A book about Appalachia and love/power of the written word? I requested this eagerly and it did not disappoint.

Thanks to Negalley for the free book in exchange for an honest review.

Nestled in the backwoods of Kentucky, in the year 1936, there was a glow coming from a courting candle which had been burning quite a while. Pa had made a promise to his wife and thus far, no one came forward to make the commitment and douse the flame, claiming their daughter for his wife.

Nineteen-year-old Cussy (Bluet) had been harassed and tormented for being “blue” and she knew that her chances for someone courting her were slim-to-none. Being the last of her kin in Kentucky, her skin had the blue color of her ancestors and Bluet now held the position of being the last ‘Blue” female in the state of Kentucky.

Pa’s job at the mine held its own uncertainties so to help out, Bluet found herself a job working with the Pack Horse Library Project. With her mule Junia, she traveled the back hills of Kentucky delivering books to folks who looked forward to her visits. These individuals became like a family to her as she stopped each week dropping off a book and checking in on them. The other librarians also became great friends to Bluet as they grew closer each week.

I loved the excitement and the love she felt as she traveled to each of her different drop-off sites each week. The days were long but she felt needed, loved and important as she made these trips. To think that she spent all day doing this and then when she returned home, she had to tend to her mule and fix her father supper so he could go to work, made me tired. To travel by mule and not by horse, took even longer but Junia was a special mule and seemed to be able to read Bluet. She had a special friendship with a girl named Queenie and I enjoyed the time they spent together.

The novel started out a bit slow for me but then when things picked-up, I couldn’t put it down till I was finished. I enjoyed how Bluet grew as a person and I cringed when her family got involved with the doctor. I was scared and concerned for Bluet as she just wanted to be accepted by everyone but the price to do seemed so costly. It was hard reading the novel as Bluet tried to be brave because as she puts forth her best, it worried me what the outcome might be.

I enjoy reading about the Appalachian Mountains and I felt that this novel was a perfect fit for me. It opened my eyes to the library project as I had never heard of it before. I highly recommend this novel. 4.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is set in the poverty-stricken hill country of Kentucky during the 1930s. Cussy Mary is a blue-skinned woman, shunned by her community for being "colored." Her salvation comes through becoming a Book Woman, delivering books to folks living in the backwoods. There is a lot to learn about the period and the "blue people," and for that Richardson educates readers well. For some reason, however, the first half of the book is very hard to get through. While the last half finally hooks the reader into the characters' lives, it takes a long while to get there. Also, the ending is a bit too abrupt. We are hit with some hard reality as it plays out in action, and then the conclusion is simply talked about in a letter. We aren't really allowed to feel better about things. While I wanted to love this book, I found it harsh in ways that kept me somewhat distant. It was hard to keep reading all that Cussy Mary and the people of that place/time endured. Maybe that was exactly the point, but unfortunately, it kept me from loving the book.

Being from western Kentucky, I was especially interested in this book about the pack horse librarians. I had heard of them, as well as the blue people of Kentucky, but knew little about either. I learned so much from this book and realize that the Appalachian people from eastern Kentucky were very isolated and poverty was rampant. Yet their thirst for learning through books was strong and the library service meant much more to them than a delivery service. And the blue people were so misunderstood and persecuted due to a genetic abnormality. This book is not only an enjoyable historical tale, but one that will shed light on subjects that many know little about.

While a bit predictable, I did enjoy reading this novel. The characters were ones you were willing to rally behind and support. I loved learning about this lost bit of American history.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is an extraordinary book. The story takes place in the hills of Kentucky during the depth of the Depression, and I was right away drawn into that place and time of poverty, bigotry and desperation. Cussy Mary is the Book Woman, who travels on her mule Junia to the far reaches of the community to bring books to people whose thirst for knowledge rivals the hunger pains in their bellies. But Cussy Mary is ridiculed, feared, and mistreated due to the blue tone of her skin. Cussy’s story is heartbreaking, but her spirit, her love of books, and her devotion to her patrons is inspirational. There were so many incredible characters in this book—Henry, Angeline, Jackson, and the others who wait every week to see what Cussy will bring them in her bag; Junia, her mule, who is a true character in this book. This riveting book filled me with a myriad of emotions and will be a book that lives forever in my heart.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark for a free digital version of this book to review!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story of Cussy Mary Carter "Bluet". This book deals with many issues and themes that are present today: racism, self-acceptance, financial hardship, and several others. I particularly enjoyed learning about methemoglobinemia as well as the story behind the traveling librarians of that time period. The dialogue of the Appalachian characters took some time to get used to, however.

Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 4
Plot development: 4
Characters: 5
Enjoyability: 4
Insightfulness: 4
Ease of Reading: 5

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

The Bookwomen of Troublesome Creek by Kim Richardson is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Kim tackled so many themes in one story...life with methemoglobinemia (blue disease), the Great Depression in the hills of Kentucky, importance of reading in life, prejudice, life as a coal miner, the struggle of women’s rights. The book is the endearing story of Cussy Mary who is also known as Bluet. She and her father both have the “blue blood” disease. Her father also suffers from lung disease from working in the coal mines. Starvation is prevalent in the hills of Kentucky. The Pack Horse Librarian Project was one of the WPA projects that hired mainly women to carry library books to people living in the mountains. This vehicle allows the reader to see the goodness of many of Cussy’s clients, the bad in the desperate living conditions of her clients, and the extreme prejudice in the hearts of some.

You owe yourself to get to know the people of Troublesome Creek. You will she’s a tear or two and laugh with them along the way. My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars. I found the historical aspect of Roosevelt’s Work Progress Administration Pack Horse Library Project, as well as the history of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky, who suffered from a rare genetic disorder, methemoglobinemia very interesting. I had been looking forward to reading this book and had hoped to give it 4 or even 5 stars, but in the end there was something in the writing style that made me not be able to love it. The second half of the book is much better than the first and ultimately it was the reason I gave this 3 stars rather than 2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Sourcebooks and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the chance to read an advanced copy of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek for a review! The premise of the book grabbed me right away ... “Inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's belief that books can carry us anywhere — even back home.” While I did have trouble getting into the story, once I immersed myself in Cussy Mary’s world I had to keep reading! While this is a fictional story, the amount of historical fact in it is phenomenal!

I found this story both fascinating and heartwrenching. I had never heard of the blue people of Kentucky or methemoglobinemia, which I found interesting. However, these people with such a unique medical condition just fueled an already prejudicial and racist society in Kentucky. This story focuses on one such person, named Cussy Mary or Bluet, who won the hearts of many of the hill folk in Troublesome Creek by delivering reading materials as her job as a Pack Horse Librarian. She shared her love of literature, but also tried to teach the people how different reading material could be useful in their homes, that these reading materials could be methods of educating people how to hunt, garden, cook, sew, etc. Cussy Mary put her heart and soul into trying to enrich these people's lives and also save them from starvation and other ailments that were common in those parts. 

Impoverishment and starvation were not the only hardships. If the men had jobs, it was most likely in the mines. Cussy Mary would worry about her father's safety in the mines, a job that contained long, grueling work hours and life-risking tasks. 

(Trigger Warnings for violence and sexual assault.) Cussy Mary's every day life was a terrifying one. She was mistreated both physically and verbally by many townsfolk because of the color of her skin. I feared for her safety through the whole book as she traveled the path delivering the library materials all alone. I absolutely adored her mule (the one blessing she got out of her miserable marriage), who did try to protect her on multiple occasions. 

The book displays so many harsh realities of poverty, starvation, vanity, racism and hate, but it also shares a story of the power of literature, which can bring hope to the suffering, and the loving bond that connects the librarian to her patrons and friends, who don't see the color of her skin but see her simply as the Book Woman.  I loved this story so much. It was sweet and powerful. It made me cry soooo much, but despite this, I highly recommend reading it.

Title: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Author: Kim Michele Richardson
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

In 1936 Kentucky, Cussy Mary Carter is the last living woman of the Blue People. With her blue skin, she’s taunted and ridiculed and treated as inferior, but Cussy Mary is a proud member of the Kentucky Pack Horse library service. This job is her way out, an escape from needing to marry in order to survive.

For Cussy Mary, delivering books to the backwoods people on her route is more than a job. For people who rarely see a newspaper—and who are unlikely to be able to read one if they did see it—the Book Woman is a Godsend, a deliverer of outside news, and a glimmer of hope in the darkness of the woods amidst prejudice and poverty so devastating it destroys entire families. Cussy Mary is determined to continue delivering hope to those around her—along with books.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is an incredible read! Yes, the blue-skinned people in Kentucky were real—they had methemoglobinemia, which caused a decrease in oxygenation of their skin. The prejudice and abuse Cussy Mary experiences in this book is heartbreaking, but so is the poverty that surrounds her. This book is vivid and lovely, with every page engraved with the strength of Cussy Mary—and her courage.

Kim Michele Richardson lives and writes in Kentucky. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

This is a wonderful novel about how books can bring joy to people the bleakest corners of the world. Skilfully blending two fascinating true stories into a highly emotional work of fiction, we learn about the brave women of Roosevelt’s Pack Horse Library system, and the unfortunate Blue People of Kentucky, through the voice of a unique heroine.

It’s 1936 and the hill people of rural Kentucky are suffering the deprivations of the Depression, where children die of starvation or pellagra (a deficiency of B vitamins), miners are slowly poisoned for the profit of The Company, a man is left to die because he tried to steal a chicken, and people of colour, black, brown or blue, are shunned by their neighbours.

Blue skinned Cussy Mary Carter lives with her widowed father, who is determined to see her married for her own protection, in spite of her pleas. When her brutal old new husband dies from the strain of beating and raping her, she is relieved to be able to go back to the job she loves, being a Book Woman - delivering donated books to far flung homesteads on her trusty mule. Her patrons don’t care about her skin colour, as they are just grateful for the companionship and relief she brings, but some of the town dwellers hate her for being different and will do what they can to bring her down.

Cussy - who patiently tolerates her nickname Bluet - is an amazing character - warm hearted and compassionate, fearless and honourable. We feel her despair and anger at the cruel poverty she witnesses daily, experience her humiliation at being treated as a science experiment by doctors who want to study her, and fret alongside her about the evil pastor who wants to rape the blue out of her. Luckily she has staunch friends - fellow Book Woman Queenie, teenage bride Angeline, the friendly new patron Jackson, and fierce protector Junia.

I had never heard of the Blue People but when the cause is revealed to be Congenital Methaemoglobinaemia, an autosomal recessive condition that reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, it all made sense. Google images reveal photos of real people with the disease, which is fortunately rare: you have to inherit the defective gene from both parents - one of the many reasons for not marrying your cousin. When the town doctor provides Cussy with a treatment, it seems her problems are solved, but life is rarely that simple.

The writing style took a little getting used to, but once I tuned in to Cussy’s story-telling voice, I loved this. Parts are desperately sad, there are characters you want to pummel, and some you want to cuddle. The pace is a little slow at first but it’s still highly readable. 4.5 rounded up for the originality of the subject matter. My thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is available now.

Cussy is all I wanted in a heroine and more. She loves books and reading and is determined to bring that joy to the people around her. For some of her patrons, she will brave treacherous switchback trails, sit and read to those losing their sight, ride miles each week, kept an eye open for wildcats and snakes on her routes, and scour the donations the librarians receive looking for items her patrons request or she thinks they might enjoy. The historical details put me straight into the time period and were worked into the story instead of just there to show research.

She remains strong in the face of those who cut her with words or scorn her with glances. She also wonders about the outside world and marvels at the magazine images showing people with enough to eat as well as beautiful clothes and lifestyles. After working all day she’ll haul water, cook, and scrub. When she has a chance to get medicine and food, her first thought is of others who need it more than she does.

Cussy goes through a lot but it all seems realistic and organic. I grinned when I realized who was trying to court her and was happy when he finally won her over. Then I noticed the page count left and wondered what would happen next. Well, a lot of misery and loss. I did not see the final villain or conflict coming though it makes sense given the laws and attitudes of the day. The last little bit of the story did seem like a pile-on of woe – I believe I might have wondered “what next??” and I would have liked a less abrupt epilogue but I enjoyed my time with tough Cussy and was delighted for her HEA. Librarians rock. B

I just finished The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson and it gets 4 stars. I admit, I had a hard time getting into this at first. Having it set in the south and written with the language that would’ve been spoken in that setting grated on me, although it made sense for the story itself. Once I got moving I couldn’t put this down. I learned a lot about history I didn’t know about and am glad I read it—I am being vague on purpose.
This book also touches on a lot of important topics and sheds a lot of light on the ignorance of racism among other prejudices.
I recommend this to any historical fiction lover!
Trigger Warning: Lots of racism. Rape, violence and death.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is an excellent historical novel, set in the hills of Kentucky. The setting, the language, the personalities are all evocative of these isolated communities in the mid-1930s, the hardships of the depression and the closing of several coal mines, and the works of the WPA.

Cussy Mary Carter is 19 years old in 1936, and a new member of the WPA Pack Horse Librarians. She is one of the gentle Blues, those blue-skinned children of two parents carrying the very rare recessive gene for methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder that limits the uptake of oxygen into red blood cells and results in brown colored blood and blue coloration to the skin. There were actually several families of Blues in this area of Kentucky in this time frame. (See the Fugates family information at Wikipedia.org.)

Cussie, called Bluet by everyone but family, is briefly married to an abusive member of the influential and wide-spread Frazier family, a match approved by her father because he feared his black lung would take him and she would be left unprotected, Cussy is freed when Charlie Frazier's heart attack ends his latest abuse. Her inheritance is a mule named Junia who also fears men, and a return to her much loved WPA job lost to her on her marriage. Cussie loves her job, her patrons, her books. She is a strong advocate of education and does her best to spread reading across her hills. But will she ever find happiness? All it would take to make her happy would be a family of her own, a man who could see past the blue of her skin into the warmth of her heart. But that would be impossible, with the built-in prejudice in the Appalachian community that includes Troublesome, Kentucky.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Michele Richardson, and Sourcebooks Landmark. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this book of my own volition, and this review is my honest opinion of this work.

The heroine of this book, Cussy Mary, or Bluet, is such an interesting character, unlike one I’ve ever read about before. In 1926 in the hills of Kentucky, she risks her life every day she goes out on her pack mule to bring books and reading materials to the people who lives in the hills. It is a government program she is working for and she loves meeting the people and spreading her love of reading. But it is a dangerous world she lives in and she runs up against all sorts of issues. A good read!

Thank to NetGalley and Kim Michele Richardson for giving me the chance to read her wonderful book : The Book Woman Of Troublesome Creek.

Cussy Mary is the last of the Kentucky blue people, they suffered from a rare genetic disorder called Methemoglobinemia that causes their skin to have a blue tinge.

The story is set in the Appalachian mountains in the early 1930's, where poverty, sickness and hunger is a sad part of life.
Mary is a strong person, with the love and support of her father she has been raised to be kind and considerate to others.
Her Pa is a coal miner, he has some rather old fashioned ideas and he thinks for Mary's safety she needs to be married. Lets just say that offering an older man a small plot of land and your daughters hand in marriage is a big mistake.
The sad fact is the local community are mean to Cussy Mary and nasty to her and she is not made to feel welcome in the town.

President Roosevelt's WPA Program was established to create jobs during the depression and to help isolated people.
Mountain people were extremely poor, they had no money, little education and they were also starving.

Cussy Mary is a pack horse librarian, she travels deep into the mountains riding on her mule, where each week she delivers worn out books, old magazines, health pamphlets and scrapbooks that she make up herself with recipes and other home making ideas.

Many of the mountain people live in severe poverty, they don't like change, can't afford to see a doctor and are very superstitious.
Through her job Mary visits people who are isolated from the outside world, they're very grateful for the service she provides, they don't judge her by the colour of her skin and she makes many friends.

I really enjoyed The Book Woman Of Troublesome Creek, it's a lovely story it shows by sharing knowledge, wisdom, kindness, hope, and the love of reading with people, lives can be changed and it's a truly a beautiful book.
One of the best books I have read this year, I loved it and I gave it five stars.

The first reason I love this book... it's about a Pack Librarian. During the late 1930's, there were Pack Librarians in Kentucky who would deliver reading materials to patrons living in the hills. Books and magazines were a highlight in lives full of hardship and poverty. I really enjoyed reading about this part of our history.

The second reason I love this book is that Cussy, the Pack Librarian, is a Blue. this means she has blue skin. And there really were blue people. It's one of those things I started researching as soon as I started reading about it. This all based on historical data and information. Again, something else I was unfamiliar with and enjoyed learning about.

Third reason I love this book was Cussy Marie's (also called Bluet) character and story. She is charming and well-meaning and you will absolutely enjoy getting to know her.

Overall, I found the book both enjoyable and fascinating. It covers a lot of big topics including rural poverty and racism in a very readable way; it brought this time of history alive for me with a good story filled with people I came to care about.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical fiction that teaches me about something I did not know before. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek tells the story of Kentucky’s Pack Horse Library Project, which was essentially a Bookmobile on horseback. Set in 1936 Appalachia, Cussy Mary, the last of the Blue People, delivers books to the impoverished residents of the mountain. As the term Blue People implies, Cussy Mary’s skin indeed has a blue hue.

Cussy Mary has struggled to find her place in her mountain community. She ends up finding a purpose through her love of books and sharing that love with others as the Book Woman. Although many people are kind and accepting of her, there are also many who mistreat her because of her skin color. This story is full of love and hope and heartbreak and danger. I learned so much by reading this book. I had never heard of the Pack Horse Library Project nor of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky. Such an interesting read! This checked all my boxes for a great read!