This book was gorgeous. Beautiful. So emotional. It was possibly better than the first book, THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK...

You meet Cussie's daughter, Honey, in this book. After Honey's parents are taken away and thrown into prison for marrying she has to run for her freedom. Run and try and escape a children's prison. Living in the 1950s was a hard time in Arkansas. Probably all over this country, but for sure in Arkansas during this time and even earlier years.

Honey goes to her only family Retta to stay but when Retta becomes ill and passes she has to leave and find a new place. Her mother's family home is where she goes and decides to live. All she goes through and does for one so young will break your heart. Even through a few laughs and a bit of breath holding you will root for Honey to make it. She has to prove she is able to care for herself to stay free. Living in the state of Arkansas as a female back then you had no life. You either belonged to a man or men told you what to do and when to do it. In this book you will meet a few women who stand together. Who try to help each other. Though Honey is only a child of sixteen she can only be free of she marries. Which is a joke because that means having a husband to tell her what to do and when to do it. It had to be hard living back then. Much like the way some men want things now....

Honey does everything she can to win her freedom. To be able to live on her own and keep her house without a man. To do her job as the Bookwoman and take care of the people on her route. She finds a few obstacles along the way that are almost more than she can endure. The hatred of a man who beats his wife. A social worker who wants to lock "It' up. The unlawful lawman. The drunk who sold his aunt's home out from under her. Men who thought nothing of hitting women. It was what they were for ya know. And on top of that Honey is the last of the Blue People. That is another mark against her.

There are a lot of good people too. The doctor who helps her as much as he can and his wife too. The lawyer who helps her and her parents. The girl in the watch tower who becomes her best friend. The nurse who helps her. So many good and decent people who you will like. They outweigh the horrible ones that hurt Honey at every turn. Not only Honey but all women in their way. The coal miners who treat a hard working woman like she is nothing just because she needs the job so bad. Claim she is taking the job away from a man. Good grief...

This is a very emotional story. At least it was for me. I cried sad tears and happy tears. I laughed in a few places and felt horror in others. I felt like I was with Honey when she visited the prison and had to leave so fast. I felt her love for the mountain people and getting the books to them. It's really a feeling book. The words just flow and make you feel like you are right there. This author has written a truly great book. From the first book to the last page in this book you learn a lot about the traveling library and the people of the Appalachia Mountains. Life was hard but for the most part the people are good and kind and smart... A few bad but mostly good.

Thank you #NetGalley, #KimMicheleRichardson, #SourceBooksLandmark for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 HUGE stars and a very high recommendation.

A friend recommended The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek to me last year and I absolutely loved that book. I was so excited to read the sequel, The Book Woman's Daughter, and do I dare say this one was better? I think so! I loved this book as well. The characters and story were fantastic. I laughed and I cried and I couldn't put this book down. Well done! I highly recommend The Book Woman's Daughter!
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

THE BOOK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER by Kim Michele Richardson (The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek) is set in rural Kentucky in 1953. The story centers around 16-year-old Honey Mary-Angeline Lovett whose parents are jailed due to the miscegenation laws prohibiting mixed race marriages. The local social worker wants to send Honey to reform school until she is 21, but Honey manages to ride her faithful mule named Junia into the next county and find family friends who help a lawyer establish guardianship. The adventures and hardships continue, however. I found it particularly moving to think about the plight of women and girls at that time ("Laws written by men don't protect females much") – especially with this week's news from the Supreme Court. Richardson probes the hypocrisy of patriarchal, bigoted edicts which punish people for loving each other and which would allow Honey to become a child bride rather than grant her status as an independent person ("sure takes a lot of men to decide one li'l girl's best interests"). In addition, she references Hallie Daggert, the first (1913) female fire lookout for the Forest Service, plus the plight of poor widows and abused wives, through empathetic characters (Pearl, Bonnie, and Guyla Belle) who become Honey's friends. There is plenty of adventure and a bit of mystery woven into this excellent work of historical fiction. THE BOOK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER contains a book group guide and was chosen as a Library Reads selection this month.

Richardson's characters clearly love books and at one point Honey reflects upon her mother's work as a Pack Librarian for the WPA: "Mama always said, You grow readers, expand minds, if you let them choose, but you go banning a read, you stunt the whole community." Our Library has set up a display about banned books and the Freedom to Read.

I thought the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was sad!! This fired me up and went straight to my heart. I loved reading about Honey just as much as I loved Cussy Mary’s story. This had me on my toes. I was kinda scared to continue reading cause I knew more bad stuff would happen before the “happy ending”. Even then I didn’t get as much closure as I wanted concerning Cussy Mary and Jackson (that’s why only 4 stars).

Can be read as a standalone or sequel (I think you appreciate this more after reading the first one).

Always check content warnings.

Based on the title it probably won't come as a surprise to too many people that <b>The Book Woman's Daughter</b>by Kim Michele Richardson is the sequel to her original novel <i>The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.</i>    I heartily enjoyed the first in this series and was eager to lay my hands upon this sequel, which could also be read as a standalone.  I remember my surprise at learning about the blue people of Kentucky, about Pellagra, and about The Pack Horse Library Project none of which I'd ever heard of and was delighted to find these learnings bound inside a most enjoyable story.    This time around my learnings were more about the miscegenation laws, about fire towers and how they were used to keep lookout for fires in the forests, and more about Appalachian life in the 1950's.   Central to the original book was Cussy and the sequel had her daughter Honey as its protagonist.    

Honey wanted only to be allowed to lead the life of a normal teenager but thanks to the the miscegenation laws mixed marriages were deemed a crime.   Given Cussy was a blue and Jackson a white man, Honey's parents were charged and imprisoned leaving 16 year old Honey virtually alone in the world. 
Thus she was forced to grow up quickly, keep house and take on a job as an Assistant Outreach Librarian like her mother before her.   Thankfully she loved books so the job suited her to a tee.   On her routes delivering books she encountered many locals, some of whom were delightful and fiercely protective of Honey, and others who were downright evil.      Some of her adventures and misadventures could be attributed to the discrimination she  suffered on account of the medical condition which caused her blue skin.   

When Honey went to court seeking her emancipation the Social Service workers offered the below as their reason for denying her request.  I was astonished by their attitudes.

<blockquote><i> “Honey Mary-Angeline Lovett, the sixteen-year-old minor child, is now orphaned after her parents were jailed for miscegenation laws after violating the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and God. We feel it is in the best interest of the state to protect its people against harm and immoral indecency. This girl,” she spat out, “has lived with the Blue heathens, criminals, and has continued to live a sinful, criminal life and is to be remanded to the House of Reform immediately<i></blockquote>  

The so called "sin and criminal life" was essentially their  marriage - a loving couple raising their daughter with love and care -  was starkly juxtaposed with others who openly commit crimes yet escaped punishment because they were related to the Sheriff, a crooked and dishonest man.

Despite a number of rotten characters who displayed some  sinister behaviours,  it was primarily a feel good book.  Honey was a likeable character, smart, honest and kind. Whilst I probably preferred the first in the series this one was very well done and I thank Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson was a great follow-up to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. The sequel follows Honey Lovett, the daughter of the book woman, who takes over her mother's old packhorse library route in Appalachia. This would make a great book club read. I loved the characters and the story about strong women overcoming obstacles. It was an easy and enjoyable read.

Readers will be swept back to the hollers of Kentucky where book woman Cussy Mary and her husband have been raising their adopted daughter, Honey, until the law catches up to them and imprisons the pair for marrying because of Cussy’s blue skin. Honey is still a minor in need of a guardian or else she’ll end up in the care of the state until she’s an adult. She takes up her mama’s old book route with the faithful mule Junia, delivering to the remote cabins and facing many of the same obstacles as Cussy did. Honey knows she must fight to stay free — and to free her parents — and she works hard to secure her emancipation and live on her own terms, when the law is against her every step of the way.
This is a lovely, inspiring story rich in well-researched details that I know fans of the first book, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, will love. (It's not absolutely necessary but I definitely recommend reading that book first!)

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Book Woman’s Daughter was released on May 3, 2022.

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michelle Richardson - 2022 - 364 pages- a sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

I, along with much of the book blog world, loved The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

Set in the 1930s up to 1941 in the very impoverished Appalachian region of Kentucky, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek follows Cussy Mary, a packhorse librarian bringing books, newspapers and magazines to the often struggling to feed their families people of Troublesome Creek.  Through the WPA President Roosevelt the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project brought books and employment to mostly women riding often long difficult routes, Cussy rides a mule you will grow to love. 

The Book Woman’s Daughter begins in 1953.

Like her mother, Honey suffers from a genetic disease that can make her skin appear blue. Many look with scorn on her as a “colored person” or a witch. It was illegal for whites and “colored persons” in Kentucky in the 1940s to marry. When we meet the Book Woman’s daughter, at about age 14 her parents are in prison for an illegal marriage of a white and a blue, as Honey and her mother, were called. Honey at 16 becomes a Book Woman, bringing material to people in very rural Kentucky on our favorite mule.

As she travels she becomes very good friends with a woman fire ranger, a bit older than Honey, in a job normally held by men. Honey is in danger of being sent to a home for orphans which is pretty much a prison until she is 18. An older lady on her route is appointed by the court as her guardian saving her from this.

The savagery of life in the coal mines is made very real. We see the brutal way the few women working the mines are treated. Contrasted with this is the kindness of others. As in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Richardson marvelously describes the natural beauty of Kentucky.

The Book Woman’s Daughter is a master work, historical fiction at a very high level. You should read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek first if possible.

I found this book very moving. It made me feel grateful to the near endless supply of books available to me and our three daughters.

NYT and USA TODAY and L. A. TIMES bestselling author, Kim Michele Richardson resides in her home state of Kentucky. She is the author of the bestselling memoir The Unbreakable Child. Her novels include Liar’s Bench, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field. The Sisters of Glass Ferry and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Kim Michele latest novel out May 3.2022 is The Book Woman's Daughter, both a standalone and sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

You can visit her websites and learn more at:
www.kimmichelerichardson.com

Mel ulm

I didn’t real the prequel to this book, but it certainly didn’t affect my overall reading experience. Kim Michele Richardson has a gift for immersing her reader into the lives of her characters using historical context, detailed descriptions, and a healthy amount of emotion and empathy. I really enjoyed going on this (often fraught) journey with Honey as she struggled to be emancipated and grow to adulthood without her family. Definitely pick this up if you’ve read the first one, but you’ll enjoy it even if you haven’t.

This book was just as evocative, exciting and well researched as the author’s previous Book Woman book, which is high praise.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy
for my review.

Kim Richardson writes another book that you just can't put down. If you read the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek you know exactly what I mean and have some of Honey's backstory. When her mother is imprisoned, she takes over her book route to deliver books to people in the remote hollers of Appalachia. She quickly realizes that the job is much harder than what she ever could have imagined. In true Book Woman and Book Lover style though, she doesn't give up. A must read for all book lovers out there!

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson was a more than fitting sequel to the original. Honey is her mother's daughter in every way, somewhat surprising because there is no blood relationship. When her parents are shipped off to prison, once again, Honey has trouble following the directions they had given her, which put her in jeopardy of being sent away herself, and to a much worse situation. She would be put in leg irons and forced to work in a quarry until she was 21. She was not yet 16. But, she had friends, friends who lied for her and skirted the law. She was sent to her friend, Rhetta, who was 91. There were guardianship papers. All would be well. But, at 91, one couldn't expect a long life and Rhetta died. That very day, hew nephew and "heir" disobeyed her wishes and sold off her home, leaving Honey with nothing. So her journey for freedom began.

As if it not ghastly enough that the blue people were so discriminated against, but they had to put up with repeated harassment from ignorant and hateful people. And violence. For every one of those, Honey had a friend, but it wasn't always enough. She got a job: the same one her mother had had, but she was paid five times as much. She had her grandparents cabin and she had her mother's mule, Junia, who was cranky on a good day. She could survive. While in prison they sterilized her mother. No one thought anything of it. This was 1953 for heaven's sake. How could this happen? And how could a young woman be delivering books to folks in the hills on the back of a mule? This makes me ashamed that this happened in my country.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of the Book Woman's Daughter by Sourcebooks Landmark, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #sourcebookslandmark #kimmichelerichardson #thebookwomansdaughter.

This book is a sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, but can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed the first book a bit more than this one, but this was also a good read. It takes place in 1953, in Appalachian Kentucky. There is a lot of great historical and cultural background provided, but the main point of the pack horse librarian program being revived by the local library is fictional.

The main character is Honey, 16, the titular book woman’s daughter. Her adoptive parents are arrested for miscegenation (blue + white - read the book for additional information on the “blues” of Kentucky) and she has to flee for her safety. Then her guardian, an elderly woman, dies and Honey has to once again try to avoid being sent to the Kentucky youth work farm prison until she’s 21 (even though she would be considered adult at 18). Another option is to marry, even though she’s only 16. The book points out that many young women/girls were married at 16 or younger in that area. Honey resists this option.

Focus is on strong women and their bravery, in the face of so many obstacles, such as patriarchal laws, prejudice, poverty, etc. Women in that part of the world had to grow up fast! I enjoyed the characters of Pearl, the new fire lookout, and Bonnie, the young widow who is supporting her family by being a miner.

It was a little heavy on the message “books will save you” but I will forgive that!

Note: There are a lot of really evil men in this story, punctuated by one or two good ones, so be aware of that. Another warning - domestic abuse is highlighted graphically.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Honey Lovett follows in the footsteps of her mother delivering books to those in the rural mountains of Kentucky. It is the 1950's but it still is a patriarchal society and men rule when it comes to just about everything. Just sixteen Honey is left to take care of herself and forge her way in a dangerous mountain area. She deals with killers, moonshiners, retailers, judges, and the prison system in her quest to become emancipated. Along the way, she finds new friends, renews old family acquaintances, and realizes the goodness and evil that surrounds some. She must summon all her strength to fight against those who seek to destroy her, take away her freedom, and harm those she loves. This book is a tribute to the strength of women during difficult and arduous times as they find their voice and their equality. It is also chocked full of information on the old ways of the mountains. The characters are rich and well-developed. I did not read the book that precedes this one and didn't find it necessary as the author does a good job of making this a stand-alone novel. I did find that it ended abruptly and would have loved to have heard more about what happens to Honey's family. Thanks to #NetGalley#TheBookWoman'sDaughter for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was just a joy to read! Honey is such a strong woman and I kept rooting for her throughout this book. This was such a fabulous story, told in similar fashion as the first book. The author is such a great writing and I loved all her vivid descriptions of life and the beauty of Kentucky. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I absolutely love books that draw me in AND teach me something about my world at the same time. This was one of those books.
The Book Woman's Daughter takes place in 1950's rural Kentucky. Honey's parents are arrested because of their mixed marriage, and 16-year-old Honey returns to Troublesome Creek. I especially loved the exploration of women's roles in the remote parts of Appalachia - besides Honey we see a fire spotter (I remember being up in one of the old fire towers), some women miners, travelling nurses, etc. The end of the book shows old photos of women in these professions.

The story is also excellent - Honey must fight for her independence and freedom. She was a great young character, and I know I'll be encouraging others to checkout this book.

Big thanks to Kim Michele Richardson and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed The Book Women of Troublesome Creek and loved this sequel, although the book can be enjoyed as a standalone. The Book Woman’s Daughter follows the story of Honey, who is the adopted daughter. Due to extreme circumstances, she needs to find a way to support herself until she is 18. The government of Eastern Kentucky cause so many problems, but Honey has support from people who loved her mother.
The research that Kim Michele Richardson has done is quite extensive and it adds so much to the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Landmark Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion - I really loved this one!
Many times I read a book and enjoy it, but then months or years later someone will ask me about it and I won’t be able to remember much. I was worried that might be the case, as I read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek in April of 2020. Plus maybe there were some other things going on in the world that may have been distracting me at that time… But, when I started reading The Book Woman’s Daughter, I was surprised that I remembered almost everything - even the mule’s name! Junia, the mule, is a key character in this story, too, helping Honey, the daughter of Cussy Mary, return to Troublesome Creek and follow in her mother’s path. Even though she is only 16, Honey picks up her mother’s old packhorse library route, after Cussy and her husband are arrested for their interracial marriage.
The people on Honey’s route are so excited to be receiving books - their love for books and education really warmed my heart. The strong, intelligent, determined women in this book were exactly what I needed to read this week. I highly recommend this book, even if it's been a while since you’ve read the first one. If you haven’t read the first one, definitely check that one out first.

Having fallen completely in love with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, I was beyond excited there would be a sequel. The author delivers another fantastic, original, well-researched story, this time focusing on Cussy's daughter, Honey, and her struggle to remain free while awaiting the return of her parents.

New readers to the story can absolutely read this as a stand alone, because it does recap the two essential parts of the first book: how Cussy became a book woman and what her job meant to the people she served, and her blueness, but I think they should be read in sequence, to see which unique challenges each faced and how they each dealt with them.

Of the two books that came out around the same time, it's obvious which was the original, most-researched book about the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Service. The other book never caught the essence of Kentucky as Ms. Richardson does, and she continues her wonderful female characters based on real American women who held jobs in coal mines, as pack horse librarians and fire spotters. I'm glad this book will shine bright, without a shadow of a plagiarism scandal hanging over it. I will read every book Ms. Richardson writes; the other author, never again.

I hope you fall in love with Honey; she's a special girl. She's smart and brave and decent and heroic, and this is her story.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this much-anticipated book. The opinions expressed are mine, and freely given. Read this book!

2.5 Stars

This is a sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Like most sequels, it is a disappointment.

When the parents of sixteen-year-old Honey Lovett are imprisoned for breaking miscegenation laws, Honey’s future is in jeopardy. Wanting to avoid going to an orphans’ home or being sent to the House of Reform, she needs a guardian. When that arrangement is not an option, she decides to seek emancipation which would leave her free and independent. To show she is capable of caring for herself, she follows her mother’s footsteps and becomes an outreach librarian, a job which brings her into contact with new friends and enemies.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek reveals so much about the Blue People of Kentucky, the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, and life in Appalachian Kentucky. The Book Woman’s Daughter, however, offers few new historical elements; it merely recycles information already known to readers of the first book.

The one addition is female characters in male-dominated jobs: Pearl is a fire tower ranger and Bonnie is a coal miner. Unfortunately, these characters end up seeming like mere plot devices to emphasize the struggles of women living in a world dominated by men. The book’s message is that “’Laws about females never make a lick of sense because they’re made and run by men and meant to keep us in bondage’” so women must be courageous to stand up against injustice and inequality.

There were several elements that irritated me. First there’s the repetition: How many times must we be told that Junia is stubborn and doesn’t like men? How many threatening encounters must Honey have with Perry Gillis once he is clearly identified as her enemy? Then there are the plot holes: The office of Honey’s lawyer is open after 6 p.m. on a Sunday? Honey writes down “the directions for the nurse to find Retta’s home” but doesn’t leave the note and has to return later? Why would the doctor’s wife rely on Honey for books since there is a public library in town? What’s with the pre-occupation with clean clothes: Before spending a night with Doc and his wife, Honey goes home to “’pack clean clothes’” and then tells Doc that she “’packed my clean dress’” but then finds that Doc’s wife laundered and folded her clothes overnight?

Finally, there’s the portrayal of Honey. The author wants her to be a brave heroine so she has Honey save a child. The author wants her to be intelligent so Honey, not her lawyer, first mentions emancipation. But then she is so stupid that she doesn’t tie up Junia, a mule who tends to run away? And after overhearing a conversation which clearly indicates the speakers’ intentions, she wonders “what Gillis and his kin were up to”? Honey’s father gives her a clear answer about dating, but she says, “’I haven’t received permission yet. I might need to call Papa again’’?! She will disobey Gillis and give his wife an “immoral” book, thereby endangering herself and Guyla Belle, but won’t date without permission? What is particularly annoying is that Honey, though she claims she loves books, seldom reads!

Having really liked The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, I looked forward to The Book Woman’s Daughter. However, I found little to enjoy. The narrative arc is obvious from the beginning; the protagonist behaves inconsistently though we are to admire her; and scenes have unnecessary melodramatic flourishes. The first book offers substantial historical information but, other than brief references to Moonlight Schools, Hallie Daggett and female fire lookouts, and the Frontier Nursing Service, the second book tediously repeats historical facts from the first. I think readers might enjoy The Book Woman’s Daughter more if they’ve not read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.