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The Honor Girl
Book by Hill, Grace Livingston
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1927
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433 people want to read
About the author
Grace Livingston Hill
595 books572 followersalso 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
September 26, 2020
Published in 1927 by Lippincott. Sad, tragic. Tearjerker. I cried a bit. But it ends on a happy note. Theme involves how a family can be split apart by death and alcoholism and how one person can be a catalyst for change. I add this to my house-home shelf because Elsie found her brothers and widower father living in squalor. The house was a pig-sty and a fixer-upper. I found her family’s apathy hard to believe at first, but gradually the author portrayed the inner workings that created such despair in her two brothers and her father. When their mother died and their father started drinking, they felt no hope and abandoned by God.
I didn’t like Elsie at first. She seemed selfish and disloyal to her own family. The shrine (her old bedroom) seemed so sad.
I didn’t like the wealthy aunt. Hill does a good job portraying nasty relatives.
There is a slight romantic edge to the book with a likable fellow for Elsie, but this is not a romance and does not include a wedding. There is a slight focus on going to church, etc., but Hill is not as heavy-handed as she can be, thank goodness.
It would be faulted today for its focus on women staying at home as homemakers. There is much talk of Elsie’s brothers going to college, and it is implied that Elsie herself is college bound, being a high school “honor girl” with top marks in algebra and Latin.
It also would be labeled racist because the housemaids were black. It was written in 1927, so it’s authentic.
I didn’t like Elsie at first. She seemed selfish and disloyal to her own family. The shrine (her old bedroom) seemed so sad.
I didn’t like the wealthy aunt. Hill does a good job portraying nasty relatives.
There is a slight romantic edge to the book with a likable fellow for Elsie, but this is not a romance and does not include a wedding. There is a slight focus on going to church, etc., but Hill is not as heavy-handed as she can be, thank goodness.
It would be faulted today for its focus on women staying at home as homemakers. There is much talk of Elsie’s brothers going to college, and it is implied that Elsie herself is college bound, being a high school “honor girl” with top marks in algebra and Latin.
It also would be labeled racist because the housemaids were black. It was written in 1927, so it’s authentic.
July 3, 2023
I've often compared the women in Grace Livingston Hill's books to the women in Agatha Christie's as they both had books published during the same time period.
There isn't one woman in Hill's books (that's not on the dark side) who drinks, smokes, plays cards, dances (and divorce is that terrible word never thought of).
Christie's women are the complete opposite--drinking, dancing and partying are many times a way of life, plus so many are divorced are wanting one.
Are Christie's women evil and Hill's women saints? I believe many of Hill's heroines take their belief system too far, though it's understandable since she wrote Christian books, and the women are most likely set up as role models for young girls.
Though the women are extremely trusting of men they hardly know and fall in love almost immediately. The characters in her books believe they know a decent man just on the basis of meeting him, and every bad man shows his faults from the start. This situation is misleading--we all know that evil can be covered up with fine manners and a flair for words.
Christie's main characters live a more flamboyant lifestyle, but that doesn't make them wrong, just different. Would the protagonist from The Honor Girl care for one of Christie's characters? Maybe no, but they might find something rare and good in each other and overlook the others faults of being too saintly or not saintly enough.
Though Christie's characters are better at concealing the evil that dwells inside, hidden by smiles, actions and kind words. It's shocking to find out the character that I liked the most turns out to be a murdering fiend.
The Honor Girl is my favorite book by Grace Hill though the beginning part is rather boring. Elsie is so beloved by everyone for her brilliance in her studies and athletics.
After her mother died, she left her father and two brothers to live with her aunt. She hates to even visit her old home and rarely speak to the men she left behind.
One Saturday she must go to her old home to retrieve a book, and she finds her brothers and father live in great filth and poverty. She doesn't understand since they all work and can afford a maid to clean for them.
Standing in horror while looking around the large house, she remembers her father asked her in the last year to move home. At this point, I want her to run and never look back, but she starts to think of the youngest brother, and how his sheets are ripped to shreds and he covers up with coats and an old shawl that belonged to her mother.
She decides to spend the day cleaning and cooking a decent meal, leaving before they arrive home, so as in doubt who their house fairy is.
She hires two women (this part is racist now and should have been racist back then) to help her clean, and orders several items from a department store. The three women are able to make the house comfortable, plus Elsie is able to make all the beds with new sheets and comforters, and add many other normal conveniences such as towels.
This was a time period when a 12 hour/6 day work week was mandatory, and no one is at home nor will they be home until evening, so she has the entire day to make this happen and finishes the meal minutes before the men arrive home.
After arriving back at her Aunt's house, she realizes that she's not happy away from her family and starts to think about moving back home. Every Saturday she goes back and to add more comfort to the home, and her brothers find her. Oh, how they love her, and she can't resist any longer to be away from the home she should never have left.
Elsie has many trials along the way--her father is an alcoholic, and she wants her brothers to attend college which they finally kowtow to her wishes. Along the way, she meets the love of her life as it wouldn't be a Grace Livingston Hill book without a love story looming.
I read this book several times a year, it's a nice change from zombie books and it's quite satisfying, and I love books about my God.
This review is from my blog: http://somanybooksssolittletime.blogs...
There isn't one woman in Hill's books (that's not on the dark side) who drinks, smokes, plays cards, dances (and divorce is that terrible word never thought of).
Christie's women are the complete opposite--drinking, dancing and partying are many times a way of life, plus so many are divorced are wanting one.
Are Christie's women evil and Hill's women saints? I believe many of Hill's heroines take their belief system too far, though it's understandable since she wrote Christian books, and the women are most likely set up as role models for young girls.
Though the women are extremely trusting of men they hardly know and fall in love almost immediately. The characters in her books believe they know a decent man just on the basis of meeting him, and every bad man shows his faults from the start. This situation is misleading--we all know that evil can be covered up with fine manners and a flair for words.
Christie's main characters live a more flamboyant lifestyle, but that doesn't make them wrong, just different. Would the protagonist from The Honor Girl care for one of Christie's characters? Maybe no, but they might find something rare and good in each other and overlook the others faults of being too saintly or not saintly enough.
Though Christie's characters are better at concealing the evil that dwells inside, hidden by smiles, actions and kind words. It's shocking to find out the character that I liked the most turns out to be a murdering fiend.
The Honor Girl is my favorite book by Grace Hill though the beginning part is rather boring. Elsie is so beloved by everyone for her brilliance in her studies and athletics.
After her mother died, she left her father and two brothers to live with her aunt. She hates to even visit her old home and rarely speak to the men she left behind.
One Saturday she must go to her old home to retrieve a book, and she finds her brothers and father live in great filth and poverty. She doesn't understand since they all work and can afford a maid to clean for them.
Standing in horror while looking around the large house, she remembers her father asked her in the last year to move home. At this point, I want her to run and never look back, but she starts to think of the youngest brother, and how his sheets are ripped to shreds and he covers up with coats and an old shawl that belonged to her mother.
She decides to spend the day cleaning and cooking a decent meal, leaving before they arrive home, so as in doubt who their house fairy is.
She hires two women (this part is racist now and should have been racist back then) to help her clean, and orders several items from a department store. The three women are able to make the house comfortable, plus Elsie is able to make all the beds with new sheets and comforters, and add many other normal conveniences such as towels.
This was a time period when a 12 hour/6 day work week was mandatory, and no one is at home nor will they be home until evening, so she has the entire day to make this happen and finishes the meal minutes before the men arrive home.
After arriving back at her Aunt's house, she realizes that she's not happy away from her family and starts to think about moving back home. Every Saturday she goes back and to add more comfort to the home, and her brothers find her. Oh, how they love her, and she can't resist any longer to be away from the home she should never have left.
Elsie has many trials along the way--her father is an alcoholic, and she wants her brothers to attend college which they finally kowtow to her wishes. Along the way, she meets the love of her life as it wouldn't be a Grace Livingston Hill book without a love story looming.
I read this book several times a year, it's a nice change from zombie books and it's quite satisfying, and I love books about my God.
This review is from my blog: http://somanybooksssolittletime.blogs...
September 6, 2025
This book is far from politically correct, but you have to remember that it was written in 1927. This book is written from the view that women belong in the home, and also that no one can take a woman's place in the home.
While I admit to chuckling a bit over the men who lived in a junk pile and didn't seem to know how to clean up after themselves, and the fact that everything was better once the sister came home, I did enjoy the story.
This book has plenty of housekeeping details, which is my favorite thing about Grace Livingston Hill's books, and this is her first book that I read that doesn't end . I have to admit I was quite relieved at that: after all, the heroine is in high school.
While I admit to chuckling a bit over the men who lived in a junk pile and didn't seem to know how to clean up after themselves, and the fact that everything was better once the sister came home, I did enjoy the story.
This book has plenty of housekeeping details, which is my favorite thing about Grace Livingston Hill's books, and this is her first book that I read that doesn't end . I have to admit I was quite relieved at that: after all, the heroine is in high school.
January 2, 2018
This is one of my favorite stories of all time. A girl who has grown up privileged with relatives who are rather worldly and shallow, returns to her father and brothers. It's a difficult life, where depression and squalor have crept into the house. But again and again this scrappy girl manages to change not only the lives they live on the surface, but also they find their truer selves.
I have seen firsthand what a difference surroundings makes in anyone's life. This book underscores this in perhaps a somewhat heavy-handed way, but the transformation is a beautiful one and I like how this girl doesn't wait around for a prince to come rescue her, but makes a plan, and buckles down to do the hard work required to make a genuine change in the life of those she loves.
I've probably read this book a dozen times now, and I have come away happy and content with each reading. I hope to read it a dozen more times yet. :)
I have seen firsthand what a difference surroundings makes in anyone's life. This book underscores this in perhaps a somewhat heavy-handed way, but the transformation is a beautiful one and I like how this girl doesn't wait around for a prince to come rescue her, but makes a plan, and buckles down to do the hard work required to make a genuine change in the life of those she loves.
I've probably read this book a dozen times now, and I have come away happy and content with each reading. I hope to read it a dozen more times yet. :)
March 30, 2013
This hard copy find from a massive library booksale is the book that introduced me to the joy of living in the past with circa 1920's novels. I love seeing into another time and the social standards of the day. Grace Livingston Hill tends to be simple and moralistic, but it's such a refreshing antidote to modern living!
December 31, 2014
While the wealthy heroine manages to clean a whole disheveled house in not even a whole day, plus bake a tasty dinner, that is one of the parts of this book that I find so interesting and amusing, and the fact that she has such a sweet family of grown brothers and her Dad. makes it a read worth keeping.
December 16, 2025
I stumbled upon this book on Audible when a snippet played after I finished my last title. The narrator sounded comforting, and the description simple and soothing.
Elsie is a young lady living with her aunt after the death of her mother, attending classes in “the city” (we don’t know which one). In the opening chapter, she is being observed by her professor friend and his student at her dance recital. The professor sings her praises, describing her prowess at both academics and athletics at the school. The male student scoffs a bit out of envy, declaring that Elsie may be wasting her time, as her place will likely be in the home taking care of a family in the future, with no need for academics.
So begins a story of how Elsie ends up leaving her aunts house and her life of social gaiety and academics to care for her downtrodden county childhood home where her drunken father and two brothers live.
Now… I did enjoy this despite the sometimes cringe-worthy overtones of “a woman’s duty to her family”. Taken as a time capsule and peek into an outlook completely different than my own, it was a nice little story about a clever woman defying expectations and “doing it all” as Elsie continued her studies from afar and refuses to give up her dreams despite living and toiling for 3 men weaponizing their incompetence with gusto.
Was this feminist at all? Absolutely not. But written in the early 1900s, that wasn’t exactly a shock.
Did the descriptions of cleaning the filthy house and making dinner inspire me to clean my own home? Yes, and I kind of loved that.
3.5 stars, reader be aware of the light Christian themes and the need to constantly remind yourself that this story is definitely “of a time”.
Elsie is a young lady living with her aunt after the death of her mother, attending classes in “the city” (we don’t know which one). In the opening chapter, she is being observed by her professor friend and his student at her dance recital. The professor sings her praises, describing her prowess at both academics and athletics at the school. The male student scoffs a bit out of envy, declaring that Elsie may be wasting her time, as her place will likely be in the home taking care of a family in the future, with no need for academics.
So begins a story of how Elsie ends up leaving her aunts house and her life of social gaiety and academics to care for her downtrodden county childhood home where her drunken father and two brothers live.
Now… I did enjoy this despite the sometimes cringe-worthy overtones of “a woman’s duty to her family”. Taken as a time capsule and peek into an outlook completely different than my own, it was a nice little story about a clever woman defying expectations and “doing it all” as Elsie continued her studies from afar and refuses to give up her dreams despite living and toiling for 3 men weaponizing their incompetence with gusto.
Was this feminist at all? Absolutely not. But written in the early 1900s, that wasn’t exactly a shock.
Did the descriptions of cleaning the filthy house and making dinner inspire me to clean my own home? Yes, and I kind of loved that.
3.5 stars, reader be aware of the light Christian themes and the need to constantly remind yourself that this story is definitely “of a time”.
October 24, 2022
This was a good book. Its theme is not very modern, and some readers may not appreciate it.
A girl has been raised by her aunt and uncle and has always had everything she needed. She hasn't grown up spoiled, however and she is very successful in school.
Life is not as easy for her father and brothers, and when she finds out their condition one day, she decides to help them out. She gradually gets more involved in their lives, and this helps them to also do better for themselves.
I just gave this book three stars, I don't think it is one of the best. There are two things I really appreciated about it, though. First, it deals wisely and gracefully with the subject of alcoholism. In most of Mrs. Hill's books, the plotlines are neatly tied up. This is one where everything is not so perfect. But we are not led to believe that the virtue of the female character is all that is needed to correct the problem of alcoholism. Second, this book does distiguish between the worldly acheivements of the heroine and her nobility of character. She is first "the honor girl" because of her excellence in her educational career. Later, she becomes "the honor girl" because of her excellence in character.
A girl has been raised by her aunt and uncle and has always had everything she needed. She hasn't grown up spoiled, however and she is very successful in school.
Life is not as easy for her father and brothers, and when she finds out their condition one day, she decides to help them out. She gradually gets more involved in their lives, and this helps them to also do better for themselves.
I just gave this book three stars, I don't think it is one of the best. There are two things I really appreciated about it, though. First, it deals wisely and gracefully with the subject of alcoholism. In most of Mrs. Hill's books, the plotlines are neatly tied up. This is one where everything is not so perfect. But we are not led to believe that the virtue of the female character is all that is needed to correct the problem of alcoholism. Second, this book does distiguish between the worldly acheivements of the heroine and her nobility of character. She is first "the honor girl" because of her excellence in her educational career. Later, she becomes "the honor girl" because of her excellence in character.
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July 24, 2014Beautiful writing! What happens to the girl that has it all after high school? Is she "honorable"to the core? What will she do when she sees her brother and dad living in dire conditions, will she abandon her life of ease to help them? Can she "give up" such a bright future?
The answers to these questions surprised and delighted me. My only comment is that this really isn't a romance but just a delightful story. Completely clean and darling.
The answers to these questions surprised and delighted me. My only comment is that this really isn't a romance but just a delightful story. Completely clean and darling.
October 12, 2016
Not as good as I've come to expect from this author.
September 2, 2023
his was a pretty simple, moralistic story. I was hoping for a bit more Christianity but it wasn’t there beyond a few prayer (the first one that her brothers would want to get a better education!), some church going, and that’s pretty much it.
Elsie was sweet and very accomplished in the art of cooking and keeping house for someone who is 16 and who has been living a life of ease and wealth for five years, but I liked her. I really liked Jack and Gene and was glad to see them moving in the right direction once they had someone to point it out.
The synopsis in the book I read made it sound like a totally different sort of book, but I was glad it didn’t go that far. I kept waiting for the “trial by fire” but when the supposed thing happened, it felt almost like it was just thrown in for drama. And I haven’t figured out how they got all their money for all they did, but that was okay.
They ending left things a little up in the air about some things, but it’s pretty easy to imagine what happened.
I don’t know if all versions are like this, but this one had quite a few euphemisms.
Overall I enjoyed the story. I can’t say it was a favorite, but it wasn’t bad either.
Elsie was sweet and very accomplished in the art of cooking and keeping house for someone who is 16 and who has been living a life of ease and wealth for five years, but I liked her. I really liked Jack and Gene and was glad to see them moving in the right direction once they had someone to point it out.
The synopsis in the book I read made it sound like a totally different sort of book, but I was glad it didn’t go that far. I kept waiting for the “trial by fire” but when the supposed thing happened, it felt almost like it was just thrown in for drama. And I haven’t figured out how they got all their money for all they did, but that was okay.
They ending left things a little up in the air about some things, but it’s pretty easy to imagine what happened.
I don’t know if all versions are like this, but this one had quite a few euphemisms.
Overall I enjoyed the story. I can’t say it was a favorite, but it wasn’t bad either.
July 27, 2019
This was a difficult book, I fully support women working to make a home for their families, I can even go so far as that it may be the most important thing they do, but this book, or at least some of the characters in this book, imply that it is the only thing women are good for, and that really irks me. I don't think that GLH really supports that view but it is an impression you could get from reading this. Other than that the story was good as far as it went, Elsie is a nice strong lead who sets to work and gets things done, but it ends very abruptly just as our heroine has gotten everything started. I will have to do some research and find out if there is a sequel.
Jul 2019:
On second reading the attitude mentioned above did not seem so prominent and I really enjoyed the part where Elsie comes in secretly each week to do things for her father and brothers it reminded me of the "magic" in A Little Princess. There does not seem to be a sequel though and I still wish there was just a little more of this story.
Jul 2019:
On second reading the attitude mentioned above did not seem so prominent and I really enjoyed the part where Elsie comes in secretly each week to do things for her father and brothers it reminded me of the "magic" in A Little Princess. There does not seem to be a sequel though and I still wish there was just a little more of this story.
December 31, 2012
This is one of my single favorite books of all time. I re read it every couple of years :) It brings me back to my childhood, when I read it the first time, and I can see how she evolved, and how I've grown up :)
October 7, 2013
Hadn't read this in years but really enjoyed reading it again. Makes me think of my mother's mom (who I never met) that had to go live with an aunt after her mother died. She never went back to live with her father and brother though, as the character Elsie in the story did.
March 29, 2025
GLH has not written one book that I have not enjoyed. I have all of her books. Some first editions. I really like this book, if only our country could go back to the standards of that time when a homemaker was appreciated and looked upon with respect.
July 9, 2009
Comfort read.
December 10, 2012
Very Good!
February 23, 2015
Read many tmes!
February 10, 2025
Perhaps this isn't the best GLH novel, but it was sweet and just what I needed. I love how it is about a girl who shows love to her father and brothers and teaches them a better way of life.
Note: this has less Christianity in it than most of GLH's works.
Note: this has less Christianity in it than most of GLH's works.
January 17, 2019
Easy and Fun Read
While Grace Livingston Hill is no theologian or some great novelist, her stories are timeless. They remind you of a simpler time when life focused around family and love. Honor Girl is no different. It follows the story of Elsie who gives up a cushy life with her Aunt and Uncle to take care of her father and two brothers, bringing with her the steady influence of a woman of God.
While Grace Livingston Hill is no theologian or some great novelist, her stories are timeless. They remind you of a simpler time when life focused around family and love. Honor Girl is no different. It follows the story of Elsie who gives up a cushy life with her Aunt and Uncle to take care of her father and two brothers, bringing with her the steady influence of a woman of God.
January 21, 2016
This book was written originally back in 1929 and may not be deemed politically correct in present day. GLH wrote Christian books where people were faced with the problems of life and love and triumphed. I have read others and this one is not her best. There is also something wrong with the timeline as she has Elsie leaving home at 8 years old and living with her aunt for 5 years. That would only make her 13 years old. From the story I would put her age closer to 18.
June 16, 2018
Well it is a classic and has some noble ideas about women but being the modern gal that I am I had a little bit of an uneasy feeling that this portrayal of an intelligent women giving up her dreams to sacrifice for her family was a little unbalanced. This book bristled my feminist side.
January 19, 2023
Its cheerful
July 17, 2023
I have read several GLH books over the years. This one was a new one for me.
Written in the 1920’s, it depicts a different time. It is a time of great hardship for many. Poverty was rampant. Medical fixes were not what they are now. People often died from diseases that can be cured now.
This is a story of the downfall and redemption of a family. Father, mother, two sons and a daughter are all in crisis when the mother succumbs to a brief illness in her early forties. A loving aunt and uncle offer to raise the young daughter and provide for her needs, as she should “have a mother’s influence.” The father, who is desolate from the loss of his wife, agrees that maybe this would be best, so he goes along with the arrangement, not knowing that this is the undoing of his family.
As time goes by, the father and his sons struggle through daily life without mother and daughter. Their depression and hard times with work erode their home life to a point of apathy and despair. The house becomes a nightmare to return to each day, there is little food and the men are just working and sleeping, not really living.
Meanwhile, the daughter Elsie, is content living life w her wealthy uncle and aunt and cousins. She is so taken into the family and treated like one of them,that she eventually loses sight of her brothers and father. Visits to them become less frequent and she is living life in the fast lane. She excels in school, music athletics and beauty and is the pride of her high school professors.
Life is wonderful for Elsie until one day she returns to her home, after a long absence. She has gone there to retrieve a book. No one is home so she thinks she can just slip in and get her book and leave. But what she finds when she opens the door changes her life forever.
This is a lovely book about the true value of family and family loyalty and what really matters in life. It is an excellent read. I would recommend it for juvenile and high school aged readers.
June 28, 2023
I have read several GLH books over the years. This one was a new one for me.
Written in the 1920’s, it depicts a different time. It is a time of great hardship for many. Poverty was rampant. Medical fixes were not what they are now. People often died from diseases that can be cured now.
This is a story of the downfall and redemption of a family. Father, mother, two sons and a daughter are all in crisis when the mother succumbs to a brief illness in her early forties. A loving aunt and uncle offer to raise the young daughter and provide for her needs, as she should “have a mother’s influence.” The father, who is desolate from the loss of his wife, agrees that maybe this would be best, so he goes along with the arrangement, not knowing that this is the undoing of his family.
As time goes by, the father and his sons struggle through daily life without mother and daughter. Their depression and hard times with work erode their home life to a point of apathy and despair. The house becomes a nightmare to return to each day, there is little food and the men are just working and sleeping, not really living.
Meanwhile, the daughter Elsie, is content living life w her wealthy uncle and aunt and cousins. She is so taken into the family and treated like one of them,that she eventually loses sight of her brothers and father. Visits to them become less frequent and she is living life in the fast lane. She excels in school, music athletics and beauty and is the pride of her high school professors.
Life is wonderful for Elsie until one day she returns to her home, after a long absence. She has gone there to retrieve a book. No one is home so she thinks she can just slip in and get her book and leave. But what she finds when she opens the door changes her life forever.
This is a lovely book about the true value of family and family loyalty and what really matters in life. It is an excellent read. I would recommend it for juvenile and high school aged readers.
Written in the 1920’s, it depicts a different time. It is a time of great hardship for many. Poverty was rampant. Medical fixes were not what they are now. People often died from diseases that can be cured now.
This is a story of the downfall and redemption of a family. Father, mother, two sons and a daughter are all in crisis when the mother succumbs to a brief illness in her early forties. A loving aunt and uncle offer to raise the young daughter and provide for her needs, as she should “have a mother’s influence.” The father, who is desolate from the loss of his wife, agrees that maybe this would be best, so he goes along with the arrangement, not knowing that this is the undoing of his family.
As time goes by, the father and his sons struggle through daily life without mother and daughter. Their depression and hard times with work erode their home life to a point of apathy and despair. The house becomes a nightmare to return to each day, there is little food and the men are just working and sleeping, not really living.
Meanwhile, the daughter Elsie, is content living life w her wealthy uncle and aunt and cousins. She is so taken into the family and treated like one of them,that she eventually loses sight of her brothers and father. Visits to them become less frequent and she is living life in the fast lane. She excels in school, music athletics and beauty and is the pride of her high school professors.
Life is wonderful for Elsie until one day she returns to her home, after a long absence. She has gone there to retrieve a book. No one is home so she thinks she can just slip in and get her book and leave. But what she finds when she opens the door changes her life forever.
This is a lovely book about the true value of family and family loyalty and what really matters in life. It is an excellent read. I would recommend it for juvenile and high school aged readers.
July 2, 2024
Grace Livingston Hill wasn't only a prolific author but a courageous one in that she didn't shy away from what was considered scandalous in her day. She was also talented, because she writes about such subjects in a tactful way, using them as lessons of grace, love, and faith for the characters and consquently, the readers. In this particular story, alcoholism is addressed, so a word of warning as that can be a delicate subject for some. While all the Hill elements are here, it still struck me as a unique Hill, different from her others I have read. Still a great read, nonetheless.
March 26, 2021
I love this story! It is a sweet account of a girl deciding that her father and brothers matter, and acting like it. I really enjoyed how the different characters grow and change and interact with each other, and I also enjoyed the fact that the story is more about the girl's personal growth and the growth of her family members than about the developing relationship between her and the love interest.
This is probably the most understated romance of any of this author's books. :)
This is probably the most understated romance of any of this author's books. :)
July 5, 2021
Made a new goal to read every GLH book, and this was next. It was fine. Basically a re- write of Hill's earlier book, "Re-Creations" and frankly, I liked that one better. The ending of this one left SO.MUCH up in the air. Re-Creations was perfection, and this one was a poor imitation. If you have the choice, don't bother reading this one- read Re-Creations instead.
July 5, 2021
I turn to one of Grace Livingston Hill's books when I want to escape to a yesteryear that I never knew but somehow offers comfort. And I often learn a lesson I needed--we can win all the awards and have worldly success, but family comes first. Plain and simple.
Oh, if it were only that simple.
Oh, if it were only that simple.
November 7, 2022
Elsie Hathaway, star student, society favorite, spoiled by living with her uncle and aunt after her mother’s death, realizes that her father and two brothers need her more than ever, and returns to make their house a home again.
Very clean; Christian; not politically correct.
Very clean; Christian; not politically correct.
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