On Agate Hill

Written by Lee Smith

Narrated by Kate Forbes, Danielle Ferland, Katie Firth and 3 more

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 10, 2008
• ISBN: 9781440799907

Lee Smith

Lee Smith is the best-selling author of over a dozen books, including Dimestore: A Writer's Life and Guests on Earth. She lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Reviews for On Agate Hill

[vhartpowers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Characters really come to life in this book, even the secondary characters. The speech is done well, descriptions too.
Molly Petree is the main character. She becomes an orphan and feels los, like a ghost child. She's taken in by a family member, but doesn't quite fit in. Her life changes even more when a man comes into her life and sends her to school.
All the twists and turns are true to life experiences, but not so fantastical they're not believable. There are some heart wrenching parts.

[nmaners-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is interesting as it is told through journal entries. The story begins as Molly is a young girl living with extended family members after the Civil War. The book gives some insight to the struggles of reconstruction. Various characters come in and out of her life and since it is told through her eyes, you do not know how much is just childlike imagination. Having read and loved other books by Lee Smith, I cannot say that this is one of my favorites. Parts of it I thoroughly enjoyed but other parts seemed as if she just ran out of things to write. The beginning of the book was fascinating, but the end just seemed to run out of steam to me. Several loose ends remained in my opinion.

[dkhiggin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Yet another book I couldn't wait to be done with! I never felt connected to the characters in this story and I didn't care for the construct of telling the story via diary entries, letters and court testimony.

[creynolds_808614 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This one started out fine (except for the silly construct of the current day young woman finding the diaries and writing about it ridiculously casually to her professor), but halfway through it lost its thread and the main character's personality was no longer recognizable. In addition, I found the deposition and the final letter from Simon Black to Molly to be unacceptable -- two very reticent men becoming very chatty, one even on his deathbed.

[julie10reads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of a self-described "ghost girl" who survives the Civil War devastation that claims her family is told in the North Carolina author's rich, complex 12th novel (after The Last Girls, 2002). History buffs will delight in this lush tale of a Southern teenager orphaned by the Civil War, raised first by an uncle, then sent to boarding school. Molly becomes a teacher and forsakes it all to marry an uneducated ladies' man. The description is intense, and the pace is so slow that you drink in every word, almost without realizing how far the plot has progressed. Summary BPLMy first Lee Smith novel will certainly not be my last. Although I don't typically read novels written in the form of journals, diaries or letters, I gave On Agate Hill a try based on its many positive reviews. I am happy I did! It was like watching a tapestry being woven and wondering which threads would form the main part of the design and which would trail off into the background. Ms Smith has a wonderful, long story to tell--some may not appreciate the diverse forms it takes, such as an excerpt from a catechism--a sort of Reconstruction odyssey. The narrative unfolds from Molly's point of view and this colloquial approach gives the story an oral feel, as though old Molly were in the room with you instead of you reading words on a page. That's how vivid and authentic the characters seem, some enduring the entire book while others briefly flame, then go out. Rather like real life!8 out 10. Civil War and American history buffs will find rich content here (Ms Smith did her research); recommended to fans of strong female protagonists and women's lives in 19th century America. Highly recommended to those who appreciate fine writing.

[audacity_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've just finished reading this haunting, beautifully written novel. Smith has crafted a touching tale with characters so human and real I felt as though I could reach through the pages and clasp their hands. This lovely piece of American historical fiction pulls readers into the deeply entangled lives of Molly Petree and her unusual family, both blood-relatives and those she attracts with her gravitas, intelligence and dark whimsy.This was the first book I've read by Smith, and certainly not the last! I would recommend this to a reader who can enjoy strong, vivid prose and wonderful plots. This is a winner!

[bookwormteri · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Just okay. I thought that it would be richer, but it was just okay. Meh...

[riofriotex · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was the November 2010 selection for my local book club. It's historical fiction, set in the South, covering a post-Civil War period running from May1872 to July 1927. The book centers on Molly Petree, an orphan who is thirteen years old when the book begins. Much of the story is told from Molly's viewpoint, in the form of her diary and letters she writes to a childhood friend, Mary White. Other narrators of Molly's story include a favorite teacher, Agnes Rutherford; Agnes' sister, the mean schoolmistress Mariah Snow; B.J. Jarvis, Molly's husband's cousin; and Simon Black, Molly's benefactor. Most of these also speak through letters and journal entries, but B.J.'s tale is told in court testimony.Tying these narrators together is a 2006 ditzy student named Tuscany Miller, who has supposedly found these documents at Agate Hill plantation, which her (weird) family has purchased to turn into a bed-and-breakfast. Tuscany is hoping that turning in all the stuff she finds will satisfy her "documentary studies program" thesis requirements. As if. This stupid storyline is thankfully brief and completely unnecessary.Molly's story is interesting for the glimpses it gives into life in the South in the mid-1870s on a struggling plantation in North Carolina and at an all-girls school in Virginia, as well as in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the years following.Unfortunately, I did not find Molly or most of the people around her to be particularly likable characters (the exception being Agnes). There was too much unnecessary detail about her childhood (and not enough about the events of that time that really mattered), and I found the premise of a thirteen-year-old recording such detail in a diary to be unrealistic. I had a hard time getting through this part of the book.The book gets a little better after that, although Mariah's actions are puzzling, and Molly makes a number of poor choices and is beset with tragedy. If I'd had to read the book in print, I'm not sure I would have been able to finish it. The audiobook made it much easier, with six voices: Danielle Ferland (Tuscany Miller), Kate Forbes (Molly Petree), Katie Firth (Agnes Rutherford), Linda Stephens (Mariah Snow), Ed Sala (BJ Jarvis), and Tom Stechschulte (Simon Black). Forbes, Firth, and Stephens are particularly good, with the first two having just the right amount of Southern accent, and Stephens effectively conveying the instability of Mariah.Each of the 15 discs begins and ends with folk music by Alice Gerrard, whose song "Agate Hill" inspired Lee Smith to write the novel. Smith wrote the words to the ballad "Molly and the Traveling Man," which Gerrard set to music.© Amanda Pape - 2010

[lcbrooks_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When she attains a treasure trove of source documents found at Agate Hill, Tuscany Miller's she gains a unique insight into the life of a Molly Petree. Her findings lead Tuscan to research what happened Molly in after Agate Hill and to confince her former academic advisor that she Agate Hill is her thesis.

[cyderry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book, set after the Civil War, is the life story of a woman, telling of the losses of her lifetime. The premise is the finding, by a student, of the diaries and letters of a woman in a secret room in Agate Hill Plantation. As a child after her family is lost, Molly is taken in at Agate Hill, a plantation owned by her Uncle Junius and Aunt Fanny. After adjusting to her new environment under the care of her Aunt Fanny, Molly loses Aunt Fanny in childbirth. Her uncle becomes despondent and lets the plantation become rundown. Uncle Junius' sister comes to help with the running of the house bringing her granddaughter who becomes Molly's first and dearest friend. This friendship is the basis of the letters that are used as the narrative after Molly goes off to a girl's school. The narrative continues with her travels to the opening a school in the Appalachian mountains, through her marriage, the death of children and husband, the coroner's trial, and her return to Agate Hill.This book was interesting but I think it was a bit too long. It was disjointed in the section of Molly's original stay in Agate Hill. I think that it was unnecessary to have the student continually interrupting the storyline.

[patricia_poland_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful haunting story of Molly Petree begins in 1872 when she is an orphan at 13. "I was born before the surrender" she writes in her diary. This is a story of love - the need for it -- from her mysterious benefactor to her best friend, Mary White, whom she writes to for years. Then there is the love of a pupil for their teacher, later her 'demon lover' and then Junius (Juney) as she comes full circle back to Agate Hill and her diary. A rich, sad, sweet, silly, hard and strange life was Molly's and I was proud that I got to 'know' her.

[davidingreensboro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of Lee Smith's best novels. Most of the novel is a collection of fictional diary entries by Molly Petree, beginning with her preteen years just after the Civil War to the eve of her death in the 1920s. Molly's voice is distinctive; she's a well drawn character--one of those who, if she were to walk in the door right now, you'd recognize her.A lot of historical research went into this novel to give it the ring of authenticity, but you never get the sense that the author is showing off her findings. The result is a textured, realistic, and engaging narrative that draws the reader into Molly's world.The only thing I didn't like is this: The setup for the story is that a modern-day student finds Molly's diary in a box at the plantation and organizes them in an effort at writing a thesis. Interspersed throughout the book are letters from this fictional student to her professor. It's not that they are poorly done, just unnecessary. Molly's story could stand on its own--she's much more interesting than the student. Mercifully, the "student letters" are short, and don't really detract from the book, but I'd ask Lee, "Why bother?"Nevertheless, this may be my favorite novel by Lee Smith

[litelady4ajh · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If you like historical fiction, this is a great book for you! Love the time & setting (post-Civil War, N.C.) Great heroine, terrific story. Love that it was written in diary form; letters; court records, etc., from many different perspectives. It really deserves 4.5 stars!

[ksmac · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Slow, sad start, implausible rescue, wonderful end

[turtlesleap · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"On Agate Hll" is the fictional biography of a woman whose childhood is spent on a devastated plantation immediately following the Civil War and the loss of her family. Through the patronage of an older man, a friend of her dead mother, she is educated at a girls' boarding school, becomes a teacher in a remote Appalachian school, marries a feckless Mountain musican, and, after the loss of numerous children, loses him through a tragic murder. She returns to Agate Hill to live out her life. Each phase of the book shifts point of view and narrative style with the result that some sections are significantly more readable than others. (The first part of the book, a simulated child's diary, is pretty much a matter of slogging through.) The book is easy to enjoy, although it doesn't compare particularly well to other books by the same author. My only substantial criticism is that the book is introduced and periodically interrupted by the present-day narrative of a supposed student who has discovered this "historical" material. Smith has a gift for humor and the first introduction in particular is very funny, but the tone is dissonant in the context of this book, almost as though the author were making fun of her own material. Lee's regional material is always well-researched and plausible and this book is no exception.

[mrstreme · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In 1994, I began my graduate research studies about Southern girls and their education. It was a largely untapped subject; most of the scholarly studies involved girls from the North and their institutions of higher learning. Much attention was not paid to their Southern counterparts, largely because a renowned educational scholar dismissed Southern girls’ schools as “finishing schools” not of academic merit. As a result, scholars ignored Southern women’s education in the South before and after the Civil War, until the 1980’s and 1990’s, when historians such as Catherine Clinton, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, Drew Gilpin Faust and Christie Farnham, studied and published books about the lives of Southern women, including their education. For my master’s degree, I latched on to these prestigious coat tails and studied the education of girls who attended my alma mater, Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. I discovered that the girls attending Wesleyan before the Civil War endured a curriculum similar to most men’s colleges. I also learned that they had a fascinating social experience, including crushes on professors, fights with fellow students and skipping class. It seems little has changed in the way of college students!I mention all of this because of my recent read, On Agate Hill by Lee Smith. In this book, we follow the life of Molly Petree, a girl orphaned by the Civil War, living on her uncle’s North Carolina plantation (Agate Hill) until her benefactor sent her to an all-women’s college in Virginia. After commencement, Molly and her friend Agnes Rutherford went to the mountains of North Carolina to teach in a one-room schoolhouse. There, Molly fell in love with a philandering mountain man, Jacky Jarvis, and together, they endured great hardships typical of mountain life at the turn of the century.We learn about Molly’s life through a variety of primary (albeit fictional) resources: Molly’s diary entries and letters to her friend, Mary White, court testimonies by Jacky’s relatives, journal entries by Molly’s former headmistress, and letters by Agnes. Mixed in with the historical resources lies a modern-day context to the story. All of these materials were discovered by a Tuscany Miller, a college dropout, who found all of these papers in her father’s home, the historic Agate Hill. Tuscany researched Molly’s lives through public records and sent all of her research to her former college professor – all in an attempt to be re-accepted to college.Without a doubt, Smith did her research when she wrote On Agate Hill. You learn about plantation life after the Civil War, the educational experiences of post-bellum Southern women and the hardships and joys of living in the North Carolina mountains. It’s a complete and fascinating picture. I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, especially of Southern and women’s history. Molly Petree is a character I won’t soon forget. She will live in my heart much like her Southern counterparts, Scarlett and Scout, who also taught me so much about the history of the American South.

[leadmomma · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While the first 20-30 pages were hard to get started with - once over that hump this book took off and was a wonderful read. I thought the style of narration was interesting and it was clear that Smith had done a lot of work researching the background information. A good read for sure.

[kathywoodall · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about a young girl named Molly Petree. After her mother dies, Molly goes to live with her Uncle Junius at Agate Hill. Molly keeps a diary where she writes about her hardships growing up. The first part of the book is Molly's writing from her diary. Most of the second part is told by the headmistress at the boarding school Molly is sent to. The rest of the book switches between being told by Molly and by her friend Agnes and BJ. Most of the book the author does a great job with keeping my attention but loses me some in the last 100 pages. Interesting story I think most historical fiction fans might enjoy.

[cagleamc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite all time books.