The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
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.
Thank you to Bookish First for providing a copy to me in exchange for my honest review.
5
