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    The Librarian of Boone's Hollow
    The Librarian of Boone's Hollow
    The Librarian of Boone's Hollow
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Librarian of Boone's Hollow

    Written by Kim Vogel Sawyer

    Narrated by Kate Forbes

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A traveling librarian ventures into the mining towns of Kentucky on horseback—and learns to trust the One who truly pens her story—in this powerful novel from the best-selling author of A Silken Thread.

    During the Great Depression, city-dweller Addie Cowherd dreams of becoming a novelist and offering readers the escape that books had given her during her tragic childhood. When her father loses his job, she is forced to take the only employment she can find—delivering books on horseback to poor coal-mining families in the hills of Kentucky.

    But turning a new page will be nearly impossible in Boone's Hollow, where residents are steeped in superstitions and deeply suspicious of outsiders. Even local Emmett Tharp feels the sting of rejection after returning to the tiny mountain hamlet as the first in his family to graduate college. And as the crippled economy leaves many men jobless, he fears his degree won’t be worth much in a place where most men either work the coal mine or run moonshine.

    As Addie also struggles to find her place, she’ll unearth the truth about a decades-old rivalry. But when someone sets out to sabotage the town’s library program, will the culprit chase Addie away or straight into the arms of the only person who can help her put a broken community back together?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 22, 2020
    ISBN9781705005835
    The Librarian of Boone's Hollow
    Author

    Kim Vogel Sawyer

    Bestselling, award-winning author Kim Vogel Sawyer wears many hats besides “writer.” As a wife, mother, grandmother, and active participant in her church, her life is happily full. But Kim’s passion lies in writing stories of hope that encourage her readers to place their lives in God’s capable hands. An active speaking ministry assists her with her desire. Kim and her husband make their home on the beautiful plains of Kansas, the setting for many of Kim’s novels.

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    Reviews for The Librarian of Boone's Hollow

    4.5/5

    60 ratings12 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The Librarian of Boone's Hollow is a sweet story, but it does not shy away from the ways humans can hurt either other. It addresses the themes of abuse, prejudice & bullying without being graphic, and presents authentic faith-filled answers. I cared about the characters & especially loved the faithful & forgiving Nanny Fay. I have a print copy of this book at school for my students, but I listened to the audiobook & really enjoyed it!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I don't read a lot of this genre (Christian, historical, romance) but it's well-written and it was a fun, fast, summer read. The over-arching Christian message of "do good to them that hate you" is a reminder I needed. Historically, I learned about something new -- library programs to under-served populations during the depression. The romance was predictable but I enjoyed it.
    • 3/5
      Addie's life is turned upside down when she is summoned into the deans office of the Kentucky college she is attending. Addie loves attending school and working at the University library, so she is devastated when she learns that her tuition has not bee paid. Her father has lost his job, her parents have been forced to move, and Addie has to leave school. At her wits end, Addie reluctantly accepts a lead on a job given to her by the head of the library where she was working. So she moves to the hills of Kentucky to become a pack-mule librarian, delivering books to folks living in the hills and hollers. Addie feels extremely out of sorts in her new environment, and struggles to find acceptance from her new community. She finds help from a couple of unlikey sources - one being Emmett Till, a fellow alumni of her college who has recently returned home. He helps Addie navigate the social complexities of her new home - and hopes to find success with his new college degree. Both Emmett and Addie face challenge after challenge - but the wise advice of their elders and a healthy dose of faith help them to overcome in the end.I thoroughly enjoyed this read, although I found it about average and not as good as another book about a pack horse librarian that I was reading at the time. It is an enjoyable read for someone who enjoys Christian historical romances with colorful characters.
    • 4/5
      This is another take on the pack horse librarians of rural Kentucky, which came through the WPA, through a presidential program.It is a different point of view, than others that I've read on the subject. Didn't necessarily care for it, while I was reading it, but later after giving it some thought, things that happen in the book, probably did happen like that.It's good to get a different view of the pack horse librarians.
    • 4/5
      Title: The Librarian of Boone’s HollowAuthor: Kim Vogel SawyerPages: e-bookYear: 2020Publisher: WaterBrookMy rating is 4 out of 5 stars.The year is 1936. The place is Kentucky. Addie Cowherd is studiously preparing for her final exams to complete her junior year in college. She is called to the dean’s office, thinking she might be getting an award as she is at the top of her class academically. What he tells her stuns her. She has a large debt to pay for her tuition. If the debt isn’t paid, she must withdraw from college immediately. She contacts her parents who she thought were paying her college expenses and discovers her father has lost his job, they have had to sell their home and most of their possessions to pay debts. They now rent a room at a boardinghouse and her father who worked in a bank is now working as a part-time janitor. With no way to pay her debt, Addie is forced to leave college. Her part-time job at the local library gives her the chance at another job as a librarian, but upon arrival in remote Boone’s Hollow Addie discovers a whole new world and nothing is as she expected.Emmett Tharp meets Addie Cowherd briefly at a college gathering at school and likes her, but he is graduating in a few days, hoping for a job at a corporation. When no jobs are to be had, Emmett returns home to Boone’s Hollow. He hopes to get an office job at the mining operation that has supported the local economy for years, but that comes to no fruition. He hears of a local job with the WPA program sponsored by FDR to put people back to work after the depression. The job is as the head librarian in charge of sending out delivery of books to the local population. He enquires about the job only to discover it has just been filled by someone else. With no alternatives left, he has his father teach him all he knows about mining to prepare him for a physically intense job in the mines. He thinks his college education was for naught and that it created a distance between himself and his father.There is much more to this story than the romance between Emmett and Addie. There other people in the story are just as interesting. I think this story is about relationships and how each person finds his/her role. Sometimes what one thinks about someone can change when a relationship is engaged in rather than just observed from the outside. Prejudice, acceptance, love and determination are just a few of the many themes/topics present in the story. The author certainly did her research well and wove that into the story seamlessly. I always enjoy this author’s historical tales.Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
    • 5/5
      The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow, by Kim Vogel Sawyer, is a wonderful story that takes place in Kentucky during the great depression. Addie and Emmett first briefly met at college. When Addie is forced to drop out due to lack of funds, she is offered a job to deliver books to families outside of Boone Hollow. After graduation, Emmett is unable to find work and goes home to his family. After deciding to take a job at the mine, he is offered the head librarian’s position and has to make the decision to leave the mines.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. The writing is so clear it is easy to envision the struggles Addie had to learn to ride a horse and how hard it was to fit in Boone Hollow as an outsider. It is heart-warming to see the generosity of her parent’s friends and church members with helping supply the library needs. I enjoyed reading of the dangers the men face with mining and the precautions they need to take and the jobs the government created for those who needed them during the depression. This story does touch on the topic of abuse and prejudice, and the love and support given to those in need.I received an ebook copy of this story from Waterbrook Multnomah publishing through NetGalley, this is my honest review.
    • 5/5
      I could not put this wonderful book down. I loved all the characters. This story didn’t go too far into how the program for the women horseback librarians really worked but the story delved into other problems. There is romance and some intrigue. These characters learn to treat each other in better ways. I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook and Multnomah for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
    • 5/5
      The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a beautifully written historical novel. The author captured the time-period and locale. I felt that the author transported me into the hills of Kentucky where working in the coal mines was the main occupation. There are some great characters in this story. Addie Cowherd was fortunate when she was adopted by Fern and Penrose Cowherd. They raised her to be resilient and to rely on God. Emmett Tharp is proud to have completed high school and college. He is a hard worker and a gentleman. Nanny Fay was my favorite character. She had such a cheery attitude despite how she is treated and the hardships she endures. Nanny Fay was a woman of strong faith. It was fascinating learning about the Kentucky Pack Horse Project. Eleanor Roosevelt wanted to feed people minds. Women worked long hours transporting reading materials by horseback or mule to remote farms. The point-of-view switches between Addie, Emmett, Nanny Fay, and Bettina (a horseback librarian from Boone’s Hollow). The author captured the mountain vernacular spoken by Bettina and the other mountain folk. I like how the Christian message was present through the whole book. It is wonderful that we are reminded to be kind to others and despite how one may be treated to “kill them with kindness” (a phrase my mother used with me when I was growing up). I also liked the Scripture passages used in the book that supported the various messages. The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow was a joy to read. There are references to physical abuse in the story which, unfortunately, was common. I like that the romance was not at the forefront. Some wonderful classic books are mentioned in the story. My favorite phrase came from Addie who loved books and said, “nothing more magical or as satisfying as a book.” If you like to read Christian historical novels, then you should read The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow. The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow is a special Christian tale with beloved books, a stubborn steed, a persistent person, a missing manuscript, surprising superstitions, and a gracious God.
    • 5/5
      Kim Vogel Sawyer’s newest book The Librarian of Boone's Hollow, portrays the juxtaposition of the depression era timeframe and the despair of the deep South in so very haunting a way. I was intrigued and fascinated with learning about this period of time in our nation’s history. Her writing pulls you into the story in a way that leaves you feeling as if you were there, too, experiencing everything the cast of characters experiences.I have read many of Kim Vogel Sawyer’s books, but I think this is my favorite. The people are easy to love, and having lived the largest part of my life in the South, I can attest to the superstitions and old wives’ tales that used to run rampant (and in some areas still do) through its annals.  Sawyer has done a wonderful job of capturing the desolation and isolation in the hills of Kentucky, and her superlative research shines throughout the story.The Christian element runs compellingly through the book in the female protagonist, Addie Cowherd, who exemplifies her faith in steadfast, infallible ways. And, even though she is not accepted as she hoped she would be, she carries on, nonetheless. Sawyer’s ability to interweave convincing and effective scriptural truths without beating one over the head with it is much needed and refreshing.I hated to leave Boone’s Hollow as each character became as real to me as possible. I would love to see a sequel to The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow.I received The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow from Waterbrook through NetGalley. However, I was under no obligation to post a review.
    • 5/5
      A while back, some polls were taken of Christian fiction readers. Many said their favorite fiction book of all time was Catherine Marshall’s Christy. Now we are blessed with several Christy-like books on the market. Certainly, the Appalachia of times gone by has a nostalgic pull for readers.Kim Vogel Sawyer’s depiction of the Kentucky hills and her proud, but superstitious people will sate some of the longings to know these people who lived by their own code of honor. It wasn’t enough to live in the hills, one needed to be born and bred in the hills, know the neighbors from birth, and adhere to the superstitions.In 1936, Addie Cowherd and Emmett Tharp, near strangers, and separate of each other, leave college in Lexington, KY, and attempt to make their respective homes in Boone’s Hollow (pronounced ”Holler” by the mountain folk). Emmett is rejected because of his outside education; Addie, for being a total stranger to an area where being a stranger ”like to as not” can get you shot on sight.Sawyer shows us throughout the story what life in the mountains could be like. Superstitions run high, distrust of strangers is learned early, family feuds are fed for generations, and anyone stepping off the mountain is seen as a traitor.Stills hide in the trees, feeding addiction, which then, in turn, feeds abuse, yet neighbors refuse to break the ”code of honor.”I couldn’t believe that at the end of the story, Ms. Sawyer had me loving the person she had shown unlovable. That’s talent! And those are characters- who can forgive that mightily! So much to learn, more than even reading, from the people of ”Boone Holler.”My two favorite characters (who like to be too shy to take a bow) would be Emmett’s mother, Damaris, and Nanny Fay. They just might could be the backbone of the mountain.I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley. I also bought my own copy, to be sure I didn’t miss it. All opinions are my own, and no positive review was required.Notable Quotables:“...yawning during a sermon is most certainly a sin.”“Just ’cause nobody else knows you done somethin’ extra special don’t mean it ain’t special.””She’d cracked that mirror herself so her soul could escape if the mirror captured it, but she didn’t want to take no chances by looking at herself too long.”
    • 5/5
      Prejudice runs deep, but can be overcome!Promise you won’t let their actions dictate your reactions - Miss West, library directorFor Addie Cowherd, life is made up of studying hard and working part-time at the library so that she can earn her degree. College is not available to everyone, and she knows how hard her adoptive parents are working to allow her this privilege. When their situation changes drastically, she must make her own way, so the job of packhorse librarian sounds like a gift from heaven. A different and unexpected world greets her when she arrives in Boone’s Hollow. Prejudice is rampant, money is scarce and it seems the only friend she has is the woman she boards with. Can she learn to keep her thoughts and feelings from showing on her face?Emmett Tharp, formerly of Boone’s Hollow, had graduated from college and is ready to find that job that does not require him to spend long hours in the dark, breathing in coal dust. Returning to Boone’s Hollow is not part of that plan. The Lord, however, seems to have other plans for both Emmett and Addie. Will they be receptive to His will?This ARC was received through WaterBrook and Random House. The thoughts and impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.
    • 5/5
      I have read many books by this author, and this one is so good. Set during the great depression in the 1930s, and how it changed so many lives. For such a hard time in this countries history, most of the character's here show such great faith and have upbeat outlook on life and a real love of God. With the little they have they are willing to share with those less fortunate.Come travel the mountain trails of Kentucky, where most of these folks eke out a living working at the coal mines. With the decline in the economy President Roosevelt establishes the WPA, Work Projects Administration, and establishing a library on horseback to deliver to this remote hilly area.You will quickly have some favorite characters, and some you really won't care for, but, I found my opinions changing for some by the end!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Waterbrook, and was not required to give a positive review.