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Through These Fires
They fell in love, then the war tore them apart. But Ben vowed he would find Lexie again, even if he had to search the world.
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
30 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Grace Livingston Hill
579 books568 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 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 25, 2010
Classic GLH: Lexie is left alone in the world, working hard to make a good life for herself, when her quiet home is suddenly invaded by her impossibly difficult sister and her three children. But through patience, grace, and drawing nearer to God, she is able to handle her difficult trials and even soften the hard heart of her sister. And then her soldier comes home from the war to rescue her.
February 18, 2017
I really struggled with how to rate this book. Parts I really liked, and others I really didn’t.
The story opens with Ben and his comrades on a mission in the oil fields to prevent the Germans taking control of it. With bombs raining down on them, and fires galore to run through, the team have to keep one command in mind: Forward!
The scenes with Ben overseas are definitely 4* worthy. I was caught up as Ben fights his way through and could see the scene come alive in my mind.
Sadly Grace Livingston Hill doesn’t tell us where in the world this is set, and as I haven’t come across battles fought in the oil fields before, I went online to find out more...and got rather caught up in the research! :)
I think the reason she didn’t tell us where this scene was set was because she took a little poetic license. The scenes she described were very much like the setting for what happened in Baku’s Oil Fields in Azerbaijan. However, I can’t find out that the Americans were involved in that fight at all. (It doesn’t mean they weren’t, it just isn’t documented online...or I’m not looking in the right places, which is quite probable!) They were involved in the oil fields in Romania, but that was just through aerial attacks. So maybe, just for the purposes of this story, she put the Americans in the Baku Oil Fight, but chose not to name the place as it wasn’t historically accurate. (If someone knows more on this I would be interested to hear!) Anyway, I’m glad she included it in the story, if only that she piqued my interest to go and find out more about it. So, I’ve added to my WWII knowledge, and that’s a good thing.
Back in America, Lexie has her own fire to fight through. This isn’t a physical fire, but an emotional one, coming forth in the form of fiery darts shot from her step-sister’s mouth.
I struggled with most of the home scenes. Elaine’s tirades, demands and hysterics were tiresome! At one point near the beginning I nearly gave up I was getting so tired of it. However, I turned the page and ended up back with Ben overseas, and my interest was caught again. Elaine’s scenes were worthy of a 1* rating.
However, it did still feel like it was war time as ration books were needed and used, certain items couldn’t be got, Lexie couldn’t get a private nurse for her sister as they were all serving with the Red Cross, and jobs were scarce, so I did still feel as though I were in the right time setting. Of course, Grace Livingston Hill wrote this book during the war, and it was first published in 1943, so she would have had real-life experience to draw on for the effects of the war in her homeland.
I did like the underlying theme of being tried through fire, whether physical or emotional, and I also liked Ben and Lexie’s gently unfolding romance.
While this book isn’t one I’m likely to read again (or if I do then I’ll be skimming over Elaine’s dramatics) I am glad I didn’t give up on it as I was tempted to a one point, and I’ve been left with a pleasant feeling at the end of reading it. So, overall I’ve finally decided on 3*s.
Favourite Quote:
It was wonderful what God can do for one when He decides to change the background of one’s life and takes away cherished hopes and plans, He always seems to be able to give His yielded ones something better when the right time comes.
The story opens with Ben and his comrades on a mission in the oil fields to prevent the Germans taking control of it. With bombs raining down on them, and fires galore to run through, the team have to keep one command in mind: Forward!
The scenes with Ben overseas are definitely 4* worthy. I was caught up as Ben fights his way through and could see the scene come alive in my mind.
Sadly Grace Livingston Hill doesn’t tell us where in the world this is set, and as I haven’t come across battles fought in the oil fields before, I went online to find out more...and got rather caught up in the research! :)
I think the reason she didn’t tell us where this scene was set was because she took a little poetic license. The scenes she described were very much like the setting for what happened in Baku’s Oil Fields in Azerbaijan. However, I can’t find out that the Americans were involved in that fight at all. (It doesn’t mean they weren’t, it just isn’t documented online...or I’m not looking in the right places, which is quite probable!) They were involved in the oil fields in Romania, but that was just through aerial attacks. So maybe, just for the purposes of this story, she put the Americans in the Baku Oil Fight, but chose not to name the place as it wasn’t historically accurate. (If someone knows more on this I would be interested to hear!) Anyway, I’m glad she included it in the story, if only that she piqued my interest to go and find out more about it. So, I’ve added to my WWII knowledge, and that’s a good thing.
Back in America, Lexie has her own fire to fight through. This isn’t a physical fire, but an emotional one, coming forth in the form of fiery darts shot from her step-sister’s mouth.
I struggled with most of the home scenes. Elaine’s tirades, demands and hysterics were tiresome! At one point near the beginning I nearly gave up I was getting so tired of it. However, I turned the page and ended up back with Ben overseas, and my interest was caught again. Elaine’s scenes were worthy of a 1* rating.
However, it did still feel like it was war time as ration books were needed and used, certain items couldn’t be got, Lexie couldn’t get a private nurse for her sister as they were all serving with the Red Cross, and jobs were scarce, so I did still feel as though I were in the right time setting. Of course, Grace Livingston Hill wrote this book during the war, and it was first published in 1943, so she would have had real-life experience to draw on for the effects of the war in her homeland.
I did like the underlying theme of being tried through fire, whether physical or emotional, and I also liked Ben and Lexie’s gently unfolding romance.
While this book isn’t one I’m likely to read again (or if I do then I’ll be skimming over Elaine’s dramatics) I am glad I didn’t give up on it as I was tempted to a one point, and I’ve been left with a pleasant feeling at the end of reading it. So, overall I’ve finally decided on 3*s.
Favourite Quote:
It was wonderful what God can do for one when He decides to change the background of one’s life and takes away cherished hopes and plans, He always seems to be able to give His yielded ones something better when the right time comes.
December 18, 2025
I was like what more could she handle?
other then that I loved it
other then that I loved it
May 29, 2024
Bearing persecution with grace and patience, winning glory in the end. One of the best GLH novels I've read.
I've read this before but I can't remember when. A good re-read, though.
I've read this before but I can't remember when. A good re-read, though.
May 11, 2018
ⓒ 1943. Young woman whose parents have died is accosted by a half-sister and threatened with a law suit if she doesn't turn over an inheritance, which does not exist. Meanwhile a soldier who has met the protagonist only once is wounded in war and as he recovers in hospital begins a correspondence with her. The 2 main characters also become Christians as the book progresses. A bit repetitive.
May 11, 2019
Wonderful story of true Christianity, forgiveness & God's grace!
God bless those that can go through the trials that the main character went through & still be loving to her tormentor. It bore good fruit & changed the hearts of the hard hearted. Plus there was a lovely romance to encourage the suffering one & a very victorious ending. Loved it!
God bless those that can go through the trials that the main character went through & still be loving to her tormentor. It bore good fruit & changed the hearts of the hard hearted. Plus there was a lovely romance to encourage the suffering one & a very victorious ending. Loved it!
Read
October 17, 2015I was raised reading these books and could tell you all about them but haven't been able to get hold of any of them for many years. I miss them. They are clean and have a wholesome goodness to them. My favorite is Brentwood.
November 4, 2025
For a book written in 1943 - it was pretty good.
Read
May 14, 2014If I recall correctly, this romance is mainly through war-time letters.
Which is pretty cool.
I should reread a few of these, 'cause I didn't get the time periods
so well back in my youth.
Which is pretty cool.
I should reread a few of these, 'cause I didn't get the time periods
so well back in my youth.
August 25, 2024
The first GLH I have ever DNF-ed. This. Was. HORRIBLE.
It starts out with a young man fighting in a war, crawling thru fire and torment and a hail of bullets and screams of his friends as they are dying... FOR OIL. They aren't there to save lives, they're there FOR OIL FIELDS. ((((GAG.))))
Next scene is backstory. The heroine's father died when she was five, and her mother re-married. The man had an 8yo daughter who was badly spoiled by the rich auntie who's been taking care of her, and when the girl comes to live with them all, she's demanding, bratty, and is given her every whim.
When the father dies, he makes the step-mother promise to treat his daughter as her own. So she feels compelled to pay the girl's debts, get her out of trouble, give in to her every whim, work herself in to the poorhouse to provide luxuries for the foul-mouthed brat.
Fast forward, and now the mother has died. Lexie (the then-5yo) is in her last year of college, has packed up the home to rent and is on her way back for her final year of classes, when Elaine (then 8yo) telegrams that her husband is MIA, she's an invalid, and she and her three children are coming to live at the family home, and Lexie is going to be the nurse/housekeeper and provide for them.
OH. HELL. NO!
But yes. Because GLH says it's un-godly to send the harpy packing. NOT even true. So Lexie is in tears and is martyring herself for the sake of the step-sister...
... and then the three kids show up screaming at each other and berating both the house and Lexie...
I'm sorry. I don't need this. I'm out.
It starts out with a young man fighting in a war, crawling thru fire and torment and a hail of bullets and screams of his friends as they are dying... FOR OIL. They aren't there to save lives, they're there FOR OIL FIELDS. ((((GAG.))))
Next scene is backstory. The heroine's father died when she was five, and her mother re-married. The man had an 8yo daughter who was badly spoiled by the rich auntie who's been taking care of her, and when the girl comes to live with them all, she's demanding, bratty, and is given her every whim.
When the father dies, he makes the step-mother promise to treat his daughter as her own. So she feels compelled to pay the girl's debts, get her out of trouble, give in to her every whim, work herself in to the poorhouse to provide luxuries for the foul-mouthed brat.
Fast forward, and now the mother has died. Lexie (the then-5yo) is in her last year of college, has packed up the home to rent and is on her way back for her final year of classes, when Elaine (then 8yo) telegrams that her husband is MIA, she's an invalid, and she and her three children are coming to live at the family home, and Lexie is going to be the nurse/housekeeper and provide for them.
OH. HELL. NO!
But yes. Because GLH says it's un-godly to send the harpy packing. NOT even true. So Lexie is in tears and is martyring herself for the sake of the step-sister...
... and then the three kids show up screaming at each other and berating both the house and Lexie...
I'm sorry. I don't need this. I'm out.
January 2, 2021
Transforming message. Such a heartwarming book, considering the hard times we have all been through lately. This is my new favorite!!!
November 17, 2022
Sweet story
Two young people have difficulties, a soldier and a younger girl that he met once, and exchanged a brief greeting and a smile. They are guided to the Lord a reunite.
Two young people have difficulties, a soldier and a younger girl that he met once, and exchanged a brief greeting and a smile. They are guided to the Lord a reunite.
not-interested
September 30, 2024A person like Gwen, only worse? Ugh! Horrible!
A man gets "saved" by seeing a figure in white and hearing him talking to him? Huh?
Just no. Not interested in the least bit.
A man gets "saved" by seeing a figure in white and hearing him talking to him? Huh?
Just no. Not interested in the least bit.
October 11, 2021
I really don't like war stories but really enjoyed this story today. I read it all in one sitting this morning. Very good.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews