The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Cussy is called Bluet because her skin is tinted with blue. Her ancestors came from France and so did that genetic abnormality.  It doesn't bother her except when other people despise her because of her color.  She gets more scorn and nasty comments than black people do.  The worst part is that her father is trying to marry her off.  He wants her to have a spouse to provide for her because his lungs are bad and he knows death is not far away.  The men willing to court her are rude, hate her color, and don't pursue the courting.  Until one does and she'll regret that her whole life.

Source Landmark and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published May 7th.

This story is based on historical records of the blue people in Kentucky.  They lived in the mountains and only came to town occasionally.  You learn the reason they are blue.  It can be corrected but you have to take medicine for the rest of your life and there are side effects.  I'd never heard of such thing so I found that very interesting.

She begs her father not to make her marry since she has a job delivering library books to remote locations.  She rides a horse she rents to do that.  When she marries, he abuses her.  He ends up dying of a heart attack while fighting with her.  She takes his mule and goes back to her library route.

She's kind to her customers, mourns them when they die, and she finds a man she has interest in on her library route, too.  But she's blue and who would want to marry her?

There are several sad moments where Bluet finds how cruel the white man can be, but she's strong and she's not going to give up.  The ending is what makes the whole book worth reading.  She finally finds her love and they will be starting a new life together.  But that took a fight, too.