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A review by fulltimefiction
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
4.0
3.5 stars
I mostly read this book because of [b:The Giver of Stars|43925876|The Giver of Stars|Jojo Moyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572879113l/43925876._SX50_.jpg|68351635] since many claimed Moyes copied Richardson. While I don't think this is the case here (too close release date and completely different stories other than the protagonist(s) are packhorse librarians from Kentucky during the same era), they do have similar premises. The Giver of Stars is a short soap opera with lots of drama and well, useless events. Enjoyable and interesting, sure but the fact remains that it became overdramatic at some point. Meanwhile, Richardson not only writes about the packhorse librarians (and it was the first time I hear of this project or Eleanor Roosevelt) but also the blue people of Kentucky. I haven't heard of them before coming across this book! This is exactly why I love historical fiction. Tells us history in a format I can stomach and enjoy.
While Moyes chose to focus on women “working” and how society perceives them, Richardson tackled the racism and discrimination against the blue people of Kentucky + a woman working adding new value to her book. More so, I haven’t done any research about this project but I always surprised how books were easy to come by in tGoS. In book woman, there was a shortage of books and not enough to satisfy everyone, which I found a lot more realistic considering the poverty in those times.
Objectively speaking, this is a good book, well written, and sheds light on a problem many of us were unaware it happened at some point. Still, I couldn’t connect deeply with the characters. Cussy was independent and strong-willed. I also liked Jackson and Queenie (not sure of the correct pronunciation since I listened to the audio). But I wasn’t as emotionally invested in this book as would’ve liked. Nonetheless, I think all of the fans of Moyes book should give it a try as well as those who found the concept interesting but didn’t like the characters and their personal arcs. I do not think it'll make readers who got very emotional reading the Giver of Stars (although the topics it deals with are more serious) feel as much.
As for the audiobook, it was good. The narrator’s voice fits Cussy, especially since this book was told from one perspective, Cussy’s, and using the first person. So if you’re into audiobooks and curious about this one, don’t worry it was well-narrated.
Overall, it was an interesting read and I certainly think it’s better than tGoS which is a lot more popular on Goodreads. I do hope more people read this book too and discover more about the blue people of Kentucky and was they faced.
I mostly read this book because of [b:The Giver of Stars|43925876|The Giver of Stars|Jojo Moyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572879113l/43925876._SX50_.jpg|68351635] since many claimed Moyes copied Richardson. While I don't think this is the case here (too close release date and completely different stories other than the protagonist(s) are packhorse librarians from Kentucky during the same era), they do have similar premises. The Giver of Stars is a short soap opera with lots of drama and well, useless events. Enjoyable and interesting, sure but the fact remains that it became overdramatic at some point. Meanwhile, Richardson not only writes about the packhorse librarians (and it was the first time I hear of this project or Eleanor Roosevelt) but also the blue people of Kentucky. I haven't heard of them before coming across this book! This is exactly why I love historical fiction. Tells us history in a format I can stomach and enjoy.
While Moyes chose to focus on women “working” and how society perceives them, Richardson tackled the racism and discrimination against the blue people of Kentucky + a woman working adding new value to her book. More so, I haven’t done any research about this project but I always surprised how books were easy to come by in tGoS. In book woman, there was a shortage of books and not enough to satisfy everyone, which I found a lot more realistic considering the poverty in those times.
Objectively speaking, this is a good book, well written, and sheds light on a problem many of us were unaware it happened at some point. Still, I couldn’t connect deeply with the characters. Cussy was independent and strong-willed. I also liked Jackson and Queenie (not sure of the correct pronunciation since I listened to the audio). But I wasn’t as emotionally invested in this book as would’ve liked. Nonetheless, I think all of the fans of Moyes book should give it a try as well as those who found the concept interesting but didn’t like the characters and their personal arcs. I do not think it'll make readers who got very emotional reading the Giver of Stars (although the topics it deals with are more serious) feel as much.
As for the audiobook, it was good. The narrator’s voice fits Cussy, especially since this book was told from one perspective, Cussy’s, and using the first person. So if you’re into audiobooks and curious about this one, don’t worry it was well-narrated.
Overall, it was an interesting read and I certainly think it’s better than tGoS which is a lot more popular on Goodreads. I do hope more people read this book too and discover more about the blue people of Kentucky and was they faced.