The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was one of my favorite books the year it came out. I was excited to learn about the publication of The Book Woman's Daughter. In this book, we learn what has happened in the years since the first book ended. Honey is now sixteen years old and is faced with being left alone when her parents are taken to prison just for loving each other and wanting to be a family. She faces some serious challenges as she fights for a way to be free and not be faced with entering an institution where she would perform hard physical labor until she is 21 years old.

I truly loved this book almost as much as the first one. To say that parts of it were uncomfortable and heartbreaking would be an understatement. The writing was outstanding. The courage Honey had to face her future and advocate for her parents was inspiring. You wouldn't have to read the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek before reading this book, but I would recommend it so you would have the full background. I was more than satisfied with how the book ended and look forward to the possibility of another book in the future.


My sincere thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my opinion of it. I give this book an enthusiastic 5 stars.

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson, which goes on sale May 6, is a sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. While it is a stand-alone, I would recommend reading the two books in order. They are based on the true packhorse librarians in remote areas of Appalachia. They are both recommended for book clubs and their content would certainly lead to discussions.
Honey Lovett faces prejudice against her as a woman but even more as a blue-skinned woman, a medical condition known as congenital methemoglobinemia. The book begins with a court hearing for her father who has violated his parole and dared to marry a woman of mixed color, a blue-skinned Kentuckian. With her mother also facing a hearing and both of her parents winding up incarcerated for who they are, sixteen-year-old Honey must rely on herself and a few people with the courage to go against the Appalachian traditions of shunning. One is ninety-one year old Loretta and another is moonshiner Devil John. Honey has one small advantage in that only her hands show the blue, and she is usually able to cover them with gloves.
Honey steps up to the place her mother had filled before her as a packhorse librarian in the Kentucky mountains, and forms a friendship with another courageous woman stepping out of her own expected female role to come operate the fire tower. Tension over her sometimes dangerous solo trips into the backwoods countryside, the constant battle for her independence, and her genuine concern for the families she serves keep the reader turning pages.
A real bonus comes at the end in the note from the author with historical background for the story and images from the Pack Horse Library Project.

I loved The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and was excited to see that the author continued the story with the Book Woman's daughter, Honey.

Honey finds herself alone after her parents are taken away to prison. She is underage so she should be sent to the children's home, essentially a prison for kids. When the library director offers her the opportunity to fill the role of the packhorse librarian and with the support of the friends she has on the mountain, she is able to hide out and stay out of 'prison'. But her life is not without trials and tribulations. It's a hard life for sure. And not everyone out there is a friend.

The Book Woman's Daughter is a beautifully written, heartwarming story about the love of books and the love of people supporting each other. This is a must-read for all lovers of books and reading. I highly recommend both The Book Woman's Daughter and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for a gifted copy of The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson. All opinions are my own.

This is Honey's story. After her parents are taken away she must find a way to survive on her own without having to go to a work camp. In Troublesome Creek she takes over her mother's book route. She deals with many issues that her mother had faced before her and some new issues of her own.

I really enjoyed this sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. It would work as a stand alone but I highly recommend reading both books.

Women's Fiction
Release Date: May 3, 2022

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson is a sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek but could easily be read alone. It is another beautiful tribute to life in the Kentucky Hills. There are a number of strong, intelligent females in this book along with a few male and females who were much less so. There's also a rooster who becomes a bit of a hero!

Honey Lovett is our main character, a sixteen year old girl who watches her parents being arrested because the were in an interracial marriage that was illegal at the time in Kentucky. Honey goes back to Troublesome to live with an older woman who is like a grandmother to her until death takes her away. Left on her own, Honey tries to take care of herself and stay away from the law who may send her to a reform school/prison without a guardian.

We see the resourcefulness of these Kentucky women and the friendships that develop even when there are miles between them. From Fire Tower lookouts to Coal Miners to Frontier Nurses to Pack Horse Librarians, women had to make the best, sometimes after losing a spouse. I truly enjoyed the characters and the history in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

With The Book Woman’s Daughter, author Kim Michele Richardson picks up the story of Honey Lovett, the adopted daughter of the famed blue-skinned, packhorse librarian of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky.

When Honey’s parents are arrested, she must battle the courts of men to keep her own freedom. Surrounded by the poverty of the mountains and pursued by prejudice, Honey sets out to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a packhorse librarian. Bolstered by the fiercely strong women around her and spurred on by a love of books and the freedom they provide, Honey dares to fight for a life of her own choosing.

At once heartbreaking and inspiring, Honey’s story is one of courage and determination. And it’s one I intend to read again.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this next book as a follow up to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, but I think I would the same if I read this as a stand alone. Young Honey takes over the reins as a pack horse librarian. A heartwarming story with lots of adventure.

I absolutely adored The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Southern fiction at its finest with a unique main character with a genetic skin condition that makes her appear blue. The affliction darkens when angry, scared or ashamed. Cussy faces many challenges in the hills of Kentucky as she delivers books via her ornery mule Junia. This book is the sequel and although it can be read as a standalone I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the first.

The sequel follows Cussy's adoptive daughter as she finds herself homeless at 16. Not quite old enough to be on her own, yet fully capable of taking care of herself. She finds a position opens up for a pack horse librarian and takes to the hills like her mama. Once the story takes off about 30% in, I really enjoyed following Honey's story. Like the first, Honey is faced with societal and gender challenges of the time and takes them head on with grace. If you fell.in love with Cussy and Junia before, you will enjoy this tale of Honey and Junia.

Wow, I truly loved the first book in this series and that said, read it first if have not read it! This one is also an excellent story but think you will have a much better understanding of backstory and history if you have read both.
Thank you to Net Galley the Author and puisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Happy publication day!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I was thrilled to receive a copy of this book since I enjoyed the first one so much. This one, I am glad to report, I loved even more. I am not quite sure how Kim Michele Richardson does what she does, but I can't find a single flaw in this book. I'm a little jealous of her talent.

Honey Lovett is a character to fall in love with. She's charming and smart, full of fierce determination, and her voice is so strong and clear in this book I feel like I could hear her talking to me as I read the book. The way that Kentucky in 1953 is described is crystal clear, a rich sensory experience that lifts off the page.

Richardson is also adept at handling multiple characters in such a way that they all seem like they have full lives. Not a single one of them falls flat. I was always eager to champion the different heroes that she brought before me, all these strong determined women who are forced to fight for their freedom and who never give in. They're flawed, but I can't help but adore them.

This book also hit a particular sweet spot for me with the character of Pearl. I hike often, and hikes with firetowers are my favorite. I love the lore of them, the historical significance. I think of what it must have been like for those who stayed there, who watched over the mountains. It's also something I have thought of myself doing, if I were alive when they were in use. Living vicariously through Pearl was a treat, and seeing the vintage photographs of actual female firetower guardians in the back of the book was just the chef's kiss to the whole experience.

The only thing that I am disappointed with is the fact that I have finished it, and I really just want more.

A wonderful follow up to the Book Woman really enjoyed visit ping the town the characters.Fans of the first in the series will love the second in the series.Will be recommending.#netgalley#sourcebooks.

Yes, I know I have said that I hate book titles that include the words “daughter” or “wife” and then some male profession, but Richardson can be forgiven this time. First, because this is a sequel to her novel “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” which I really loved. Second, at least with this one, the gender of the person this daughter is related to is a female as well. Furthermore, I’ve made quite a few enemies of fans of Jojo Moyes because I am totally positive that Moyes heavily plagiarized from Richardson’s book to write her “Giver of Stars,” and I’ve told them so, both often, and loudly! So, when I heard that Richardson was coming out with a sequel to that book, I was thrilled. Moyes wouldn’t DARE do a repeat performance, and this second book will surely help get Richardson’s first book in this series some more, well deserved publicity.

Those who saw my review of the first book will know that it got full marks from me, and this is why I not only asked for the ARC, but I also didn’t wait to get approved before I pre-ordered a print copy. Now, I don’t regret doing that (anything to help an indie published author), but admittedly, I’m not sure if this book is as quite as powerful as the first one. While Honey does come up against much of the same prejudices as her mother Cussy, since it is only Honey’s hands and feet that are still blue, she’s able to hide her genetic disorder, at least most of the time. Obviously, this doesn’t help with her parents being arrested and jailed for being a “mixed” couple, and Honey being underaged and threatened with being jailed herself. So, you can see that there’s no small amount of fodder here for a good story, and Richardson certainly puts quite a few obstacles into Honey’s path, as well as some positive things to give us hope that she’ll be okay.

The question is, was Richardson able to evoke as much sympathy for Honey as she did for Cussy? While I really liked Honey’s spunk, and I felt like she was both very likeable and smart, I’m not sure if my heart went out to her as much as it did for Cussy. This isn’t to say that I didn’t feel for all of Honey’s troubles, because I certainly did. This is more to say that I felt like the focus on her problems sometimes took a back seat to the things that were happening to the other, presumably more minor characters in this book. This made me think that perhaps all that research that Richardson did while she lived in this area, brought her so many stories of the cruelties that some people could level upon others that she felt compelled to give us more than only Honey’s story. I’m not sure that this was the best idea, since with such a wide net and so many tales to tell, that the spotlight on Honey was diffused a bit too much. This partially kept me from getting truly attached to Honey, even while I also felt very close to her and worried about how she’d fare.

Again, this isn’t a bad book, because there’s a whole lot to love here, especially with some of the descriptions of the area that are very vivid and poetic. All I’m saying is that this felt a bit like it wasn’t concentrating quite enough on Honey, even though I did enjoy all the secondary characters, and I did feel that they were fascinating additions. This is why I’m having a hard time deciding how high I should rate this book. I’m certainly going to recommend it, but I don’t think I can give it a full five stars – I only choked up a tiny bit at the very end. It is just as beautifully written as the previous book, but I think I preferred that one a bit more than this one, so… I think four and a half is about right, and I’m still a fan of Richardson’s writing.

Kim Michele Richardson’s sequel The Book Woman’s Daughter rocks! I loved it! I felt like I was at a story hour in a beautiful library listening to the librarian read a wonderful book! Having loved The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, I was worried that the sequel might not live up to my expectations. It surpassed my expectations! The story opens in Thousandsticks, Kentucky in 1953 (sixteen years later). We find Cussy, her husband William, and Honey Mary Angeline living in hiding. According to Kentucky law, Cussy and William cannot be married because the marriage violated the miscegenation laws. Cussy is a bluet and therefore cannot be married to a white man. They adopted Honey when her mother (also a bluet) died when Honey was born.

The book is full of characters you will love Loretta, Honey’s old (almost 92) babysitter. Loved the scene in the courtroom with Loretta and the Judge! Pearl, Honey’s new friend who has been hired as a fire watcher and lives in a fire tower. Devil John ……. There are characters who you will definitely not like. Alonzo, Loretta’s nephew who definitely does not follow his aunt’s wishes. Then there is Mrs. Geraldine Wallace the Leslie County social worker. These are just a few of the characters involved in our story.

Richardson’s love of Kentucky shows through in her rich descriptions. My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

The Book Woman's Daughter is historical fiction at its best. In addition to telling a compelling story, Richardson includes many historical details about the blue people of Kentucky, pack horse librarians, and courageous women who worked unusual jobs, from coal miner to fire watcher, in order to feed their families.

What a great sequel! Richardson pens a realistic novel about Appalachia. Mountain people in Kentucky were a unique breed, many kind and helpful. Others were as mean as vipers. Readers will find both in the continuation of the Book Woman’s story and Blue people. Honey, the main character, suffers so many losses, but she also gains a lot. Honey is plucky and resourceful.
Two heroes in the book are Junia and Tommy, a mule and a rooster.
The author’s note is very insightful.
Books are a gift in every holler and valley.
There has to be another book because I need more adventures with the Book Woman’s kin.

With THE BOOK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER, Kim Michele Richardson has accomplished a dazzling story -- within a few pages, I was transported back to the hills of Kentucky, a different time and place than I have ever known. Richardson brilliant summons the physical reality of a beautiful and strange setting with memorable characters who were interesting, complex, and themselves. A wonderful read -- true departure for this happy reader -- and a testament to the importance of literacy, open minds, and passionate readers and the ones who provide the books. I received an advance copy of this book and these are my own, unbiased thoughts and opinions.

A very strong follow up to the first - impossible not to root for Honey and love the people who have her back. Well researched and well done

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

What book lover doesn't enjoy a book about distributing books!

I really enjoyed this book about strong women! Freedom was a Honey Lovett wanted and of course to deliver books to those in need in her community.

What I really enjoyed was how strong women were portrayed regardless of how the laws and society repressed women at that time. This book showed Honey shining as a librarian, but also showed women being coal miners, traveling nurses, and fire tower lookouts.

Even though it too me a bit to figure out all the characters and get used to the dialect, I found myself engrossed and wanting to learn more about the "blues" and the area/occupations.

This is a unique topic and a gripping story that I think many will enjoy!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of the ARC for my honest review.

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson is the sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, but it can also be read as a stand-alone. The story begins in 1953 when a blue woman with a rare blood disorder, Cussy Mary Carter Lovett, and her white husband, Jackson Lovett, are arrested and imprisoned for violating the miscegenation laws of Kentucky. Their sixteen-year-old adopted daughter, Honey, must evade the law and head back to Troublesome Creek to live with an elderly friend, Retta. If Honey does not escape, she will be confined to the Kentucky House of Reform, a children’s prison, where she will be forced to do hard labor until the age of twenty-one (21).

This is a story about strong women and the power of sisterhood. While still a teenager, Honey must grow up quickly and become a wage earner. She befriends other women including a frontier nurse, a young female forest fire lookout, and a female miner. As in most parts of the country in 1953, men dominated the workforce and treated working women unfairly. There are interesting side stories about Junia, a mule, and Tommy, a rooster, who protect their female owners. Additionally, light is shed on the terrible condition of the prisons and forced medical experiments and surgeries on patients. The author has clearly done her research in writing about these topics.

There were some things that I didn’t like as much about the story. First, even though the Pack Horse Librarian service had been discontinued in 1943, the Troublesome Creek Library just happened to revive the project just as Honey arrived in town in need of a job. It was too coincidental. Second, the book occasionally felt like it was focused on man-hating. The story has a corrupt Sheriff, an unjust coal mine boss, and a prejudiced bully and his family who will stop at nothing to get their way. These bad guys were stereotypical and slightly over-the-top. At one point Honey says like all Kentucky women, she knows when to stand down to men. It is a means of survival taught to girls, instilled at a young age.

4-stars. Many thanks to #Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for my advanced reader copy. This book will be published on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.

Although this is a sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, it can be read as a stand alone novel. Set in the hills of Kentucky in 1953, Honey Mary-Angeline has been living with the blue-skinned Cussy Mary Lovett and her husband Jackson after both her parents died. And now they've been arrested and imprisoned for violating miscegenation laws and marrying outside their color.

Though only 16, Honey battles to stay independent after her guardian Loretta dies. She has a place to live and now a job--riding her pack mule Junia to deliver books to the hill people as an assistant outreach librarian. Along the way, she meets Pearl, a young woman who has taken a job as a fire tower lookout; Bonnie, a young widow who works in the coal mines to support herself and young son; Guyla Belle, a battered wife who desperately wants to escape her abuser; and Amara, a frontier nurse helping to heal the sick. All have to fight for the freedom to live their lives as they see fit. 'Laws about females never made a lick of sense because they're made and run by men and meant to keep us in bondage.'

This is a lovely coming-of-age novel that deals with women's issues and their desire to be free to make their own way in life. The story is peopled with wonderful characters and situated in the beautifully described hills of Kentucky. I enjoyed spending a few hours in those hills with Honey and her books.

I received an arc of this new novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.