Showing posts with label depression era. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depression era. Show all posts

Thursday, September 9, 2021

Review of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek book cover
Historical Fiction by Kim Michele Richardson
I found this historical novel very interesting.  It is based on two pieces of history that were new to me.  The author did a lot of research to make sure she got the significant facts correct and then wrote her novel surrounding these events.

Historical Facts

The novel takes place in the 1930's and was inspired by the blue-skinned people of Kentucky and Kentucky Pack Horse librarians.

The Blue people of Kentucky were first discovered in the hills of eastern Kentucky.  They had an extremely rare disease that causes the skin to be blue.  This disease limited oxygen to the blood and caused a bluish tint to the skin. It is called Methemoglobinemia. These people lived in remote areas of the Kentucky hills near Troublesome creek and were shunned by other people in the area because they looked different.

The Kentucky Pack Horse librarians were started with the signing of Roosevelt's New Deal Acts.  The Pack Horse Library project was established in 1935 and ran until 1943.  It was created in an effort to both create jobs for women in rural Appalachia and to bring books to the people that lived in the poorest and most isolated areas of eastern Kentucky.  These librarians were known as the Book Women.

 

The Novel

The book takes place in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky in 1936.  It follows a pack horse librarian,  Cussy Mary Carter (also known as Bluet) through her travels as she delivers books, magazines and compassion to the poor people in the remote areas of the Kentucky hills.

Bluet has blue skin and is shunned by many of the town's people because she looks different and they feel that she has something they could "catch".  She finds peace in her job as a pack horse librarian and in the joy she brings to the people in the hills as she brings them reading materials.  She also will take the time to read to those who are not able to read themselves and she shows a lot of compassion to these people who have little food and possesions.

We also see Bluet as she works in the library storage area once a month and interacts with the other librarians.  Some are very mean to her and others are very kind.  

Bluet's mother has passed away and she lives with her father.  Troublesome Creek is a mining town and her father works in the mines.  A side story with the father shows the troubles that the miners have and the way  they live with the black lungs they got from working in the mines.

I found the main character Cussy Mary to be someone I really got to know in the book and looked forward to continue reading the book.  This is a book I would strongly recommend.

Another Book on the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians

The book club I belong to read another book on the pack horse librarians.  It was called The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes.  I also found it fascinating.





Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Monday, July 11, 2016

Water For Elephants Book Review

Water For Elephants Book Review
Water For Elephants is a fictional novel by Sara Gruen that is set in the Depression. It follows the story of a young man whose circumstances are suddenly altered and who finds himself homeless and jobless. He jumps aboard a passing train and discovers he has landed on the train of a travelling circus. He is given a job with the animals because he has veterinary skills and falls in love with the star of the circus. Is it a bit cliched? Perhaps but it is still a good book.

Water For Elephants Fast Facts


AUTHOR: Sara Gruen
COVER ARTIST: Charles Mason
GENRE: Historical Romance PUBLISHER: Algonquin Books PUBLICATION DATE May 26, 2006

Is Water For Elephants A True Story?


Water For Elephants is a period drama and romance story based on real circus history. It is a work of fiction but does include factual information about the history of the circus based on accounts of circus life in the Depression years, a time when men were desperate for jobs. They were so desperate in fact that they would take and stay on at jobs where the work was extremely hard and unpleasant and where the pay was not necessarily delivered when it was supposed to be.

I found the author's note at the end of the book very helpful. In that section, Sara Gruen answered the numerous questions that I had when I was reading the book.

The note also tells how Gruen came to write a story based on the circus. She read a story in the Chicago Tribune about travelling circuses in the 1920s and 1930s and the accompanying photo took her fancy. She subsequently purchased two photographic circus-themed books: Step Right This Way by Edward J. Kelty and Wild, Weird and Wonderful: the American Circus by F.W. Glasier. This was the start of an obsession (my word, not hers) that eventually included a large collection of circus-themed books; visits to The Ringling Circus Museum, Circus World and the Kansas City Zoo; and, a large knowledge bank about conditions and life in the circus.

True Events Included In Water For Elephants


The circus has a rich and somewhat loose history. The line between fact and fiction is somewhat blurry. The following are three simple stories that author Sara Gruen uncovered in her research and incorporated into her book.
  • Legend has it that there was really a hippo pickled in formaldehyde.  
  • Legend has it that there was a 400-pound strong lady displayed in an elephant cage.
  • Circus lore also says that there was an elephant like Rosie who pulled up her stake in order steal lemonade.

Reviews of Water for Elephants


Reader Lisa on Amazon said that this book was unusual in that it was an enjoyable read and factual at the same time. I agree as it was a great story that also imparted the history of the circus.

The New York Times says, "With a showman's expert timing, she (Gruen) saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of Americana into an enchanting escapist fairy tale."

If you are fascinated by historically based stories, I believe that you will enjoy this book. If you have always been interested in the history of the circus and you enjoy period pieces, you will not want to miss this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and yes, I recommend the movie, too. A copy of the book and the movie bundled together would make an interesting gift idea for any woman who is interested in circus history.

Have you read Water For Elephants? What did you think? If you are interested in the movie, you can read my movie review here.

Happy Reading!
Brenda

MORE CIRCUS READING:

Buy your copy of Water for Elephants on Amazon.
The Top Five Circus Movies.
The Big Apple Circus Review.


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Author's Note: This page was originally written elsewhere in 2011.





Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


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