I wish I could share all of my highlights from this book at once. My favorite thing was the way the author highlighted how helpful books can be for people & what they can open our eyes to. That theme & the fact that it was set in Montana were my favorite parts of the book.

That being said, this book has a lot of plot points going on at the same time. It is done well, but can be a little bit confusing to keep the timelines straight.

There were some twists and turns I couldn’t fully predict & I do appreciate that. While I understand why the author made those choices, I did hate some of them.

My last note was that the romance that was the main focus of this book was a victim of the miscommunication trope in my eyes & that is my least favorite one.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.


Three timelines ranging from 1914 - 1939 with three POV’s creates a challenging start to Brianna Labuskes new novel, THE BOXCAR LIBRARIAN.

Montana is the primary setting for this story about mobile libraries. Three different women are involved with the operations of a new library built into a library car that services lumber camps and the tiny towns that line the tracks along the way. These women are bibliophiles through and through, sharing many insights about books that are now considered classics. I thoroughly enjoyed the tidbits of information and added a few books to my TBR because of them. For those readers who are fans of “The Bard”, you will be especially enamored. Labuskes is deft with descriptive prose. I spent many hours feeling extra chilly while reading about the winter months in Montana - bbbrrrr!

As stated in the beginning, it took a long time, more than 50 pages, before the multiple storylines began to settle into a comfortable reading experience. Part of the problem is not enough time to get to know three strong, female characters. The other issue is close timelines. Even tho’ each chapter is unique to a voice and a timeline and clearly marked, I found them hard to follow until the 50% mark or a bit later. The chapters were too short and more character development was needed sooner. Elongating the chapters would have permitted the author to give readers deeper insights to backstories that would have helped me understand some of the motivations of the characters. We did get the info needed but it was scattered in a few, high intensity scenes near the end. Rather than feeling like “ah ha”, it was “dang, I wish I knew that 200 pages ago!”

For those who love books, adventure, mystery and light thriller reads, THE BOXCAR LIBRARIAN will be a good read. Labuskes did an excellent job with research and bringing attention to an event in our history that isn’t well known or documented. This time period is full of huge historical events: the end of WWI, Prohibition, The Depression, Dust Bowl, WWII, racial tensions w/blacks & indigenous, women’s rights, The New Deal and more. It was eye opening to see how little this area of the county was impacted by these events Taking books and other reading materials to these families was a life changing gift for many.

3.5 stars rounded up for bringing an important story about real historical events to contemporary readers📚

Read and Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks.

I absolutely loved The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes.This book introduces three strong female characters and jumps between their stories over the years.

We have Millie Lang an editor for a depression era work program. She is sent to Montana to investigate missing paperwork and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Then Alice Monroe, a sheltered rich girl with a generous spirit and a strong will, who wants to help the miners in the area by giving them the gift of books by creating a boxcar library. Last but not least Colette Durand, the daughter of a union leader miner, who loves her father and reading.

This book expertly weaved together these stories. Every different point of view felt distinct and clear. When plot lines connected over different chapters and years it was seamless. It was like a reading a connect the dots. I couldn’t wait to see what the next connection would be so I could get a even fuller sense of the story.

This book had mystery, romance, revenge, and multiple surprises. I even cried a little at the end. Also, I really want to visit Montana now.

If you enjoy well written, compelling stories, with strong characters you will not be disappointed with this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Williams Morrow, and Brianna Labuskes for the ARC.

This book included so many mentions of the power of books - education and escape were primary things and there are so many highlight worthy lines in this book. I loved the three points of view - Millie in post depression WPA work, Alice founding the boxcar library and Colette being a miner's daughter. There was so much going on for each of the women and a lot of mystery to unravel while enjoying an ode to the love of books. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a chance to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

Three women's stories start in three different decades and merge eventually in a super satisfying piece of historical fiction about strong women who make their way in Montana. in 1914, Collette is part rough and tumble, part self-educated and pro-union. Her father, who is raising Collette is a miner, self educated and a strong union man. Their home is filled with books and his brain is filled with whole plays of Shakespeare and the many authors he loves and shares with Collette. Being a union man is highly risky in a company town owned by "The Company." The Anaconda Mining Company keeps its workers under its thumb, along with various politicians. When tragedy befalls Colette, she takes off on her own and we follow her story through the book, thereafter.

The novel alternates among the stories, but generally in a linear way, so while you are jumping decades and finding out things about each of them in the various decades, the chapters devoted to Collette, Alice and Millie follow a continuous time line. In 1924, Mayor Monroe of Missoula Montana is heavily invested in the Company and involved in various bootlegging and other questionable enterprises, but Alice is only dimly aware/suspicious of his doings. Alice is his daughter, a young woman who is a local librarian. With the help of her childhood friend Mac, now employed by her father to carry out a variety of work, including keeping an eye on Alice, she brings books by motor car to nearby mining towns. Mayor Monroe is very controlling and protective of Alice. An old schoolmate, who she views as too wild and his reputation too notorious dips in and out of her life in Missoula. Sidney Walker comes from wealth and he is a gambler, heavy drinker and always, always teases Alice when he runs into her. His mother is a social power in town.

When Alice thinks of the idea of fitting out a boxcar as a lending library, and starts to fundraise with the moneyed company and townspeople, Sidney's mother steps in to thwart the plan. She believes it is dangerous to let "those people" experience the power of words. In a surprising twist, Alice calls checkmate on Mrs. Walker and her plan goes forward, along with the hire of an unusual choice for the person who would serve as the boxcar librarian. The first two men to interview just didn't get Alice's vision. The boxcar will be hitched to trains that run through mining towns and we get to follow the boxcar and its librarian in many sweet and scary encounters and adventures.

And then there is Millie, an orphan from Texas, raised by her aunt and uncle as a combination older sister and minder of their rambunctious boys. In 1936, she is working for the Work Progress Agency (WPA) Federal Writers Project in a component that oversees a state by state guidebook project. Writers, photographer, editors, typists and interviewers travel about their assigned state to interview people in urban and remote areas and put together a a book meant to attract visitors. Millie, an editor in Washington, DC is sent to Missoula Montana to address a serious issue with Montana's project. Thus, the office staff initially views her as the enemy.

These women are phenomenal characters with rich stories and very different motherless backgrounds. All are book lovers, independent for their times and just interesting. So are the various support characters, the setting and the cultural and political stories of each of their initial eras: Montana's union battles are notorious and well represented in The Boxcar Librarian. Prohibition plays a role as well. The depression and the ups and downs of the New Deal and the WPA is a rich part of this story. Each woman learns more about poverty, if not personally than through their exposure to people in need. Each learns more about corruption in government and about the despotic nature of powerful corporations that rule with iron fists. So, for me, the rather progressive nature of the book was most welcome. It does not so much lecture as lull one into sympathy. This is a well researched and beautifully written book. One of my few "couldn't put it down," new to me authors.

4.5 stars, rounded up. Absolutely wonderful historical fiction from Labuskes that follows three different women in Montana at different times, and eventually twines their stories together. Labuskes tackles a lot in this story of courageous women living in difficult times and circumstances, united by a love of books and reading. I'm knocking a half-star off just because I didn't care for the hurried wrap-up at the end; I thought the story would have stood stronger without giving a quick summary of the rest of these women's lives. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital review copy.

This book is one of my favorite genres, historical fiction.
With that said, I had a hard time keeping up with the three different characters in the book.
I would like to have been able to flip back through some pages in the beginning because it was a bit confusing, but I wasn’t able to since I was reading on my Kindle. The first half was slow going. There was, in my opinion, way too much going on in this story. I wasn’t quite sure where the author was going and what she wanted this book to be.
If you are from Montana you would probably really enjoy this read and its description and love for the state.
The Boxcar Librarian was a book I would have bought due to the genre and description, but was not a favorite of mine.

The lives of three women collide during the Great Depression through their love of books and the tragedies and triumphs of the union movement.

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 5/5 Characters: 5/5

Loved this historical fiction centered in Montana in the early 1900s. Three timelines for three characters that slowly converge: Millie Lang (1936), exiled to Missoula to “fix” the state’s contribution to the depression era American Guide Series, sponsored by the Federal Writers Project of the WPA. Alice Monroe (1924), small town Missoula librarian born to wealth, who works to get more books into more hands via rural visits. Colette Durand (1914), daughter of a Shakespeare loving union organizer for the miners employed by the Anaconda Mining Company.

An excellent cast of supporting characters, lots of action and surprising plot twists, well-researched details of the time period, and plenty of interesting locations (e.g. Glacier National Park, Wild Horse Island in Flathead Lakes, Missoula mining camps) — all vividly brought to life. Lots of literary references, both in terms of very apt quotes and individual books for an assortment of characters and the real impact they had. Really demolished the stereotype of the “lower classes” being uninteresting in learning and mind expansion. She handled themes of vengeance, injustice, and restrictions on and expectations of women adroitly with real reflection on how to know what “doing the right thing” means, and what it might cost. Loved the Boxcar library itself (apparently you can see the Lumberman’s library box car in Fort Missoula — I may take a trip!)

A great read!

Some quotes:

“Everyone had a story, and most people were just trying to get by. They didn’t deserve to become empty vessels to hold other people’s anger and insecurities.“

“So did writers. They saw the extremes in life as appealing – tear courage, fear, and strength, love and hate. They were what made humans human. But Millie didn’t think of herself as a writer. She thought of herself as a journalist. She was there to tell other people’s stories."

*Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own *

Where do I begin?

This book captures everything I love about historical fiction. It's a beautifully written story that I couldn't put down, and I will recommend it to my friends once it's released in March. As you probably know, any novel focused on books is a must-read for me. I've read a few historical fiction books about books, but this one was unlike the others. I wasn't even aware of Boxcar Library, at least not back then, and it was a fascinating story to read; I even found myself doing some research after finishing the book because I wanted to learn more about it. I was captivated from start to end; part of me didn't want the book to end. I loved learning about the library's history.

I loved that it took place in Montana. My grandparents used to live in Missoula, Montana, and I visited there several times and enjoyed reading about it. The descriptions were so detailed that I envisioned myself among Millie, Alice, and Colette in Montana. I enjoyed reading about each of the characters' views and different timelines. I enjoyed reading from each character's point of view, but Alice and Colette stood out the most for me. I was fascinated from the start about how the three characters would connect. I enjoyed reading their individual stories, but the way the characters intertwined flowed beautifully.

I could tell how much research went into this book, and I learned so much from reading the book. It started out a little slowly, but only during the character introductions. After that, I struggled to find a stopping point because so much was happening. The Boxcar Librarian is the second book by Brianna Labuskes that I have read, but I have a couple more on my list that I am eager to read! Now I want to read her thrillers. For any fan of historical fiction who enjoys books about books, I highly recommend this.

In 1924, Alice Monroe was the only daughter of Missoula Montana’s wealthy mayor and a town librarian. Due to her poor health she had led a sheltered life and retreated into books. They brought adventure, and traveling to the outskirts of town to lend them to poor miners brought happiness. One day Alice decided to turn a boxcar into a library to serve miners far from Missoula. Some considered books dangerous because they might give miners ideas to better themselves, but Alice persisted.

Colette Durand lived with her father in the town of Hell Raisin’ Gulch in Montana. Though he worked sixteen-hour shifts for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, Claude kept a cheerful outlook. He quoted passages from the Bard, and taught Colette to love reading. Miners had hard lives, died early, and were always in debt to the company. Claude wanted to unionize, but beatings and murders made miners afraid. In 1921 her father was shot and killed. Colette knew it was company men who killed him, and vowed revenge. After years riding the rails disguised as a man, looking for his killers, Colette landed a job as a boxcar librarian.

In 1936 Millie Lang was sent to Washington DC to work on a travel guide project. She was soon transferred to Missoula Montana to find out why a group of writers didn’t provide material. She had to learn about the state and was assisted by Alice Monroe, the town’s librarian. Alice opened her eyes to the hard lives of miners, politicians owned by mining companies, and stories of its people. Later, Millie heard about a missing librarian and a connection to Alice. Her attention was piqued.

Though each of these women came from different times and places, their stories convened in Missoula Montana in 1936. It took a lot of clever plot maneuvering by the author to make it happen, but the suspense and romance leading up to its satisfying conclusion was worth the back-and-forth between characters. The storyline is based on a real boxcar library in Missoula Montana, as well as real events in miner’s lives from that time period. It was a learning experience for me.

Recommended for Adults.

When Works Progress Administration (WPA) editor Millie Lang finds herself on the wrong end of a potential political scandal, she’s shipped off to Montana to work on the state’s American Guide Series—travel books intended to put the nation’s destitute writers to work. Millie arrives to an eclectic staff claiming their missed deadlines are due to sabotage, possibly from the state’s powerful Copper Kings who don’t want their long and bloody history with union organizers aired for the rest of the country to read. But Millie begins to suspect that the answer might instead lie with the town’s mysterious librarian, Alice Monroe.

More than a decade earlier, Alice Monroe created the Boxcar Library in order to deliver books to isolated mining towns where men longed for entertainment and connection. Alice thought she found the perfect librarian to staff the train car in Colette Durand, a miner’s daughter with a shotgun and too many secrets behind her eyes. Now, no one in Missoula will tell Millie why both Alice and Colette went out on the inaugural journey of the Boxcar Library, but only Alice returned. The three women’s stories dramatically converge in the search to uncover what someone is so desperately trying to hide: what happened to Colette Durand.

I really enjoy reading historical fiction from times and places I'm less familiar with, and Labuskes does a great job bringing me back in time. Excellent characters, great themes, and compelling plot, this may be one of the breakouts of 2025. Loved it! 5⭐

This was a little reminiscent of Jojo Moyes' Giver of the Stars for me in some ways.

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

A beautifully written story. The three stories tied together so well. I so enjoy learning about library related history. I found reading about pioneering women taking charge during a time that really pushed against women being independent very relevant in today’s culture. These three women - Millie, Collette and Alice - were strong women who believed in the power of words to encourage, comfort and provide hope for people at the bottom of the ladder. If this resonates with you, take the time to read the authors note to learn about the real women who made the boxcar library happen and who worked in the works programs during the Great Depression.
Can’t wait to read this authors other works.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A poignant historical fiction following three different women making their way in a difficult world. Wonderful characterization will leave you entranced by the stories of all three as they weave together into an intriguing story.

Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
This is a depression era story told from three viewpoints. Ten years before Alice Monroe had started a Boxcar Library for the miners and their families. She had hired Collette Durand to run the Boxcar Library, although she ended up going with Collette. Now, ten years later, Millie is an employee of the Works Progress Administration. She is sent to Montana to work on the American Guide Series. She becomes involved in solving the Boxcar Library mystery. Collette had disappeared when the library was serving the miners. I liked this book, but I sometimes found it hard to follow all the storylines. The author did a good job of bringing all of the characters together, but it took a while. I enjoyed learning about the library, and I admired Alice because she wanted to help the miners. I also liked the way some of the characters occurred in more than one storyline-they had just grown older. I also enjoyed references to a lot of books and how books were used to tell the story. I recommend this book if you like stories about books and libraries.

Set in Montana in 1920s-1930’s. Women start traveling to mining towns with books by boxcar. Written from views of 3 women; Alice is from a wealthy family; Millie travels from Washington DC to write about people for a newsletter; and Colette is from a poor Montana family. The women become friends .

There were some lovely parts of this book. I especially enjoyed Colette’s sections. This story certainly has potential, however, it needs a thorough final line edit (and potentially to be rewritten in some small sections). There were some metaphors didn’t work well (and were grating for it, imo), and the emotions weren’t always woven in seamlessly. Pacing was off at times. Same for the realistic depictions in some sections.

This read like a draft from midway through the editing process, one that has some ways to go before being the final draft. Some parts were lovely and shone through, and others needed shaping to help the story come together.

I think the author could have also included more details in the setting. Especially early on, there wasn’t a sense of groundedness in the scenes. What does the town look like? What are the characters wearing? What kind of automobile are they driving? These setting details transport the reader are a big part of what make historical fiction so enjoyable to ready

The Boxcar Librarian introduced me to a place in time that I'm completely unfamiliar with. Getting to know early 20th century Montana through the eyes of our three heroines was a true pleasure. I have a feeling there are some more historical easter eggs that went over my head as well, that might be fun for someone more familiar with the period.

Collette was by far my favorite character. If I have one complaint about this book, it's that there wasn't more of her! Seeing her grow and mature while also standing by her hard-earned principles was inspiring. I look forward to seeing what Labuskes comes out with next.

The Boxcar Librarian is a journey unlike any other. The story masterfully intertwines plotlines from different time periods, clearly distinguished by character and date. The symbolism of books is seamlessly woven throughout, emphasizing their profound significance to people from all walks of life. The challenges and triumphs faced by Millie, Alice, and Colette are vividly portrayed, making their journeys deeply compelling. Even when I wasn’t reading, I found myself thinking about their stories and anticipating how they would connect. This is a remarkable tale of courage, trust, and vulnerability and I can't recommend it highly enough.

"To anyone who has ever called Montana home"

From the moment I read the dedication, I hoped to love this book, and it did such an incredible job in portraying my beautiful home state - messy history and all.

A fictionalized story about one of the founders of the Lumberjack Library, a daughter of a union man, and an editor tasked with figuring out a mystery, this novel was full of interesting characters and intrigue, with a dash of romance and plenty of references to classic books.

I don't think I've ever highlighted so many quotes in a book. The writing is phenomenal. The storytelling weaves together three very distinct lives and arcs into one incredible story. Time skip stories can be hit or miss for me, but this one was so well done. It barely touched on being bisexual in the 20s and 30s in Montana, but it didn't feel like a forced throw-in either. It was simply taken as a fact about the character with no homophobia in the story.

"When someone was curious about the world, about both their neighbors and strangers who they shared a country with, it countered the hate that could brew from ignorance and fear."

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!