality is described by a hand that feels more practiced than the 'wholesome' tone of the rest of the book (where that happened it felt distracting and out of place). I missed any mention of indigenous peoples (it's Montana. . .surely they were there?). In retrospect, it just felt very white. That said, a reader doesn't suffer overmuch from those niggles.

But as an avid Reader and Listy my favorite part of this read was the free-sharing of the inventory gathered for the Boxcar Library, which I collected obsessively and provide here for your reading pleasure:

The Secret Garden
FWP’s (Federal Writer’s Project) Introducing America to Americans
Walden
The Secret Adversary
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Treasure Island
The Call of the Wild
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Tempest
The Twelfth Night
The Jungle
Henry IV, Part One
Dracula
Ten Days in a Mad-House
Around the World in Seventy-Two Days
War and Peace
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Pride and Prejudice
Little Women
Tarzan of the Apes
The Thirty-Nine Steps
As You Like It
Hamlet
Inspector French’s Greatest Case
Wanderer of the Wasteland
An Ideal Husband
Scaramouche
Emma
Pygmalion
O Pioneers!
Maid of the Forest
A Doll’s House
Main Street
Oliver Twist
Les Miserables
Bible
The Confessions of a Young Man
The Odyssey
Anne of Green Gables
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Red Badge of Courage
The Return of the Soldier
The Three Musketeers
The Invisible Man
Much Ado
Taming of the Shrew
The Complete Works of Shakespeare
Bright Island

All around a robust read. . .jump on the train and ride and read, and ride and read (repeat for rhythmic effect).

*A sincere thank you to Brianna Labuskes, William Morrow, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #TheBoxcarLibrarian #NetGalley

In this fascinating historical fiction novel set in Depression-era Montana, readers follow the colliding lives of Works Progress Administration editor Mille Lang, librarian Alice Monroe, and miner’s daughter Colette Durand in the tiny rural town of Missoula. While working on the American Guides Series of travel books, Millie is shocked to discover the mess of deadlines and disorganization -- possibly the result of corporate sabotage -- and the mystery surrounding the Boxcar Library created by Alice over a decade earlier. Working within the silences of Alice and Colette’s stories, Millie tries to complete her task and discover Missoula’s secrets in this fascinating historical fiction novel based on true events. Packed with incredible details, a vibrant setting, and complicated characters, readers will love this brilliant and exciting triple-perspective new novel set in rural Montana. The locations and settings are packed with detail and leap off the page as the perfect backdrop to the complicated and rugged characters in the novel, whose gritty natures and realistic personalities really make them stand out. The three women, united by their love of books, all stand out and bring different angles of Missoula and the larger story to life in incredible ways that really pull readers into this fantastic book.

This book is based on the true story of Missoula’s Boxcar Library. Works Progress Administration editor Millie Lang is shipped off to Montana to work on the American Guide series and arrives to staff wary of sabatoge by the Copper Kings who don’t want their bloody history shared. Millie, however, suspects it might have something to do instead with librarian Alice Munroe.

Over a decade ago, Alice started the Boxcar Library to deliver books to isolated miners. She hired Colette Durand to help her, but after their inagural journey, only Alice returned, and no one will tell Millie why.

This book was just fine for me. I enjoyed getting familiar with this piece of library microhistory, and I’m always here for queers in history. It has the dual timeline setup of many historical novels, and the characters were interesting. Not among my top books of the year, but a perfectly enjoyable read nonetheless.

At first, this book was a bit of a slog for me, but it did pick up once it laid the historical foundation. The plot and characters are interesting, but I feel that they weren't really introduced effectively in the first part of the story. However, once I got a better understanding of what was going on, it became more compelling. Any books that have Librarian or book in the title tend to be able to snag me pretty quickly just as this one did.

I want to thank #Netgalley for the chance to read #TheBoxcarLibrarian by #BriannaLabuskes in return for a fair and honest review

I was so eager to read this and learn more about WPA and the Missoula Boxcar Library. If the author had focused more on that rather than include the unions and other perspectives it would have been easier to find the flow as a reader. It was a all a bit jarring to jump from different POVs and have to remind myself which character was whom. These kind of historical fiction novels deserve to have more readers but it also has to be presented in a way that doesn't throw off the reader when they are learning things for the first time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I was so disappointed that this was marketed as an LGBTQ book with barely a mention of one queer side character. Definitely misleading. I ended up not finishing this book beyond 53% because it was so slow paced. I liked the alternate POVs but it also made it drag on a little bit more, and overall was just a bit bland and I could not connect with the characters or storyline.

The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes
The title and cover were alluring to say the least!
I was disappointed in the slow burn on the story development. It took forever. There were too many perspectives going on before a character had footing in the story.
The alternation of viewpoints and time lines was confusing. I don’t like having to flip back into a story to figure out what is happening and for character references.
This one tried to hit on too many historical points at once and therefore didn’t do any of them justice. You had the Montana mining community injustices and unions, the WPA Writer’s project in the Depression era, and the boxcar library to provide materials to mining communities. There was just too much to cover and the story seemed scattered. I really just wanted the boxcar libraries, truthfully.
Until the end, it just missed the mark on holding my attention, I had to work too hard to keep up with what year it was in relation to the characters. It took away from the simple pleasure of reading the story, The pace was depleted with 3 different stories in 3 different decades.
There was just too much going on for one book and the flow seemed disorganized. I didn’t enjoy it, disappointing. 2/5⭐
I would like to Thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this novel.

Millie Lang has been sent to Montana to work for the WPA after she gets in a tricky situation at her library job back East. She will now supervise the Montana American Guide Series book. It’s an effort by the government to keep authors employed during the Depression and provide interesting reading material for the public. Millie has a specific task – uncover what happened to the original WPA articles that had been submitted by the Montana group, but were totally useless. Now Millie will try to ferret out who might have sabotaged the writing. She will investigate while simultaneously working on re-collecting articles to be included in the state book.

Her suspects include the small group of people who worked on the project and who were the only ones with access to the documents before they were mailed off. While she begins her sleuthing and familiarizing herself with the group, she and three others set off on a journey around the state to gather material and recreate some of the interviews that had been lost.

As part of the back story we learn about Alice, the local librarian, who had been the person who initiated the Boxcar Library program. She came up with the concept of bringing books to the remote mining towns using the trains. One boxcar was outfitted as a library with a small area cordoned off as a bedroom for the librarian. Alice hired Collette to be the boxcar librarian and on the initial run, the two women worked together to bring reading material to people in the very far reaches of Montana. Collette was herself a very fascinating woman with a mystery surrounding her background. She is however, a very capable librarian and Alice feels lucky to have her. When Millie arrives to spearhead the WPA project, Collette is long gone.

As Millie learns more about the people she’s now working with, she recognizes the value each of them offers and sees how they try to present the state as an interesting place filled with fascinating people. Despite that, she must discover who sabotaged the original writing and why. She quickly learns about the harsh Montana environment and the complications created by the copper companies that run the mines and control everything and everyone in the towns.

The characters are complex and intriguing. Alice and Collette are integral to the history of the Montana boxcar program and their story is woven in with the mystery Millie is investigating. The very existence of the boxcar library program is fascinating. Much has been written about packhorse librarians, but this is the first I’ve read about using a train to distribute books. Labuskes also calls attention to the series of state books that were produced by the WPA. She incorporates the realities of life in the mining camps and nearby towns as she writes about damaged people trying to survive a harsh environment during difficult times.

Millie Lang finds herself shipped off to Montana to work on the state's American Guide series. Millie arrives with her staff claiming their deadlines are not met due to sabotage. She begins to think the issue lies with the town's librarian -- Alice Monroe. Alice created the Boxcar Library over 10 years prior to help bring books to isolated towns. They try to determine what happened to Collette Durand.

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.