Though the name Fugate was changed to Carter and a new heroine was presented, their story played out much the same way. But you’re wrong, because the blue people were as real as you and I. One won’t get very far before giving in to the compulsion to set the book down for a bit to google “the blue people of Kentucky.” Your first instinct is to say that sounds like a big ole’ load of Kentucky manure. In the author’s note she points out these edits and pays homage to the real individuals whose lives in the mid-to-late 20th century were affected by the true events which inspired this book. Not that she didn’t take creative license, as she changed certain aspects of the historical record to suit the narrative. I applaud the authenticity with which Richardson presents every fine-tuned detail of this story. The new day dawns soon if you can make it through the night. One moment draining the life from the hill people through starvation and sickness only to cradle them to her bosom the next with a whisper of comfort. The power she wielded against the fragile inhabitants that occupied her hills was both awe inspiring and frightening. She’s cruel, twisted, and astonishingly beautiful. Kentucky is presented as thoroughly and as bravely as are the other characters in this book. Richardson has crafted at once a nostalgic and searing look at life in the Kentucky hills in the 1930’s in the latter part of the Great Depression. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a fascinating piece of historical fiction. This next selection is one of those, so a big thank you to the member who chose this book as our September discussion selection. One of the things I value most about being a part of a reading group is that I’m exposed to books that I otherwise may have never stumbled upon.

The book woman of