Very disappointing. Probably ought to be a Young Adult book.  The idea behind the book was first introduced to me by the reviews of Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes which hit the hype machine. But several reader-reviewers mentioned The Bookwoman off Troublesome Creek as being much better and more historical or authentic as well.   

At first I was going with the Kindle only because the narrator’s voice was somewhat annoying but I ended up getting both the Audible and the Kindle versions because I love to read and listen simultaneously. And it really did sound interesting. Too bad –

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.  
by Kim Michele Richardson
read by Katie Shore

 ** Rating 4 ( WordPress will no longer lets me use wrap around text even with the media/text block.  Even with a block set to Classic). 

The “historical detail” other readers wrote about in their reviews on Goodreads or Amazon includes the Blue People and that’s true and was quite interesting.  The rest of the “historical” is basically just the medicine, food, language and  other cultural features of Appalachian ways. There’s a lot off racism and that’s probably a theme.

Our heroine, “Cussy Mary” or Bluet as she is known, is a librarian for the local traveling library.  She has many troubles. 

The author, Kim Michele Richardson, is a native of Kentucky.  

If you want to know about the blue people of Kentucky, check out 
http://www.indiana.edu/~oso/lessons/Blues/TheBlues.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Fugates
* or
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/the-science-behind-the-mysterious-blue-people-of-kentucky/

“The Blue People of Troublesome Creek” (probably a paper for a college science class – grad level?) 
http://www.indiana.edu/~oso/lessons/Blues/TheBlues.htm

The Traveling Library links are: 

*or

Click to access WPA-Project-pack-horse-librarians-in-kentucky-1936-43.pdf

And here’s the place: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troublesome_Creek_(North_Fork_Kentucky_River_tributary)