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The South Wind Blew Softly
In order to collect a $25,000 inheritance from her uncle, vivacious New Yorker Nancy Lansing agrees to spend six months in the small town of Pine City, Florida. Soon Nancy is working as a secretary for--and attracted to--the new minister, a widower with two precocious children.
255 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1959
17 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Livingston Hill
11 books5 followersRuth Livingston Hill, pen name of Ruth Hill Munce (maiden name Ruth Glover Hill), was the daughter of Grace Livingston Hill.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 22, 2015
"It's a wonder you didn't lose your mind."
"Yes. But you see, God was keeping it." He smiled. "A man can't lose what God keeps."
Nancy has to go spend six months in Pine City, Florida, if she wants to inherit $25,000 from her deceased uncle. And her corresponding brief stint as a church secretary for a handsome minister, Jack, doesn't mean she'll have to catch any stifling religion during her stay. Just a few months, and then she'll be out of there with her money.
Right?
The South Wind Blew Softly is the second novel I've read by Ruth Livingston Hill, and despite its updated 1988 cover, the story itself doesn't appear to have been updated from the 50s, when it was first published. (Good! I'm not a fan of updating novels for contemporary audiences. Just let the book be old, the way the author wrote it, and give contemporary readers the chance to relate to something from before their time.) It can be easy to romanticize about old-fashioned Christian Fiction, to think of it as all sweetness and light, but Ruth and her renowned mother, Grace Livingston Hill, did write about sordid matters and seamy sides of humanity within their redemptive messages.
In The South Wind, the author's descriptions of the characters really make them distinctive. Granted, I was nervous when a "colored maid," Emma, was introduced, a mammy figure who is the target of at least one character's clearly ignorant sentiments. But Emma's perception, wisdom, and dignity do come through, and her employer's respect for her as a "wonderful woman" who "really loves the Lord" made me breathe easier.
As for the rest of the characters--eeesh! Most of them are despicable or pitiful. Even the heroine, Nancy, is rather haughty and vulgar at times, and though she does have some positive changes to undergo, I wouldn't say that I ever completely warmed up to or developed definite admiration for her character, though her story is interesting. Her acquaintance (not a romantic acquaintance, mind you) with a certain compassionate and discerning older man actually provided me with some relief. The novel's romance was quite delayed, minor, and didn't strike me as very romantic, but as a romance flaming through most of the story wouldn't have suited either of the characters involved, it suited me just fine.
Having read this and John Nielson Had a Daughter, my favorite novel of all time, I hope to read all of Ruth Livingston Hill's books.
"Yes. But you see, God was keeping it." He smiled. "A man can't lose what God keeps."
Nancy has to go spend six months in Pine City, Florida, if she wants to inherit $25,000 from her deceased uncle. And her corresponding brief stint as a church secretary for a handsome minister, Jack, doesn't mean she'll have to catch any stifling religion during her stay. Just a few months, and then she'll be out of there with her money.
Right?
The South Wind Blew Softly is the second novel I've read by Ruth Livingston Hill, and despite its updated 1988 cover, the story itself doesn't appear to have been updated from the 50s, when it was first published. (Good! I'm not a fan of updating novels for contemporary audiences. Just let the book be old, the way the author wrote it, and give contemporary readers the chance to relate to something from before their time.) It can be easy to romanticize about old-fashioned Christian Fiction, to think of it as all sweetness and light, but Ruth and her renowned mother, Grace Livingston Hill, did write about sordid matters and seamy sides of humanity within their redemptive messages.
In The South Wind, the author's descriptions of the characters really make them distinctive. Granted, I was nervous when a "colored maid," Emma, was introduced, a mammy figure who is the target of at least one character's clearly ignorant sentiments. But Emma's perception, wisdom, and dignity do come through, and her employer's respect for her as a "wonderful woman" who "really loves the Lord" made me breathe easier.
As for the rest of the characters--eeesh! Most of them are despicable or pitiful. Even the heroine, Nancy, is rather haughty and vulgar at times, and though she does have some positive changes to undergo, I wouldn't say that I ever completely warmed up to or developed definite admiration for her character, though her story is interesting. Her acquaintance (not a romantic acquaintance, mind you) with a certain compassionate and discerning older man actually provided me with some relief. The novel's romance was quite delayed, minor, and didn't strike me as very romantic, but as a romance flaming through most of the story wouldn't have suited either of the characters involved, it suited me just fine.
Having read this and John Nielson Had a Daughter, my favorite novel of all time, I hope to read all of Ruth Livingston Hill's books.
June 19, 2023
Not much fan of romance but this Christian romance novel by RLH, is worth the read.
December 29, 2025
I accidentally bought this book thinking it was by Grace Livingston Hill. Only after I got home did I see the big RUTH at the top--the daughter of Grace Livingston Hill. It was similar to her mom's writing style in that she included a Christian message, but RLH managed to weave a bunch of tightly-interconnected characters together in a plot of redemption among life's trials. The romance seemed a little forced, but the overall storyline makes up for that; I didn't read it for the romance anyway. I just like a good story. The cover art to this edition, though, really doesn't fit with the story, which is set in 1959.
May 28, 2012
In order to collect a $25,000 inheritance from her uncle, vivacious New Yorker Nancy Lansing agrees to spend six months in the small town of Pine City, Florida. Soon Nancy is working as a secretary for--and attracted to--the new minister, a widower with two precocious children.
October 6, 2016
It was a pleasant book. I really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews