The Witness

by Grace Livingston Hill

Book by Hill, Grace Livingston

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

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1917

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

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vintage Christian Fiction

I have read many books by Isabella Alden, this author’s aunt, but this is my first Grace Livingston Hill. I found her story-telling to be as compulsive as Alden’s, and it is understandable that books by both these authors have stood the test of time. They both wrote Christian fiction with a strong gospel message and both used everyday situations and events as a base for their stories.

In this book, a young college man, Stephen, is a committed Christian and as he seems to prefer studying to joining his fellow students in their extra-curricular activities, they decide to play a prank on him. The ringleader, Pat McCluny, is the hard man of the college football team, and he and his friends are determined to bring Stephen down to their level, although, of course, Pat doesn’t see it in quite that light.

Paul Courtland, the top scholar, top everything, and most popular man in the college, doesn’t take an active part in the so-called prank, but stands by, looking after the coats of his fellow students. Sound familiar? Yes, very familiar to me too so I knew what was coming, and the scenario followed pretty much that found in the original Paul and Stephen story, even down to Paul’s temporary blindness.

Throw an evil young woman, a siren called Gila Dare, into the plot along with another, really good young woman, Bonnie, and there are all the makings of the classic good versus evil. We also have a couple of wonderful characters in Stephen’s parents, Mother and Father Marshall with all their homespun charm, goodness, big hearts and a strong faith.

Hill’s characters are excellently drawn and the good are very good and the evil are really evil, but they are all real people, not caricatures. The story itself is very well-crafted and there are a few unexpected turns in the plot that prevent it from being too predictable.

In this story Hill incorporates a strong social justice theme. Paul not only talks the talk, he also walks the walk. He comes from money and he uses it in a way that astounds his fellow students. He brings the rotten working conditions of the poor into the light, but doesn’t stop there. He actively does something to bring about improvements, following a strong Christian tradition in bringing about social change.

I really enjoyed this book and will be reading more of Hill’s books.

[Angie Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the strong faith element in this and the emphasis on the Holy Spirit's presence and leading. Didn't particularly like the fact that the romantic element was so focused on the wrong romance with so little attention given to the right one. The rose-colored glasses that everyone seemed to view Gila with frustrated me to no end--it's probably true to life, but that doesn't make it easy to watch.

Content--a few instances of profanity (condemned) or "watered-down" expressions; a girl mentions palm-reading as a pretext for taking a man's hand; some intense scenes; non-graphic descriptions of death; a woman deserts her husband and child for another man

[Perry Whitford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've got nothing against religious enthusiasm. Does it have to be this dull though?

College jock Paul Courtland gets "stung by the religious bug" after a near death experience when he is visited by the 'Presence.' Shame it took him another three hundred pages to work out what it means to be a Christian

The first chapter was certainly extraordinary in a way, beginning with a fraternity hazing and ending with a fire in a theatre where the hazee performed heroics before being burnt to death. Courtland survives the blaze and Jesus drops n to say hello.

Disturbed by his new evangelical ways, his friends direct a staggeringly feather-brained Scarlet Woman to get her hooks into him. Courtland's naivety towards this trollop's true character accounted for much of the plot and drove me near crazy.

There was a subplot involving a deathtrap factory and a more suitable romantic match for him elsewhere called Bonnie, but the bimbo vs the born again Christian dragged on throughout untill one of his stupid friends fell for her.

Livingston Hill wrote scores of these stories. Her intentions were clearly good.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful allegory loosely based on the story of Stephen and Saul/Paul from the Bible. Stephen, Paul, Pat and 'Nelly' are college classmates. Stephen is a little too "goody-goody" for the gang and they decide to take some of his polish off by forcing him to swear and attend a risque theater production. When Stephen stands against them, they give up on the swearing and forcibly tote him to the theater. During the production, the theater catches fire and Stephen is instrumental in helping to rescue many people before he falls to his death. Paul witnesses not only Stephen's strength in standing up to his classmates' persecution, but also his triumphant bearing as he faces a fiery death. Injured himself, Paul lies insensible in a hospital bed for many days, where he is visited by a wonderful Presence that he recognizes as the source of Stephen's character.

Paul's life is changed in many ways by Stephen's death and the entrance of the Presence into his life. This is a wonderful story; one of Grace's best in my opinion.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very different GLH story. There are obvious parallels with Paul and Stephen of the Bible, the romance that gets the most page time is a bad girl trying to seduce the good guy. Yet, I found to this book encouraging. This book is about a man who, imperfectly, walks with God after witnessing a Christian die nobly. Perhaps it was just the timing of the book, but I found it refreshing to my soul.
I also appreciated in this one how GLH shows that the bad girl shows a very different face to the good guy than she does to everyone else. I think it actually made since why he was taken in at first, but he stood his ground when it mattered most.
Also, I loved how she had redemption in the end.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my first time reading this one, but I liked it well enough to read again when I realized that. A 'modern' retelling of the New Testament story of Paul. The good characters are a little too wonderful and the bad ones a little too black for it to be great writing, but it made me think about how I am living my life which I think is important in good Christian fiction.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace Livingston Hill lived 1895-1947 and wrote more than 100 books I discovered them at age 12 or 13 and devoured them. I started reading them again when I discovered so many public domain titles available for Kindle. They're usually classified as romances, but the romance is just background for social commentary. They always include a character of means who is somehow led to make a better life for children of the street or someone else in dire straits, sometimes a love interest.

In this title, a young man witnesses a tragedy he could have prevented and is led to be a better person. There's also a romance, which is threatened by a real Jezebel.

Although the books follow a formula, aren't great literature and are probably way too preachy for some, they never fail to deliver a good story that keeps me reading. They're also real tear-jerkers.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story. A young man tries to understand the feeling he has of Christ’s Presence in his life after a serious brush with death, coupled with a sense of responsibility for the death of a heroic college classmate. He falls heavily for the wrong girl, even though she shuns his search for Truth. He helps a bereaved young woman find a home with a loving, and also grieving family, grows in his faith and realization that God’s grace is for him, and is a strong influence in many lives. Subtle reflections of the Apostle Paul’s life are hinted at. I listened to this book as a free download from LibriVox.org. First published in 1917.

[Bre Teschendorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although we all know old Gracey tends to be a bit of an exaggerator, syrupy sweet characters, terrible villains, I found this book to be a tad more on the mark. I found Jena to be exactly like several women I have met and the struggles that Paul faced made him very real to life and likeable.
Of course, it would be a Grace Livingston book without a very happy ending and this book does't fail to satisfy!
Both spiritually uplifting and entertaining, I would say that this is one of her best novels!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story. Beautiful picture of motherhood. The main character is a type of Paul from the new testament. There is a parallel throughout the story between the main character's and Paul's lives. One of my favorite things about this books is the mother that Paul comes to know and love.

[Lorie Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read books by this author since she was my mothers favorite. Even though they were written so long ago they just touch my heart... Cried like a baby when Bonnie found her new parents. I just miss my own sweet mother so much!

[Leti806 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully inspired writing.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. The characters are brought to life with a genuine reality of the world we live in. Hope abounds within its pages, and one grows to love the characters and grow to love the Presence even more.

[Margaret Boehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good story about strong Christian character. Teaches about character and about listening to our Savior and following him and not others.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good! I like Grace Livingston Hill's story telling. This had a little of everything, drama, humor, suspense, love. Good book!

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet book. A bit too sweet but it was balanced well with reality. First GVH book. I will read more.

[Eveline Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read.

[Cyndee Fopma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spell binding

Spell binding

wonderful Christian literature a believable story that kept you reading more an not wanting to stop, at the end I wanted more.

[Cindy Moyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

[larry brashear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, inspiring!

What an awesome and Godly story. This book carries one from the depths of sinful despair to the goodness and grace of Almighty God.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent audio read by Scarlet576 from Librivox.org

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young man named Paul holds the coats of his friends who are persecuting a young Christian named Stephen, and the incident results in Stephen’s death. Sound familiar? But no, it isn’t from the New Testament. It’s The Witness by Grace Livingston Hill, my new favorite author. It takes place in a college dormitory, and Paul’s frat brothers are hazing Stephen because he won’t use profanity. After Stephen’s death, Paul visits the shrine that his buddies set up in his dorm room, and after feeling a strong “presence” there, Paul becomes a converted Christian. Of course there’s way more to the story than that. An evil, beautiful girl is set on Paul to get him off the right path, and a beautiful Christian girl wins him back before it’s too late. This is a refreshing, clean-cut story of a young man coming to Christ, and I enjoyed it immensely.

[Lady Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: indeterminate / 5

For such a pretty cover, I expected a nicer and much more interesting story, but I’m afraid that with this one, Hill lost me when she described what I’m pretty sure was a Catholic service, and then had Paul Courtland (the protagonist) sum it up as “rotten”, as though everyone was playacting and just putting on a performance and God wasn’t present there at all.

Newsflash: There is NOT just one correct way of worship, and even if you strongly support just one way, making it out that other ways are wrong or that God isn’t present in them is just the type of prejudice and discrimination that religion should preach AGAINST.

And unfortunately, the story itself wasn’t interesting enough to get me past this, so 10% into it and I’m DNFing it.

Even Hill, whose works I’m collecting, has a bad book every now and then.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I've reached my GLH limit for a while. This one bored my socks off, and I can't afford to be without socks on the coldest day of the year.

The narrator had decent affect, but her pronunciation! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ Bless her heart...

[Abigail G · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging book that while following a routine pattern had a few surprises a d contained deep content that kept me fully engaged in the story.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this book. I'm not sure why, just because of the mood I've been in these last few weeks, not a good one. So this book, The Witness came along and almost kept going past since I never heard of it before and there wasn't a clue what it was about, except somebody witnessed something I thought. But I had read some of the author's books before, so I started, and now I'm glad I did. First, the things I didn't like:

College, that's where it starts, at a college. I have never been sorry that I've never been near one, after getting through those twelve years of school they made me go to, I wasn't about to sign up for four more willingly. But that's where we find Paul Courtland and all his friends.

Next, one of our stars of the story, Gila, the girl Courtland, and just about every other young man on the planet loves. She agrees reluctantly to visit a girl in the hospital because Paul asks her to. A very, very poor girl, and she really doesn't want to get near a poor person, but she goes. This is how she treats the girl:

"Well, I've brought you a few things!" declared Gila, in a most offensive tone. "Paul Courtland asked me to come and see what I could do for you." She swung her moleskin trappings about and pointed to the box. "I don't believe in giving money, not often," she declared, with a tilt of her nasty little chin that suddenly seemed to curve out in a hateful, Satanic point, "but I don't mind giving a little lift in other ways to persons who are truly worthy, you know. I've brought you a few evening dresses that I'm done with. It may help you to get a position playing for the movies, perhaps; or if you don't know rag-time, perhaps you might act—they'll take almost anybody, I understand, if they have good clothes. Besides, I'm going to give you an introduction to a girls' employment club. They have a hall and hold dances once a week and you get acquainted. It only costs you ten cents a week and it will give you a place to spend your evenings. If you join that you'll need evening dresses for the dances. Of course I understand some of the girls just go in their street suits, but you stand a great deal better chance of having a good time if you are dressed attractively. And then they say men often go in there evenings to look for a stenographer, or an actor, or some kind of a worker, and they always pick out the prettiest. Dress goes a great way if you use it rightly. Now there's a frock in here—" Gila stooped and untied the cord on the box. "This frock cost a hundred and fifty dollars, and I never wore it but once!"

She held up a tattered blue net adorned with straggling, crushed, artificial rosebuds, its sole pretension to a waist being a couple of straps of silver tissue attached to a couple of rags of blue net. It looked for all the world like a draggled butterfly.

"It's torn in one or two places," pursued Gila's ready tongue, "but it's easily mended. I wore it to a dance and somebody stepped on the hem. I suppose you are good at mending. A girl in your position ought to know how to sew. My maid usually mends things like this with a thread of itself. You can pull one out along the hem, I should think. Then here is a pink satin. It needs cleaning. They don't charge more than two or three dollars—or perhaps you might use gasolene. I had slippers to match, but I couldn't find but one. I brought that along. I thought you might do something with it. They were horribly expensive—made to order, you know. Then this cerise chiffon, all covered with sequins, is really too showy for a girl in your station, but in case you get a chance to act you might need it, and anyhow I never cared for it. It isn't becoming to me. Here's an indigo charmeuse with silver trimmings. I got horribly tired of it, but you will look stunning in it. It might even help you catch a rich husband; who knows! There's half a dozen pairs of white evening gloves! I might have had them cleaned, but if you can use them I can get new ones. And there's a bundle of old silk stockings! They haven't any toes or heels much, but I suppose you can darn them. And of course you can't afford to buy expensive silk stockings!"

Our sick girl, Bonnie, refuses all the lovely torn dresses and worn out stockings, and our generous Gila leaves in a huff. I guess she had to find someone else to dump her old clothing on.

And finally there is Ramsey Thomas, the owner of a "model factory" who wants to hire Courtland to work in. It is described as being built of all white marble, with vines over the place, and big rest-room and reading-room for the hands, gymnasium on the roof, a model restaurant, all up to date. Ramsey says that whenever some whining idiot of a woman, goes blabbing about the working conditions in the factories, they run a few senators up there for the day and show them the factory, it pays in the long run. Not only are the workers not allowed to use all these wonderful modern things all over the place, they get locked into the factory in the morning and not left out until evening. I have no idea why they would think this was necessary, but they do it. And girls faint from the heat, you better not do that, you could get fired for fainting on the job.

So those are the things I don't like in the book. The story begins with the college boys going to a theater and making another boy, Stephen, go with them after they cover him with rotten eggs, just because they can. And dressing him in any stupid clothing they can find they carry him to the theater. And at the theater a fire breaks out, and as the fire consumes the building Stephen stays inside helping people get out of the fire escape:

The fire was gaining in the pit; and still there were people down there, swarms of them, struggling, crying, lifting piteous hands for assistance. Still Stephen Marshall reached from the gallery and pulled up, one after another, poor creatures, and still the helpless thronged and cried for aid.

Dizzy, blinded, his eyes filled with smoke, his muscles trembling with the terrible strain, he stood at his post. The minutes seemed interminable hours, and still he worked, with heart pumping painfully, and mind that seemed to have no thought save to reach down for another and another, and point up to safety.

Then, into the midst of the confusion there arose an instant of great and awful silence. One of those silences that come even into great sound and claim attention from the most absorbed.

Paul Courtland, high in his chosen station, working eagerly, successfully, calmly, looked down to see the cause of this sudden arresting of the universe; and there, below, was the pit full of flame, with people struggling and disappearing into fiery depths below. Just above the pit stood Stephen, lifting aloft a little child with frightened eyes and long streaming curls. He swung him high and turned to stoop again; then with his stooping came the crash; the rending, grinding, groaning, twisting of all that held those great galleries in place, as the fire licked hold of their supports and wrenched them out of position.

One instant Stephen was standing by that crimson-velvet railing, with his lifted hand pointing the way to safety for the child, the flaming fire lighting his face with glory, his hair a halo about his head, and in the next instant, even as his hand was held out to save another, the gallery fell, crashing into the fiery, burning furnace! And Stephen, with his face shining like an angel's, went down and disappeared with the rest, while the consuming fire swept up and covered them.

And now enters the main character of the book, Jesus. He's the one I needed to see. Almost every page after this refers to Jesus at one time or another. He is always there "beside" us according to Courtland. And this is why I needed the book right now and also why you may not want to read it at all. Here are some of the things I underlined, you'll get the idea:

How much difference it must make what one had done with the time over there in the city, when the stopping time came! How much better it would be if one could live remembering the Presence, always being aware of its nearness! To live Christ! What would that mean? Was he ready to surrender a thought like that?......

It stands to reason if there is a Christ He'd come to people that way sometimes. I never had any vision, or anything that I know of, but I've always known in my heart there was a Christ and He was helping me! I couldn't answer their arguments, those smart-Aleck young doctors and the nurses that talked so much, but I always felt nobody could upset my belief, even if the whole world turned against Him, for I knew there was a Christ! I don't know how I know it, but I know it and that's enough for me! I don't boast of being much of a Christian myself, but if I didn't know there was a Christ I couldn't stand the life I have to live, nor the disappointments that I've had."............


Some time a little after noon there came a peace to Courtland's troubled soul.

When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the floods they shall not overflow thee!

It was as near to him as whispers in his ear, and peace was all about him.

He stood up, looked abroad, saw the beauty of the day, heard the dreaminess of the afternoon coming on, heard louder God's call to his heart, and knew that there was strength for all his need......


This one I found is very important to me and I so hope it is true, I have a lot to make up for.:


"It is never too late!" said Mother Marshall, brushing away a bright tear. "There is heaven, you know!"

"Why, surely there is heaven! I hadn't thought of that! Won't that be great?" Courtland spoke the words reverently. It came to him gladly that he might make up in heaven for many things lost down here. He had never thought of that before.

I just realized reading this over again that I really told almost nothing about the plot. How Courtland meets Gila because his friends are afraid he will ruin himself now that he found religion. The little boy he saw get hit and killed on the road leaving his sister, Bonnie, all alone now with no other person in the world to care for or care about her. How she meets Courtland, what happens between them. I told you none of that, but I'm ending here anyway, I have to go think about that last quote again, will I be able to make up for things in heaven ?, I hope so. Happy reading.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet and simple. Actually, this book included a lot of hard life facts, for a G.L. Hill book. Death, persecution and the mocking of Christianity, manipulative women--but it was all handled beyond tastefully and from an innocent perspective.

The little details were especially prevalent in this one. The parallels with Stephen and Paul were amazing.

As for characters, they were pretty great. Paul was realistic, and he could have been more of a knucklehead regarding that evil witch Gila. Mother Marshall (what an adorable name! <3) was great--her and Father--and as long as G.L. Hill writes "real mothers" into her books, I will keep reading them. I ended up loving Pat's character, and Tennelly ... well, I just felt bad for him. I assumed he was goes from the book forever, so I was glad when he came back. (Isn't that how we'd like to think happened to Agrippa?)

Anyway, it was a great book with a great storyline, and the faith journey of Paul was so good.

[Dionne Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story of a young man and his passion to serve God and others. Only thing I wish Hill emphasized a bit more was Courtland and Bonnie's courtship/love story, just because I think it would have completed the story a bit more.

[Gwen Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for someone who doubts Christ Jesus.

All of Hill's books have many human difficulties, however, this book was almost overwhelming with difficulties. I thought the message was very good. I am not sure about the average reader of today.

[Laura Hamby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic

This book is a wonderful reminder of the comfort, forgiveness, peace and hope available through the Presence of Christ in our lives. It is especially comforting to those who have lost a loved one especially a child.