Another Appalachia

The Appalachians are the setting for many books. Among the best may be those by Lee Smith. Many years ago I read "Fair and Tender Ladies", which has prompted me to read anything Smith writes. Her latest book is "On Agate Hill". The tale of Molly who wanted something different. It begins in the aftermath of the civil war and ends in 1927. The frame is the present-day find of Molly's diaries and the recorded histories told by Molly's friends. Although the story of Molly and her world is not as breathtaking as Fair and Tender it is well worth reading. The various characters fill the pages with color. Molly's joy and tragedy, her marriage to Jacky and her string of dead children, feel real when Smith puts them on the page.