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Miss Lavinia's Call
Stories tell of an unappreciated aunt, people whose faith enables them to handle life's problems, and others who, in their own way, try to witness for Christ
202 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1949
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About the author
Grace Livingston Hill
610 books575 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 4, 2024
3 stars
1. Miss Lavinia's Call -Loved
2. Something Quite Forgotten -Great
3. A Government Position -Ok
4. Star of Wonder -Good
5. The Ransomers -Loved
6. The Esselstynes -Dull
7. Safety First -Dull
8. Quiet Hands -Ok
9. A Journey of Discovery -Good
10. A King to Rule -Good
11. The Call -Good
I2. Majority's Hearth -Good
13. A Fair Foreclosure -Great
14. The Forgotten Friend -Ok
1. Miss Lavinia's Call -Loved
2. Something Quite Forgotten -Great
3. A Government Position -Ok
4. Star of Wonder -Good
5. The Ransomers -Loved
6. The Esselstynes -Dull
7. Safety First -Dull
8. Quiet Hands -Ok
9. A Journey of Discovery -Good
10. A King to Rule -Good
11. The Call -Good
I2. Majority's Hearth -Good
13. A Fair Foreclosure -Great
14. The Forgotten Friend -Ok
March 3, 2017
For some reason, like other readers of this book, I was surprised to find that this was a collection of short stories. The news actually disappointed me, for more than once I found a set of characters so interesting and engaging that I really would have liked to linger longer with them, rather than rush off to another story completely. Still, the stories were beautifully written. Some you can tell were earlier works. A lot of detail is missing from her first work (The Esseltynes I think it was called) but for 12 I find that young Grace was quite precocious and had already gained quite a sense for telling an interesting story, even if heavily modeled after the works of the day.
I was startled to see the retelling of the story of Mary and Martha, put into somewhat modern (I use the term loosely - modern meaning "in the time period when this was written") terms. At first I thought I would dislike that one, but I came to love it and place it among my favorites within the volume.
Overall this is a sweet introduction to the world of Grace and the stories were perfect in length for casual reading while waiting between appointments. I'm so thrilled I stumbled across this one!
I was startled to see the retelling of the story of Mary and Martha, put into somewhat modern (I use the term loosely - modern meaning "in the time period when this was written") terms. At first I thought I would dislike that one, but I came to love it and place it among my favorites within the volume.
Overall this is a sweet introduction to the world of Grace and the stories were perfect in length for casual reading while waiting between appointments. I'm so thrilled I stumbled across this one!
September 6, 2024
As is the case with most short story collections, there were stories I really enjoyed and others I didn’t like as well. I’m going to share my thoughts on each story.
Miss Lavinia’s Call - I liked Miss Lavinia from the first. The story was very short as far as time goes, and I wanted to see what happened next with Lavinia and Donny. I did like how sweet Lavinia was to the others.
Something Quite Forgotten - I really liked this story. Not only is it Christmasy, but it has the real story of Christmas and the influence of just one or two people. So sweet and lovely. I’d like to read this again some Christmas time.
A Government Position - I didn’t even remember this story without looking back at it. It was fine.
Star of Wonder - This was another Christmas story I enjoyed. Not much in the way of Christian message, but good and sweet.
The Ransomers - This story was sweet and touching. I did feel that I wanted to know more about the boys, and felt it a bit odd that the horse’s feelings were shown as though he was one of the characters. It was rather sad at the beginning.
The Esselstynes - How could I help but remember this story? It was GLH’s first “published” story. She was 12 when she wrote it and you can tell it was written by a child. But it did have a good message that showed how much her aunt’s stories were influencing her at the time.
Safety First - Another one that I can’t remember without looking at it. It was okay.
Quiet Hands - Couldn’t recall this story without looking back. I didn’t really care for it as it a fictionalized telling of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus from the Bible.
A Journey of Discovery - Cute, but again, nothing really made me remember it.
A King to Rule - This story left me with so many questions and I’m not sure if the man and his wife were really Christians or just name only ones. I didn’t really care for it.
The Call - I teared up! I don’t do that very often in books, but this one just grabbed me. So good and challenging and encouraging.
Majority’s Hearth - This was hard to read because almost every character was a black person and they all talked with a typical accent that took more effort to read and thus made the story drag for me.
A Fair Foreclosure I don’t think any of these characters were Christians. There wasn’t any mention really of praying when trouble came. But I did have to smile over the men’s conversation about two different topics.
The Forgotten Friend - A good story with a good message.
Miss Lavinia’s Call - I liked Miss Lavinia from the first. The story was very short as far as time goes, and I wanted to see what happened next with Lavinia and Donny. I did like how sweet Lavinia was to the others.
Something Quite Forgotten - I really liked this story. Not only is it Christmasy, but it has the real story of Christmas and the influence of just one or two people. So sweet and lovely. I’d like to read this again some Christmas time.
A Government Position - I didn’t even remember this story without looking back at it. It was fine.
Star of Wonder - This was another Christmas story I enjoyed. Not much in the way of Christian message, but good and sweet.
The Ransomers - This story was sweet and touching. I did feel that I wanted to know more about the boys, and felt it a bit odd that the horse’s feelings were shown as though he was one of the characters. It was rather sad at the beginning.
The Esselstynes - How could I help but remember this story? It was GLH’s first “published” story. She was 12 when she wrote it and you can tell it was written by a child. But it did have a good message that showed how much her aunt’s stories were influencing her at the time.
Safety First - Another one that I can’t remember without looking at it. It was okay.
Quiet Hands - Couldn’t recall this story without looking back. I didn’t really care for it as it a fictionalized telling of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus from the Bible.
A Journey of Discovery - Cute, but again, nothing really made me remember it.
A King to Rule - This story left me with so many questions and I’m not sure if the man and his wife were really Christians or just name only ones. I didn’t really care for it.
The Call - I teared up! I don’t do that very often in books, but this one just grabbed me. So good and challenging and encouraging.
Majority’s Hearth - This was hard to read because almost every character was a black person and they all talked with a typical accent that took more effort to read and thus made the story drag for me.
A Fair Foreclosure I don’t think any of these characters were Christians. There wasn’t any mention really of praying when trouble came. But I did have to smile over the men’s conversation about two different topics.
The Forgotten Friend - A good story with a good message.
February 22, 2022
There were definitely some worthwhile reads in this short story collection - I liked Something Quite Forgotten, The Ransomers, and A Journey of Discovery probably best of all, but some of the others were pretty good too. I felt like Safety First could have been written as a pro-war rhetoric piece during WWII, it was so blatantly (and sappily) patriotic. I felt personally attacked by Quiet Hands (haha) so I can't say I enjoyed that one (although it may have been a beneficial read).
Overall, take this one in chunks if possible. I had to read it straight though because it was an interlibrary loan that needed to be returned, but it would have been more enjoyable taken in smaller bites. I would still definitely recommend, but I think it would have been better spread out over a week or so.
Overall, take this one in chunks if possible. I had to read it straight though because it was an interlibrary loan that needed to be returned, but it would have been more enjoyable taken in smaller bites. I would still definitely recommend, but I think it would have been better spread out over a week or so.
September 17, 2024
A wonderful collection of stories about people from all walks of life. An elderly woman and her needy nephew, three little boys helping a poor farmer, an old negro (hey, it was written in the 30's) going home (to die - be forewarned), a young woman, a soldier. Lots of stories with lots of heart.
And all of them are short, and can be read in a very limited timeframe.A wonderful collection of stories about people from all walks of life. An elderly woman and her needy nephew, three little boys helping a poor farmer, an old negro (hey, it was written in the 30's) going home (to die - be forewarned), a young woman, a soldier. Lots of stories with lots of heart.
And all of them are short, and can be read in a very limited timeframe.
And all of them are short, and can be read in a very limited timeframe.A wonderful collection of stories about people from all walks of life. An elderly woman and her needy nephew, three little boys helping a poor farmer, an old negro (hey, it was written in the 30's) going home (to die - be forewarned), a young woman, a soldier. Lots of stories with lots of heart.
And all of them are short, and can be read in a very limited timeframe.
January 23, 2023
A book of 14 short stories. A wide variety of topics.
July 28, 2024
*Note: I have only read Miss Lavinia's Call, although I realize now it is for a whole collection.
This is another trodden-down-maiden-auntie tale, reminiscent of Aunt Crete's Emancipation- but Aunt Crete is way better! Miss Lavinia has a different quality to her, to be sure: firmer, more resolute, but she has to be, as her nephew is dependent on her instead of the other way around. However, the plot with her lover I felt was hard to take. Would he really have done that? I don't quite understand his reasoning.
However, the ending is satisfying and triumphant, which I always approve of!
This is another trodden-down-maiden-auntie tale, reminiscent of Aunt Crete's Emancipation- but Aunt Crete is way better! Miss Lavinia has a different quality to her, to be sure: firmer, more resolute, but she has to be, as her nephew is dependent on her instead of the other way around. However, the plot with her lover I felt was hard to take. Would he really have done that? I don't quite understand his reasoning.
However, the ending is satisfying and triumphant, which I always approve of!
May 4, 2013
This one was a little confusing for me at first, as the copy I have mentions only the first story about Miss Lavinia in the cover description which leads one to believe that the whole book is about her. It took me a couple "chapters" to figure out that it is not a bunch of mini-stories that will soon intersect with the one about Miss Lavinia (as in some other books Grace wrote), but a collection of very short short stories. Once I realized that, it was no longer frustrating. As a whole, it is a bit of a random collection, though each story is clever, interesting, and well done. Several I wish she had extended into a full novel, but the stories are complete as is.
June 13, 2008
This is a collection of short stories. Some are better than others. On the whole, this is a nice, light read, that encourages me to be good!
July 28, 2015
One of the short stories is a great rebelling of the Martha and Mary bible story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews