What do you think?
Rate this book
The War Romance of the Salvation Army: Echoes of Faith and Sacrifice in WWI Salvation Army Tales
"The War Romance of the Salvation Army" by Grace Livingston Hill, Evangeline Booth. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1919
88 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 29, 2024
I went into this knowing what a lot of people don't realize: this is not a novel. This was a book put together by Grace Livingston Hill and Evangeline Booth to raise funds for the Salvation Army for all they were doing for the soldiers coming back from the war.
I think they used the word romance, not in the romantic sense, but in the sense of old romantic novels ~ the showing of all that is noble and beautiful in life.
Since I went into it knowing what I was getting into, I enjoyed this peek into the work of a Christian group. I learned new things and saw the war through different eyes.
This is a worthwhile read, just know what you are getting into. Oh, and I would skip the letters of support at the end. They were dull.
I think they used the word romance, not in the romantic sense, but in the sense of old romantic novels ~ the showing of all that is noble and beautiful in life.
Since I went into it knowing what I was getting into, I enjoyed this peek into the work of a Christian group. I learned new things and saw the war through different eyes.
This is a worthwhile read, just know what you are getting into. Oh, and I would skip the letters of support at the end. They were dull.
November 24, 2019
Who knew that Grace Livingston Hill wrote non-fiction? GLH fans will be confused by this title since she was a writer of romantic fiction, but the word "romance" in this book refers to the old-fashioned definition (adventure and chivalry).
Apparently Evangeline Booth, the head of the American Salvation Army during World War I, was too busy to write a history of the army's participation in the war so she handed off all the papers and letters to Hill (a wildly popular writer at the time). Hill strung them together into a fascinating, albeit overlong, array of anecdotes of the 40,000 Salvationists who offered physical and spiritual comfort to men in the trenches of France. Most stories were told in a straightforward manner, but a few bordered on sentimentality, which should be no surprise to those who are familiar with GLH novels.
I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into the sacrificial service of the men and women of the Salvation Army during this horrific time in world history. I have a hard copy with photos, but I see there is a free version for Kindle. Not sure what the quality would be.
Apparently Evangeline Booth, the head of the American Salvation Army during World War I, was too busy to write a history of the army's participation in the war so she handed off all the papers and letters to Hill (a wildly popular writer at the time). Hill strung them together into a fascinating, albeit overlong, array of anecdotes of the 40,000 Salvationists who offered physical and spiritual comfort to men in the trenches of France. Most stories were told in a straightforward manner, but a few bordered on sentimentality, which should be no surprise to those who are familiar with GLH novels.
I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into the sacrificial service of the men and women of the Salvation Army during this horrific time in world history. I have a hard copy with photos, but I see there is a free version for Kindle. Not sure what the quality would be.
December 29, 2019
This book is not for everyone. It is a lengthy read about the Salvation Army's involvement with the troops during World War I. But if you do read it you will discover what the Salvation Army officers contributed to the war effort from the first weeks of America's involvement. As I read the stories, what came through was the Christ-like presence each S.A. officer displayed in all the horror, cheerless days, constant mud, and frightening bombings. They were cheerful, cool, kind, helpful and efficient in all they did. They were chaplains, ambulance runners, couriers, bakers, and encouragers.
July 2, 2019
I got this Grace Livingston Hill book (co-authored with Evangeline Booth) because GLH was a favorite author of mine a long time ago. Admittedly, if one read too many of hers in short succession, some of them began to feel repetitive, but they were enjoyable as a light read.
I feel badly for rating this book so lowly, because I've enjoyed so many other GLH over the years, and because the Salvation Army is a 5-star organization. This book made me realize some of the reasons my dad had such a high regard for the Salvation Army. I would recommend other GLH books, despite this low rating, and I would recommend the Salvation Army as a worthy charity. "Their unselfish devotion to our well, sick, wounded and dead is above any praise that I can bestow. God will surely greatly reward them." -Chaplain Major Thomas Dixon, U. S. Army
I thought this would be another GLH romance, especially because the title says "The War Romance ..." but it's not that type of romance. It's the other definition of romance, romanticized, as in idealized. The salvation army women in this book, serving the WWI soldiers, saw themselves as their mothers and sisters, not as potential girlfriends and didn't flirt.
I could've enjoyed reading such a book, even if it wasn't what I expected, and I did enjoy parts of it. Some of the stories were funny. Some were intense, about the various Salvation Army trucks over in Europe and the dangers they faced. One of the stories, the one about the soldier who had lost a leg near the end of the book nearly made me cry.
Reading this, I could almost feel the thud and the shaking of the continual shells, and the visual imagery reminded me of the second season of Downton Abbey, when so many of the characters served in the trenches. (Yes, that means I don't read much WWI literature, or war literature in general.)
It also reminded me of the more modern-day war story of the chaplains in Iraq, as told by Carey Cash in "A Table in the Presence." People who enjoyed reading this book about the Salvation Army's ministry to WWI soldiers might also enjoy that book as well.
But I had a hard time connecting with any of the fleeting characters in "A War Romance of the Salvation Army." They were all bit characters, no main ones, and the vast majority didn't have names. I imagine that the research that went into this book was enormous, learning about the Salvation Army in various sectors and during different campaigns during the war. I think it would've helped me if the chapters had been shorter, with one short story per chapter, even if that story was only a couple pages long. Then, I could've put it aside or picked it up again more readily as I was in the mood for it. But each chapter told all the details of the Salvation Army in a particular sector or on a particular campaign. Much of it was very similar from arena to arena and it all began to run together.
The second chapter was 80 pages long, but much of the rest of the chapters were a more reasonable 20 pages. I got bogged down in the second chapter, and I'm afraid that I felt relieved, even glad, when I lost the book because then I got to read something else for a change. It's a bad sign whenever I'm relieved to lose a book. I don't think that's ever happened to me before. One of my kids told me, "You know you don't have to finish it, don't you?" That is true, but I did want to mine the treasures of it.
Fortunately, I did rediscover the book, because there were some very good parts in it I would have missed. The rest of the chapters flowed more nicely than that horribly long one.
Several of the Salvation Army girls said that although it was dangerous, God would protect them. To me, that seemed to minimize the reality of so many of the soldiers that did die. Or maybe these women were in denial. In contrast, it made me think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo, before they were condemned to the firey furnace saying,"The God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods..." Daniel 3:17-18 There was a recognition there that God is able to save us physically from death, but that sometimes He doesn't. I liked it better when another Salvation Army lady said, "I am ready to die if God sees fit to call me."
At times, when I read this book, I would think, "It's just doughnuts!" as compared to the sacrifices that the soldiers made. And yet, the Salvation Army took risks, too, and those with the gift of encouragement or the spiritual gift of giving can take heart from how much these simple gifts meant to the soldiers. Sometimes it is just the little things of life that keeps us going.
I was disappointed in the thank you letters to the Salvation Army included in the back. Most seem to have been written with the head more than the heart. I can be guilty of that, myself, and it can make for dry reading. Maybe it was more common in that era to write like that.
I would be skeptical of those soldiers becoming Christians, except I know a foxhole Christian who did, indeed retain his Christianity when he survived his conflict. I know that some would say there's something deplorable about "using" the soldier's sufferings and fear to lead them to Jesus, but the sufferings and fear are already there, and the Salvation Army just tried to alleviate them with truth and peace and comfort.
It was more distressing to me that some soldiers were told (not by the Salvation Army) that if they died in battle, they would automatically go to heaven because they had sacrificed for such a great cause. That reminded me more of what some Muslims in jihad believe. I was glad that the Salvation Army tried to counter that by saying it's only Jesus' sacrifice that brings forgiveness of sins, not any good or heroic acts of our own. I would hate for people to trust in their own good deeds, only to find out that they could not erase or balance our wrongs.
Favorite quotes:
"To help another, you must be near enough to catch the heartbeat." - Evangeline Booth
"And they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus." - the Bible
"... we felt that our grief, while shared by our good friends, was just a passing emotion to the rest of the world. But when a card such as yours comes, extending a heart of sympathy and prayer and ferrets us out in our sorrow in our little town, you must know how much less lonely we are because of it. It surely shows us that the sacrifice such as my dear husband made is acknowledged and lauded by the entire world."
"... for his main object in life is to help someone, and he never minds how much he puts himself out. It is always reward enough for him to have succeeded in bringing comfort to another."
"Not a patronizing, holier-than-thou, we-know-we-are-doing-a-good-work-and-hope-you-doughboys-appreciate-it sort of welcome, but a good old Salvation Army, Bowery Mission welcome.... Around a warm fire with men who spoke their own language, and who did not pretend to be above them."
"The American soldier needs the guidance of God over here more than he ever did in his whole life. Away from home and in a foreign land in every corner, one must have Divine guidance to keep him on the narrow path of life."
I feel badly for rating this book so lowly, because I've enjoyed so many other GLH over the years, and because the Salvation Army is a 5-star organization. This book made me realize some of the reasons my dad had such a high regard for the Salvation Army. I would recommend other GLH books, despite this low rating, and I would recommend the Salvation Army as a worthy charity. "Their unselfish devotion to our well, sick, wounded and dead is above any praise that I can bestow. God will surely greatly reward them." -Chaplain Major Thomas Dixon, U. S. Army
I thought this would be another GLH romance, especially because the title says "The War Romance ..." but it's not that type of romance. It's the other definition of romance, romanticized, as in idealized. The salvation army women in this book, serving the WWI soldiers, saw themselves as their mothers and sisters, not as potential girlfriends and didn't flirt.
I could've enjoyed reading such a book, even if it wasn't what I expected, and I did enjoy parts of it. Some of the stories were funny. Some were intense, about the various Salvation Army trucks over in Europe and the dangers they faced. One of the stories, the one about the soldier who had lost a leg near the end of the book nearly made me cry.
Reading this, I could almost feel the thud and the shaking of the continual shells, and the visual imagery reminded me of the second season of Downton Abbey, when so many of the characters served in the trenches. (Yes, that means I don't read much WWI literature, or war literature in general.)
It also reminded me of the more modern-day war story of the chaplains in Iraq, as told by Carey Cash in "A Table in the Presence." People who enjoyed reading this book about the Salvation Army's ministry to WWI soldiers might also enjoy that book as well.
But I had a hard time connecting with any of the fleeting characters in "A War Romance of the Salvation Army." They were all bit characters, no main ones, and the vast majority didn't have names. I imagine that the research that went into this book was enormous, learning about the Salvation Army in various sectors and during different campaigns during the war. I think it would've helped me if the chapters had been shorter, with one short story per chapter, even if that story was only a couple pages long. Then, I could've put it aside or picked it up again more readily as I was in the mood for it. But each chapter told all the details of the Salvation Army in a particular sector or on a particular campaign. Much of it was very similar from arena to arena and it all began to run together.
The second chapter was 80 pages long, but much of the rest of the chapters were a more reasonable 20 pages. I got bogged down in the second chapter, and I'm afraid that I felt relieved, even glad, when I lost the book because then I got to read something else for a change. It's a bad sign whenever I'm relieved to lose a book. I don't think that's ever happened to me before. One of my kids told me, "You know you don't have to finish it, don't you?" That is true, but I did want to mine the treasures of it.
Fortunately, I did rediscover the book, because there were some very good parts in it I would have missed. The rest of the chapters flowed more nicely than that horribly long one.
Several of the Salvation Army girls said that although it was dangerous, God would protect them. To me, that seemed to minimize the reality of so many of the soldiers that did die. Or maybe these women were in denial. In contrast, it made me think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo, before they were condemned to the firey furnace saying,"The God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods..." Daniel 3:17-18 There was a recognition there that God is able to save us physically from death, but that sometimes He doesn't. I liked it better when another Salvation Army lady said, "I am ready to die if God sees fit to call me."
At times, when I read this book, I would think, "It's just doughnuts!" as compared to the sacrifices that the soldiers made. And yet, the Salvation Army took risks, too, and those with the gift of encouragement or the spiritual gift of giving can take heart from how much these simple gifts meant to the soldiers. Sometimes it is just the little things of life that keeps us going.
I was disappointed in the thank you letters to the Salvation Army included in the back. Most seem to have been written with the head more than the heart. I can be guilty of that, myself, and it can make for dry reading. Maybe it was more common in that era to write like that.
I would be skeptical of those soldiers becoming Christians, except I know a foxhole Christian who did, indeed retain his Christianity when he survived his conflict. I know that some would say there's something deplorable about "using" the soldier's sufferings and fear to lead them to Jesus, but the sufferings and fear are already there, and the Salvation Army just tried to alleviate them with truth and peace and comfort.
It was more distressing to me that some soldiers were told (not by the Salvation Army) that if they died in battle, they would automatically go to heaven because they had sacrificed for such a great cause. That reminded me more of what some Muslims in jihad believe. I was glad that the Salvation Army tried to counter that by saying it's only Jesus' sacrifice that brings forgiveness of sins, not any good or heroic acts of our own. I would hate for people to trust in their own good deeds, only to find out that they could not erase or balance our wrongs.
Favorite quotes:
"To help another, you must be near enough to catch the heartbeat." - Evangeline Booth
"And they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus." - the Bible
"... we felt that our grief, while shared by our good friends, was just a passing emotion to the rest of the world. But when a card such as yours comes, extending a heart of sympathy and prayer and ferrets us out in our sorrow in our little town, you must know how much less lonely we are because of it. It surely shows us that the sacrifice such as my dear husband made is acknowledged and lauded by the entire world."
"... for his main object in life is to help someone, and he never minds how much he puts himself out. It is always reward enough for him to have succeeded in bringing comfort to another."
"Not a patronizing, holier-than-thou, we-know-we-are-doing-a-good-work-and-hope-you-doughboys-appreciate-it sort of welcome, but a good old Salvation Army, Bowery Mission welcome.... Around a warm fire with men who spoke their own language, and who did not pretend to be above them."
"The American soldier needs the guidance of God over here more than he ever did in his whole life. Away from home and in a foreign land in every corner, one must have Divine guidance to keep him on the narrow path of life."
August 10, 2021
Let not the title nor the descriptions on the cover ("a novel of enduring romance") deceive the reader. This book, although written by Grace Livingston Hill and even features interactions between females and males, is the farthest thing from what we usually term a "romance." The relationships the women have with the WWI soldiers are more often termed "motherly," and there are plenty of stories of individual stories of soldiers with their personal experiences. The whole book is largely a conglomeration of short anecdotes, along with a broader following of certain Salvation Army units from location to location. Due to this, it's a slow read, but with good historical information, and I was pleased to learn of the religious tactic the Salvationists took regarding the connection between physical and spiritual needs.
It's interesting to see the manifestation of certain biblical passages in the line of "do good and you'll have praise from authority" reflected in the praise of both skeptical military commanders and evil U.S. presidents. Letters and other short missives are included in plenty at the end, which are good primary sources, supporting all of the claims throughout the book.
Though the content is very different from G.L. Hill's usual fare, her writing style shines through, nearly convincing me that people in the 1910's really did speak in such gentle, eager tones.
It's interesting to see the manifestation of certain biblical passages in the line of "do good and you'll have praise from authority" reflected in the praise of both skeptical military commanders and evil U.S. presidents. Letters and other short missives are included in plenty at the end, which are good primary sources, supporting all of the claims throughout the book.
Though the content is very different from G.L. Hill's usual fare, her writing style shines through, nearly convincing me that people in the 1910's really did speak in such gentle, eager tones.
October 6, 2012
Cindy and Leah saw that I was reading this. Both didn't finish it. It took me months, but I finished! I did't know that the Salvation Army gave out doughnuts, coffee, and hot chocolate to the troops during World War I. They also sewed on buttons, went to graves and prayed for families on both sides! They cooked for the troops while things were exploding all around them. Made me wonder if I serve the others for the Lord when things are easy, or do I also go out of my way. Jesus went out of his way for us! This book was very hard to read. But I learned a lot and was very convicted.
Read
October 13, 2010Amazing true history of a wonderful ministry. Couldn't put it down!
March 24, 2016
This is a wonderful account of the Salvation Army Lassies. I really enjoyed this and feel that I learned a great deal about what the roll of the Salvation Army was during World War I.
July 6, 2019
At one point in my life, I was on a quest to find and read all of Grace Livingston Hill's books. I'd been introduced to the author by a friend and somewhere obtained a list of about 100 titles that she'd had published. This title was one of the last few that I found and read--and I think I got it from the library to read.
It's not like most other GLH books I've read. This is not fiction (at least not totally) and not a romance in the sense of a boy and girl meet and fall in love.
I think it took me a while to figure out that it was based on the history of the Salvation Army and not like other GLH books--at the time I had no idea she'd cowritten it with Evangeline Booth nor would I have known what the name Evangeline Booth meant even if I had known that.
I wish I could rate it higher but I found it boring and long.
It's not like most other GLH books I've read. This is not fiction (at least not totally) and not a romance in the sense of a boy and girl meet and fall in love.
I think it took me a while to figure out that it was based on the history of the Salvation Army and not like other GLH books--at the time I had no idea she'd cowritten it with Evangeline Booth nor would I have known what the name Evangeline Booth meant even if I had known that.
I wish I could rate it higher but I found it boring and long.
Want to read
March 12, 2020Loved it! Amongst all to enjoy of this book is that it does tell the correct historical truth of the Salvation Army. I didn't realize that they were around even before the Civil War. It even described some of the food they would make for the armies.
It actually inspired me to try making the items described in the book. They turned out great, by the way. My husband loved them.
It actually inspired me to try making the items described in the book. They turned out great, by the way. My husband loved them.
November 17, 2019
This was a very good book, but a bit choppy in the narrative. Each story was true, but some were stories and some were not- only recounting of marches and such. I love historical nonfiction, but I wish this book flowed much better. It seemed to be all over the place; and I am not sure what happened when, for no dates were given.
I love the Salvation Army and the godly work they did, but i don't love that Grace Livingston Hill called some of the Army ladies preachers, when they really were not! They led the dear soldier boys to the Lord in a godly, sisterly, motherly way, and did not abuse their position there on the battlefields by acting out mens' duties. Clearly, both the men and the women had each their own duties- the men did the manly things, the women did the womanly things- and both served for Jesus under exhausting and trying circumstances- ready to die at any time for Christ by helping the "doughboys".
Here are some beautiful lines from the book:
“We are not afraid because we have a sense of the presence of God right here with us!”
From everyone, officers and men alike, nothing but the highest praise is given the Salvation Army. They are right in the thick of danger, comforting and helping the men in the front line, heedless of shot, shell or gas, the U. S. Army in France, as a unit, swears by the Salvation Army.
Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom;
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on.
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene--
One step enough for me.
Why, Judge, after the battle yesterday, we couldn’t get those women out of the village till they’d seen every fellow had at least a dozen fried cakes and all the coffee or chocolate he could pile in. We just had to drag ’em out--for the boys love ’em too much to lose ’em--we weren’t going to take no chances--not much-- for our Salvation ladies!
I look forward to finding more books about the Salvation Army's service during the first World War.
I love the Salvation Army and the godly work they did, but i don't love that Grace Livingston Hill called some of the Army ladies preachers, when they really were not! They led the dear soldier boys to the Lord in a godly, sisterly, motherly way, and did not abuse their position there on the battlefields by acting out mens' duties. Clearly, both the men and the women had each their own duties- the men did the manly things, the women did the womanly things- and both served for Jesus under exhausting and trying circumstances- ready to die at any time for Christ by helping the "doughboys".
Here are some beautiful lines from the book:
“We are not afraid because we have a sense of the presence of God right here with us!”
From everyone, officers and men alike, nothing but the highest praise is given the Salvation Army. They are right in the thick of danger, comforting and helping the men in the front line, heedless of shot, shell or gas, the U. S. Army in France, as a unit, swears by the Salvation Army.
Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom;
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on.
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene--
One step enough for me.
Why, Judge, after the battle yesterday, we couldn’t get those women out of the village till they’d seen every fellow had at least a dozen fried cakes and all the coffee or chocolate he could pile in. We just had to drag ’em out--for the boys love ’em too much to lose ’em--we weren’t going to take no chances--not much-- for our Salvation ladies!
I look forward to finding more books about the Salvation Army's service during the first World War.
February 20, 2015
This is not a typical Grace Livingston Hill "romance". In the beginning, I kept wondering when we were going to meet our heroine and hero. Eventually, I realized that the "romance" was between the U.S. Army and the Salvation Army, not two people. Once I realized that, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the true stories of the War, great, inspirational stories. This book is long, but you don't have to read it all at once to enjoy. If you are looking for a regular romance book, this is not the one to read.
May 17, 2016
This is an extremely detailed account of the work of the Salvation Army during WWI. I had no idea the Salvation Army had this level of involvement in the war. It seems there is a lot i don't know about the Salvation Army. It was interesting to learn more about this organization. I wound up skimming through a lot of this, however. It is very exhaustive and monotonous. Co-written with the 4th General of the Salvation Army, Evangeline Booth, who also happens to be the daughter of the organizations founder.
Read
March 18, 2009I thought this would be a romance like Grace Livingston Hill's other books. (She co-wrote this with Evangeline Booth). Instead,this book talks about how the Salvation Army served the troops in France during WW1. The last chapter is filled with thank you letters from President Wilson, various military brass, and mothers.
November 4, 2019
Very good! A good story that keeps your interest. Plus you get to learn quite a bit too!
Want to read
September 15, 2011I just couldn't get into this book, though perhaps that's because I was immature enough at the time and wanted romance, etc. But it did read a little dryly, not as much like a story or with much characterization, if I recall. I'd still like to finish it someday, though!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews