One of my first completed audio books and a great exploration into the absolutely and historically real blue Fugates of Kentucky.
Summary:
Cussy Mary is the last of her clan, a clan known (and often feared or persecuted) for their bright blue skin. While her pa tries to pawn her off unsuccessfully to a husband, Cussy is content to be a packhorse librarian, bringing books to the backwoods of Kentucky and reading or teaching her illiterate patrons. Life is hard with her father suffering from coal mining lungs, the curious town doctor experimenting on her, or the dangerous and fanatical preacher hunting her, but along her trails Cussy may still find friends, love, or even a cure for her blue form.
Verdict: 7/10
I'm still not entirely sure what this book wanted to be: unusual coming of age, tragic historical fiction, a Cinderella romance? But I enjoyed the combination of all of those together. Richardson wove a tale of love of literature getting a girl with unique trials through the hardest times.
The events were clearly overdramatized. The first three chapters encompassed an arranged marriage, an abusive relationship and an abortion. It felt like the author was using these as horrifying hooks for the reader. What other novels would treat as the whole plot is covered in the first 3 chapters. I'm still not entirely sure including such heavy topics was necessary.
The story was also a bit predictable and cliche. Of course there just had to be more threats from the rapist pastor (aka her husband's cousin). And there’s the handsome, smart and gentle stranger who’s sure to be the love interest. Does that sound 🤦🏼♀️like a bad Nicolas Sparks romance?
Luckily, this trend did not continue for the whole book. Yes, there were heavy themes of racism, sexism, classism, attempted murder/rape, etc... And yes, there was a romance. But the real draw was the historical aspect of life in the Kentucky hills with the lack of education and rampant poverty. Life is bleak for everyone, not just the blue Fugates (though they get some of the most extreme).
You had the added complexities of life looking for a cure and the prejudice Cussy and her clan face. It's fascinating that these people were real. Methemoglobinemia a real condition that people had/have. This novel highlighted a little-known portion of American history. That coupled with the tales of librarians made for a unique read.
But then it was back to hate from all sides. The ending made me so angry at the injustice. It got to be too much to read at points. Personally, I need a little more hope in the mix like in The Help, just something good to get you through. And the love of books among hill-folk only goes so far. Again I like the books and history, but there were too many sections on Cussy's personal dilemma and the persecution against her.
All that said, I really got attached to Cussy and wished her the best. And this was a rare occasion where I read this entirely by audiobook! Normally I can't get invested in audiobooks because there are too many characters to learn, but this one had more description which helped me visualize and connect with the story. And the accents added a lot to the "atmosphere" (though I had to decipher some of the words at times and I absolutely HATED the voice used for the father).
In the end, this book played into the drama a bit too much, but I enjoyed the rare look at Kentucky backwoods, the women that helped bring books in, and the trials faced by a stranger than life clan. It's good enough that I'll probably read the sequel too.
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