The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Ratings54
Average rating4
15
Ratings54
Average rating4
In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry.
The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.
Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government's new book program. She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians, and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give to those who have nothing, a bookly respite, a fleeting retreat to faraway lands.
Series
2 primary booksThe Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2019 with contributions by Kim Michele Richardson.
Reviews with the most likes.
Five stars, six stars, all the stars! Loved this book and the characters. I almost cried twice in a span of 30 minutes at one point. If you've read this book, you can probably guess which parts and why.
I have been interested in the blue people of Kentucky and the pack horse librarians, so this book seems like a good fit. I didn't expect to fall in love with Cussy Mary. She is a strong and wonderful woman. There is much to learn from her.
(Note: my female friends overwhelmingly seem to have liked this book. I am male. Please discount my opinion accordingly.)
Heavyhanded, and it only got more so as it progressed. Villains and Heroes and Gruff But Doting Father and Cherubic Waifs and Smitten Young Lovers and a Moonshiner With A Heart Of Gold and of course the Dashing Eligible Bachelor Who Quietly Falls In Love With Our Heroine... yeesh. A hateful assistant librarian who only squawks, hisses, or screeches. Nasty bullies who all die (independently) at just the most plot-convenient times. The dialog, well, judge for yourself: “Pa, if there's another strike, there'll surely be more deaths. Three miners died in the last one, and a few others were left beaten and crippled, spent for life.” This would be cringeworthy if it were YA; and as best I can tell, this isn't sold as YA.
I appreciated the chance to learn of the blue people, and really enjoyed Richardson's detailed imaginings of the daily work of the Pack Horse Librarians. Her descriptions of place and time felt realistic, often heartbreakingly so. She clearly has a noble heart and a good eye for setting. I really wish I could've enjoyed her characters and dialog and story more.
3.5 stars. I liked it, was an interesting read for sure. Would have given it 4 stars but I thought the ending was strange/sloppy and some of the historical facts were wrong.
