Oh my! During the time of early settlement in St. Lawrenceville, MO, Molly McGarvie experiences the sudden loss of her husband to sickness. Her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, who was her husband's partner, offer no help at all, not even to watch her children so she could nurse Samuel while he was sick. Almost immediately after Samuel's death, her brother-in-law cuts her out of the family brick making business and tells her she must vacate the home as it belongs to him. He even takes Betsy, a black servant and friend to Molly since she was a child. Betsy and Molly are heartbroken. Betsy's hopes for the freedom promised by MOLLY are dashed. Molly writes to her brother for help and he arrives with two friends to take her to Beldon Grove, IL.I found this book to be an accurate depiction of the very hard life women had during those times, especially after the loss of a spouse.Molly had one thing after another pile up on her--the loss of a son while crossing the river, the early birth of her child on the trail, cramped quarters at her brother's house, difficulty with her brother's meddlesome and grouchy mother-in-law....She finally enlists the aid of her brother's father-in-law, a kind and sympathetic soul and moves into an abandoned house. She barely supports the family by weaving and selling her products to the local merchant and by taking orders. Things are progressing well except for having an obnoxious fans unwanted suitor, until the owner of the house returns after a very long absence to reclaim HIS house. Molly moves to the home of the unwanted suitor as housekeeper to this widowed man. This does not work out at all and Molly moves again, only she is on the edge of town near the woods which are inhabited by dangerous animals. She shoots a panther that is about to spring from a tree on her little girl. The baby gets sick, but Molly has nothing to use for treatment, so she sends her 8 year old in the dark to the neighbor for turpentine. He pokes his eye on a tree branch in the dark....another persistent and unwanted suitor turns up...the list goes on. Sounds almost unbelievable, but that's what life was like then, and no matter what happens, Molly keeps on keeping on. That's just what you did.Dr. Karl Spangler has his own quiet and sad history. Molly's physical appearance is a reminder of a broken heart, so he decides to practice in another town. A miserable girl sets her cap for this handsome bachelor and he decides moving to Molly's town is the lesser of two evils. What stands between them both is hearts full of unforgiveness. There are many characters in this book tainted by jealousy, greed, ambition, alcoholism, superiority, self-serving attitudes, and a need to grab power. Other characters take risks to benefit others, are kind, righteous, sacrificing, determined, and hard-working. Isn't this what makes up almost every community though?While Molly's troubles were dismal, her attitude was not. Good DID triumph over evil, hard work and honesty produced results eventually. This was a nice change from graphic sex scenes, profanity, blood and gore, vampires, and rebellion found in much of our entertainment and literature. For those people who enjoy those kinds of things, this will not be your cup of tea, nevertheless it was well written and a very enjoyable read. Different story line to stay interested in. Learnt a few interesting titbits. One being how they used turpentine to help with breathing difficulties and the other about how a state saw slaves. The book certainly brought up emotions in the dramas that happened. example of how the second brother/son thought his rights were with inheritance from the death of his brother, what freedom would really be like for a slave, what a girl would do to get away from the town she lived in, a voice that told you that your son was alive while others would see you as "looney or lost your mind", how long can you be a widow for before remarriage?, would you trade your child for food to eat if hungry?
What do You think about The Edge Of Light (2009)?
One of the best books I've read. This woman's resiliency in the face of adversity is inspirational.
—Harrish
The beginning if the book was better than the end. I read it so I guess it could of been worse.
—lynxwins
This story got better as it went. I really liked the heroine, Molly.
—Lissa
