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On Agate Hill

By: Lee Smith
Narrated by: Kate Forbes, Danielle Ferland, Katie Firth
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Summary

Award-winning, best-selling author Lee Smith is among the most authentic voices of the South and has been hailed as one of America's most accomplished authors. In this rich and bittersweet tale, she follows the shifting fortunes of a young North Carolina girl whose life is shattered by the Civil War.

Orphaned when her father falls in battle, Molly Petree is taken in by Uncle Junius on his Agate Hill plantation. But the terminally ill Junius is manipulated into marriage by his housekeeper, Selena, who inherits Agate Hill upon his death. Neglected and abused under Selena's watch, Molly escapes to a better life with help from her father's closest battlefield companion, Simon Black. But as she grows into a refined, educated woman, Molly remains haunted by tragedy.

Told from the perspectives of several of its colorful characters, On Agate Hill is the literary equivalent of an heirloom quilt, and one of Smith's finest achievements.
©2006 Lee Smith (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC
Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction
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Critic reviews

"Smith brings to [her work] an ear for speech and voice that most other writers can only envy." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"Set among the ashes of the Civil War, Lee Smith's new novel brings a dead world blazingly to life....Smith, who is a subtly intrepid and challenging storyteller, never allows her narrative to slip into kitsch, stereotype or melodrama." ( Washington Post's Book World)
"An authentic American saga, bittersweet as an Appalachian ballad, peopled with wonderfully vivid characters, so brilliantly constructed we never even notice the quilt-like artfulness of its design. ( Kirkus Reviews)

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Profile Image for MS REBECCA WARREN

This Book Is Just Superb You Have To Listen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone as it is a pure joy to listen to

What was one of the most memorable moments of On Agate Hill?

The strength and the Joy of Molly despite all the hardship and sadness she endured

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The sheer perfection

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was hard to stop listening but I needed to savour it in chunks

Any additional comments?

This book is about dealing with deep deep grief and doing more than surviving. It is so very well written. It is in my top ten of best books

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