On Agate Hill

Name: On Agate Hill
Brand: Recorded Books
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4 (2 reviews)
Author: Lee Smith
ISBN: 9781440799907

Author: Lee Smith

Narrator: Kate Forbes, Katie Firth, Tom Stechschulte, Danielle Ferland, Ed Sala, Linda Stephens

Unabridged: 13 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 03/10/2008

Categories: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nonfiction, Gardening, Literary Fiction

Synopsis

A dusty box discovered in the wreckage of a once prosperous plantation on Agate Hill in North Carolina contains the remnants of an extraordinary life: diaries, letters, poems, songs, newspaper clippings, court records, marbles, rocks, dolls, and bones. It's through these treasured mementos that we meet Molly Petree. Raised in those ruins and orphaned by the Civil War, Molly is a refugee who has no interest in self-pity. When a mysterious benefactor appears out her father's past to rescue her, she never looks back. Spanning half a century, On Agate Hill follows Molly's passionate, picaresque journey through love, betrayal, motherhood, a murder trial-and back home to Agate Hill under circumstances she never could have imagined.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Erin

I hardly know where to start with this review. The book begins in the years following the civil war told mainly from journal entries and letters. Molly as a 14 year old writes, "I want to live so hard and love so much I will use myself all the way up like a candle, it seems to me like this is the po......more

Goodreads review by Old Man

This is my second book by Lee Smith and it is written in a very similar style to the first, Fair and Tender Ladies. The story is about the life of Molly Petree, from the age of thirteen until her death. The first third of the book is told by Molly through daily entries into her diary about her life......more

Goodreads review by Rosemary

Lee Smith has a lovely way with words and history and tells an enthralling tale, following orphan Molly Petree from childhood to old age. The voice of each character is distinct and engaging. Now that I'm done, I miss these characters!......more

Goodreads review by Cathleen

I can't say that I love this book quite as much as my first novel by Lee Smith -- Fair and Tender Ladies -- but those are some huge shoes to fill. Two of Lee Smith's biggest strengths are her ability to create a profound sense of loss in a reader and her talent for creating a sense of place. My favo......more