A Girl to Come Home To

by Grace Livingston Hill

extremely rare,very good condition

Genres: Romance, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Christian Romance, Historical Fiction, Inspirational

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1945

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

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't my favorite GLH novel. The characters were either one of two extremes: arrogant and deplorable or seemingly without flaw.

[Lady Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 / 5

To encompass this, I'd put it in the general "nice and neutral" category of Hill's works, in that it's not the least best I've read, but it's also not in my top 10 or anything. It's at that sort of inbetween category wherein I'd read it again, but only on certain occasions.

To sum up what I think stands out about this novel, I think it's not so much the romance, but the Christianity in wartime lesson that Hill writes in. Released in 1945, this novel would have been at that pivotal point of realization for all humanity, wherein the worst war in human history was just coming to an end and everyone would be waking up to a changed world--a world where things like atom bombs, the Holocaust, and the general hatred and destruction of people would slowly be brought to light. It's discouraging, to say the least, especially in keeping up one's faith.

But Hill takes on the viewpoint of returning soldiers and how faith has saved them and thus what it means to each of them. Granted, I don't know if this could apply to everyone or even to a majority of soldiers returning home, but for those who surely would have had this viewpoint, it's certainly an attempt to bring a shaft of light into an otherwise dark place. Without a doubt, times of war and destruction are the hardest times to maintain one's faith, but at the same time the most crucial.

This book helps one thing about leaving things to God and accepting His will rather than questioning it. There's no "why God?" in any of Hill's novels that isn't either answered or justified in some way. Sometimes, doing things on faith is all that you can and should do, and I think that Hill conveying this message through soldiers is an effective way to go.

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

SUMMARY: In A Girl to Come Home To, Rodney Graeme is a hero returning home. Everyone comes to greet him...including Jessica, the woman who left him for a richer man. Jessica's husband wants to use his wife--and Rodney's feelings for her--to his own advantage. Suddenly Rodney finds himself entangled in an espionage plot--until he meets a young girl whose faith shows him how to overcome any obstacle.

REVIEW: As always, I enjoy the homespun quaintness of Hill's faith-filled stories. The characters are definitely from the time period when good and evil were definitely clear cut. Diana represents the goodness of a Christian surrendered life and Jessica represents all the evils Satan draws one towards. HIll's books are always an easy, enjoyable read.

FAVORITE QUOTES: "I'm not wonderful at all. I've just got my eyes open suddenly....I'm the man whose eyes are open, opened by the Lord and I pray that no more shall I go round equivocating and viewing questions from this mountain pek and that one tryikng to get God to agree with me. I pray that I may always be the man 'whose eyes are open' to what God wants me to do."

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read GLH because I have always read GLH. But these days, when I read her I think of what Miss Stacey told Anne Shirley: write what you know. Aside from the gospel, GLH couldn't have had first-hand knowledge about many of the general subjects of her novels. But I'm sure I'll keep reading them.

[Freya Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wonder if this book has been a victim of a over zealous editor? Because it was structured very strangely and frequently did not make sense. It's as if it was chopped up and reconstructed slightly wrong.
The story STARTS with the brothers returning home and the girls and the nosy cousin trying to get to see them - then the first third of the book at least is just the efforts of various people with various motives to pin down these returning soldiers for a talk.
The plot threads of the girls who they were to come home to do not appear until about half way through the book and the espionage plot thread only seems to appear in the final third. The espionage thread is never fully presented never mind wrapped up, we are told there is a trial but we never find out what happens to these characters, what their plot actually was, who any of them are, who they are working for, what Jessica's role really was, how she got involved etc....
The ending is quite rushed. Rodney marries a girl who he has surely only known for a couple of weeks at the most without any talk of what kind of life they might live or where they're going to live or what their plans are....I don't think we ever really even find out what Rodney's new job is or how he is qualified for it.
Though a lot of the book is spent on the past relationship between Jessica and Rodney and the fall out of their break up we actually know almost nothing about their relationship. He thought she was pretty, she thought he was handsome, they spent a lot of time with their friends at his house....that seems to be it. He now hates her because she dumped him while he was at war - but he's also perfectly happy for his new fiancee to dump her former flame who is also a soldier heading away to war? Rodney's hatred of Jessica seems pretty irrational. Especially as she's now married.

The Graeme family at the centre of this are actually massively frustrating. They seem to be the most passive agressive people in existence, completely unable to say what they mean or what they want or what they think and they just keep avoiding conflict at all costs - which the author presents as proof of how kind and christian they are. If you don't want your cousin barging in then tell her to stop barging in. If you don't like your son's fiancee then maybe you should say something. Keeping quiet about things that bother you isn't a sign of goodness! It's how you end up hosting your son's ex and her friends for hours on the evening your sons come back from war while they hide in a barn instead of spending that time with your sons yourselves cos you're too 'christian' to lay down some boundaries and tell people to go to their own homes!
For moral examples the Graeme family sure do suck.

[Gina Hott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hott Synopsis:
Bitter and disillusioned Rodney Graeme returns home from war to spend some much needed time with his family.
War is a funny thing. It caused Rodney to have a wonderful fully trusting relationship with the Father. It also caused Rodney to become bitter about the one he thought he loved. The one who decided to find a husband worth more money while Rodney was serving our country.
Now he’s back and she wants to pick up where they left off. But is it only memories she’s hoping to unearth or is it something more devious?

Hott Review:
Oddly enough this is the first time I’ve read this book. I’ve owned it for more than ten years but never actually read it. In some ways I’m glad that I waited.
This book has a very strong message and is extremely pointed. I love Mrs. Hill’s writing style and felt like I was part of the story so I sometimes took things more to heart. It amazing to me (and proves that Mrs. Hill was a Godly writer) that each thing that was in that book felt like it could be happening as I was reading.
I believe that this is a good book for someone who is at a precipice in their faith or anyone who would like to be closer to The Lord.

More…
Author: Grace Livingston Hill
Source: Barbour Books via Netgalley
Grade: A
Ages: ~ this is a book for those that are mature but not necessarily in age ~
Steam: None
Setting: east coast near DC

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a refreshing read after several books that I didn't like as well. While this was a slower paced story and there were several times when I felt the author was telling me the story instead of letting me live it, it was still good. I really enjoyed the spiritual aspect and the friendships between the characters. But oh, Jessica! I didn't like her, but at the same time I felt rather sorry for her.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of two young men—brothers who were in the navy in WWII and come back to a loving family. And one not-so-loving ex-fiancée. Rodney Graeme, the older brother, was heartbroken when his fiancée, Jessica, broke their engagement before he went off to war.

Starts out slowly, rather hard to get into.

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful old fashioned story about two brothers home early from WWII due to minor injuries. While waiting to be reassigned stateside they have to deal with unwelcome people from their past and also get to enjoy new courtships. A peek into an earlier time, with a message of how Christ can change your life. That story never goes out of date.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the 1940s, during WWII and partly about it, I enjoyed the way life is portrayed and how those to profess to be true Christians would act. I also like the portrayal of the family life of the Graemes.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very late GLH, and it shows. This is set during WW 2 but in many ways it reads like the 1920s. A loving family, a charming girl who is saved, a snoopy cousin and a villainous ex-girlfriend, who apparently has been coerced into spying for the enemy via her wealthy no-good husband...

[Deblin5pagmail.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little story

This one lacked some of the depth I usually find in Grace Livingston Hill novels. I felt the main characters should have been more confrontational (honest) with the challenging people they dealt with.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this one, I've read much better from this author. If you're new to the writings of Grace Livingston Hill, don't let this be the first book of hers you read.

[Stephanie Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit slow moving at first and very different from many of Grace Livingston Hill's other books. There were multiple perspectives in this one, which was refreshing. I enjoyed the ending immensely.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love GLH, her books are always the sweetest. I loved the comradery between the brothers, it was so fun. Perfect book for vacation.

[Christina Sinisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may be my least favorite of Ms. Livingston Hill's books.

She does show the narrow-mindedness of the times--just because someone comes
from a "bad" family doesn't mean they can't rise above their raising. God can use
everyone.

The villains also didn't make sense, but hey, we can't be perfect. I do love the
glimpses of another time and a reflection of what life must have been like during World War II.

[Emily D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet romance from the WWII era.

[Ranee Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audience: Adult (Clean)
Genre: Inspirational Romance, Historical Romance
Length: 256 pgs.

Rating: ** (It was okay)

Review: One of the things that colored my reading of this is not knowing that it was a reprint of an older book. I did like the charming way the narrative was told in that old, head-hopping style that they used to use. The girls were so cute and fun and the boys real heroes. The villains were all nasty and non-religious. One of the storylines didn't resolve, but I understand there are other books in this series. In reality, the love story played second or third fiddle to the gospel message in the book, which is fine, but not really my thing.

Content: Rated 1-5; 1 being minor instances, 5 being saturated
Sex - 0 (The kisses were all very chaste)
Violence - 0
Language - 0
Preaching - 5+

Source: I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Read this review and more at http://raneesclark.blogspot.com

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one my favorite GLH books (there are three). This is a nice story about 2 boys who come home from the war (after being wounded) and deal with the life they find there. Great story line and interesting play amongst the characters. I really enjoyed this story.

[Sheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book I learned that there is always failure in love. A trial and error one.But love is always around us . It may not be the special love we are looking for but the love our family is their. Love comes to those who believe in it. You must not search for love but let love search you.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

G.L.H. would have thought that I am not girl to come hame to because I wear lipstick and red nail polish! I found this one the most dated of G.L.H.'s books that I have read. I still enjoyed even though she made all nail polish wearers unladylike tramps. :}

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine. Not super exciting. Not overly romantic. Not boring. Not perfect morals, but lots of good morals too. Just a kind of light fluffy reading. Not the kind I enjoy super much, but it's fine for every now and then.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. A romance but lots of scripture and very uplifting.

[Bailey]

i looooved this book!!!!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Grace Livingston Hill books more than this one. With this one, I can understand the complaint that too many of her characters seem "perfect" or that they have "the perfect family," and it did get unrealistic after awhile. But I know that close, loving families do exist since I have lived in one.

I did like the conversations on trust... challenging to trust God and each other that way.

"I hadn't exactly thought of her as a candidate for prayer."
"Well, perhaps that's the reason she is that way. Nobody has been praying for her."

It reminded me of a verse I came across recently, "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life..." - 1 John 5:16, ESV, the point of the devotional with it being that we should pray and not gossip or condemn.

The Louella character seemed inconsistent to me. At first, she seemed like an elderly woman, on par with many of GLH's other cranky elderly women in her various books. Then Louella seemed like a young woman, hanging around with other girls and going on outings, like a younger version of the manipulative, bitter women in the other books. Finally, one of the younger characters called Louella "old," so she was back to being old again. She was a cousin by marriage on a first name basis with Rodney's parents, rather than calling them Mr. and Mrs. Graeme (as would've been appropriate for a younger woman to do in the times.) Or calling them "aunt" and "uncle" like a younger cousin sometimes does. Likewise, the younger ladies all called Louella by her first name, rather than Miss Graeme. So, I'm going to guess that Louella was actually between their generations - younger than Rodney's parents, but older than Rodney, Jessica, and her friends.

It frustrated me that Rodney kept hiding from Jessica rather than just talking to her up front and explaining himself firmly. I agree with whichever character (Jessica? Louella?) that said that if he was so brave in battle, why was he so afraid of talking to Jessica? I don't think that GLH meant to portray him as a coward, but she did. I do realize that social bravery is a different form of courage than battlefield bravery.

Likewise, I was frustrated with Diane for not speaking with Rodney. I realize that during those times, it could've been misconstrued as being forward, but I think she had a legitimate reason to speak up for herself.

As one other reviewer noted, it's not a sign of goodness to stay quiet about things that bother you. That reviewer called the Graeme family passive aggressive, and I wouldn't go that far. They weren't being manipulative, or trying to emotionally wound people. They were just trying to stand firm about not giving out personal information to nosy women. And that, I understand. Plus, Mr. and Mrs. Graeme did extend relationship, friendship, and food to Louella, just not private information. So, I wouldn't call that being passive aggressive, just firm.

But it still aggravated me that the Graemes' refused to talk to other people whom they should be talking to, people involved. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: ... a time to be silent and a time to speak..." - Ecclesiastes 3:1,7b. The Graeme family tended to confuse the two.

Most of this plot wouldn't have happened if the main characters were to simply talk with each other.

The part of the plot involving the spying didn't come until late in the book, and I don't believe the government would've been nearly so understanding. I think the spies would have been executed at that point in history, even if they didn't fully know what they were doing. But perhaps not. Perhaps I've only the more dramatic cases in mind. I agree with the reviewer that said she felt sorry for the villains at that point. I did, too. So maybe they weren't as terrible as some of GLH's villains can be.

As in many other romances, if it were real life, the main characters haven't known each other long enough to know about marriage.

[Anna Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh... what can I say about this one? IT'S ANOTHER BOOK WHOSE MAIN CHARACTERS NAME IS GRAEME OR GRAHAM OR SOME OTHER VARIATION!!! (I swear, GLH only knows like 1 name. And it's Graham. )

I've been putting off reading it (you know, in my quest to read every GLH book) because it just looked torturous. It wasn't as bad as I expected. I actually really liked Jeremy and Beryl and wished that they could have been the main characters. (Although, seriously, why would anyone name their child Beryl??? What if she was fat as a barrel? What playground insults she'd get! What parents would do such a terrible thing to a poor sweet baby!)

Aaannnyyyway. Rodney was piteous but I didn't really like Diana all that much. She was just a filler character who honestly didn't have much character! I was fed up with her most of the time and didn't really understand why Rodney's family all loved her. (Maybe just because she WASN'T Jessica?) Also, the ending was rushed and completely unbelievable.

What I DID like about the book though, was the family dynamic. I loved Jeremy and Rodney's relationship as well as just the whole way the family gathered around each other. I even enjoyed reading about the obnoxious nosy cousin! That may have been a highlight.

Overall, not a re-read contender. It wasn't as bad as I expected, but I won't be reading it again. There are better GLH WWII books. If that's what you fancy, try Crimson Mountain- it's a much better read.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rodney and Jeremy Graeme have just come home on furlough from the war (originally written in 1945, so WWII), and are looking forward to a visit with the home folks and then hopefully reassignment stateside. Rodney, the eldest, had suffered the breakup of his engagement while overseas, but was able to realize that the two of them were not suited to each other - his ex-fiancee Jessica married a rich older man. But unfortunately, as soon as Jessica realizes that Rod is home, she turns up, shamelessly using her wiles to pry information from him about his new assignment. It seems that Jessica's rich husband may be using her to engage in espionage, and only the strong faith of Rod and his family, and their dependence on God's guidance, will help them escape the clutches of those dedicated to the destruction of their country. This book has a very strong faith message.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patriotic and romantic World War II love story

The clean and sweet romances by Grace Livingston Hill are among my favorite books. The character development is charming and so are the plots.

[Heather Watkins fezuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but it was written in 1945 so very old style writing. The author is a well known Christian writer and the book is filled with scripture and coming to Christ. I am a Christian so it wasn’t difficult for me but it may be for some as it was very heavy.

[K J S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this one. The entire thing had a unnatural air to it, from the stilted, awkward conversations to the vague ambiguousness of the entire plot. One could not relate to the "characters" as they were only caricatures. Definitely not GLH's best work.