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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ending felt rushed, but I liked this book! It was more optimistic than its' prequel.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
hopeful
inspiring
Loved it every bit as much as her first one. Although this one could be read as a stand alone, it does continue the story started in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Set in 1953 in Eastern Kentucky it combines the story of Honey, Pearl, Bonnie and Amara, four troublesome independent women who have to stick together to protect themselves and those around them who are disadvantaged and have become targets of hatred and bigotry. As a lover of literacy and a supporter of libraries and librarians, I loved reading about how their importance was shown through the experiences of the characters in this story. But with this story, I also loved reading about how Pearl ran the fire tower and managed in such a remote area all on her own, or how Amara managed to care for her patients as a frontier nurse in a setting that felt more like the poverty seen in the 1930's rather than the 1950's. I was even more in awe of how after losing her husband, Bonnie managed to become a coal miner and how she used her intelligence to survive the abuse from her fellow male co-workers.
Not only were these troublesome women fantastic, there were so many supporting characters that you have to meet. Retta, Honey's protector and guardian. Guyla Belle the secluded mom who is cut off from her family and abused, but will do anything to protect her son. Emma who takes in her Great Grandaughter Wrenna who has lost both of her parents to a car accident and now can't be contained so runs wild with her pet Rooster Tommie. Junia the stubborn mule who causes all kinds of kinds of trouble but always manages to protect her Honey. Add in some eugenics, some old laws, methemoglobinemia, and a few major adversaries and it takes this whole cast of characters to protect Honey and maintain the freedom she needs to bring her books to the people who need them most. Highly recommend, possibly because I want to become a pack horse librarian or maybe just because I love historical fiction?
Not only were these troublesome women fantastic, there were so many supporting characters that you have to meet. Retta, Honey's protector and guardian. Guyla Belle the secluded mom who is cut off from her family and abused, but will do anything to protect her son. Emma who takes in her Great Grandaughter Wrenna who has lost both of her parents to a car accident and now can't be contained so runs wild with her pet Rooster Tommie. Junia the stubborn mule who causes all kinds of kinds of trouble but always manages to protect her Honey. Add in some eugenics, some old laws, methemoglobinemia, and a few major adversaries and it takes this whole cast of characters to protect Honey and maintain the freedom she needs to bring her books to the people who need them most. Highly recommend, possibly because I want to become a pack horse librarian or maybe just because I love historical fiction?
Like most good books—no matter how long they are—The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson went by in a flash. Beautifully written and with a story that sadly echoes with issues women still face today, seventy years later.
Honey Mary Angeline Lovett is the adopted daughter of the Troublesome Creek’s book woman we got to know in Richardson’s previous book. Now sixteen and alone, Honey must overcome institutionalized discrimination, misogyny, illiteracy, and violence in her isolated Kentucky community while she tries to stay out of the forced labor of a state-run orphanage. She is accompanied by Junia, that cantankerous but surprisingly protective old mule. And throughout it all, her thoughts are for her incarcerated parents and the women and children on her book route.
Here are a few of the author’s words to whet your whistle:
“You grow readers, expand minds, if you let them choose, but you go banning a read, you stunt the whole community.”
“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark. As long as you have the books, you’ll always have that light.”
“Laws about females never make a lick of sense because they’re made and run by men and meant to keep us in bondage.”
“Can’t be angry and smart at the same time. Now, nothing wrong in having the anger, but the two rarely work together.”
“Though it rarely happens fast enough and not near as quick as it should, Honey, I expect like all ugly laws, change will come.”
“Like all Kentucky women, I knew when to stand and knew when to bow and back down. It was a means of survival that was taught to the very young, instilled in the smallest of girls.”
This is another book with such great pacing that kept me reading past my bedtime. Is that smoke I smell? Strongly recommend.
PS: I also recommend another book about a strong young female, The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd. This is the true story of a sixteen-year-old Eliza Lucas who is left to run her father’s plantation in the 1730s and ends up changing history.
Honey Mary Angeline Lovett is the adopted daughter of the Troublesome Creek’s book woman we got to know in Richardson’s previous book. Now sixteen and alone, Honey must overcome institutionalized discrimination, misogyny, illiteracy, and violence in her isolated Kentucky community while she tries to stay out of the forced labor of a state-run orphanage. She is accompanied by Junia, that cantankerous but surprisingly protective old mule. And throughout it all, her thoughts are for her incarcerated parents and the women and children on her book route.
Here are a few of the author’s words to whet your whistle:
“You grow readers, expand minds, if you let them choose, but you go banning a read, you stunt the whole community.”
“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark. As long as you have the books, you’ll always have that light.”
“Laws about females never make a lick of sense because they’re made and run by men and meant to keep us in bondage.”
“Can’t be angry and smart at the same time. Now, nothing wrong in having the anger, but the two rarely work together.”
“Though it rarely happens fast enough and not near as quick as it should, Honey, I expect like all ugly laws, change will come.”
“Like all Kentucky women, I knew when to stand and knew when to bow and back down. It was a means of survival that was taught to the very young, instilled in the smallest of girls.”
This is another book with such great pacing that kept me reading past my bedtime. Is that smoke I smell? Strongly recommend.
PS: I also recommend another book about a strong young female, The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd. This is the true story of a sixteen-year-old Eliza Lucas who is left to run her father’s plantation in the 1730s and ends up changing history.
This book over-relied on the charm of the first story, and I felt the plot was disjointed. We started with one conflict and then that became totally irrelevant to the story while the author focused on a new plot point that felt cliche. Still loved the setting and the folk remedies of Kentucky though. Kindle.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced