The Book Woman's Daughter: A Novel

The author’s unforgettable musical language in The Book Woman’s Daughter brings the reader directly into the Appalachian mountains. Ms. Richardson enchantingly describes the beauty of eastern Kentucky as well as the trials and tribulations of the people who live there, not to mention the bravery of the book women who traversed dangerous trails to deliver books. This fascinating novel is definitely worth reading again.

It is great when you are entertained and educated at the same time. This is a period of history in which I was not familiar. An excellent writer puts you there and makes you feel part of the story. I have read all her books now and want more. Well done!

I had read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and found it to be super compelling, so I wanted to read about her daughter. The daughter, Honey, isn't a full blue like her mother. Blues were people with a skin condition with no cure which made them look blue. Honey's hands and feet betrayed her Blue heritage. These stories are set in Kentucky at a time period when women had no rights, and certainly not Blues. Honey is devastated as the book opens when both of her parents are arrested and imprisoned for marrying. It was forbidden for a white man to marry a Blue and they'd managed to stay hidden after his release from prison the first time. But the law caught up with them and the brutality shown to the loving couple is incomprehensible. That left Honey on her own at the age of 16, which by Kentucky law, meant she was subject to being imprisoned in a work prison until she turned 21. The entire story is built around her trying to gain and keep her freedom. I cheered for her when the landed a job as a pack horse librarian, as her mother had been. Now, she has income and a chance at freedom, if only she can stay out of the crosshairs. I admired her courage and tenacity. She was wise beyond her young years. Two other characters stand out in the story to me. The first being Junia, a stubborn mule that is fiercely protective of Honey, as she had been of Honey's mother. The second character was another independent woman, age 19, who was manning the fire lookout for the forestry service. Pearl turned out to be not only a loyal friend, but the two girls grew as close as sisters. While this book didn't grab me like the first one, it is still a most compelling read. It's horrible what women were subjected to during that time. I'm so glad things have changed. If you like a story that will consume you, I highly recommend either of these books. The historical accuracy is amazing. It's obvious the author did a tremendous amount of research, as she confirms in her closing statements. Fantastic!

How could I put this down. I read all three of your wonderful books. I knew nothing about the blue people, Kentucky or the hollers before. I loved every page and all your characters. What's more: I did not know about The Pack Family Librarians. I can't imagine being horrified by someone with blue skin. I would have been totally fascinated by them. These books are rich in so much, I feel as if the author has given me a great present. Thank you so much

I loved reading The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek, so I know that I would love the following book about her daughter. And I found that I loved this book even more! The bookwoman's daughter, Honey Lovett, in Kentucky, inherited a rare recessive gene that made her skin blue; she has methemoglobinemia. But Honey's hands and feet were the bluest part of her body, and being anxious or excited caused more blueness in her skin. Her mother and father were found guilty of miscegenation. Her father was white, and her mother had blue skin. It is not race but a gene difference, but they did not understand that in Kentucky during her mother's and her life. They were both imprisoned. So Honey is not yet old enough to legally be an adult. So she was considered to be an orphan, and the state and a social worker wanted to send her to a reformatory for children. It was a horrible place for children; they were not given good food, if they got sick, they died instead of getting timely treatment, and it was really a hard labor camp because they had to crack rocks during the day. Honey's lawyer tried and won guardianship of her for an elderly family friend, and Honey applied for and got a job as a bookwoman, delivering books to rural people in the era. Then her beloved guardian dies, and she is thrown back into danger of being sent to the reformatory for children. She has allies whom you will love and enemies who are despicable and dangerous. Themes are poverty, discrimination, book banning, laws, and cultural beliefs. This is an important book for everyone. I want to read the rest of Kim Michele Richardson's books.

I love Honey as much as I love Cussy Mary. This read was such a rollercoaster of emotions and had me worrying about how things were going to end. This is such a sweet book and a salve for my soul.

I read this novel immediately after The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek to find out what would happen to this group of highly unusual "blue" characters in rural Kentucky. This book is Honey's story of how she must learn to care for herself and protect her secrets when she is cut off from all her loved ones. As such, much of Honey's narrative involves her saying how much she misses her parents, and that became a little repetitive. Also, the references to the prior novel (to establish context in this novel) were repetitions of some of the scenes and conversations. These aspects slowed down what is otherwise a solid and interesting story with elements of friendship, romance and suspense. While BWTC did a masterful job addressing the Blues of Kentucky and the plight of the Appalachian residents in general, BWD focuses much more on the women of this rural world and the many challenges they faced. Honey and her new female friend represent strength, courage and a desire to promote opportunity and security for women in an uncertain world, but there are many female characters from traditional to modern, and from empowered to abused. Once again, Richardson creates memorable and individual characters that we care about, and presents ideas about inequities with empathy and in context. The ever-present books and magazines of the Pack Horse Library Program are threads that tie the community together and lift people up from their circumstances. A wonderful bonus is the Author's Notes section with pictures of local women from the era of the book, whose stories are represented in the novel in some form. A note about the audiobook: Katie Schorr's twang brings Honey's character and the local speech style alive and draws the reader in to the world of the novel with good energy and emotion.

The Book Woman’s Daughter, a novel by Kim Michele Richardson and sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, is a well-written, stark reminder of the deep prejudices of the 1950s, Kentucky. Honey Lovett, sixteen, is devastated and frightened when her parents are arrested. Both Honey and her mother suffer from a genetic trait, a blood disorder called methemoglobinemia, causing the skin to appear blue. In those days, as recently as the 1950s, particularly in the hills of Kentucky, people with this affliction were considered “colored” and suffered the same stigma given to Blacks. It is forbidden for a white man to marry a Blue, and when Honey was just a baby, her father was arrested and sent to prison for this “crime.” After his release, the family managed to stay hidden for the past few years. But now, as this story opens, her parents are both arrested and sent to prison for the crime of interracial marriage. At sixteen, Honey is left on her own, which by Kentucky law, means she was subject to being sent to a work prison until she turns twenty-one. The unfairness of this ruling is appalling, and Honey is determined to live on her own. Well educated by her mother, Honey turns to her mother’s former occupation as a packhorse librarian. She applies and is given the job. As her mother did before her, Honey fills a need among the hill people. However, not everyone approves of her job, and some even resent her. But Honey needs this work to prove she can be independent, and be allowed to remain free. This novel, as its prequel, is a factual accounting of this medical anomaly. People with this blood disorder were shunned and ridiculed. Also true is the accounting of the packhorse librarians who served in the hills of Kentucky. I was fascinated by this novel—the author did an outstanding job of both explaining the medical condition and its ramifications, and also describing life in the rugged and sometimes treacherous hills of Kentucky in the 1950s. Both teens and adults would enjoy this novel.

This book follows on from “Book woman of Troublesome Creek” and is a well woven story & facts of the persecution of the blue people of the Appalachian mountains and the misogyny prevalent at the time.

I read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and followed on with The Book Woman’s Daughter. I could not put them down! I related to so much in the stories as I am from the same area in Kentucky. Highly recommended!

Great book. Did not know that Kentucky history. Looking forward to the sequel. ( Book Woman's Daughter) ...have it just not read yet.

Another brilliant read. I learn so much from these stories. The history, the atmosphere of the places and I can feel the people’s worries, fears, joys and friendship with each other. The research done brings reality to life.

This book is the sequel to The Book woman of Troublesome Creek. It taught me a lot about pack horse librarians, Kentucky blue people, woman miners, and the difficulties of working women in the 1950’s in Kentucky. It is a very interesting read. I highly suggest you grab a pen and paper to keep track of all the characters, because they come back time and again in this librarian’s adventures!