Fantastic sequel to the Book Womans story.

More tales of how the blue people were treated in Eastern Kentucky during the 40's-50's & 60's when they were not understood.

The Book Woman's daughter rides a mule through the Appalachian mountain of Eastern Kentucky delivering reading materials to residents who can't get out and go to town themselves. Often with danger lurking around the corner.

Excellent story and one of my favorite authors!

I loved this book and I love Appalachian fiction especially historical and set in Kentucky, my home state.

This is the story of a woman that rides a mule/donkey all over Eastern Kentucky mountains to deliver books and reading materials to the people that live there. This was a Federally subsidized program and changed alot of peoples lives but there was always the chance of danger especially when you are a blue person.

Go read this book and learn about Kentucky and the rare genetic condition of the blue people of French descent.

SO good!

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honey loves her second parents, pack horse librarian Cussy and her husband, and is terrified when they are arrested for going against the miscegenation laws in Kentucky. Cussy and Honey are both part of the "blue" people, a group of people who have a genetic disease that turns them blue. When her parents are arrested and sent to jail, Honey must lean on others and her own strength to avoid being sent to the children's work house and the racist behaviors of some in her small town.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first in the series. The characters are well written, and the story is very good, but I just wasn't quite as emotionally invested as in the first. Would definitely recommend, though.

Book Woman's Daughter is a sequel to Woman of Troublesome Creek, but you don't actually need to read the first one to read this book. I never read the first book and I didn't feel any confusion about the story. That said I didn't really enjoy the book. The writing was good and the story was interesting, but in the end, I didn't feel wowed and I DNFed it. I can see why people loved it though and I would recommend it to my adult readers who enjoy books similar to this.

*I received this book as a free eARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

I LOVED the first book in this series that follows Cussy Carter as she establishes a mule book route in the foothills of Kentucky. I was so excited to read this second story that gave her daughter (Honey Lovett) a voice.

Both mother and daughter are a part of the famous blue-tinted family who faces much ridicule from the community. The story begins with Honey's mom and dad being taken into custody because their love (between a white person and a blue-skinned person) was illegal. Honey is now under custody of the state and has to find ways to support herself and prove her independence while fighting for her parents to be released. She picks up a new library route just like the one her mom ran, and she starts making a life for herself. She will learn that life is cruel, unfair, but sometimes has moments of hope.

I really enjoyed this second installment in the series. Now I need to go back and reread The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

Cussy and Jackson Lovett are sent to prison for breaking the laws of miscegenation. They leave their 16-year-old daughter to the care of an older woman, Retta, but when Retta passes social workers want to send Honey to a reform school. After that her parents are mentioned but not really a part of
the story. As Honey tries to remain free and support herself she takes a job as an outreach librarian following in her mother's footsteps as a pack horse librarian. Honey's story was different from Cussy's in that it doesn't focus much on her work as a librarian but more in trying to keep her freedom and gain her emancipation. She is friends with the new fire spotter, Pearl, who is fighting against the men who believe she can't do the job because she is female. Mostly it is about sisterhood and really horrible men and how badly they treat women. Honey was a pretty good character. Sometimes she frustrated me and acted impulsively but she was barely 17. The poverty she encountered was still there and all the hard work people needed to do just to get by was depicted but I just couldn't seem to engage.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with a digital copy to read .

Oh how I love when a sequel lives up to my expectations, even when simply based on my love for the first book in the series.

Simply put, this book is a tribute to the power of books and was an absolute delight from start to finish. It truly was such a heartwarming read. Through the eyes of Honey, a Kentucky packhorse librarian who is escaping to Troublesome Creek upon her parents being arrested, the reader experiences a journey alongside this inspiring woman that is filled with an extraordinary adventure and powerful friendship. There is hardship here as Honey must prove her place and other struggles she comes up against, and through it all I became so endeared to Honey. Really, all of the characters and incredible women along the way stood out to me as memorable. The author did a wonderful job bringing into the picture many of the different positions women held during this time in history, the 1950’s, from packhorse librarians as I’ve already mentioned to fire-tower watchers, women in the mines, and even traveling nurses! This story really celebrated the woman’s role and it was empowering to read.

One important note worth mentioning, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone without missing out on anything. However I highly recommend reading both this book and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek because they are both phenomenal!

A must-read for any book-lovers!

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy.

I loved this book. It was everything a sequel should be and more. Honey Lovett overcomes so much after her parents are arrested and she’s left to fend for herself. She endured so much because of the assumptions made by the towns people.

In this sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, we follow Honey Lovett as she takes her mother's place as a Book Woman in the Kentucky hills. Honey's parents have been imprisoned for miscegenation and, at 16, Honey legally needs a guardian or she will be sent to what is essentially a youth prison until she is 21. Although this is worked out early in the book, the situation changes and Honey will need to either marry or go to prison...or fight for her emancipation.

This is a continuation of the story of the difficulties of the hill folk, but it's also a story of discrimination against people of color and women. The issues are real, and the characters believable. I enjoyed the book, but at times it seemed a bit preachy. Not that the issues are not important, but sometimes the human story got lost in the telling. If you read the first book, you will want to see what happens to Honey, but this one really doesn't add too much to the story of the "Blues" and the Book Women.

I really enjoyed this followup to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. I enjoyed the character of Honey and her fierce determination, strength and loyalty to her land, family and friends she made along the way. It was difficult to read about the prejudices against not just the blue people, but against women as well. I loved Honey's found family and the people who came alongside of her with support and friendship. I was glad to see the packhorse library project continue in this book and to see Honey follow in her mother's footsteps.

I gave this book 4 stars and would definitely recommend it to others.

Honey takes her moms place delivering books to the people isolated in the mountains. This book talks about the power books bring to people. Her parents have an interracial marriage and are punished for it. Honey is therefore trying to find her own freedom, and it’s her unique character that really drove home this story for me. I love how she fought with literacy and words.

I often dislike sequels to books that I highly enjoyed, however, this one may rival my like for the first. The Book Woman's Daughter basically picks up right where The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek left off and follows her daughter in picking up the book route. I love how the book tackles topics such as ignorance, friendship, and discrimination in Appalachia in the early 1950s. This is an excellent book but I highly recommend reading this after the first.

I loved this fascinating sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Honey, the adoptive daughter of Cussy Lovett, has her own story to tell that begins when her parents are put in jail.

As a minor, Honey is told to go stay with friends in Troublesome Creek. She decides to continue her mother's legacy and take up work delivering books. She proves she can take care of herself and make a living, but things are tricky as Honey is also hiding from people who can place her in a reform school and work farm.

The survival of Honey Lovett is fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed her story and character of a strong, independent woman!

The Book Woman's Daughter is the follow-up to the very successful The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. This book is just as delightful as The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. This new book follows the life of Honey who is desperately trying to forge her own identity and way as she maneuvers through life. To do this, Honey follows in her mother's footsteps and climbs on top of her packhorse to deliver books. The Kentucky setting is beautiful and I enjoyed reading about Honey. Read and enjoy!

What a beautiful tribute to the power of books, to the people of Kentucky, and to the women o who worked in the mines or as lookouts in the forest towers. If you loved Cussy Mary Carter in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, I suspect you’ll love her daughter, Honey Mary Angeline Lovett in this sequel.

I loved the Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek so much and this just didn’t live up to it at all in my eyes! It didn’t feel nearly as well written and I had a much harder time loving Honey than I did Cussy. It also felt as though the author was trying to fit way too many events and tid-bits of history into a short read. While it was nice to return to Troublesome and I enjoyed the happy ending, I had much higher expectations. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to Net Galley for an advanced reader's copy!

First, let me say that I loved the The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. I knew nothing about the Pack Horse library program or the "blue people", so it was great learning all that on top of a good story.

But Richardson's sophomore effort doesn't measure up. She took just about everything that was great in the first book and used it all over again. No matter how great the first book was, I didn't want to read it again.

Spoilers ahead---



[As I read, those little mental questioning comments started coming. Why in the world did Honey's parents request a 91 year old woman to be Honey's guardian? Who was paying the lawyer? Why didn't he do a much better job in preparing Honey for court? So a pack horse librarian job just opens (and stays open) as Honey needs a job? And she is given that job despite never having gone to school, being only 15-16 and then making suggestions for adults' reading choices?

If I were an editor, I would have liked to see a couple chapters from the parents viewpoint and what happened to them in prison. Then maybe give Honey a different job that also showcases strong Kentucky women, such as the coal miner or firewatcher. And finally, ease off on those terrible villains. (hide spoiler)]

This book is set in 1953, but the feeling is 50 years earlier since no one has a tv, telephones are rare, horses (and mules) are used more than cars. Queen Elizabeth was coronated that year, and the polio vaccine was invented.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book and maybe liked this one even more. It says it can be read as a stand alone, but I think to really get the full understanding you should have read the first. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. Very well researched and I enjoyed the author’s note at the end.

This book is just as good as the first one. I love the way that you really don't have to read the first one to get this one. If you are a fan of family and books you will like this book. I love the way Kim Michele Richardson writes,
she puts you right in the place you are reading about. And I am not a big fan of historical fiction. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

4.5 shiny stars! This was such a beautiful tale about family, friendship, self reliance and survival. I had no idea it was the sequel (definitely going back and reading the first one now!) and I loathed putting it down at night. The characters were all wonderfully portrayed, sprinkled with amazing facts that had me running to Google a few times.

Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me take a peek at an early copy in exchange for my review. My opinions are my own.