The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Cussy Mary Carter is a Pack Horse Librarian in the 1930's in Kentucky.  Her father works in the coal mine and would like to see Cussy married, but Cussy doesn't believe it will ever happen.  No one would marry an ugly "Blue" like her.  She has inherited a rare condition that made her skin have blue undertones instead of pink ones. As a "Blue" she was considered a colored person as is under the same restrictions as her African American friends.  The people on her book route, however, are so grateful to be getting books to read that they overlook her unusual color.  As she faithfully and lovingly fulfills her responsibilities, she aches as she sees the poverty and even starvation of her patrons.  Her father also struggles against the terrible working conditions in the mines.  Both wonder if life will ever get better in the beautiful but harsh Kentucky back country.

I picked this book because I had enjoyed The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes and was interested to see a different treatment of the same time period.  I think I like this one better than that.  It was just not quite as intense.  Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of heartrending detail about the mistreatment of minorities, the consequences of poverty, and the greed of the mining companies, but Cussy is in a slightly more stable situation.  Even though she has a brief disastrous marriage, it doesn't last long, and her father, though he had pushed her into the marriage, is kind and supportive when it goes bad.  When things go wrong at home, she has the admiration and kindness of her library patrons.  The weakest part of the book is the ending.  It is a little abrupt and I wanted a little more explanation.  All in all, this is a good choice for those who like historical fiction with sympathetic women characters. (2019, 320 p)