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. ( )

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. ( )

Molly Petree, BJ, Jacky, and Simon Black (and their Playaway narrators) make this post Civil War novel interesting. ( )

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. ( )

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 ( )