the book woman’s daughter

“They still call her Book Woman, having long forgotten the epithet for her cobalt-blue flesh, though she’s gone now from these hills and hollers, from her loving husband and daughter and endearing Junia, her patrons and their heartaches and yearnings for more. But you must know another story, really all the other important stories that swirled around and after her, before they are lost to winters of rotting foliage and sleeping trees, swallowed into the spring hymnals of birdsong rising above carpets of phlox, snakeroot and foxglove. These stories beg to be unspooled from Kentucky’s hardened old hands, to be bound and eternally rooted like the poplar and oak to the everlasting land.”

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New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestselling historical fiction author Kim Michele Richardson is back with both the stand-alone and sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. The Book Woman's Daughter, an instant NYT and USA TODAY bestseller, is also a INDIE NEXT PICK, LIBRARYREADS and EDITORS CHOICE of The Historical Novel Society. It’s the perfect book club read following Honey Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome book woman, who must fight for her own independence with the help of the brave and extraordinary Appalachian women of Kentucky who guide her and the books that can set her free.

AWARDS & HONORS

Kentucky Reads, 2023

Represented in Library of Congress, Center For The Book | National Book Festival Great Reads Great Places 2022

Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist 2022

LIBRO|MANIACS

Best Book Club Books: 2022 Edition

A POPSUGAR BEST NEW BOOKS OF 2022

INDIE NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Summer 2022 Indie Next List for Reading Groups Pick!

Books-A-Million Literary Book Club Pick

May, 2022 INDIE NEXT PICK LIST

May, 2022 LIBRARYREADS

EDITOR’S CHOICE, The Historical Novel Society

THE BEST HISTORICAL FICTION LIST FROM SPRING - Book Bub

2022 BEST BEACH READS, MYSTERIES, ESSAYS and DEBUT FICTION FROM DOWN SOUTH -Deep South Magazine

Praise

“Aided by lush imagery and lyrical use of dialect and colloquialisms, Richardson masterfully immerses readers into an era when progressive ideals of inclusivity and individualism were met with anti-intellectualism and book banning — which is to say an era quite like our own. “The Book Woman’s Daughter” is a beautifully rendered and eminently timely continuation of the librarian-as-hero narrative…” - The Charleston Post and Courier

Readers who enjoyed Richardson’s previous tale of a woman fighting stubborn prejudice will warm to this book, which features a robust, vividly drawn cast of strong female characters. This well-researched novel does not shy away from the harsh realities of life in a poor, rural community. Honey’s life may be hard, but it’s also filled with joy, and her story will bring a smile to the face (and tears to the eyes) of readers.”- BookReporter

“Incredible characters. A light to shine on the world.” - Dairy Star Newspaper

“The novel abounds with Appalachian voices, imagery, and lore, paying homage to this community’s bright strength of spirit amid harsh landscapes, poverty, and prejudice.” -The Christian Science MONITOR

With lush and evocative descriptions of both the locations and their inhabitants, Richardson describes the beauty of Kentucky and its people. While she doesn’t shy away from the darkness that exists, repeatedly exposing to the light the hateful, and often times confusing perspectives that existed, especially toward women. Just as in her last novel, Richardson portrays the people of Kentucky with grace and dignity. There’s a great deal we all could, and should, learn from the women of Troublesome Creek.. -Los Angeles Public Library

“Beautiful, evocative, and full of adventure, this book also shines a light on the gifts of friendship, no matter the appearance of the package.” - The Southern Bookseller, Shari Stauch

”This is such a compelling and poignant story, based on a program that existed and is well documented, written by an author who knows Kentucky history and does extensive research that would satisfy any historical fiction reader.” - TOWN, Greenville, SC

“Immersive from the very beginning. The undeniable warmth that permeates Kim Michele Richardson’s fiction is rooted in a love for her home state of Kentucky, her characters and, it seems, the art of writing itself. …her story transforms into a meditation on womanhood, literature, resilience and freedom. It’s a spellbinding tale.”- BookPage

“A story detailing women empowerment, The Book Woman’s Daughter is a tender novel that pays homage to Appalachian culture.” - Deep South Magazine

“Richardson excels in her descriptions of the people and places of rural Kentucky. Fans will be delighted to find Cussy’s daughter is just as plucky as her mother.”- Publishers Weekly

“Richardson delivers another beautiful, heartbreaking, yet uplifting tale of the scrappy women of Appalachia. Packed with Appalachian history, The Book Woman’s Daughter examines women’s rights, extreme poverty, the treatment of miners, and the power of women helping women. Highly recommended.” - Editor’s Choice, The Historical Novel Society

“Richardson understands the harshness of the Kentucky hills. She spares no details in addressing acute poverty and the sting of intolerance. She likewise celebrates the lush environment, good hearts, and the power of reinvention, redemption, and radiance. The pages ring out with indomitable and strong voices from a time and place in history that was harsh and often soul crushing.” - Anita Sherman, The Epoch Times

“A mesmerizing and beautifully rendered Appalachian tale of strong women, bravery, and resilience, told through the eyes of a new heroine reminiscent of Harper Lee’s own Scout Finch.” - Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of One Foot in Eden and Serena

“Steeped in an intimate knowledge of the traditions and lore of the region and written with a loving eye to the natural beauty of the landscape, The Book Woman’s Daughter is a brilliant and compelling narrative— a powerful portrait of the courageous women who fought against ignorance, misogyny, and racial prejudice.” – William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author

“Fierce, beautiful and inspirational, Kim Michele Richardson has created a powerful tale about brave extraordinary heroines who are downright haunting and unforgettable.” –Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author (as Karen Abbott) of The Ghosts of Eden Park

“In Kim Michele Richardson’s beautifully and authentically rendered The Book Woman’s Daughter she once again paints a stunning portrait of the raw, somber beauty of Appalachia, the strong resolve of remarkable women living in a world dominated by men, and the power of books and sisterhood to prevail in the harshest circumstances. A critical and profoundly important read for our time. Badass women at their best!" - Sara Gruen #1 NYT bestselling author

"Kim Michele Richardson's The Book Woman's Daughter sets us deep inside Kentucky's rugged Appalachia in the early 1950s and gives us Honey Mary-Angeline Lovett, a sixteen-year-old as fierce and brave as her mama, Cussy Mary. Their world is cruel with its prejudice, and Richardson is not afraid to peel back its ugliness and take us there. But, like the best writers in not only this generation but the ones past, Richardson gifts us readers with something extraordinary, a way back." —Bren McClain, multi-award winning author of One Good Mama Bone,

The Book Woman’s Daughter Historical Photographs