
In the quiet aftermath of the Civil War, a modest Southern home becomes the unlikely crossroads of two very different worlds. Miss Minerva, a prim and proper spinster, opens her doors to her nephew William Green Hill, a wiry boy fresh from a plantation where he ran wild among the people who once tended the fields. From the moment he steps off the bus, his sharp tongue and vivid stories about distant relatives and colorful characters fill the house with a restless energy that both intrigues and unsettles his aunt.
Miss Minerva strives to impose the manners and decorum she holds dear, insisting on proper names and chastising his profanities, while William counters with a mischievous grin and a litany of local legends. Their uneasy dance reveals lingering tensions—racial, social, and generational—echoing the broader changes sweeping the South. As the two negotiate their new relationship, listeners are drawn into a portrait of a household caught between the old order and the promise of something different, all narrated with humor, dialect, and a keen eye for the complexities of post‑war life.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (186K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by An Anonymous Volunteer, and David Widger
Release date
2004-02-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1867–1909
Best known for the warm, funny children's classic Miss Minerva and William Green Hill, this Southern writer drew on her life as a teacher to create stories full of lively character and gentle humor. Her best-known book appeared shortly before her death, but it continued to win readers long afterward.
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