Stephanie Sullivan: Review - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Review - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

November 22, 2023

TITLE: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (audiobook)

RATING: ★★★★

Summary (from Goodreads): 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.

REVIEW: What a great book! I’d never heard of the blue skinned people of Kentucky until I read this story, and it was very interesting to learn about them. Being a librarian myself, I truly admired Cussy Mary and her determination to get books to people who needed them, despite the adversity she received from it. She’s a strong-willed and inspiring character, and I liked that. I went through so many emotions while reading this story - heartbreak, happiness, joy - just to name a few. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because the last few chapters felt very rushed, like the author was in a time crunch to finish the book. The pacing up to this point was perfect. I listened to the first 1/4 of the book on audiobook, and the narrator, Katie Schorr, is AMAZING! I would recommend this book in all print forms, but I have to say that the audiobook was my favorite because the narrator truly sounds like the Cussy Mary I’ve imagined her to be.