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The Brown Study
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1914
15 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Grace S. Richmond
52 books31 followersGrace Louise Smith Richmond (1866–1959), American romance novelist created the Dr. R.P. Burns series.
Her first short stories were published in various women's magazines including the Women's Home Companion, Ladies' Home Journal, and Everybody's Magazine as early as 1898. Richmond wrote 27 novels between 1905 and 1936. Red Pepper Burns was published in 1910. Like most of her strong-willed yet compassionate characters, R.P. Burns is a kind, old-souled country doctor who makes house calls. His fiery red hair and temper to match earned him his nickname Red Pepper, though he is still a charming and endearing gentleman. Mrs. Red Pepper (1913), Red Pepper's Patients (1917), and Red of the Redfields (1924) followed.
Her first short stories were published in various women's magazines including the Women's Home Companion, Ladies' Home Journal, and Everybody's Magazine as early as 1898. Richmond wrote 27 novels between 1905 and 1936. Red Pepper Burns was published in 1910. Like most of her strong-willed yet compassionate characters, R.P. Burns is a kind, old-souled country doctor who makes house calls. His fiery red hair and temper to match earned him his nickname Red Pepper, though he is still a charming and endearing gentleman. Mrs. Red Pepper (1913), Red Pepper's Patients (1917), and Red of the Redfields (1924) followed.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 30, 2016
4.5 stars for the title story, 3 stars for the bonus story.
What does the young preacher Mr. Brown do when he finds himself depending more on personal comfort than the word of God? He gives up his fancy church and goes to live among the poor, of course! This was an interesting and enjoyable short book.
What does the young preacher Mr. Brown do when he finds himself depending more on personal comfort than the word of God? He gives up his fancy church and goes to live among the poor, of course! This was an interesting and enjoyable short book.
September 28, 2018
Wonderful, inspirational story of love and faith
If you are looking for an edge-of-your-seat suspenseful book, this is definitely not it. But if you are looking for a sweet story about a man who gives up his whole world (only to find a delightful new one in service to God) this would be the book. While some might consider the book preachy or unrealistic, I enjoyed the emphasis on old fashioned values. The last chapter is really an entirely separate short story, also very sweet but a little more saccharine than I like.
If you are looking for an edge-of-your-seat suspenseful book, this is definitely not it. But if you are looking for a sweet story about a man who gives up his whole world (only to find a delightful new one in service to God) this would be the book. While some might consider the book preachy or unrealistic, I enjoyed the emphasis on old fashioned values. The last chapter is really an entirely separate short story, also very sweet but a little more saccharine than I like.
January 21, 2024
Came very, very close to having to DNF for one profanity (d----d) in the first chapter, and the only reason I continued was because it seemed like it might be a quote of something that actually existed (in the real world) that readers of the time might have recognized. I'm not sure about that, but because it felt like it might have been, it slid just under the wire of my DNF line.
As to the story itself, of course I loved Mr. Brown, and I liked the way he adapted himself to his new environment and didn't make any of his poorer neighbors feel lesser-than or like he was any different from them. Seeing how much it cost him to give up the lifestyle he'd been used to made me respect him all the more, and my heart broke a little when he had to fend off the well-intended arguments of all the friends he cared so much about in order to keep at what he believed was his calling. After a certain thing happened, I didn't know how it could work out happily, but it did, and after the one glimpse we had earlier, I think I can believe that everything will be okay in the future. ;)
The other story, "The Time of His Life," was not so deep, but cute, and with some flashes of depth hidden in places you wouldn't necessarily expect. I didn't see for a while how Julius was ever going to get his friend and his sister to exchange more than a quick "hello," but things did work out, and I liked the way the story wrapped up. <3
3.5 stars
As to the story itself, of course I loved Mr. Brown, and I liked the way he adapted himself to his new environment and didn't make any of his poorer neighbors feel lesser-than or like he was any different from them. Seeing how much it cost him to give up the lifestyle he'd been used to made me respect him all the more, and my heart broke a little when he had to fend off the well-intended arguments of all the friends he cared so much about in order to keep at what he believed was his calling. After a certain thing happened, I didn't know how it could work out happily, but it did, and after the one glimpse we had earlier, I think I can believe that everything will be okay in the future. ;)
The other story, "The Time of His Life," was not so deep, but cute, and with some flashes of depth hidden in places you wouldn't necessarily expect. I didn't see for a while how Julius was ever going to get his friend and his sister to exchange more than a quick "hello," but things did work out, and I liked the way the story wrapped up. <3
3.5 stars
December 14, 2018
This is my most favourite book written by Grace S. Richmond. I could read this book every year, just to relive the beautiful emotions it evokes. I love that Mr. Brown truly grasps the meaning of being a good preacher, and the sacrifices he makes are very commendable. This kind of Christian fiction with a bit of lovely romance woven in is the best kind. I will forever hold this story close to my heart and look back to it time and again for support in times of ill-luck.
April 8, 2015
Donald Brown is a minister of a large and prosperous congregation. During a period of convalescence he moves to a poorer neighborhood. There he begins to befriend his neighbors, learning to see their great value and goodness. He learns to love them, and they him. He begins to see that God's plan for him is to help these people. His wealthy friends are good, but they need him less. Of course there is a love story that is sweetly played out.
This is really a long short story, or short novella. I was surprised how quickly it ended, and was a trifle disappointed that I didn't get to know the characters better and see how their lives developed.
July 9, 2015
Really enjoying Grace S. Richmond's style right now. Some great quotes from this novella.
December 5, 2020
Pretty decent prose. Would make a good text for sociohistorical study.
November 25, 2020
Novella about a young, burned-out pastor who fights with his friends & family in order to be able to work with the poor instead of his former congregation of rich society folk. A decent story, although I'm not keen on the way he talks about the poor people as if their company is more effective to his salvation than the company of the well-off.
This volume includes a short boy-meets-girl story after the novella.
This volume includes a short boy-meets-girl story after the novella.
March 27, 2015
The reasons I dislike vintage novels (preachy and sentimental) are the same reasons I'm drawn to them (morally uplifting and undemanding).
The Brown Study, was a pleasant surprise in light reading. It had a nice twist on the common plot of "poor-girl-meets-rich-boy-and-they-live happily-ever-after." Donald Brown is the young pastor of the huge wealthy congregation of St. Timothy's. After some soul-searching, he decides that he's wasting his life serving such superficial folks, and he makes the experiment of moving into a poor neighborhood to see if he can make a difference there. His friends think he's a lunatic and the gist of the book is how they all come to understand one another. (There's a little romance too.) The title is a pun on the old-fashioned expression "Brown Study," which means to think deeply about something.
The Brown Study, was a pleasant surprise in light reading. It had a nice twist on the common plot of "poor-girl-meets-rich-boy-and-they-live happily-ever-after." Donald Brown is the young pastor of the huge wealthy congregation of St. Timothy's. After some soul-searching, he decides that he's wasting his life serving such superficial folks, and he makes the experiment of moving into a poor neighborhood to see if he can make a difference there. His friends think he's a lunatic and the gist of the book is how they all come to understand one another. (There's a little romance too.) The title is a pun on the old-fashioned expression "Brown Study," which means to think deeply about something.
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January 19, 2016
Two novellas - The Brown Study was quite good - the other ok.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews