Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

10 reviews

justmys's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Racism, Rape, Vomit, Death, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Violence, Classism, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Murder, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Child death, and Death of parent

Minor: Excrement, Incest, Fatphobia, and Animal death

dblue236's review

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, racism, domestic violence. 

This was one of the best books I've read so far this year, for a number of reasons. I loved the setting and the beautiful descriptions of the time frame and rural Kentucky. The characters were well rounded and felt real, and the historical aspect of it that was clearly very thoroughly researched really added depth to the story. This was the first book I've read by this author, and if it was any indication, I definitely need to seek out more of her work. I cannot recommend this highly enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Child death, Bullying, Death, Racism, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Violence, Animal cruelty, Grief, Medical content, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Suicide

Minor: Abandonment, Incest, Abortion, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

sareidle's review

emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Racism, and Stalking

Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, Child death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Vomit

samburkhouse's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Stalking, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Rape, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Sexism, Pregnancy, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Misogyny

Minor: Animal cruelty, Classism, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Terminal illness

kgpierce's review

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Murder, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Rape, Classism, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Racism

verna's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Bullying, Violence, Abortion, Alcohol, Racism, Death, Terminal illness, Suicide, Stalking, Physical abuse, Medical content, Vomit, and Religious bigotry

kyrstin_p1989's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I usually love historical fiction but this one took so long to get going that I struggled a lot at first. It didn’t really take off for me until about 100 pages in which is nearly halfway, and that’s why I didn’t rate it higher. The second half of the book kept me reading and I didn’t want to put it down. The historical aspects of the KY Pack Horse program and the blue people of Kentucky were fascinating as a native Kentuckian, especially because I had never heard of the former prior to reading this book. The story is sad and tells of the hardships of rural, Appalachian life in the 1930’s and 40’s with candor and grace. It definitely makes you appreciate the technological, medical, and social advancements we’ve made and just how hardy a people the folks from mining country truly are. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Vomit, Stalking, Sexual violence, Abortion, Addiction, Body horror, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Grief, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide

atringas's review

adventurous emotional inspiring slow-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? Yes

4.0

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a fascinating and in depth exploration of a time and place in history often not spoken of. Although the main character Cussy is a creation of the author, the environment she exists in, as well as her condition and her job, did all absolutely exist. The novel is woven delicately and beautifully to convey the harsh reality and beautiful poetry of life in these rural communities at this point in time, without shying from the challenge and harshness of the same. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Abandonment, Child death, Blood, Bullying, Medical content, Rape, Ableism, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Grief, Chronic illness, Hate crime, Suicide, Incest, Police brutality, Racism, and Stalking

bookwormabby54's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved thos book. Cussy Mary's story had me in all sorts of emotions. This book was very well researched and written beautifully.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Death, and Grief

Minor: Incest, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

momsmagicreads's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

While The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek had echoes of The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, I found the feel and focus of this book to be quite different. While the MCs had similar struggles in their work as Packhorse Librarians across both stories, in TBWOTC, Cussy Mary had the added struggle of being "colored,"

although not in the way you might expect.

It was this difference, and how it affects Cussy Mary in all aspects of her life,

even after she is cured

, that I found to be the stronger theme running throughout the book. Alongside the discrimination that Cussy Mary is subjected to, it is also a story of acceptance, love, and trust from her library patrons, schoolchildren, and her father's coworkers. The reader realizes that these do not exist simply because Cussy Mary's community is "backwoods" or unfamiliar with the social mores of the time. It is demonstrated in some tender and heartwarming scenes, primarily later in the story. Certainly, there were those who never gave up their desire to discriminate against her or take advantage of her. There were small echoes of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

in the way Cussy Mary was treated by her doctor and the "specialist" that he took her to for examination

. There was jealousy expressed as a "sincere" attempt to be sure laws were properly enforced. In spite of the way Cussy Mary is treated by the folks from "town," she discovers that she can use her difference to help benefit the neediest in her small community of library patrons.
Overall, I found this to be a slower paced book in the beginning and it got much more interesting to me about halfway through. For the story itself, I'd give it four stars, for my enjoyment of the writing it gets three stars. However I also want to give credit for the amount of research the author did as it relates to the disorder that affects Cussy Mary and her family.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Racism, Stalking, Medical content, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death, Incest, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Alcohol