User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
When I finished this book, I thought it was such a good story and I immediately gave it four stars, but then I thought about it more as I was writing this. I thought about what a meaningful story it is, what an amazing and strong character Cussy Mary Carter is, what a realistic depiction of time and place is presented here, about how much I learned from it, how touched I was, and the wonderful way that the author blends the story of the Blue People of Kentucky with the Pack Horse Library Project. I shorty went back and gave it the five stars it deserves.
In the Appalachian hills of Kentucky in the 1930’s, the people are poverty stricken and hungry. The Pack Horse Librarian Project is established as part of President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration and we meet 19 year old Cussy Mary Carter, one of the Book Women, the librarians dedicated to bringing books and stories and knowledge to the people in the hills of Kentucky. She also is known as Bluet, as she is one of the Blue People of Kentucky. I found this story to be fascinating as I had never heard of the Blue People of Kentucky and I never knew about these trail blazing women, both literally and figuratively who delivered reading materials to their patrons in tough conditions.
Cussy Mary’s story angered me. She’s the victim of prejudice and racism and an early disastrous arranged marriage that her father thought would provide care for her after he was gone, which he thought would not be far off, given the years he spent in the coal mines. It’s heartbreaking as she is subjected to medical tests and evaluation to protect her and her father and to get food for the starving children at the school and heartbreaking that she seeks a “cure” for her condition so she wouldn’t be shunned and discriminated against. Her story moved me as I saw the connections she makes with her patrons, especially the children in the schoolhouse, who are hungry for food as well as for stories. She brings them more than books. She brings kindness and food when she can. She brings them hope and in some cases life.
This is a story with a fantastic depiction of time and place, and people. An example of historical fiction at its best reflecting the worst things in life such as the racism that existed then and sadly now as well and some of the best things, the kindness of people, the importance and value of the written word, the joy that Cussy Mary got out of seeing the joy she brought to them when she delivered a book. Highly recommended!
I received an advanced copy of this book from Sourcebook Landmark through Edelweiss.
Rating: really liked it
I know I'm rowing against the tide in my review of this book, but my 3 stars is for the things I liked, and I'm not subtracting for the things I didn't. It was a great story with likable characters (for the most part), and I enjoyed the research and information on both the blue people of Kentucky and the Book Women who brought books and magazines to the impoverished families in the hills.
Suffice it to say that the writing was uneven, the dialect was not consistent, and the ending was a little too melodramatic for my tastes. I know lots of readers really loved this one, and I understand why, but I just couldn't get there in my rating. Not a bad book, not a great book, but I enjoyed the story.
Rating: really liked it
***NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK***
This was an incredibly original story with a main character that I had so many feelings for! I love when a book makes me go to the internet and research, "blue people" and "book women", I had no idea that there was ever a project such as this. These women really had to love books to hand deliver them to people in the high hills of Kentucky.
My only problem with it was that it was very slowly paced. However when I thought further about it, perhaps it was written that way because that's how Cussy Mary Carter's life was. There was lots of hard work, little food, horrible living conditions and yet "Bluet" continued to love books. She was incredibly creative in making scrapbooks for her "clients" so that there would be more reading material for them. She added anything she could to her stash of books including any magazines, recipes from local people, pamphlets on infant care and treatment, etc.
This is a heartbreaker of a novel but one that should not be missed. I highly recommend it.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Rating: really liked it
Update: Today, May 07, 2019 is Happy Publication Date!In the fierce, majestic mountains and hollers of Appalachian Kentucky in the 1930’s, there were many small towns and communities that were so isolated some people never saw a newspaper. Or, if they did, it was used to paper a layer to the insides of their tiny homes to help keep the weather out. Books, for the most part, were a luxury, and often only family Bibles or the odd family heirloom would be in the home.
In the 1930’s people everywhere struggled for the basics of food and shelter during The Great Depression. As part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, he set up education programs in isolated areas whereby books donated by a variety of service clubs and larger libraries could be delivered to families via horse, mule, canoe, or sometimes just walking. The program initially hired single women with the idea of giving them gainful employment and so the Pack Horse Project came into being, and the brave and inspired women came to be known as “Book Women”.
This beautifully written, warm, and touching novel is about one Book Woman who served her county in Kentucky near a small town center called Troublesome Creek for several years. It is a fictional novel, yet is based on well-researched historical facts.
Cussy Mary Carter, sometimes called “Bluet”, and sometimes called “Book Woman” is, according to her father, the last of “her kind”. Aside from all else, she is one of the rare people in the world who have congenital methemoglobinemia. Cussy Mary had the characteristic blue skin which occurs due to less oxygen in the blood. Thus, her nickname, “Bluet”. She was named “Cussy” for the town in France where her maternal great-grandfather lived before leaving for the United States.
Her story is inspiring. It is also heart-rending. Cussy Mary’s dedication to her “patrons” on her pack horse route brings her into contact with many events, some frightening, and some very touching. My heart went out to her many times during this book, and indeed, I felt such a strong bond with the people of this county in Kentucky and their children. So many of them were starved for knowledge and the sense of pride that comes from discovering that knowledge through reading. So many of them found hope in the stories of other people’s challenges and how they managed to overcome them.
This novel is very strong, and it is beautifully written. The one weak spot for me was near the beginning when Cussy Mary and her father have heated discussions about her future over a period of time. I understood the logic of both Cussy Mary and her father but I felt that their discussions could have been briefer as the long-term consequences were redeemed many times in many ways in the rest of the novel.
Aside from this minor weakness (from my perspective), this novel soared, and I am definitely interested in reading more of this writer’s work. I admit to both horror followed by tears of happiness and happy tears followed by horror over the time frame of this novel. The ending was excellent, except for one thing: by then I was so immersed in these people’s lives, I wanted to stay there and learn more of their stories.
4.5 Stars
With gratitude to Sourcebook Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this novel. Its publication date is May 07, 2019.
Rating: really liked it
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (Author), Katie Schorr (Narrator)
It's 1936, in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, and nineteen year old Cussy Mary Carter is one of Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project's traveling librarians. These brave and stubborn women face the weather, rough terrain, unsavory characters, and all manner of dangers on their daily routes to deliver books and other reading material to the poor and starving in this area. Cussy has the added danger of being the last blue skinned person in her family, other than her ailing father. Cussy and her family had been born with blue skin and fear and prejudices put them on the lowest rung of humans, in the minds of the racist people in the area. They have no rights, are banned from almost every place, and can be injured or killed by a white person without any recourse from the law.
Because of their blue skin, Cussy's job as a traveling librarian is even more dangerous than it would be for a white skinned person but Cussy loves her job and her patrons and she and her father need the money she makes to survive. Her coal miner dad is at the end of his days, with the sickness from the coal mines dragging him down more each day. But for all of Cussy and her dad's hardships, others are worse off, with starvation, illness, and poverty killing babies, kids, and entire families, in this mountain area.
The plight of the girls and women of this time, especially those living in poverty and more so, those who are not white, is unbelievably bleak. Food and medicine could save so many of these people but they have nothing at all, subsisting on watery soups made out of weeds and grass, just to make it to another day. Cussy and her reading material is often the only bright spot in their lives and it's amazing the hope, love, and compassion that Cussy brings to her patrons while she is fighting heartache, very clear danger from those who would like to kill her, and the fear that the mines could kill her father on any day.
This story encouraged me to learn more about the blue skinned people and the traveling librarians. That so many children and families lived literally dirt poor, starving until they died, with little or no help, is a hard truth to accept, but we see, in this story, that the poorest can be the most generous, in hard times. This was a hard book to read/hear but I did enjoy the story.
Pub May 7, 2019
Rating: really liked it
Troublesome Creek......an almost misnomer of limited location to the backwoods of Kentucky. Seems that Troublesome holds no boundaries and its edges of tainted water overflow onto humanity. An attitude, a prejudice, an indescribable hate that still visits upon shores.
Kim Michele Richardson presents a beautifully rendered story of life in the hills and the mountains of Kentucky in 1936 in which women, and sometimes men, endeavored to deliver reading materials to the folk in Roosevelt's Pack Horse Library Project.
We meet Cussy Mary Carter who lives with her father in the cabin that he built for them years ago. Pa heads out each day to work the mines which continue to take a heavy toll on his health and wellbeing. His only wish is for Cussy to marry and be well taken care of after he's gone. Cussy only wishes to continue in the work that she loves as the "Book Woman" greeted warmly by those living in the hills.
And here is where Richardson layers her story with the reality of perceived "difference". Cussy and her father are the last of the Blue Kentuckians whose skin has taken on a genuine blue hue passed from generation to generation because of a recessive gene. It's been documented by those in the medical field. Because of her unusual skin color, Cussy and those like her, are shunned and ridiculed by the town's people and denoted as "colored". They are not allowed to participate in town functions.
We will come to find that Cussy's heart beats to a rhythm of compassion beneath the blueness of her skin. Her relationships with the simple folk of the hills and her intense dedication to the needs of these people are at the core of this storyline.
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek left me with the thought of how books come in all sizes, envelop weighty pages or parade out brevity, cover a multitude of differing genres, penned by individuals of various backgrounds, and are wrapped in intricate printed and artistically developed covers or in plain one-hued ones. Ancient, torn, shredded or newly published out of the box......and we embrace them all and clutch them to our chests. And yet, humanity which is so far more precious, is scrutinized, judged, and relegated to separate shelves for not fitting into the "designated" model.
Kim Michele Richardson has created quite the read here. Indifference weaves its way in from the earliest of times and places and still takes root in hearts so hardened from generation to generation.
There's plenty of room for all in this volume of life in which words should be written with the ink of supreme kindness.
Rating: really liked it
Cussy is a pack horse librarian and she delivers books to people that live in the mountains of Kentucky. She has blue skin. The year is 1936 and the setting takes place in the Appalachian Mountains into the woods of Troublesome Creek. Cussy is a nineteen year old and she is the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry. She suffers from a hereditary condition called methemoglobinemia. There is a lot of poverty in this town and it was so heartbreaking. Their life is so tough. The people there are so desperate for her books. They can't wait for Cussy to show up with their books. She lifts up their spirits with the pleasure of reading.
I never knew that there were blue skinned people that use to live in the mountains of Kentucky. I was astonished and had to Google about the blue skinned people in Kentucky and the pack horse librarians. This book is based on historical fact.
The book started out with a slow burn in the beginning and then it picks up. I really loved this book and loved the beautiful writing and I felt like I was there in the Appalachian Mountains. There were some dark parts too which surprised me. I loved the characters especially Cussy. She was such a strong heroine and went out of her way to help others. There was a lot of racism and prejudice in this book and I would get so mad how they were treated. The ending was very dramatic.
This was a Traveling Friends read.
I want to thank Edelweiss, Sourcebooks Landmark, and the author for the Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
"To handle yourself, use your head, to handle others use your heart." - Eleanor Roosevelt
My favorite kinds of books are those that not only draw me in but educate me, cause me to feel and to think. This one fit the bill perfectly. Not only did I learn more about the Blue People of Kentucky and their rare genetic trait, but I also learned more about the Pack Horse library project which was the brainstorm of Eleanor Roosevelt. According to openculture.com "Sixty -three percent of people who lived in Kentucky during the Great Depression were without access to libraries and approximately. thirty percent of those living in rural Kentucky were illiterate."
This story follows Cussy Carter, the last female of the Blue People Ancestry. Trying to fulfill her duties as a traveling librarian, she must also deal with prejudice, danger, a horrible arranged marriage, and those wanting to perform medical tests on her.
This is an engaging book of historical fiction which not only shows the goodness of people as demonstrated by Cussy and her sacrifices for others and the ugliness of people as shown by those who were prejudiced and openly ugly to those deemed unworthy or less than due to the color of his/her skin.
I found this book to be well written, thought-provoking, educational, riveting and perfectly paced.
Rating: really liked it
From the beginning I adored Cussy or Bluet as she is called by some. A pack librarian in the Kentucky Appalachians, she delivers books to folks living in the hollers. As part of FDRs work program, she rides her mule and delivers her books. This is depression era, 1930' and people are struggling, making them look forward to the books, newspapers or magazines she brings. Some cannot read, so she reads to them, some are just learning to read, and some just look st the picture She is in all ways wonderful. She and her father consider themselves to be the last of the blue people of Kentucky, a genetic trait passed on, but they don't know this yet. Their father and daughter relationship is a close one, and a joy to behold.
They are considered colored, treated just as badly by some as the blacks. Bigotry and discrimination is something she faces daily. The author does a fantastic job showing us the past in this region, using regional dialect snd wonderful descriptions of the fauna, the hills, and the local characters. She will go through many obstacles of personal matters, but her faith and love of the written word is a message she joyfully spreads.
The book starts off rather slowly, and there are parts that are more sentimental then I usually like. Yet, her story, her character and the actual history related in this book, made those few qualms, inconsequential. The authors note explains the genetics involved in their coloring, as well as an explanation of the historical references. This is a book that shows, not tells and one feels as if they are traveling with Cussy on her personal and professional travels. A very heartfelt story.
ARC from Netgalley.
Rating: really liked it
I loved this book. LOVED IT.
This is the story of Cussy Mary Carter, a traveling "book woman" in Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project. She traverses the rough Appalachians to deliver books to the people who reside in the hills and would otherwise not have access to any sort of reading material. Cussy is also "a blue," the last in her family line with a rare genetic blood disorder that turns her skin a pale shade of blue.
The writing is absolutely stunning -- lyrical . . . poetic, even. I was utterly swept away to another moment in history by the dialect, the setting, the characters.
This is also a story of prejudice, poverty, and courage. It will make you laugh. It will make you angry. It will make you cry. It will make you FEEL.
This book will always be with me, close to my heart.
Rating: really liked it
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is about a young woman, Cussy Mary Carter, also named Bluet, who worked for the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky, delivering books and other reading materials to people up in the hills and mountains around Troublesome Creek in the 1930s.
Cussy is a special young woman, in many ways - her skin is blue, her blood is like chocolate. She and her father are the last people with this condition, a rare genetic disorder. Her father is a miner and they barely scrape by. The area is quite poor, with many illiterate people and high mortality rates. Cussy is very dedicated and loves her patrons, she loves to facilitate the education of people who otherwise wouldn't have had any opportunities to get reading material. Her kindness and devotion break through some people's prejudices. Of course, that's not always the case and she encounters oppression, derision and abuse on many occasions.
I had never heard of the Blue people of Kentucky, so I appreciated learning about them. The Pack Horse Library Project was a wonderful outreach initiative I had no knowledge of.
While these two aspects anchored the novel, a few issues prevented my full immersion into the story. Cussy is the narrator of this novel. Nothing wrong with it, except that her voice was inconsistent - sometimes the dialogue sounded more authentic, with dialect, especially from people sounding uneducated, as they were supposed to be, but it waned and then came back as if the author suddenly remembered who her characters were so she'd throw in some colloquialisms.
Cussy was too saintly. She sounded way too sophisticated for someone so young and uneducated.
As the story progressed, the middle part that involved Mary's tracking to her patrons was quite repetitive.
The last chapters turn into a full-blown soap opera, way too melodramatic for my liking.
In conclusion, this had the makings of a great historical novel, but its incongruences and the melodrama made it just an okay read for me.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
I recently read The Giver of Stars and I guess there was some controversy between the two because they have similar subject matter and came out close to each other. Since this one came out first, there have even been some suggestions of idea stealing on the part of Moyes. I wanted to be sure to read this one, too, so I could give my opinion on the matter.
My conclusion: the horseback librarians of Kentucky were a real thing that suddenly more than one author was interested in making a backdrop for their story. Much like the spy women of World War I and II have been a hot topic lately, it seems like these librarians have what it takes to make an interesting novel. I found the two books to be different enough that I did not feel like I had read a carbon copy. And, the fact that I just noticed another book with a similar background has been released (The Librarian of Boone's Hollow) just goes to show that this is prime literary real estate right now.
How does this one rate? If I was to compare to the Moyes offering, I like The Giver of Stars a bit better; smoother delivery, more interesting characters, richer story development, etc. But, by itself, this was still a very good and interesting book. The main focus of this story is the fact that the main character is blue: a condition sometimes seen in the rural people of Kentucky in the 1800s and early 1900s. Because of this, she is treated with the same prejudice (and sometimes worse) than the black members of the community. The various situations this condition got her in really makes you think.
This book is worth checking out. I can't say how you will feel it compares to other, similar titles. But, so far, I have enjoyed both of the ones I have read.
Rating: really liked it
5 Fabulous & Wondrous Stars!
My First 5 Star Read of the 2020! Oh What a Brilliant Read! Thank you to my Goodreads Friend Angela, for putting this on her Best of Goodreads list for 2019 and reminding me that I needed to read it!
Cussy Mary Carter is an employee of the Pack Horse Librarian Project, delivering books to the people of Kentucky by horse. She is also the last female of the Blue People ancestry, in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky.Everyone calls her Bluet, for the color of her skin.
Let me just say that Cussy Mary stole my heart. She is endearing, sassy and oh so smart. Never given a fair shake, treated kindly or knowing what it’s like to have a friend, somehow, Cussy Mary wakes up every day and is basically a happy person. She is extremely kind, gracious and selfless and goes out of her way to give to others, when frankly she and her Pa have very little. If only everyone could be as wonderful and forgiving as Cussy Mary.
Even after being subjected to medical experiments because of her race, Cussy Mary takes it in stride, which I don’t think anyone else would ever do.
Though this novel focused on a few extremely difficult subjects such as discrimination and prejudice, I am astounded at what the author, Kim Michelle Richardson was able to accomplish. This story, all of the characters, the history that was included in this novel, was all intertwined in such a way that completely stole my heart. I fell in love with Cussy Mary and am so glad that I read this novel. It will most definitely be on my Goodreads Best of List for 2020!If you know me, you know that I hardly ever research the topics broached in the novels that I read, but this novel intrigued me and immediately took me to google. As it turns out, the Blue Fugates or Blue People of Kentucky, settled in Hazard Kentucky in the 1800’s, eventually settling in Troublesome Creek in the 20th Century. Hematologist Madison Cawein III did in fact use Methylene Blue to treat some Blue Fugate family members and it did reduce their coloring. He published his research in the Archives of Family Medicine in 1964. There is currently one last living descendant of the Blue Fugates or Blue People of Kentucky: Benjamin Stacy, born in 1975 (he’s only a year younger than me!). The Pack Horse Librarian Project took place in the Appalachian Mountains between 1935 and 1943, serving 100,000 people and 155 schools among 30 libraries. Librarians were called, “Book Women,” “Book Ladies,” and “Packsaddle Librarians.”
If you are looking for a brilliant character study with a fabulous story to boot, based on real characters, I implore you to read this brilliant piece of fiction.
A huge thank you again to my friend Angela for putting this on her Best of List for 2019. I absolutely LOVED it.
Thank you also to my local library for lending me a copy and to Kim Michelle Richardson for writing an astounding novel!
Published on Goodreads on 1.18.20.
Rating: really liked it
Since reading the picture book That Book Woman by Heather Henson a few years ago, my interest in the pack-horse librarian project has lead me to listen to Jojo Moyes's The Giver of Stars and now recently, Richardson's The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. I have heard controversy about the two books being very similar and were only published a few months apart. The only similarities that I noticed were:
1. both are about the pack-horse librarians of Kentucky;
2. both have a love interest; and
3. both have some form of conflict (Which novel doesn't? LOL!).
Although I enjoyed Moyes's version, I preferred Richardson's TBWOTC. Throughout the book she emphasizes the trials and tribulations that courageous 19-year-old pack-horse librarian, Cussy Carter, dealt with, such as: terrain, weather, wild animals, financial woes, poverty and mistrustful people, as well as the racism she endured as a blue-skinned person, all the while intent on delivering reading material to the people living in the remote hills of Kentucky. The satisfaction she received when her patrons, including schoolchildren, looked forward to her arrival, sharing their reading accomplishments, which outweighed all of her hardships. Also integral to the story is Cussy's genetic condition of being a rare blue-skinned person and her, and other people's, attitude towards it.
Richardson's "Author's Note" describes her extensive research into the blue-skinned people of Kentucky, the pack-horse librarian project, and even courting candles - all very impressive, leading me to Google these subjects. Also, her use of figurative speech was to my liking, and her charming characteristics of Cussy's stubborn mule, Junia, made for some lighthearted reading. This book brought out a lot of emotions in me. I look forward to reading other books by this author!
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars!
Heartbreaking and heartwarming storyline. Inspiring and unforgettable characters. Exquisitely stunning prose. Engrossingly palpable atmosphere. A beautiful book that tugged at my heart strings. I loved every single page of this novel.
Cussy is a young woman living in the remote hills of Kentucky with her coal miner father. She is known as the last blue-skinned woman. Growing up as an outcast in her village, she is used to being shunned and belittled. She takes on a job with the Pack Horse Library Project, bringing literature to those in rural and remote areas around her. She travels on her beloved mule, Junia, who was a stand out character in this book.
Though the atmosphere, storyline and writing is exceptional and unforgettable, the characters were simply outstanding for me in this novel. They got to me - whether it was me loving them, hating them or something in between - I connected. They were so real and emotion-inducing, I felt like I truly knew them.
The writing was stunning. It engrossed me from the start and flowed so smoothly. The local language and slang seemed so true to the times - I could hear the drawl as I read.
What Cussy faced and endured was unimaginable, yet she stayed strong and determined to make a difference. She was such an inspiration and interesting character.
This was a Traveling Sister read that we all adored! We had the honour of hosting an Author Q & A with Kim Michele which was such a treat! She answered all of our questions and provided much detail on her writing process. Check out our blog for more details on that exciting experience.
Thank you to Brenda for sending me her copy of this amazing novel! I highly recommend!!
