"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!

Thank you to NetGallery for allowing me to have advance access to this book.

The Boxcar Librarian is compelling story from the view points of three young women, Collette, Alice and Millie.

The setting is during The Great Depression in Montana. The author does a wonderful job of bringing you through some of the hardest times our country has endured from three very different viewpoints all while capturing the beauty that Montana has to offer.

Although I found the speed to be a little bit slow, I still enjoyed the truth telling of the trials faced during this period of time.

OMG, Brianna Labuskes enthralled me again! What a very good read The Boxcar Librarian is!

The story is set in Montana during the Depression era and is told from the points of view of three women whose stories meld together in unexpected ways. Politics, adventure, romance, war, labor relations, the Depression, and friendship are all given their turn in this wonderful genre-crossing tale. One of my favorite aspects of the book is how the author highlights the recurring theme of the power of reading to shape and change lives.

I didn't want this book to end! Do yourself a favor and spend some time within its pages!!

My sincere thanks to William Morris for allowing me to read a DRC of the book via NetGalley. Publication is 3/4/25. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Three characters are pivotal in this historical fiction novel about the origins of the Boxcar Libraries. The era is set around the Great Depression and the innovative programs that FDR created to help enrich the nation during a very difficult time. It was fascinating to read about this little known chapter of our nation.

This book followed 3 different women during the 1920s and 1930s. Millie is writing a guidebook. Alice is starting a boxcar library. Collette is fighting unions with her father who loves Shakespeare. It’s a book about books and how they impact the lives of these 3 women. It’s so well done. I really loved this story and I enjoyed all 3 points of view. Collete and her smart spunky personality was my favorite ❤️. Thank you to net galley and Harper Collin’s for letting me read this gem of a book!

**Features:**
- Historical Fiction set predominantly in depression era western Montana
- Focuses on a fictional version of the Lumberman’s Library
- Explores the impact of literature, strength through adversity, and corporate abuse

**Synopsis:**

Alice is a librarian with a mission: provide the wonder and escape of books to the isolated mining towns throughout Montana. She has even found the perfect woman to help run her library on rails. Colette Durand is a tough miner’s daughter who is no stranger to hardship or the lengths companies will go to keep their workers in line. Her one escape were the stories her father used to tell and the love of reading he had passed on to her. Over a decade later, Millie Lang finds herself in Missoula working on a travel guide series for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Once there, she finds herself navigating a web of secrets that have threatened to halt her project. At the center of it all is librarian Alice Monroe; the only one to return from the Boxcar Library’s firsts journey.

**Thoughts:**

This book definitely exceeded my expectations. Where the titular Boxcar Library plays a central role and there is plenty of love for literature, this story ended up being about so much more. It is told through the perspectives of Colette, Alice, and Millie and spans two decades between the three of them. Colette’s story begins in 1914, Alice’s in 1924, and Millie’s in 1936 with all three storylines eventually meeting up. Though all three women love literature, they each have very different experiences that have led them to appreciate it in different ways. Of course, there are still some moments of bookish sappiness and some eye roll inducing title drops, but I would be disappointed if they weren’t in a book like this! In fact, these moments help balance out the more serious nature of the overall story in a way that’s clever given the context.

In addition to Boxcar Library and Millie’s project, this story is a snapshot of western Montana and the corporate politics during this time period. The various mining towns and even Missoula itself are intimately tied to the mining company that is almost the sole employer of the people who live there. This book explores this messy power dynamic that is only exacerbated by the Great Depression and the lengths people are willing to go to keep it hidden from the public eye. It is an interesting slice of history I did not know a lot about going in and I’m glad I got to see here. I would definitely recommend this book to book lovers and history fans alike!

I'm not much of a historical fiction reader, but I enjoyed "The Boxcar Librarian" and its depiction of Depression-era Montana. As someone who had the opportunity to visit the state back in 2022 (and even stayed in Missoula), it was neat to compare the book's descriptions to my experience visiting the state. I felt like this novel was a love letter to the state and to the art of reading. Additionally, managing three POVs is always a challenge, especially when jumping around in time, but I felt everyone's POVs complemented each other well. My biggest gripes with the novel (and the reason I docked a star) were that I found the pace to be incredibly slow in the beginning. It took me some time to warm up to this novel, and I only found myself really invested around 70% through the book. I also felt at times that this novel didn't really know what it wanted to be. It's a combination murder mystery, revenge tale, romance, post-WWI introspection, love letter to Montana, love letter to libraries and fiction, commentary on labor, and a tale of journalism as well. I don't think books need to only explore one theme, but there was a lot happening here, and it sometimes didn't flow as well as it could. Overall, "The Boxcar Librarian" is not a novel I'd commonly pick up, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

I've read several of Brianna Labuskes thrillers in the past, so I was intrigued to preview The Box Car Librarian as a bit of a departure from what I'm used to from this author. It combines women's historical fiction with an ending more in line with those aforementioned thrillers, and I thought it worked. Taking multiple story lines in different time frames, then combining the results as the book went on was effective.

As a man, I was able to sympathize with the plight of the various women protagonists, as they worked to figure out their places in a man-dominated world. I always enjoy when underdogs can overcome the odds as they strive towards fulfillment.

I recommend this for fans of both historical fiction and thrillers, if you can appreciate the combination. I look forward to see what the author tackles next!

As with all well-researched and written historical fiction, the reader is transported to a unique place with memorable characters in this fast-paced volume. Early twentieth century Monrana's copper mining camps and prohibition era liquor surveyors fill this book about the power of books and reading. When an altruistic young librarian from a wealthy family establishes a rolling lending library in a boxcar to visit mining camps and towns throughout the state, she has no idea of the people she'll encounter. But the rough-hewn, yet well-read, woman she engages to staff the library opens her eyes. Meanwhile the New Deal Era Federal Writer's Project Montana guide book staff search for the past and discover dark secrets.

Thank you to @netgalley and @WilliamMorrow for this ARC. This story told from 3 different women. Alice, a daughter of the mayor who has everything she wants and needs. Collete, the daughter of a miner and union organizer who has everything she needs but not much of what she wants. Millie, an editor for the Works Program Administration who produce travel guides for the states. One thing connects them - Books. This was such a great book - full of love, loss, mystery and betrayal. I absolutely loved it! #TheBoxcarLibrarian #BriannaLabuskes #March2025

Any story that revolves around books is an immediate hit with me and so I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to read this tome. I was a bit confused at first because of the shifting time periods as I skipped over the dates at the beginning of each chapter, but eventually I started paying attention to them and the story came together. The book weaves together the American Guide Series, a project of Roosevelt’s Works Project Administration, the Lumberman’s Boxcar Library, and the corruption of the Montana mining companies into a story of three women who took matters into their own hands to become strong in the face of adversity. And their love of books and wish to share that love with others was the thread that tied it all together. Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I cannot begin to explain to you how much this book changed my brain chemistry. A story told in three converging POVs, Alice, Millie, and Collette's stories tell of fighting for what is right, revenge, and love all centered around the power of books and storytelling. We meet Millie first in 1936 where she works as an editor on The American Guide project. She gets sent to Montana to figure out who is sabotaging the manuscripts. Alice's story starts in 1924 where we learn who is librarian who brings books to one of the closer mining camps but dreams of being able to reach more people. Collette has learned a lot from her father in 1914, including her passion for workers' rights and storytelling.

I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat. I definitely didn't see a couple of the plot twists coming. I always think it's a testament to the author when they can make you cry at the beautiful moments too, not just the heartbreaking ones, and Labuskes has done that for me in this novel.

I think readers of all kinds will enjoy this book. Definitely a must read 2025 release! I've already been telling my friends and family they have to read this when it releases! I will definitely be scrambling to get my hands on more of Labuskes novels.

Review goes live February 10

The Boxcar Librarian
by Brianna Labuskes
Pub Date: March 4, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Inspired by true events, a thrilling Depression-era novel from the author of The Librarian of Burned Books about a woman’s quest to uncover a mystery surrounding a local librarian and the Boxcar Library—a converted mining train that brought books to isolated rural towns in Montana.

What a wonderful. book! The Boxcar Librarian follows three women from the 1920s to 1930s. It is based on the true events of the Boxcar Library, which went from a mining camp to mining camp in Montana. I loved reading about each of the different women, their love for literature, and their desire to help others love reading as much as they did poured off the page. I loved following Millie, Alice, and Colette's story. This book has romance, mystery, and so much more. The author's goal was to demonstrate the capacity of books to provide connection and light to those who need it most and boy did this book do that!

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins Publishing for an early copy of The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes

Alice Monroe
Colette Durand
Millie Lang,,,

Three women connected in ways they cannot imagine as their lives resemble a kaleidoscope changing shape in The Boxcar Librarian. This deeply researched novel is trademark Brianna Labuskes as the Works Progress Administration of the 1930s, mining in the State of Montana and union organization come together to offer readers a compelling and reflective vetting of this time frame and this place.

Alice Monroe is the daughter of a wealthy Montanan connected to the mining industry. It is Alice's vision to create a traveling bookmobile on one of the train cars used to move ore through the state. She is quite well-read as she is an only child and friendships with other children were discouraged while she was growing up. When Alice gets the go-ahead to create the literary boxcar, she hires Colette Durand, daughter of a miner and union supporter to travel the rails to the various Montana sites.

Millie Lang has been hired by the WPA and is given the assignment to travel to Montana to discover why submissions to the American Guide featuring Montana is blank. Millie will confront the small team in Missoula, Montana and form a plan to solve the mystery.

The Anaconda Mining Company is anything but benevolent toward its workers, leading to violent confrontations in words and actions. Colette suffers a particular tragedy and will go to any lengths to seek vengeance.

Author Labuskes makes use of many books and genres from The Odyssey to Shakespeare to L.M. Montgomery including quotes and reflections as Montana's forgotten citizens are given the opportunity to imagine better lives through literature.

The Author's Note at the conclusion of The Boxcar Librarian is a very helpful source in explaining the roots of this quality read along with suggestions for deeper study of this time period.

This book was sad but so well written. Really enjoyed and highly recommend. There have been several books written about the holocaust but this is one of the best.

I really enjoyed this book and the history behind the different people and events in it. The author clearly did their research well and it made for a well developed cast of characters and three different story lines within the overall book. That was a little confusing at first but the author did a great job of making the transitions flow smoothly. There is a complicated story here but one that stuck with me after finishing and I’ll definitely be recommending it to my friends.

Interesting story from 3 different perspectives and timelines. Enjoyed the suspense and how the 3 stories weaved together. Really liked the book references throughout. Wish more storyline had been given to the life of the miners/ workers to really understand the importance of a workers Union and the threat that came with it to the Company. Some parts are laborious in detail, while other parts are scant or lacking completely, like the consequences for Finn. Also, Alice needs to be told about Oscar. With a good edit this will be a 5 star book.
Overall, was a good read.

This is my first book by Brianna Lubuskes, and I will be looking at her other books regarding literature because I enjoyed the Boxcar Librarian so much.
This book is based on true events in Montana during the Depression years of 1920-1930's in a bit of a dual timeline style separated by about a decade. It was a bit difficult to follow at the beginning, once I understood the premise, it all became clear and I was quickly immersed in the book.

The 3 main characters, Millie, Collete and Alice's lives all intersect due to their love of books and their belief that books can change lives, particularly when times are so tough and hope hard to come by. There is mystery, romance, history of mining and the unions, tragedy and heartache and yet, there is courage, tenacity, forgiveness, love and friendship that shine throughout the book. I really enjoyed the various books mentioned and quoted throughout the book, tailored to the persons situation.

Brianna's writing draws you to see the beauty of Montana, the railroad camps and feel the despair of hunger and scarcity, reflecting her well researched history of the era. There is 1 episode of non-graphic sex, some violence and intimations of hardships of being on the rails.
The journal at the end with more facts, how the author learned about the Boxcar Libraries was so interesting and added to the history.

If you are a book lover and enjoy reading about the impact of books during the depression, want to learn some history about Montana, in a plot twisting book with authentic and engaging characters, this is the book for you.
A huge thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for the privilege of this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

Based on a true story. The Boxcar Library was created to bring books to mining towns in Montana. Such a great and interesting story of western history.

Part mystery, part romance, part found family, many parts revenge. Such an interesting read. Meet the characters in different time periods and watch them collide in the middle when all the pieces start to fall into place! Many twists and turns that all begin and end...with books. I love the ideas put forth in this book about how reading not only educates, but also has the ability to start revolutions. Something sorely needed in today's world. The uneducated are easy to keep down, the easiest way to keep people uneducated is to keep them from reading. Well done!