The Giver of Stars

Bennett wooed Alice with grace and charm, all of which disappeared once he returned to Kentucky. Though athletic and previously the most eligible bachelor in town, Bennett is a pawn of his father and does whatever his father commands.

Despite his lackluster performance as a husband and his passivity in the face of his father’s behavior, Bennett sometimes sticks up for Alice. He tips Alice off about McCullough’s daughters possibly being able to help. After his annulment, he marries Peggy, suggesting that he was in love with her all along, although William, Sophia’s brother, speculates that Bennett might be gay.

Mr. Van Cleve is a stubborn, ornery man who gets drunk often and likes getting his way. He encroaches into the lives of his son, Bennett, and Bennett’s newlywed wife, Alice, so much so that the young couple can’t consummate their marriage because he’s always present. Mr. Van Cleve owns Hoffman Mining Company and treats his workers poorly. He resorts to deceptive means including bribery and violence to get what he wants, to the point of having Margery arrested for murder in an attempt to shut down the library.

Mr. Van Cleve personifies both corruption in business and a toxic definition of masculinity. He beats his daughter-in-law when his son won’t, and he goes out of his way to accuse the librarians of immorality. He later relents on his crusade against the library when it’s revealed that Bennett never consummated his marriage. Wary of having this information revealed publicly—and what that revelation could do to his notion of himself as a real man, the father of a real man—Mr. Van Cleve allows the marriage to be annulled.

Margery is a confident woman who loves independence more than anything. She holds her own in a town filled with violent men, and many are scared of her because she comes from the notorious O’Hare family. Margery’s father was a moonshiner who violently abused her; she learned she could overcome anything, but she also learned to depend on no one. Margery dares to stand up to Mr. Van Cleve time and again, and her insolence causes him to hold her personally responsible for all his setbacks.

Margery remains haunted by an earlier attack in the mountains when Clem McCullough, who hailed from a rival family to the O’Hares, tried to harm her. When it’s discovered that Clem died a violent death, the town blames Margery for the crime, even though she is only arrested because Mr. Van Cleve bribes the sheriff. Jail, the town’s ire, and sheer exhaustion zap all her energy. Margery doesn’t truly fear Mr. Van Cleve until she becomes pregnant; when she has a vulnerable baby to protect, she recognizes her true powerlessness against the system, and she realizes she can’t do everything alone. She tells Sven to take the baby and prepares to meet her fate in a town that hates her, but she’s saved at the last minute by her fellow librarians.

The Pack Horse librarians see Margery as a feminist role model. Although they have no evidence, they believe she’s not guilty, so they find a way to get the charges dismissed—abetted by the wronged McCullough daughters and a little forgery. Those whom Margery has helped rally around her, showing her the importance of love and community. Margery leaves jail as feisty as ever, but she agrees to marry Sven, finally willing to accept support from others. 

Beth is a tomboy who works for the Pack Horse Library. She drinks, smokes, and curses, and holds her own on a farm full of brothers. She shows initiative and ingenuity by secretly making moonshine, which she sells to buy a ticket to India.

Izzy begins the narrative as a shy, unhappy girl who’s embarrassed by her disability from polio. She reluctantly helps the librarians but soon falls in love with her job. In time, Izzy is a strong supporter of the group, and she rallies them with her beautiful voice; in fact, her singing saves the women’s lives during a face-off in Baileyville. She later becomes a famous singer.

Mrs. Brady, Izzy’s mother, is a formidable presence in town. She wants the Pack Horse Library to run smoothly, and she easily cuts down anyone—including Mr. Van Cleve—who tries arguing with her. Though she later pulls Izzy away help from the library after Mr. Van Cleve effectively smears the library’s name, Mrs. Brady has a change of heart and argues with her husband until Izzy is allowed to return.

Fred is a quiet man in his 30s whose wife ran out on him with a traveling salesman. Though respected, he’s also seen as unmanly because he refused to beat his wife or force her to stay. Fred falls in love with Alice at first sight, and he communicates with her via books he recommends. He is one example of the titular giver of stars; he gives Alice hope.

Fred is a constant help to the library, offering his old milk barn in addition to food and moral support. He eventually figures out that Alice isn’t technically married because she and Bennett never consummated their relationship. After her annulment, Fred marries her.

Sophia is a black librarian who lives with her injured brother William. She’s quiet and determined, a woman of incredible organization and reason. Though surrounded by danger as a black woman working in a white library, Sophia keeps her cool on numerous occasions and even stands up to a crowd of whites with her fellow librarians to show Margery support. She later moves to Louisville and earns a promotion.