Phoebe Deane

Miranda Trilogy #2

by Grace Livingston Hill

Grace Livingston Hill gives us a Cinderella-type heroine to sympathize with in part two of the Miranda trilogy. Day after day Phoebe is subjected to living as a servant in her brother's home, picked on by her hateful sister-in-law, and forced to endure matchmaking schemes influenced by greed. Marriage to an ill-tempered man with several misbehaving children seems to be her lot, and her hope is about to be snuffed out. Could a chance encounter in the woods change the direction of her life and finally introduce her to someone who could care about her?

Genres: Romance, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Christian Romance

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

also wrote under the pseudonym Marcia MacDonald
also published under the name Grace Livingston Hill Lutz

A popular author of her day, she wrote over 100 novels and numerous short stories of religious and Christian fiction. Her characters were most often young female ingénues, frequently strong Christian women or those who become so within the confines of the story.

niece to Isabella MacDonald Alden

Reviews

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

From this and many other Grace Livingston Hill Books I learned about Salvation and how awesome our Lord is. It was through this author that I first found out that there was such a thing as Salvation the most valuble gift God ever gave to man---to me

[melissa lingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old fashioned but never outdated

Always sweet and well written, the wholesome stories told by Grace Livingston Hill always teach about good morals and delight the reader with tales that overcome adversity with ingenuity and love. If it's a story by Grace, you should read it. You will find your heart a little happier for it.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another story set in 1830s America, this time with Phoebe, a neighbor of Marcia’s. On one hand the story is sweet and endearing, but on the other there’s a greedy and evil-minded villain and villainess, and Phoebe gets boxed into a nasty situation by very one-sided individuals. It was nice to see Miranda again and book three is sure to be interesting with her as main heroine.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one went on for too long. Fans of Grace Livingston Hill can do better than this; this is definitely not her best work.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh! Men who don't have the sense to protect the women under their care from their b*tchy relatives! With Albert, it was pretty much part of his character to be that stupid and ineffectual, and he almost deserves his harridan wife and the young harpy she's raising, but David ought to have had enough sense by now to put those two old biddy aunts of his in their place. Really, it's a blind spot of GLH's — it doesn't seem to occur to her that men can or should even be aware of such things much less take responsibility for addressing them. She really doesn't have much of a grasp of human nature altogether. Her protagonists are preternaturally good. Her villain here was straight up Snidely Whiplash. She has one gal this book miraculously drop her bitter jealousy with hardly any explanation (and certainly no repentance). But at least there's Miranda — flawed and fearless and funny. Looks like she gets to star in the third book, so I'm looking forward to that.

The reader was not great, but was passable for a volunteer.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second in the Miranda trilogy is a favorite of my GLH collection, and I have read it many times. Miranda is one of my favorite characters, and the three books she appears in are ones I read multiple times. I remember reading this book aloud to my family during homeschool days. We laughed and were appalled by turns. Hiram Green has to be one of the most evil characters ever invented by Grace, and it's obvious that she knew narcissists back then, even if not by that designation. Having lived with such a person for nearly 20 years, I understood the torture that poor Phoebe went through as he tried to get her in his power. She didn't even have family on her side. But God was on her side, and He used Miranda--that red-haired, freckled girl-of-all-work--to rescue His child and give her a wonderful mate.
Now on to part 3 of the trilogy!

[Jane M Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

IT was a good read, a tale of another time.

I enjoyed being. taken to another time and place, where a village was a close knit unit and good could triumph over evil

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phoebe Deane is the martyred half-sister of Albert Deane, who was sent to live with her much older half-sibling when her mother died. She is treated as the Cinderella servant of the household, and denied anything approaching decency by her jealous sister in law Emmeline. On the occasion of her 18th birthday (which of course isn't celebrated by the family) she runs off into the woods with a letter from her long-dead mother and has a nice long cry about how awful her life is. Here she meets (by chance) the lovely Nathaniel Graham, a young lawyer visiting his uncle, the local Judge Bristol. Phoebe and Nathaniel keep running into each other and develop a friendship, especially when Phoebe falls ill with a fever and is taken to stay with David and Marcia Spafford (the hero/heroine of the first book in this trilogy).

Unfortunately for Phoebe, her odious neighbor Hiram Green has set his sights on her as his next wife, having more or less crushed the life out of his first wife. He's an awful person with a brood of equally awful children, and when Phoebe rebuffs his offers of marriage (even against the strong wishes of her family), he vows revenge on her. He spreads a bunch of lies about her around town, ruining her reputation, and then offers to marry her to save her family's good name. Mercifully, Miranda Griscom hears what's going on and sets out to trap the snake before he can strike.

I actually enjoyed this book more than the first novel, even though Phoebe is even more passive than Marcia. The only fight she has in her is to tell Hiram no, again and again; for everything else, she's literally willing to lay down and die rather than face it. She's a total Mary Sue - absolutely perfect and beautiful, engendering either love or hate in everyone she meets - and it gets wearisome reading about how everyone else has to save her because she's not willing to stand up for herself. Bleh!

The story is saved by plucky Miranda, who takes Phoebe under her wing as she did with Marcia in the previous book. Miranda feels that she's ugly and outcast (and indeed, no one but her friends think well of her) and thus she can do whatever she needs to do to Get Things Done. I just adore her! I hope she doesn't become a passive waif in her own book, #3 in this trilogy.

There is a lot to be said for these novels as statements about class in 1830s America. Social class plays a HUGE role in thoughts and deeds. For instance, Emmeline hate Phoebe for daring to want to better herself, because Emmeline herself never had the chance. She's raising a hellion of a daughter who feels the same way and slags off Phoebe right to her face. Albert is no help in this regard, and is quick to believe the load of crap that Hiram serves up in his bid to trap Phoebe into marrying him. That was extremely disappointing to see. There is discussion of slavery and abolition in the background here, and some eye-opening sentiments abound.

All told, Miranda is the only reason these stories are worth reading, IMO. Give me Avonlea any day over this absolute nest of vipers.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cinderella story from 1909

This is the second book in a trilogy. The events in this story occur two years after the end of Book 1, making this 1833.

Phoebe Deane has her eighteen birthday a few days after the start of this novel. She has been living with her much older half-brother, her sister-in-law, and their children since she was 10 years old. She and her brother share the same father, who died many years ago. Phoebe's mother only survived her husband for a few years.

There is no explanation in this story as to how Phoebe's widowed mother supported the two of them before she died. However, it is made quite clear that her mother was a WASP lady of refined manners, who made an enormous impression on Phoebe's outlook on the proper behavior for a genteel woman.

Though Phoebe has worked hard, fast, and effectively while performing endless household chores from sunup to sundown for the past eight years within the rambling farmhouse on her brother's large farm, her vindictive termagant of an SIL has never been satisfied with Phoebe's efforts. She resents the fact that Phoebe's affable brother will never take her side in persecuting Phoebe, but he is so lacking in backbone that he does nothing whatsoever to prevent his wife from trampling all over his little sister. It is clear by her actions and attitude that the SIL considers Phoebe's ladylike manners to be a personal affront. Mainly because she has no such manners herself. She is an ignorant, crude, working-class farm wife who never has anything to say that is not a complaint or a criticism. She is actually unkind in varying degrees to everyone, including her husband and children, but she spews her greatest venom onto hapless Phoebe. In short, the SIL is the evil stepmother figure in this Cinderella tale.

Phoebe is also bedeviled endlessly throughout this novel by a widowed, middle-aged neighbor, who is a prosperous, big and beefy farmer. He is determined to marry Phoebe because she is a hard worker who could seamlessly run his household, performing all the endless domestic chores and raising his tribe of uncivilized children. Unfortunately for his cynical, self-serving plans for her, Phoebe was close to his dead wife and considers him a monster because of the callous way he treated her. She flatly refuses to marry him, but he will not take, no, for an answer. He is encouraged in his suit by the evil SIL, because she is determined to get Phoebe out of her house. Over the course of the novel, the man becomes a pernicious stalker.

This novel is part of a trilogy that contains these three books:

Marcia Schuyler (1908)
Phoebe Deane (1909)
Miranda (1915)

This series is sometimes called the Miranda trilogy, and sometimes the Marcia Schuyler trilogy, mainly because both of these female characters appear in all three books. For anyone who might be interested, I have provided additional information on GLH's approach to writing women's fiction in my review of Book 1, in addition to what I have written below.

Hill is often credited with inventing the Christian romance novel. However, neither this novel, nor either of the other two novels in this trilogy, comes anywhere near the modern definition of a romance novel, which involves the FMC onstage with her love interest at least 50% of the novel, with the main focus of the story on their courtship. Throughout this story, there are very few scenes in which Phoebe and her love interest interact with each other onstage, and the process of their falling in love gets short shrift, occurring in a rushed manner at the very end of this novel. Instead, the vast majority of page space is melodramatically focused on the thoughts and actions of the evil stalker and his willing accomplice, the vicious SIL. Frustratingly, the author provides far more of their evil POVs than Phoebe's.

In addition, a major, rather aggravating irony of this novel's being categorized as Christian fiction, which is the case for all three books in this trilogy, is that every single character is a Christian, who regularly attends church, including all of the villains. And nothing is ever discussed or demonstrated regarding the fact that participating in organized, Christian religion is not a guarantee of righteousness. Righteousness, in fact, seems to be something that people like Marcia, Phoebe and Miranda are born with. They are certainly not socialized into Christian compassion and kindness by any examples in their immediate family.

Basically, similar to Marcia, the FMC of Book 1, Phoebe has clearly been socialized to adhere to the tenets of the Cult of True Womanhood. This was a 19th-century ideology defining ideal gender roles for upper- and middle-class, WASP women in the USA. It emphasized four essential virtues: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. As a member of the lower class, the SIL has not been inculcated with any of those virtues. Yes, the SIL works very hard employing the domestic skills of cooking, cleaning, knitting and sewing, but not in a "ladylike," piously submissive manner in the way that Phoebe and Marcia do.

Interestingly, the continuing character, Miranda, being also from the working class, has not been socialized within the cult of True Womanhood either. But her inborn ethics are the complete opposite of those of the evil SIL. Miranda is never cruel to anyone, and she works hard to defend and protect both Marcia and Phoebe from the villains who have harmed them so much that, in the case of Phoebe in particular, they almost succeed in killing her.

The contrast between Miranda's compassionate nature and that of the cruel SIL reinforces what I experienced as an unintentional, subversive subtext within this entire series, and is the sole reason that I enjoyed anything at all about this book or the other two books.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Day after day Phoebe is subjected to living as a servant in her brother's home, picked on by her hateful sister-in-law, and forced to endure matchmaking schemes influenced by greed. Marriage to an ill-tempered man with several misbehaving children seems to be her lot, and her hope is about to be snuffed out. Could a chance encounter in the woods change the direction of her life and finally introduce her to someone who could care about her?

That's on the back of the book. The book is called Phoebe Deane and was written by Grace Livingston Hill and published in 1909. Phoebe is the second book in the Miranda Trilogy and so far Miranda has been my favorite character in both of the first two books, I'm still working on number three. Meanwhile we have a bunch of characters in this book, some I like, some I can't stand and spend my time wishing evil things to happen to them. First we have Phoebe Deane, she is an orphan who as a child went to live with her half brother, Albert Deane. I can't remember what happened to her parents, but sending her to Albert and his evil wife wasn't the thing to do with the poor little girl. Albert is a mild mannered, kindly man who sees only the good in everyone. One of my problems with him is he does see the good in everyone, especially his wife, and no sane person could see the good in her. His wife Emmeline is the evil stepmother type only Albert doesn't seem to know it. She works Phoebe to death and never has a kind word for the girl, no matter what happens, or how hard Phoebe works, I have never heard Emmeline say anything close to kind to her. Of course I can't remember her saying anything nice to anyone for that matter. She is also crass with very little education, how she managed to get married is beyond me. Now Hiram Green, a neighbor of the Deanes' wants to marry Phoebe, but she despises the very sight of him. Any normal person would. The only person I can think of who deserves being married to Hiram is Emmeline, and she is already taken.

And then there is Nathaniel, a lawyer and the nephew of Judge Bristol, one of town's most prominent members. Nathaniel lives and works in New York City, but often visits with his uncle who helped to raise him. Do you want to guess who Phoebe does show an interest in? But Nathaniel thinks she is going to marry the evil Hiram, everyone does because no matter what Phoebe says Hiram refuses to take no for an answer. Neither does Emmeline, not only are the two of them determined to make Phoebe marry him, they come up with an evil plan to make it happen, and it looks like it will work.

But then comes Miranda. How anyone in this town got through life without Miranda I don't know. Well, anyone who couldn't stand up for themselves and needed her help that is. Phoebe can't fight all the bad guys, but Miranda can, and once again she steps in and comes to the rescue. I liked the book, it was fun, there was nothing I had to think about or go back to check on, it was just fun. And I have one more Miranda book to go, I'm looking forward to it. Happy reading.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace Livingston Hill's "Phoebe Deane" is the second book of the "Miranda trilogy" and is just exciting as the first, "Marcia Schulyer". In the first novel it is hard to pinpoint the historical time frame and I was guessing 1840-1850, but the date of a letter in the second book and the events taken up are later in date compared to the first. The year is 1835 and Texas independence as well as abolition are discussed whereas the first book dealt with the introduction of steam trains. Though these topics are brought up and discussed somewhat, they are not the focus of this book which is the kind of imprisoned, Phoebe who seems to be surrounded by others that want her to give up her independence to a man she cannot love. Marcia and David Spafford play there part because they live in the town that Phoebe's half brother lives. Lively Miranda again proves valuable, I look forward to the book in her namesake. I always love reading Grace's books that have a moral lessons but the Miranda trilogy and the religious element.

Story in short- After Phoebe's mother's death, she comes to live with her half brother's family and is not too welcomed by his wife, Emmeline.


➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
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Hiram Green was in the sitting-room also. He was the neighbor whose farm adjoined Albert Deane's on the side next the village. He was sitting opposite the hall door, his lank form in a splint-bottomed chair tilted back against the wall. His slouch hat was drawn down over his eyes and his hands were in his pockets. He often sat so with Albert in the evening. Sometimes Emmeline called Phoebe in and gave her some darning or mending, and then Phoebe had to listen to Hiram Green's dull talk, to escape which
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she had fallen into the habit of slipping out into the orchard after her work was done. But it was not always that she could elude the vigilance of Emmeline, who seemed to be determined that Phoebe should not have a moment to herself, day or night.
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That was just the way they used to talk about that young Mrs. Spafford. Nobody was safe from gossip—for they said Mrs. Spafford belonged to the old Schuyler family. When she came a bride to the town, how cruel tongues were, and how
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babbling and irresponsible, like the katydids!
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Phoebe had never liked Hiram Green since the day she had seen him shove his wife out of his way and say to her roughly, "Aw, shut up, can't you? Women are forever talking about what they don't understand!" She had watched the faint color flicker into the white-cheeked wife's face and then flicker out whitely again as she tried to laugh his roughness off before Phoebe, but the girl had never forgotten it. She had been but a little girl, then, very shy and quiet, almost a stranger in the town, for her mother had just died and she had come to live with the half-brother who had been married so long that he was almost a stranger to her.
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The funeral over, the farm work had gone on with doubled vigor, and Phoebe overheard Hiram tell Albert that "burying Annie had been mighty expensive 'count o' that thunder-storm coming so soon, it spoiled the whole south meadow; and it was just like Annie to upset everything. If she had only been a little more careful and not gone off to her mother's on pleasure, she might have kept up a little longer till harvest was over."
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But through it all, strange to say, it had never once entered Phoebe's head that Hiram was turning his thoughts toward her, and so, when he came and stood there beside her in the darkness he startled her merely because he was something she disliked, and she shrank from
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him as one would shrink from a snake in the grass. Then Hiram came closer to her and her heart gave one warning thud of alarm as she shrank away from him. "Phoebe," he said, boldly, putting out his hand to where he supposed her hands would be in the darkness—though he did not find hers, "ain't is about time you and I was comin' to an understandin'?" Phoebe slid off the fence and backed away in the darkness. She knew
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the location of every apple-tree and could have led him a chase through their labyrinths if she had chosen. Her heart froze within her for fear of what might be coming, and she felt she must not run away, but stay and face it whatever it was. "What do you mean?" asked Phoebe, her voice full of antagonism. "Mean?" said Hiram, sidling after her. "I mean it's time we set up a partnership. I've waited long enough. I need somebody to look after the children. You suit me pretty well, and I guess you'd be well enough fixed with me." Hiram's air of assurance made Phoebe's heart chill with fear. For a moment she was speechless with horror and indignation. Taking her silence as a favorable indication Hiram drew near her and once more tried to find her hands in the darkness.

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert


I was so glad that Hiram was caught and forced to tell the truth to many. He was so possessed with Phoebe who told him she could never like him. He spend more time running after her and trying to have Nathaniel, the young lawyer from New York, mobbed and maybe murdered to make way for Phoebe to marry him. He tapers with the mail so Phoebe cannot correspond with his rival. Albert Deane is a kind character but he fails at the end, his wife would sell the young girl. Miranda the nymph is quite the enjoyable one. Happy ending for almost all!

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"I've always liked you, Phoebe," he said, insinuatingly. "Don't you like me?" "No, No, No!" almost screamed Phoebe, snatching her hands away. "Don't ever dare to think of such a thing again!" Then she turned and vanished in the dark like a wraith of mist, leaving the crestfallen Hiram alone, feeling very foolish and not a little astonished. He had not expected his suit to be met quite in this way.
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She almost held her breath for a time, for it seemed as if Hiram had so much assurance that he almost had the power to draw her from her room against her will. Her indignation and fear were beyond all possible need of the

occasion. Yet every time she thought of the hateful sound of his voice as he made his cold-blooded proposition, the fierce anger boiled within her, so that she wished over and over again that she might have another opportunity to answer him and make her refusal more emphatic. Yet, when she
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thought of it, what could she say more than "No"? Great waves of hate surged through her soul for the man who had treated one woman so that she was glad to die, and now wanted to take her life and crush it out. With the intensity of a very young girl she took up the cause of the dead Annie, and felt like fighting for her memory.
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Moreover, he felt a little dazed and wanted to think things over and adjust himself to Phoebe's point of view. He felt a half resentment toward the Deanes for Phoebe's action, as if the rebuff she had given him had been their fault somehow. They should have prepared her better. They understood the situation fully. There had often been an interchange of remarks between them on the subject and Albert had responded by a nod and wink. It was tacitly understood that it would be a good thing to have the farms join, and keep them "all in the family." Emmeline, too, had often given some practical hints about Phoebe's capabilities as a housewife and mother to his wild little children. It was Emmeline who had given the hint tonight as to Phoebe's hiding-place.
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He resolved to stay away from the Deanes for a long time—perhaps a week, or at any rate two or three days— certainly one day, at least. Then he began to wonder if perhaps after all Phoebe was not just flirting with him. Surely she could not refuse him in earnest. His farm was as pretty as any in the county, and every one knew he had money in the bank. Surely, Phoebe was only being coy for a time. After all, perhaps, it was natural for a girl to be a little shy.

[NECaruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than Marcia Schuyler, though even Marcia comes into her own better in this book. Miranda is easily the star of the series.

[Once Upon A Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book! I love this couple so much, in my top 3 favorite books!
Phoebe's response to all the abuse handed to her by her own family is inspirational and someone I want my future daughters to be like.
I love Nathaniel's overall character morally and he's how I envision my future sons to be. His love and protection for Phoebe is sooooooooo sweet and my 4 favorite parts in the entire book are...

1) The letter he writes to Phoebe, proposing to her

2) The conversation he has with Miranda about Phoebe when she warns him of Phoebe's upcoming, but unwanted, marriage

3) The lecture he gives at the end of the wedding, telling everyone to go directly to him for any questions or doubts on her purity

4) When Miranda tells him how sick Phoebe is and that Hiram's behind it and so he tells Miranda they both should pray for her and he gets protective of Phoebe when he learns Hiram is harassing her against her wishes .


This is a book I will definitely let my future daughters read (I am very picky on movies and books, therefore I want to read/watch things before allowing my future children to read them) and while there are a couple things I don't want my daughters to read at certain ages (insinuating certain pre martial things, but I promise, they don't say the actual words, they just say she was outside alone with a man and therefore, her reputation is ruined, though in truth, nothing happened), I feel comfortable with them reading this around the ages of 15-16 and over. Highly recommended!


Edit - I have not read Marcia's story, nor Miranda's, this is my only book in the series and clearly my favorite by this author!

[Bethany Rivera]

*Warning- Spoilers*

Grace Livingston-Hill is not only a Victorian styled writer but many of her stories have a Christian or religious base. If you have read any of her novels, there are several mentions of God and other religious or biblical references. Out of all three novels in the Miranda series, Phoebe Dean is the most religious. That was not an issue and it did not deter my interest in the novel, but it was a main focus. So if you are not one who enjoys religious books or ideas, maybe skip or skim those parts of the novel.

The character of Phoebe Dean is respectable and innocent- a bit naive and stand-offish which can come across annoying. It is more of a Cinderella story, being able to escape her intolerable sister-in-law and arranged marriage in order to marry the man of her dreams.

To me the most important part of the book was the true introduction of Miranda and her growth from the first novel. Unfortunately, she is only in about ⅓ of the novel, but it shows her nature, her intent, and undying love towards those she admired and “adopts” as her family/projects. In the little amount she appears she makes an impact and truly makes the novel worth reading.

I enjoyed this novel, it was not my favorite from the trilogy, but I would read it again.

[Wendy S. Delmater · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title character, Phoebe Deane, has been an orphan since she was eight and is now 16. She's lived with her much older half-brother's family and while she gets along fairly well with him, Phoebe's half-brother's wife Ermaline is, to quote Phoebe's countrified friend Miranda, "..the meanest thing in the shape of a woman I've seen yit, an' I've hed some experience."

The story is set in the 1860s, during the time of the abolitionists, with a side order of the war in Texas with Santa Anna. You get historical insights into farm and home life in small towns during that period, mainly through descriptions of all the chores the nasty head of that household piles on Phoebe, and the intentional gossip that is used to herd her into an unwanted marriage with a much older coarse and despicable man - to Ermaline's benefit.

Salvation comes in the persons of an interested young man who has the legal skills to thwart salacious, planted gossip, and in the unlikely person of freckle-faced, wily Miranda... whose sense of justice and questionable morality is always employed to protect those whom she loves.

You get over Miranda's accent rather quickly and will come to love her. What a character.

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miche is correct -- once Miranda shows up (a third of the way in or so), she gradually takes over the book, partly because Phoebe is woefully passive. Didn't bother me because I tend to like GLH's secondary characters better than her hero and heroine anyhow, and because I don't read her books for the romance, but I can see why someone who viewed the romance as primary would end this book quite dissatisfied.

This was a "historical" when GLH wrote it, but unlike Marcia Schulyer, it doesn't feel nearly so grounded in its time, but rather like many another early GLH set in her own time.

GLH let Miranda take center stage in the third book of the trilogy, so I'm rather looking forward to that. Most of her heroines do tend to be woefully passive, and to run when I would have fought, and also to bear their sorrows all quiet and saintly, so it'll be interesting to see how she handles such a feisty character in the central role.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace Livingston Hill always writes a sweet, clean love story, with nasty hardships for the heroine to endure with patience, wisdom, and kindness. Phoebe, while quite passive in her responses to the horrible people in her life, is extremely courageous physically. You just want to bust her tormentors in the head. And, of course, there is a handsome, intelligent, gallant hero that strolls into her life, along with several other loyal friends who love her dearly. As in many of GLH's novels, there is an historical backdrop to the story. In this case it played a minor role, referring to the potential abolition of slavery, New York's reaction to the idea, and how Texas would fit into that scenario. This is the 2nd in the "Miranda" Series, with "Marcia Schuyler" the first, and "Miranda" the third. First published in 1909; I listened to this as a free audio download from LibriVox.org (I went back and added one more star to this rating, after having finished the series.)

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phoebe Deane is kept as a prisoner almost in her brother's house. Forced to work very hard in exchange for her being able to live there, she has little pleasure in her life. What's worse, her only way out would be to marry an abusive man who was responsible for the death of his first wife. A chance encounter shows Phoebe another way, and a friendship with the indomitable Miranda (who we met in Marcia Schuyler) changes everything.

Told with a lot of melodrama, this particular story is one of Grace's earlier works and is one of her few historical romances. At times I wanted to scream at how invisible and unheard poor Phoebe was. I loved Miranda, but then I always love Miranda, as she's the best part of these books.

Worth reading? Obviously! But then I know I'm biased. I love everything Grace Livingston Hill wrote.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, old fashioned romance. Phones Deane lives with her brother and his resentful wife. Schemes, lies, friendship and truth work to either ruin her life or give her happiness. I enjoy these books knowing that Grace Livingston Hill was one of the first to write Christian romance. She began writing in 1877. The simplicity and innocence in her books speak of the times in which they were written.

If you like vintage books, feel nostalgic or just want a quick innocent read, you'll enjoy Grace Livingston Hill. There isn't a lot of deep thinking needed for her books.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't something I'd normally read. It was repetitive and so extremely predictable that I skipped probably a third of the book and didn't miss much. I wanted to know how things turned out but at the same time it wasn't that interesting. I think the author's good but maybe this isn't one of her better books. It was unpleasant to keep reading about that horrible family Phoebe lived with and how mean they were to her. There was a random subplot about the leading man's conscience and wanting to "free" Texas. I don't even know why that was in there.

[Mitzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just recently discovered Grace Livingston Hill, and I'm SO glad that I did. I really enjoyed this book - it was pretty much what I expected, a Cinderella type story - but with a surprisingly twisted antagonist who seriously gave me the creeps. We are talking an expert level stalker and manipulator - I was NOT expecting a character like him in this, that's for sure! The "sidekick" character of Miranda was my favorite - I am happy to see she has a whole book to herself, I will definitely be checking that out!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not my favorite GLH novel. The majority of the story is oppressively consumed with the sufferings and persecutions of Phoebe, with very little sweetness that is ultimately unable to balance them out in my opinion. Plus, it really stuck in my craw, if you'll allow me the expression, that she wouldn't tell her brother what was going on at any point, nor would she attempt any escape. I just can't help but feel she could've saved herself a lot of grief, and that kind of works against the author's purpose of making me feel sorry for her.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you TriciaG for your excellent reading of Phoebe Deane by Grace Livingston Hill. I think this is my favorite book of Hill’s books and I love the part that Miranda (a common, down-home, honest girl) played in this story. She made me laugh each time. An excellent Cinderella type story where good wins out and evil is justified in the end.

[Thomas E Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never disappointing

Good clean romance with underlying Christian truths. Grace Livingston Hill writes clearly and consistently bringing entertainment with well written stories. Though the setting is almost a century old, the morals and Christian truths are ageless.

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sweet romance with honorable main characters.

[Lady Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.8 / 5

It’s well that there are two whole other books with Miranda as a character and heroine because she’s really quite charming!

In a classic Cinderella story way, Phoebe Deane finds little to greet her each day except for work and orders from her sister-in-law, Emmeline. Few pleasures come into her life but one of these pleasures is the friendship that she has with Miranda, who for all intents and purposes is her spunky fairy godmother.

Phoebe’s main problem is that the repulsive, devilish, uncouth Hiram Greene is determined to have her for his wife even though Phoebe has made it clear how disgusted she is by him and how she will never marry him. The problems this man causes for Phoebe are utterly wicked and uncomfortable to read about, making him one of the ickier villains of a Grace Livingston Hill novel. I was so glad that it was mainly Miranda who challenged and outsmarted him because she’s really not seen as a threat by anyone so that was great!

One star ultimately comes off though because I’m not the biggest fan of a heroine who’s a pushover Cinderella and needs to be saved, so at times it was tiresome to read how Phoebe didn’t fight back and could only faint or something at hard moments. Myself, I would’ve had it out with Emmeline LONG before things would’ve gotten to the point that they did. But anyway, that’s a 21st century woman’s view and the setting for this is 1835–a bit of historical fiction on Hill’s part, I think.

Anyway, all in all it was a decent story and had some exciting moments, with Miranda as the shining star who ties it all together nicely.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is a tough review. Grace Livingston Hill makes really terrible bad guys. I'm not sure what her life was like but her bad guys are vile.

This is why the three stars. Phoebe is surrounded basically by evil. Her sister in law is such a harpy vile woman. How her brother ever decided to marry her I do not understand. Well he is clueless with a capital C. She tells at Phoebe constantly telling her that she is lazy and that she should marry the cruelest man alive. As if she doesn't realize that Phoebe does more than half the work. Who is going to do all that work? Her sister? Ok. Sure.

Then Hiram Green. There aren't enough non swear words to descibe him. When he was talking to Phoebe I wanted to throw the book. Nearly every scene with him in it made the story a two star.

But then there was Miranda. She made the book a 5 star. Every scene she made me want to overlook how much I wanted to skim or not read the Hiram scenes. She is such a spectacular friend and human. She says she can feel it when someone needs her, and Phoebe needed her badly. Miranda helped her with little problems and literally life saving problems. I can see why Grace Livingston Hill made a trilogy with her. She is an exceptional character.

Phoebe is a sweet strong girl too. Until she isn't. But seriously when she stops being strong she feels like she has nothing left. I love that she stands her ground through the whole book. Maybe if she had told her brother how she felt about Hiram at the beginning most off this wouldn't have happened.

Any way parts of this book are just lovely, but I couldn't get past how vile the bad guys were.

[Karla Renee Goforth Abreu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Miranda Trilogy. I think it is better than the first one, Marcia Schuyler, although that was a sweet tale. I gave it 4 stars, not for deep mysterious knowledge or profound thoughts, but for the beautifully drawn characters and descriptive scenes. The language of the uneducated characters is written in their vernacular, which adds to the charm of the story.
Phoebe lives an extremely sad and harsh life. Miranda, introduced in the first novel, though not a prominent character in that, befriends Phoebe and becomes a fiercely loyal friend through the difficulties that Phoebe faces. Miranda is an uneducated red-haired freckled-faced waif of a young woman. But Miranda has what, today, would be called street smarts. She is keenly intuitive, endearing, and unknowingly comedic.
These books were published around 1908 and the setting of the story is in the early 1800's. I find the lifestyles, culture, and language fascinating. Many words are no longer in common use in the 2020's and I have used the dictionary on my tablet several times to obtain a precise meaning, not simply relying on the context.
You will enjoy this novel if you like reading older books and historical fiction, feel good stories (although there are trying circumstances and some passages that will pull the heartstrings), and endearing characters.
This can certainly be read as a stand-alone novel, but it is even better having read the first in the trilogy.
Note: some copies have typographical errors, as did the one I read. It is not necessarily the cover depicted here.

[Anna Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book definitely does give off Cinderella vibes, if you're into that type of thing. I like fairy tale retellings as much as the next person (probably more - see my Goodreads lists), but this book seemed to drag. Phoebe's sister-in-law was literally the worst, and I just kept wanting Phoebe to stand up for herself or tell Marcia or Miranda what was really going on so that someone - ANYONE could help her! Maybe it is more telling of the times, but I felt like Phoebe didn't have anyone in her corner and if this wasn't a GLH novel, she probably would have been raped, murdered, or at the very least, married off against her will, long before the book ended. But ultimately, of course, prince charming comes to rescue her and take her away from her evil family.

*side note: have you noticed that the villain in GLH novels is usually the sister-in-law? Am I the only one? I feel like I want to dig into GLH's life and see what her relationship was to her sisters-in-law...you know, just for kicks...

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book from GLH that I have read here lately. I liked this one better for sure as it contains one of my favorite characters from this author, Miranda. She is in a total of three books and is a delight in each one. Mrs. Hill tends to write some of her protagonists as the most angelic people to grace the earth, and the villains as the evilest person to ever evil. But with Miranda, she managed to write a protagonist who feels very human, who doesn't always do the right thing, but she tries her best and is genuinely a fun character to read. Overall, I enjoyed the plot. Phoebe is a kindhearted woman who gets mistreated by a lot of people around her. I would have preferred it if she had stood up for herself more, but overall, I liked her. Her romance with Nathaniel was sweet, although I do wish they had spent more time together on page; but overall, it worked. I hope to read more from this author in the future.