What a great listen! I loved that the audiobook dropped me right in the middle of rural Kentucky in the 1930s. Cussy Mary, the main character/narrator, spoke in a thick dialect that sounded perfectly natural while listening. I might not have enjoyed this quite so much if I had tried to read her speech patterns, so I'd highly suggest listening to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.
Kim Michele Richardson must have done an incredible amount of research to portray life during the Great Depression so vividly. (I was surprised to find out that the Blue People of Kentucky were real, too!) Every step of the way, I cared about what happened to Cussy Mary and her family, friends, and neighbors. It's stunning to think that as recently as the 1930s, people were still living the way that's described in the book.
My only complaint is that I'm not a huge fan of the way things wrapped up in this story, so I'll call it a 4.5/5. (Right now, I'm indecisive about whether I should round up or down.) I'd highly recommend giving it a listen!
Kim Michele Richardson must have done an incredible amount of research to portray life during the Great Depression so vividly. (I was surprised to find out that the Blue People of Kentucky were real, too!) Every step of the way, I cared about what happened to Cussy Mary and her family, friends, and neighbors. It's stunning to think that as recently as the 1930s, people were still living the way that's described in the book.
My only complaint is that I'm not a huge fan of the way things wrapped up in this story, so I'll call it a 4.5/5. (Right now, I'm indecisive about whether I should round up or down.) I'd highly recommend giving it a listen!