The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel

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The writing was stunning. It engrossed me from the start and flowed so smoothly. The local language and slang seemed so true to the times - I could hear the drawl as I read.

LibrarianAlice is gifted a book of poetry by her love interest, Fred, with a paper marking a favorite poem for her to read. Philip K. Jason, in the Southern Literary Review's "May Read of the Month" recommendation, predicts that readers would find Book Woman to be "one of the most original and unusual contributions they will encounter in the realm of the current literature of the American South." He praises how beautifully the relationship between father and daughter is portrayed, as well as the "unexpected poetry" of Cussy Mary's voice and speech patterns, noting that for a bookish young woman, she nevertheless speaks in the hill people's dialect. In addition to the historical value and Richardson's accomplished "presentation of her protagonist’s challenges and perseverance within a culture hostile to deviation from norms", Jason finds of equal value the "reminder of the priceless necessity, the enduring thrill, of books and reading." [20] Plagiarism affair [ edit ] Norwegian novelist Jacobsen folds a quietly powerful coming-of-age story into a rendition of daily life on one of Norway’s rural islands a hundred years ago in a novel that was shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize. There’s so much to discuss here and you can use our book club questions for The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek to dive into the complex situations in Cussy’s life. This discussion guide for The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek will help your group explore the variety of social themes in this book, like poverty, discrimination, and exploitation. There’s also plenty to discuss with the story’s romance, adventure, and family relationships. Book Woman" another moniker for Cussy Mary, delivered hope to children and adults starving for learning. Children were "...as hungry for the stories in those books as they were for the food that always seemed sparse in this real land". Book Woman was unaware of the positive impact she had on library patrons on her book route. Her acts of kindness were in direct contrast to the reception she received at her once monthly visit to library headquarters. She arrived in town wearing a big brimmed bonnet to escape the stares and pointed fingers of the townsfolk.Angeline: I loved her character for all of the ways she exemplified women I’ve met in KY over the years. Kind-hearted, joyful, sweet as can be, and singing while they work. 🖤

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. This novel is very strong, and it is beautifully written. The one weak spot for me was near the beginning when Cussy Mary and her father have heated discussions about her future over a period of time. I understood the logic of both Cussy Mary and her father but I felt that their discussions could have been briefer as the long-term consequences were redeemed many times in many ways in the rest of the novel. Testa sent the manuscript to Kensington Books, the publisher of Richardson’s prior two novels, under the working title The Borrowing Branch. Kensington and Testa couldn’t agree on a deal, so the book was put up at auction and submitted to a number of publishers, including imprints at Penguin Random House, though not to Pamela Dorman, Moyes’ imprint. In October 2017, the Illinois-based independent publisher Sourcebooks bought the manuscript, changing the title to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. An announcement of the deal, which included a brief description of the novel’s plot, ran in the widely read trade publication Publisher’s Marketplace in November 2017. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a timely and necessary novel, certain to find an enthusiastically loyal following among book clubs, for whom it offers myriad opportunities for engagement, and with librarians and library patrons, for whom it is a heartrending hero’s tale. " — The Charleston Post & Courier

We will come to find that Cussy's heart beats to a rhythm of compassion beneath the blueness of her skin. Her relationships with the simple folk of the hills and her intense dedication to the needs of these people are at the core of this storyline. Ending: A traumatic and dramatic end that left me a little bit spent and unsatisfied. Although I do believe that it was a realistic and historically correct end though.