At one time I had almost all of Grace Livingston Hill’s books and I have probably read all of her novels. She wrote dozens and dozens of romances. The ancient copies I had were the only books I have ever seen that had been eaten by bookworms. But it was so hard to find her books that I kept them and read around the holes!
These are old-fashioned romances, usually about someone meeting a partner across class boundaries. Her heroines are often naïve, but with great native intelligence. There is a strong religious theme to the books. Often the heroine (or the hero) has a religious awakening along with falling in love.
I know a religious aspect is off-putting to some people. All I can say is I did not feel preached to. Maybe that is because the books are about old-fashioned girls from an earlier time.
"At one stopping-place a good woman advised Elizabeth to rest on Sundays. She told her God didn't like people to do the same on His day as on other days, and it would bring her bad luck if she kept up her incessant riding. It was bad for the horse too. So, the night being Saturday, Elizabeth remained with the woman over the Sabbath, and heard read aloud the fourteenth chapter of John. It was a wonderful revelation to her. She did not altogether understand it. In fact, the Bible was an unknown book. She had never known that it was different from other books. She had heard it spoken of by her mother, but only as a book. She did not know it was a book of books.
She carried the beautiful thoughts with her on the way, and pondered them. She wished she might have the book. She remembered the name of it, Bible, the Book of God. Then God had written a book! Some day she would try to find it and read it.
"Let not your heart be troubled"; so much of the message drifted into her lonesome, ignorant soul, and settled down to stay."
Several of Hill’s books are available free (or cheap!). The quotes here are from The Girl from the Montana which is free. This book is not available from the UK, but UK readers can download her novel The Finding of Jasper Holt. It is £1.40. These books –although all different- are formulaic. If you like one of her books, you likely would like any of them.
This is a typical judgment from one of Hill’s heroines:
"Geraldine Loring was almost—well, fast, at least, as nearly so as one who was really of a fine old family, and still held her own in society, could be. She was beautiful as a picture; but her face, to Elizabeth's mind, was lacking in fine feeling and intellect. A great pity went out from her heart to the man whose fate was in that doll-girl's hands."
"Fast" is not good in Hill's world and is an outdated condemnation to us. But clear eyes, keeping your word and having a will of steel is never out of fashion and that is why these are still enjoyable romances.
This blog is a guide to the best free and inexpensive
classic literature for the US & UK Kindle. If you enjoy my suggestions,
please tell your friends who read to give my blog a try.
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gives you the convenience of being able to download the books directly to your
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readers may go to this
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readers may go to this Amazon
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Thank
to all my readers, whether you subscribe on your Kindle or whether you read it
online. I love to get good reviews! Who wouldn't? Should you
care to leave a review, follow these links for UK
readers or US
readers.
This blog is a guide to the best free and inexpensive
classic literature for the US & UK Kindle. If you enjoy my suggestions,
please tell your friends who read to give my blog a try.
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
For a nominal fee of 99 cents/pence, you can subscribe
to this blog and have it automatically download on your Kindle. This
gives you the convenience of being able to download the books directly to your
Kindle, instead of downloading them to your computer and then transferring them
to your Kindle. It also helps support my blog.
UK
readers may go to this
Amazon link to subscribe. (Slightly more than half my readers are
from the UK)
US
readers may go to this Amazon
link
Thank
to all my readers, whether you subscribe on your Kindle or whether you read it
online. I love to get good reviews! Who wouldn't? Should you
care to leave a review, follow these links for UK
readers or US
readers.
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