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Beyond Molasses Creek

by Nicole A. Seitz (Goodreads Author)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 151 ratings · 60 reviews

Paperback, 320 pages

Published January 31st 2012 by Thomas Nelson Publishers

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Jan 02, 2013 Cham Cuartero rated it 3 of 5 stars

Yet another book finished by the book monster in me last night is
BEYOND MOLASSES CREEK by Nicole Seitz...

As always, I was on the look-out for beautiful and inspiring quotes I can take note of in a book... And yes, post them all up in Facebook and Twitter. Thankfully, this book did not disappoint me. And I had not even read beyond the Prologue.

The Lines...
When your passion leaves you, well, it might just be time to move on to something else...

A woman is lucky in life if she finds true love. Twice...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Evangeline Han rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had a hard time finishing this book. When I requested for it, I was optimistic about it but my optimism waned as I read the book. The story was meaningful and good life lessons can be learned from it, but being the thrill-seeker that I am, I found it difficult to read as the story got slower 2/3 of the way through the book. It just wasn't exciting enough for me.

Ally and Vesey's story is heartwarming and sad at the same time. Two souls, love, and sorrow. To be honest, I found the ending to thei...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Tammi rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I began reading Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole Seitz red flags began waving at me. From the start the mention of gods and stone statues made me wonder if a book, that is marketed as a Christian book, is going to have any redemptive qualities; if the Gospel is going to be laid out before the characters, and thus the reader. It wasn't. Therefore the book, to me, is more a secular book than a Christian one.

That being said, I did like the characters. I felt bad for Ally, it seemed her life had...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Lynn Davidson rated it 4 of 5 stars

The dedication in this book reads: To those who long to be free.

This story is told from the individual voices of its three most prominent characters, Ally, Vesey, and Sunila. It begins when Ally and Vesey are children – when white children are not to be friends with black children – so theirs is a secret friendship until they are found out and Vesey pays the penalty in a volatile climate of racism. Later, Ally travelled the world over when her heart’s desire could not be attained, and now at six...more The dedication in this book reads: To those who long to be free.

This story is told from the individual voices of its three most prominent characters, Ally, Vesey, and Sunila. It begins when Ally and Vesey are children – when white children are not to be friends with black children – so theirs is a secret friendship until they are found out and Vesey pays the penalty in a volatile climate of racism. Later, Ally travelled the world over when her heart’s desire could not be attained, and now at sixty years of age she comes home to South Carolina because her father died.

The tragedies and disappointments that affected Ally’s life led to her searching for peace from “the gods”, even though she was brought up to know the true God of peace. Vesey, who lives across the river – Molasses Creek – suffered poverty and racism, but he knows Jesus Christ as his source of peace. Then there is Sunila, twenty years younger but also searching for freedom and peace in her life of hard labour in India and the racism of caste in that country. Because of an unfortunate event connected with Ally (which in real life probably would not occur – but this is fiction), her life is not what it should have been.

The author has written an intriguing tale. It took me awhile to get into the story because of how it is broken up – into short chapters that jump from one person to another – but once I caught on to this it was easier to keep track. The story gradually picks up momentum, and layer upon layer the questions that are raised are answered.

One thing that bothered me was the hinting about the Lord but the outright repetitiveness about the idols and gods of man-made religions, with not much of a decision made when it was obvious the Lord answered Ally’s heart’s cries. She thanked God but it did not seem to be much more than saying, oh, He IS real. Perhaps the reader is supposed to understand that through all of Ally’s searching God was waiting for her all along.

Another thing that bothered me – and I’m being careful to not write spoilers into this review – is that Ally told a whopper of a lie near the end of the story, which I felt was very dishonouring to her friend who was an honest man. It just seemed shockingly wrong and could only lead to more pain. It simply made no sense to not tell the truth.

If you are looking for a Christian book, Beyond Molasses Creek is not near the top of my list. But if you are looking for a different kind of fiction, this could satisfy that hunger. I will say that I was moved to tears in a few places, so it definitely was not a total letdown. The reader can get pulled into the story, and I found that once past the halfway point I wanted to skip ahead to find out some things because of what was unfolding a little too slowly for my liking. (I resisted and stayed the course, though.)

Nicole Seitz has written an emotionally charged novel that I actually enjoyed, despite the points I mentioned above. I wouldn’t mind reading more of her books.(less)

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May 13, 2012 Rambling Readers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beyond Molasses Creek is an intriguing novel...from the cover and title to the plot within the pages. I am drawn to books that merge a few stories into one, but sometimes the concept is better than the execution. Beyond Molasses Creek is one of the successes. Nicole Seitz achieves the ideal harmony in this tightly woven novel, which takes the reader from the shores of South Carolina to rock quarries of Nepal. Although this is a quick read, it is memorable and filled with depth and character.

When...more Beyond Molasses Creek is an intriguing novel...from the cover and title to the plot within the pages. I am drawn to books that merge a few stories into one, but sometimes the concept is better than the execution. Beyond Molasses Creek is one of the successes. Nicole Seitz achieves the ideal harmony in this tightly woven novel, which takes the reader from the shores of South Carolina to rock quarries of Nepal. Although this is a quick read, it is memorable and filled with depth and character.

When I first began reading Beyond Molasses Creek, I was surprised to discover that Ally is a 60-year-old. I am used to younger protagonists, but in many ways Ally is still a young woman searching for her place in the world, a quality that makes her relatable. Ally's character emerges gradually with each challenge and insight into her past. Vesey shines as a devoted friend, who is as steady and content as the water of Molasses Creek. He is an example not only to Ally, but to readers as well, of finding peace, purpose, and faith despite loss and disappointment.

Sunila's story, unfolding a world a way, is very moving and thought-provoking. Reading about slavery, child labor, and a strict caste system makes me more grateful for the freedoms that I enjoy. Captivity and social barriers are central themes of Beyond Molasses Creek, and each character confronts them in different ways. Sunila embodies the inspiring qualities of hope and courage. I looked forward to the glimpses into her life and watching her story weave into Ally's. I celebrated with them as their long journeys brought them to their long sought-after destination: peace and happiness.

Beyond Molasses Creek veers more to the side of mainstream fiction than Christian fiction. I was initially surprised at the references to beliefs in multiple gods, enlightenment, and reincarnation. Sunila's non-Christian beliefs are realistic, given that she lived in a stone quarry in Nepal without exposure to the outside world for over 30 years. Ally is a free-spirit, whose beliefs are as diverse as her past. Her Christian journey is just beginning at the end of the novel, as she acknowledges that she has "crossed over" in her beliefs, but still needs to grow. The novel is a journey to freedom, truth, and the promise of a brighter future.

Beyond Molasses Creek introduced me to the work of Nicole Seitz, and I definitely plan to read more of her novels in the future.

Read an Excerpt:

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Mar 01, 2012 Shari rated it 5 of 5 stars

Three lives are bound by a single book . . . and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek.

Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship—he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she’s stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit r...more Three lives are bound by a single book . . . and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek.

Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship—he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she’s stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn’t through with her yet.

As Ally’s wandering spirit wrestles with a deep longing to flee again, a young woman on the other side of the world escapes her life of slavery in the rock quarries of Nepal. A mysterious sketchbook leads Sunila Kunari to believe there’s more to her story than she’s ever been told, and she’s determined to follow the truth wherever it leads her.

A deep current intertwines the lives of these three souls, and a destiny of freedom, faith, and friendship awaits them all on the banks of Molasses Creek.

Have you ever felt like your life is entertwined with someone else's? I know that when I met my hubby I felt like he was the one right that moment. Then when I walked into his house and saw his family picture I immediately knew I knew him. When my younger sister saw it she gasped and said the same. It turns out that we had been to many of the same places over the years, and he had visited my church and talked with my friends.

I was given the chance to read the book Beyond Molasses Creek, here is the synopsis:

Three lives are bound by a single book . . . and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek.

Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship--he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she's stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn't through with her yet.

As Ally's wandering spirit wrestles with a deep longing to flee again, a young woman on the other side of the world escapes her life of slavery in the rock quarries of Nepal. A mysterious sketchbook leads Sunila Kunari to believe there's more to her story than she's ever been told, and she's determined to follow the truth wherever it leads her.

A deep current intertwines the lives of these three souls, and a destiny of freedom, faith, and friendship awaits them all on the banks of Molasses Creek.

Ally Green is searching for peace, which in all her travels she can't find it. As a Christian I have seen many people searching for peace, and in my darkest moments I have always had a peace in my soul. Ally searches for peace until her life falls into place, and she finds the real true God.(less)

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Feb 27, 2012 Iola rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, kindle, netgalley

Beyond Molasses Creek is told in the first person, present tense, with changing narrators, and this meant I found it extremely difficult to get into the book. I don’t mind a third-person novel changing between two storylines, but I find two first-person narrators annoying, and I don’t usually like stories told in the present tense. In fact, I stopped reading it twice. But I persevered, and I’m glad I did.

The first narrator is Ally, a 60-year-old woman who has returned home to Molasses Creek fol...more Beyond Molasses Creek is told in the first person, present tense, with changing narrators, and this meant I found it extremely difficult to get into the book. I don’t mind a third-person novel changing between two storylines, but I find two first-person narrators annoying, and I don’t usually like stories told in the present tense. In fact, I stopped reading it twice. But I persevered, and I’m glad I did.

The first narrator is Ally, a 60-year-old woman who has returned home to Molasses Creek following the death of her father. She is helped by her old friend, Vesey Washington, a man of a similar age to her, who was never more than a friend because of his race. Vesey also narrates some passages later in the book. Between them, they tell a story of a friendship going back fifty years.

The other narrator is Sunila, a 37 or 38-year-old woman living in Kathmandu, Nepal. She is an untouchable working as a stone-cutter, and is now going on a journey with a mysterious book to find Mr Monroe, an American diplomat who helped her many years ago. I initially thought Sunila was a man, based on the occupation. The ambiguity surrounding Sunila was probably intended to be mysterious: I found it confusing.

As the story progresses, Ally tells us her history through a series of flashbacks, and we begin to guess how the two plot lines are related. Although the first part of the book was a struggle, it improved steadily and the last third was outstanding – happy, sad, sentimental but without being maudlin.

From a Christian point of view, Vesey had a strong faith but Ally was much more wishy-washy, and even by the end of the book, I didn’t really know where she stood. I think this could have been developed further. Despite these comments, overall, Beyond Molasses Creek was a strong book that proved that I can enjoy a well-written character-driven saga.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze® for providing a free ebook for review.

This review also appears on my blog, www.christianreads.blogspot.com. (less)

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Feb 16, 2012 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Molly by: LitFuse

Shelves: book-review

Having read Saving Cicadas by this fabulous author, I was excited to jump into a new novel by her. Beyond Molasses Creek is both a dramatically complex read AND a light, refreshing read. It's not often you find a book that can be BOTH of those things in such way that the reader never looses interest. This book is wonderfully written in a style that will win your heart, your mind, your soul. Filled wonderful messages between the lines, you'll loose your heart to Molasses Creek!

Ally's character is...more Having read Saving Cicadas by this fabulous author, I was excited to jump into a new novel by her. Beyond Molasses Creek is both a dramatically complex read AND a light, refreshing read. It's not often you find a book that can be BOTH of those things in such way that the reader never looses interest. This book is wonderfully written in a style that will win your heart, your mind, your soul. Filled wonderful messages between the lines, you'll loose your heart to Molasses Creek!

Ally's character is one that you would love to meet in real life. She's come back to the South Carolina town she grew up with to handle the loss of her father. Once there, she learns of her father's dying wish. For her to STAY in South Carolina again. But, there's one thing that Ally must deal with if she does. Across her Molasses Creek lives a wonderful, God-fearing man. Vesey,the man she calls her closest, best friend. Ally's loved him from afar since she was little, but she can never have him. Why? It's nearly unheard of for a white woman and a black man to have a relationship in the 50s.

Ally is coming to terms with the consequences of her actions in her younger years. Vesey is sent away, she leaves and travels the country, becomes pregnant, loses her daughter to a kidnapping and comes full circle with herself and her home, when her father dies. The complexity of Ally's character is beyond stunning. She grabs your heart and squeezes it til you become a part of her, til the reader FEELS each emotion from happiness to sadness, from hurt to anger.

Sunila's character is wonderfully portrayed as a 30 year old woman living as a slave. Each emotion she felt overflows to the reader, helping the reader to see through the eyes of the young woman learning about her true identity.

Vesey's character is one that I would love to know in real life. He's a wonderful man who trusts so wholly in God and his tenderness with Ally shines bright.

This is most definitely a highly recommended 5 Book worthy novel from an author who can take the complexity of life's issues, the intensity of kidnapping, loss, survival, forbidden love, and infuse it with wonderful Southern charm to turn out a story that will leave the reader often in tears, and with a smile of awe on their face. By the last page, you don't want to leave Molasses Creek. The reader will want to sit down with Ally, Vesey, Sunila and all the other characters, take trips back into the past, and live out the future right along side them. I am pleased to say that I am adding this to my all time favorite Christian novels, and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Seitz' wonderful work in the future!

This review originated at Reviews By Molly in part with a blog tour.(less)

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Feb 14, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

In Beyond Molasses Creek, by Nicole Seitz, Ally Green is now close to sixty years old. She’s returned to bury her dad; build her own Garden of Dreams with the statues of gods and goddesses bought from other countries; and hopefully stop running. Her old friend, Vesey Washington, is still in his old home place. Their friendship spanned fifty years, though mostly hidden. You see, Ally is white and Vesey is black. A forbidden relationship.

Ally never got over Vesey, but she moved on to become a stew...more In Beyond Molasses Creek, by Nicole Seitz, Ally Green is now close to sixty years old. She’s returned to bury her dad; build her own Garden of Dreams with the statues of gods and goddesses bought from other countries; and hopefully stop running. Her old friend, Vesey Washington, is still in his old home place. Their friendship spanned fifty years, though mostly hidden. You see, Ally is white and Vesey is black. A forbidden relationship.

Ally never got over Vesey, but she moved on to become a stewardess. While employed, she had a relationship outside of marriage with a pilot and became pregnant. The rules of the airline made her quit her job. She returned home to have her baby, Candace. It was then she found Vesey married.

She became restless and searching for peace once again, so she went to Nepal to the Garden of Dreams. While there, her baby was snatched. All the years from early childhood, Ally had her sketchbook with her, but it disappeared when her daughter went missing. After not finding her daughter, Ally joined another airline and continued to run until her father died.

One of Nicole’s uniqueness’s in her book is that you get two stories in one–Sunila in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Ally in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Nicole’s characters are so inviting and personal. They create their own stories just through their interactions, reactions, and circumstances. Vesey, too, was a wonderful, sensitive character. The continual restlessness of Ally is palpable. The story line is very well written and easy to follow, and in itself, I truly enjoyed it.

However, since this is billed as a Christian novel, I felt that more attention was set on the gods and goddesses than on the person of Jesus Christ, something that surprised me coming from a Thomas Nelson book. I will admit that Ally found no peace with the idols throughout the whole book. The other episode that really upset me is the outright lie of fatherhood. The truth will set you free. Telling the truth lets the Lord work out the wrinkles in the other person’s life.

This book was provided by Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest opinion. No monetary compensation was exchanged.

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Feb 12, 2012 Deborah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-life, available-on-kindle, book-tour-book, child-abduction-adoption, paperback-i-own, woman-writer

I'm a huge fan of the exotic twist in a novel. I'm intrigued by books about women who do the unexpected/perhaps "wrong" thing in life by other's perceptions, reinvent themselves or survive a crisis and come out of it perhaps less "whole," but more wise and capable of real empathy. I also like a story that hints at travel to interesting places, along with an eventual coming home theme. Nicole Seitz offers all of that and more in "Beyond Molasses Creek." She is no novice to writing, and having com...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction

After reading this book straight through, the first word I said was 'Outstanding'! Beyond Molasses Creek was the first of Nicole Seitz books I have read and I am definately going to be investing in her other works.
Flight Attendant Ally Green returns home for her Father's funeral. Years of avoidance, of travel and of fake gods to forget the past. Part of her past, Vesey Washington, still lives across the creek. Ally and her white family on her side, Vesey and his dark skin on the other. When they...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012

Ally Green has been running for a long time, but has to return home to bury her father. Many memories and old relationships fill her heart and mind, and probably the most complicated it the relationship with Vesey Washington. Their friendship had brought her happiness and pain; love and separation. Her running led to many mistakes, like an affair that produced a child. Then, as she was traveling in Nepal, her child was kidnapped. Now that she is 60, will she be able to come to grips with her lif...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Victor Gentile rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nicole Seitz in her new book “Beyond Molasses Creek" published by Thomas Nelson gives us a contemporary story filled with faith and restoration.

From the back cover: Three lives are bound by a single book . . . and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek.

Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationsh...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Tina Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beyond Molasses Creek takes place over a 50 year span from the 50's to present day. Ally is the sheltered daughter of a small town doctor who knows she shouldn't be friends with the little black boy across the river and he knows that his parents and her parents wouldn't want them sneaking off to fish or talk. The relationship between these two is innocent and friendly and even though Ally would like it to it never goes further. Ally eventually initiates a kiss between them and Vesey's mother who...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Marianne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beyond Molasses Creek is a fascinating novel told in the first person point of view by each of the three main characters: Ally, Vesey and Sunila. The reader is kept abreast of the switches in story line from one character to the other by a simple headliner giving the name (and if appropriate, the place). Date changes are handled at the beginning of the chapter as part of the narrative.

I thought Nicole did a very good job of handling the difficult first person point of view, and drawing in the re...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Maureen Timerman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

At first I had a little problem getting into this book, but stuck with it, and am glad I did. It is a rather fast pace book that deals with some tough subjects.
Alicia Green, Ally, has grown up in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. With her Dad's passing she has come home, and is trying to come to terms with her life. Her Dad wants her to stay, his last wishes!
In her mind she has had a love affair with a Black man who lives across the Creek, he is her best friend.
Vesey Washington, a god Godly man ha...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Jennifer Wedemeyer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-m-reviewing

This book really spoke to me, it deals with racism, child labor, kidnapping and finding peace, love and happiness. It really was a roller coaster ride of emotions while reading Beyond Molasses Creek. I have to give this book 5 stars for opening up the eyes of the readers to many different circumstances and views around the world, very eye opening. I have two children that we adopted from South Korea and I had all of these thoughts floating around like what if my child was kidnapped how would I f...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Renn Shearin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ally Green has been all over the world as a flight attendant, but she has finally returned to her home in Lowcountry to bury her past for good -and her father. However, Vesey Washington still lives across the creek, and while he was her best friend...he is also the reason that Ally has stayed away for such a long time. When Ally finds a note that her father left her asking her to stop running away, she realizes her past still is still not through with her.

While Ally's wandering spirit is wrestl...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Tammy rated it 3 of 5 stars

A mystery, a woman of means, and a life filled with running...this is the life Ally Green!
Ally has been on the move as an airline stewardess for years now. She likes getting up and going to new places. She doesn't like going home but home is where she is now called to go - to bury her father.
She meets up with Vesey Washington, her neighbor and friend from so long ago.
Then there's Sunila who finds a sketchbook that seems to have more meaning for Sunila. What does it all mean? And where will it l...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Meagan Myhren-bennett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: american, christian, christian-living, family, forgiveness, friendship, modern-slavery, stolen

Beyond Molasses Creek
By Nicole Seitz

Ally Green has been running from home all her adult life, but her father’s death is bringing her home. At 60 no place feels like home and Ally has no peace in her life. Ally’s childhood friend and the love of her life, Vesey Washington has lived across Molasses Creek his whole life. Vesey Washington is as different as can be from Ally. Ally has lived a life of privilege compared to Vesey. Ally is white; Vesey is colored. Ally went to college; Vesey dropped out...more Beyond Molasses Creek
By Nicole Seitz

Ally Green has been running from home all her adult life, but her father’s death is bringing her home. At 60 no place feels like home and Ally has no peace in her life. Ally’s childhood friend and the love of her life, Vesey Washington has lived across Molasses Creek his whole life. Vesey Washington is as different as can be from Ally. Ally has lived a life of privilege compared to Vesey. Ally is white; Vesey is colored. Ally went to college; Vesey dropped out of high school. Ally has a failed marriage; Vesey married for love. Ally has no faith; Vesey believes in God and heaven.

As Ally traveled the world she collected sculptures of gods and goddesses and shipped them home. She is determined to create a garden that will bring her peace. For nearly forty years Ally has tried to escape from her pain, a pain that she fights against with a hope. Ally has no hope in a life to come after this one, she has lost her way. But her father’s dying wish is for her to stay along Molasses Creek so that she can rediscover what she lost all those years ago.

Unlike Ally, Vesey has found happiness and peace in his life. Though he has lost his wife and son, Vesey hasn’t succumbed to sadness. He instead looks forward to what lays beyond – to heaven and being reunited with those who have gone before. Vesey is determined to help Ally find what he has and what her father had.

Meanwhile in Kathmandu, Nepal a young woman is determined to escape her life of bondage debt. Sunita has lived her life working with rock; as a child crushing gravel and now as a master craver. Sunita creates gods and creatures from the stone. Raised as a Dalit, Sunita is an untouchable and as a woman considered lower than the lowliest insect. As Sunita travels towards what she feels is her destiny, will she be able to better herself and escape what she has known or will she remain unknown in the world?

Beyond Molasses Creek is the story of three very different people who are all somehow connected to Molasses Creek. Told in a series of flashbacks from the various characters perspectives and merging with the present day Beyond Molasses Creek covers a nearly 50 year time period from the 1950s to the present day.

Beyond Molasses Creek looks at how a single decision can change not only our own life but the lives of those around us. When we make a decision do we think about how it will affect others and what is the motivation behind our choice? Are our reasons selfish or are they selfless? We need to remember that God is always there we just need to stop, look and listen.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
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Jan 03, 2012 Krystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

This book weaves an intricate tale of love, loss, and hope. Ally is what some people call a runner, she runs from her past. She refuses to turn around and face the things she is afraid of. When her father dies, she returns to her home after a long career of flying around the world as an air flight attendant. When she returns home, she uncovers some long-held secrets and bits of hope. Sunila is across the world. She is the next main character the reader is introduced to and will have a massive af...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Edna Tollison rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first time reading a book by Nicole Seitz and I enjoyed it mainly because it is filled with Southern charm and I am a southern lady myself.

Ally Green is a flight attentant and had to return to the low country of Charleston, SC to bury her father. She was also trying to bury her past by going home to Mollasses Creek and her friend Vesey Washington is still living on the other side of the creek and the...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-2012

This book was completely unexpected in what I thought it would be like. I was expecting something like one of the many romance books I've picked up in the review program, not that they are bad, but they are all the same to some extent. Beyond Molasses Creek is more an exploration between relationships between people, and how their culture affects that. I think it's trying to attempt a deeper point.
The romance that is in the story is very unique. It's very rare I read stories where interracial...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Title: BEYOND MOLASSES CREEK
Author: Nicole Seitz
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
January 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59554-505-3
Genre: Inspirational/women’s fiction

Ally is a former flight attendant. She was forced to leave the job when her back went out and she dumped a cup of coffee on a passenger. She never wanted to get back on a plane—but now she has, to fly to the Lowcountry to bury her father—and the past. Her old best friend, Vesey Washington, is still living across the creek—but this is the south; Vesey is b...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Jeanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction

Ally's a sixty-year old woman looking back at her life when she returns to the banks of Molasses Creek after her father dies. She's been running away for the last forty years, maybe even a little before that. Sunila's story takes her from a quarry in Nepal where she's slaved away on a debt her family will never pay off to Molasses Creek. Vesey grew up across the creek, a black boy who befriends young Ally against the disapproval of his family. A grown man, he helped Ally's father before he died...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Lobug rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, kindle

It was so hard to get into this book! The beginning was just so confusing to me. There was so much jumping between characters and moving around the timeline, I was so lost for the first 10 percent of the book, I almost gave up. But I was very glad that I kept reading. The characters got sorted, the timeline became more obvious, and then the story just soared.
By about halfway through the book, I think I had an idea of where the story was going; but that didn’t make it boring. It made me totally...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Margaret rated it 3 of 5 stars

From the Book: Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship--he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she's stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn't through with her yet.

I think this was a...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Renee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction

Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole Seitz tells the story of two women, who live on opposite sides of the world, and the events which bring them together.

The story is shared through dual viewpoints from the women, Ally and Sunila. For brave, optimistic Sunila, life means taking the risks necessary to leave Nepal and find a new life in the United States. While Ally’s journey involves an end to years of running when she returns home to Molasses Creek. In Sunila’s chapters, we follow a trail that lead...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Lydia (Overweight Bookshelf) rated it 4 of 5 stars

First reviewed here: http://overweight-bookshelf.blogspot....

Beyond Molasses Creek is an emotive and articulate story that navigates through the past and present, Western and Eastern society with fluidity and insight. Three entangled storylines are slowly unknotted to reveal a staggering story of loss and discovery that does not shy away from bringing the reader to places that some would feel are better left hidden. Through her characters, Seitz examines the dark blemishes in modern society and...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Kaylea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: see-blog-for-more-info

"Three lives... bound by a single book .... and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek."

I love this opening description of Beyond Molasses Creek, the newest southern lit release by Nicole Seitz.

Beyond Molasses Creek is a slow read that Chronicles the lives of Ally Green, Vesey Washington and Sunila Kunari.

What links the three lives together is a sketchbook.

Through a variety of twists and turns, Seitz unpacks the relationship Ally had with Vesey, as well as Ally's connection to Sunila.

While the b...more

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About Nicole A. Seitz

Nicole Seitz is a South Carolina Lowcountry native and the author of five critically acclaimed novels. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Journalism, she also has a bachelor's degree in illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design. Nicole is a speaker on writing, art, and faith; she's an exhibiting painter and has illustrated the covers for her nove...more

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Quotes from Beyond Molasses Creek

“I am in a car with Mr. Assai at the wheel. He pauses to let a cow cross the road and then manages to ease in and out of people and bicycles and rickshaws. I look at his hand gripping the stick shift. I have never learned to drive a vehicle though I have seen men driving on buses. I always like to see what people’s hands do while their eyes are on something else.
When I carve, I must look at my subject, but every now and again, when I have done something so many times, I can look away while my hands continue working. I can look away and forget I am a slave to this piece of stone. Even if it is becoming a beautiful angel with outstretched wings.
How can I love the stone and hate it at the same time? Because it is a piece of me. I know nothing else. How can the ox stand having the yoke put upon its neck day after day after day? Because it is all it has ever known. Nothing more, nothing less.” — 1 person liked it

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