ON AGATE HILL

ON AGATE HILL by Lee Smith

From Amazon.com:

A dusty box discovered in the wreckage of a North Carolina plantation house contains the remnants of an extraordinary life:  an 1870's diary of a young girl, letters, poems, songs, newspaper clippings, court records, marbles, rocks, dolls, and bones.  It's through these treasured mementos that we meet the unforgettable heroine of Lee Smith's new novel.

Raised in the smoldering ruin of the post-Civil War American South, young Molly Petree, now orphaned, has no intention of wasting time on self-pity.  She means to live her life to its fullest.  So, when a mysterious benefactor appears out of her father's past to rescue her, she doesn't look back - until she is an old woman and returns to the farm on Agate Hill.  Spanning half a century, On Agate Hill tells the story of a woman who risks everything to remain true to herself.  It's a novel of obsessive love, unexpected adventures, and luck - both good and bad.  Like a ballad of the Old South, Molly Petree's tale resonates with passion, humor, and drama.

I've had this book sitting on the shelf for a while but never got around to reading it.  I'm glad I finally picked it up and started.  I really enjoyed the book.  Written in different formats - diary entries, letters, court records - it follows Molly from around age 13 until her death.  There is quite a varied cast of characters, including Molly's childhood friend Mary White, the housekeeper Selena, Molly's teaching friend Agnes, her husband Jacky, and her mysterious benefactor Simon Black.  Everyone made a lasting impression on Molly and helped shape her into the woman she became.

The writing format was a little hard to follow in parts - it was hard to keep track of just who was telling the story at the time.  The outcome of a few of the characters was never told, leaving much to the reader's imagination.  But, all in all, I thought it was a very interesting look into country life in the late 18th century.