The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

A Novel

De: Kim Michele Richardson

Narrado por: Katie Schorr

RECOMMENDED BY DOLLY PARTON IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE!
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
The bestselling historical fiction novel from Kim Michele Richardson, this is a novel following Cussy Mary, a packhorse librarian and her quest to bring books to the Appalachian community she loves, perfect for readers of William Kent Kreuger and Lisa Wingate. The perfect addition to your next book club!
The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything—everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.
Cussy's not only a book woman, however, she's also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble. If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she's going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler.
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.
Other Bestselling Historical Fiction from Sourcebooks Landmark:
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood
Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

Wonderful story, wonderful performance

This book is so well researched and written, it was hard to get out of the car sometimes. The characters were portrayed with tenderness and depth and I was easily brought into their stories. I am grateful for having gotten it on audible, as the narrators enunciation and accent leant so much to the story. Highly recommend

Best book I have listen to in a long time! Did not want it to end.

Based on historical facts. Story compelling. Our generation for the most part is so soft and yet we still whine. I am highly recommending this book for our book club!

Enjoyable

Setting: Troublesome Creek, KY 1936
Genre: historical fiction

Nineteen year old Cussy Mary Carter, also called Bluet after the blue damselfly, is, according to her father, the last of her kind. The last of the Blue skinned people of Kentucky. Her family (apparently both sides) were Descended from a Huguenot orphan from Cussy, Normandy in France who was blue skinned, as were over half his children (this fiction is based on the true family history of the Fugate family of Kentucky. Fascinating reading). She is also one of the librarians with Roosevelt’s Pack Horse Library Project, carrying books, pamphlets, scrapbooks, and bibles to patrons on barely accessible mountains and in remote hollers (hollows). But her father wants her to marry because he promised his late wife that he’d see Cussy Mary taken care of before he dies, and his lungs have the sickness. So he settles a dowry of $5.00 and 10 acres on her and proceeds to set the courtin’ candle. She doesn’t want to get married because she loves her job, she loves her patrons, and she likes that she is (mostly) respected by the people on her route. I’d say more about that, but some would think it a spoiler, so I’ll segue on to the broader narrative.
Most of the book revolves around Cussy Mary’s interactions, both positive and negative, with the people she encounters. The people on her route are almost all overjoyed to see her when she comes. But there are some who will not even look at her. She is not just a Book Woman. She also teaches some of her patrons (notably Angeline Moffett, a 16 year-old matron), reads to the near-sighted or illiterate, slips food to the teacher at the school on her route for hungry students, and convinces suspicious folk that the books she brings are good. In town though, things are different. She is unwelcome at many places and forbidden to participate in “Whites only” activities because of the color of her skin. She and Queenie, the only Black librarian and Cussy Mary’s friend, are not allowed to go into the new restroom at the library center unless they are told to clean it. But it’s complicated. Blues may be Colored, but that doesn’t mean they are automatically welcomed by non-Whites.
I enjoyed this book immensely. It is written in first person POV, in the vernacular. The language, the descriptions, and character-development, are excellent. The plot, though, is a bit all-over-the-place. And the ending. Nope. Much too rushed, and therefore unsatisfying. Oh, Cussy Mary gets a happily-ever-after, so to speak. But what could have been major drama was truncated in a 4-minute long final chapter.
The narration by Katie Schorr was fair. There were a few mispronunciations, but overall she did a good job. Since it was in first-person POV, it wasn’t necessary to get all the voices just-so.

Let me add.... some have compared this book and Jojo Moyes’ The Giver of Stars, some saying this one is better, some saying that one is. My advice? Don’t. Don’t compare them. They are both good books set against a backdrop of the hills of Kentucky, using the Pack Horse Library Project as a plot device. Read/listen to both of them. You’ll find enjoyment in both.

Great Hiatory

Good plot, great reading, and compelling characters. I learned a lot from this book. It never quite goes where you expect. Plus, to get me emotionally invested in a mule…. That takes some doing, but Julia the mule is one of the best characters in the text.

Difficult subject matter esp. sexual assault and this book uses racial epithets that may be triggering.

Overall, strong in all area. I recommend this book.

Loved it

A wonderful, historically based novel. The narrator used an Appalachian accent, which added to the story. Anyone interested in the WPA packhorse library, the blue people of Kentucky, or coal mining might enjoy this story.