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The Patch of Blue
They lived in separate worlds until his world fell apart. Now Chris and Natalie will never be the same.
302 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1932
27 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Grace Livingston Hill
614 books579 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 23, 2020
One of my favorites of GLH’s novels. A sweet story of young love set during the Great Depression. I loved Natalie and Chris equally and enjoyed the story of his family’s sudden poverty and his efforts to make good. This one’s a feel-good sort of book.
March 2, 2012
This has got to be one of my all time favorite reads. The implications of having gotten to know these characters has had an impact on who I am even today. True value in difficult circumstances illustrated by great character development. I love this book!!!
March 23, 2015
This really captured the feeling of the early 30's which is exactly what I wanted. It has a run on the bank, a fall from wealth into poverty, and new beginnings. The ending felt rushed and choppy but I loved the book.
November 5, 2009
This was a cute little book about a wealthy young man who suddenly finds out what life is like for the other half. After his father's bank fails, his family must move out of their mansion and learn to be happy with much much less.
He has a difficult time of it. He is helped when he becomes friends with one of his old classmates, Natalie. Through their friendship, he realizes what is important in life.
He has a difficult time of it. He is helped when he becomes friends with one of his old classmates, Natalie. Through their friendship, he realizes what is important in life.
July 10, 2016
A Job-type story where things are going badly, and the character wonders why God would allow such things to happen, and he has to learn to trust God. :) And of course, being GLH, there's a good dose of sweetness. I love how she does romance, and her portrayals of relationships with God.
Want to Read
April 25, 2015Pretty amazing!
June 20, 2024
Pretty good little story about wealth & poverty, suffering hardship gracefully & gratefully, and being an honest man or woman who works well.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
April 15, 2026
Or, the one in which pride goes before the fall.
As the book opens, Christopher Walton Jr is sitting in church with his mother, looking for all the world as if he is concentrating and attending to the pastor's sermon, when in reality he is daydreaming about the new car his father has promised to buy him, for his upcoming senior year at college. He's actually picturing it zooming up and down the aisles of the church. He's also thinking about how content he is with his life: son of a local banker, all-around athlete, heading back to college with a brand new roadster. When the words of the sermon do pierce his consciousness, he is surprised to hear about how people should thank God for all the bad things that happen in life. Where is the use in that, Chris thinks.
So we all know what that means, LOL.
The next week, Chris's idyllic life is shattered. It's pre-FDIC, and there's a run on his father's bank. There is actual violence at the bank building itself, which Chris tumbles headlong into. He can't believe it when his father tells him what's happened, and that he holds himself personally responsible for the depositors' losses. Though proud to stand by his father in that moment, when he vows to repay his loyal customers every penny they've lost, it doesn't quite hit him just how far they've fallen until that evening. The family is having to give up their home and sell their land to make the first repayment. The new car was totaled during the visit to the bank. Chris won't be able to return to college.
That night, someone shoots Chris Walton Senior at his home and nearly kills him. During the convalescence period, Chris Junior is surprised and perplexed about how calmly his parents are taking their shocking reversal in personal fortune. His parents are fervent (if quiet) Christians, and seem to be leaning on God in this, their time of need. The words of the minister's sermon come back to Chris Junior, and he's as confused as ever about "thanking" God for hard times.
Chris doesn't wallow in misery for long, especially after his father is shot. He is determined to get a job and contribute to his family's wellbeing, if not their reparations to depositors. He is not prepared for how hard it is to find a job - his father's name isn't opening any of the doors he expected that it would. The family moves to a small house on the shabby side of town, and Chris is desperate to find paying work. He's sent to the local grocery to pick up some bread, and runs into his old classmate, Natalie Halsey, who is the cashier at the store.
Natalie's family has always been poor. Her father died years ago, and her mother is very sick. Her mother and her sister take in sewing when they can. They are literally squeezing every penny they can earn, so Natalie's full-time position at the store is welcome news, as is her employee discount. Natalie was so busy scraping together money during her school years that she barely had a presence in the social scene. Chris recognizes her all these years later, and when he rues the fact that he can't find work, she tells him there is an opening at the store.
Chris jumps at the chance to be an errand boy at the store. Work is work, and every little bit helps. He works hard to impress the manager long enough to be taken on permanently. He suffers humiliations, as friends from his previous social set visit him while he's working and make a big scene, but he endures as best he can. He spends his free time getting to know Natalie and wondering at the fact that he never noticed her in high school. She eventually invites him to a Bible study meeting, and his mind is blown. Words he had to memorize as a child are suddenly explained to him, in plain language, and he begins to understand the sort of faith that has carried his parents through this sea change.
The flavor of Christianity is born-again, which I have little tolerance for, and it's slathered on fairly thickly in the last third of the book. Natalie is eager for him to convert because he's already a kind soul, and if he gives his life to the Lord he'd be even better. Chris is hesitant, at first, until Natalie is held up one night at the store and it's up to him to save her. He starts praying as he lobs apples at the burglar, trying to disarm him, and realizes that yes, Virginia, he does believe in God after all.
Chris and Natalie are hailed as heroes for saving the store's funds; both receive promotions in title and salary. They confess their love to each other, and Chris vows to work hard and advance at the store so that Natalie won't have to work if she agrees to marry him. There is a deux es machina bit of an ending, as one year after their fall from grace, several prominent friends return from Europe and restore the bank (and the Walton family social standing along with it), but Chris has decided that he wants to manage the grocery store instead of going into banking like his father. He and Natalie marry at the end and bring their families together on the little street on the shabby side of town, and two members of his formal social set spend the last few pages all agog at the fact that they didn't immediately move back to the good side of town and take up their former lives.
This is a simple, quiet little book. Though I did not care for the proselytizing, it was a lovely little read and just the bit of calm I needed. I got what I came for, even if I wasn't bowled over.
As the book opens, Christopher Walton Jr is sitting in church with his mother, looking for all the world as if he is concentrating and attending to the pastor's sermon, when in reality he is daydreaming about the new car his father has promised to buy him, for his upcoming senior year at college. He's actually picturing it zooming up and down the aisles of the church. He's also thinking about how content he is with his life: son of a local banker, all-around athlete, heading back to college with a brand new roadster. When the words of the sermon do pierce his consciousness, he is surprised to hear about how people should thank God for all the bad things that happen in life. Where is the use in that, Chris thinks.
So we all know what that means, LOL.
The next week, Chris's idyllic life is shattered. It's pre-FDIC, and there's a run on his father's bank. There is actual violence at the bank building itself, which Chris tumbles headlong into. He can't believe it when his father tells him what's happened, and that he holds himself personally responsible for the depositors' losses. Though proud to stand by his father in that moment, when he vows to repay his loyal customers every penny they've lost, it doesn't quite hit him just how far they've fallen until that evening. The family is having to give up their home and sell their land to make the first repayment. The new car was totaled during the visit to the bank. Chris won't be able to return to college.
That night, someone shoots Chris Walton Senior at his home and nearly kills him. During the convalescence period, Chris Junior is surprised and perplexed about how calmly his parents are taking their shocking reversal in personal fortune. His parents are fervent (if quiet) Christians, and seem to be leaning on God in this, their time of need. The words of the minister's sermon come back to Chris Junior, and he's as confused as ever about "thanking" God for hard times.
Chris doesn't wallow in misery for long, especially after his father is shot. He is determined to get a job and contribute to his family's wellbeing, if not their reparations to depositors. He is not prepared for how hard it is to find a job - his father's name isn't opening any of the doors he expected that it would. The family moves to a small house on the shabby side of town, and Chris is desperate to find paying work. He's sent to the local grocery to pick up some bread, and runs into his old classmate, Natalie Halsey, who is the cashier at the store.
Natalie's family has always been poor. Her father died years ago, and her mother is very sick. Her mother and her sister take in sewing when they can. They are literally squeezing every penny they can earn, so Natalie's full-time position at the store is welcome news, as is her employee discount. Natalie was so busy scraping together money during her school years that she barely had a presence in the social scene. Chris recognizes her all these years later, and when he rues the fact that he can't find work, she tells him there is an opening at the store.
Chris jumps at the chance to be an errand boy at the store. Work is work, and every little bit helps. He works hard to impress the manager long enough to be taken on permanently. He suffers humiliations, as friends from his previous social set visit him while he's working and make a big scene, but he endures as best he can. He spends his free time getting to know Natalie and wondering at the fact that he never noticed her in high school. She eventually invites him to a Bible study meeting, and his mind is blown. Words he had to memorize as a child are suddenly explained to him, in plain language, and he begins to understand the sort of faith that has carried his parents through this sea change.
The flavor of Christianity is born-again, which I have little tolerance for, and it's slathered on fairly thickly in the last third of the book. Natalie is eager for him to convert because he's already a kind soul, and if he gives his life to the Lord he'd be even better. Chris is hesitant, at first, until Natalie is held up one night at the store and it's up to him to save her. He starts praying as he lobs apples at the burglar, trying to disarm him, and realizes that yes, Virginia, he does believe in God after all.
Chris and Natalie are hailed as heroes for saving the store's funds; both receive promotions in title and salary. They confess their love to each other, and Chris vows to work hard and advance at the store so that Natalie won't have to work if she agrees to marry him. There is a deux es machina bit of an ending, as one year after their fall from grace, several prominent friends return from Europe and restore the bank (and the Walton family social standing along with it), but Chris has decided that he wants to manage the grocery store instead of going into banking like his father. He and Natalie marry at the end and bring their families together on the little street on the shabby side of town, and two members of his formal social set spend the last few pages all agog at the fact that they didn't immediately move back to the good side of town and take up their former lives.
This is a simple, quiet little book. Though I did not care for the proselytizing, it was a lovely little read and just the bit of calm I needed. I got what I came for, even if I wasn't bowled over.
April 1, 2024
This may be one of my top 3 favorite Grace Livingston Hill books. I read it when I was very sick on spring break and it helped distract me; in short, it was a comfort read. I like how Hill deftly balances romance, action, and virtues without getting too sappy, wild, and moralizing. If one is considering reading her books, I'd recommend this one as a start.
April 5, 2016
About this book:
“They lived in separate worlds until his world fell apart. Now Chris and Natalie will never be the same.”
Spiritual Content- Chris goes to church but only because his parents want him to; A sermon does get written; Natalie has a strong Faith; Prayers & two Scriptures are quoted; Many talks about God & Faiths get stronger.
Negative Content- A semi-detailed robbery; Chris says a man is yellow and that you “couldn’t depend on him”.
Sexual Content- a ‘hussy’, two ‘tramps’; Chris wants to kiss Natalie but doesn’t; A not-detailed kiss; Love & falling in it.
-Natalie Halsey
-Chris Walton
P.O.V. switches between them in a narration form.
Set in 1932
185 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars (and a half)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“The Patch of Blue”, was my favorite out of the three but the negative part was hard for me to read. It was a cheesy plot, but I did like, however, when Natalie shared her Faith with Chris.
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Barbour) for this review.
“They lived in separate worlds until his world fell apart. Now Chris and Natalie will never be the same.”
Spiritual Content- Chris goes to church but only because his parents want him to; A sermon does get written; Natalie has a strong Faith; Prayers & two Scriptures are quoted; Many talks about God & Faiths get stronger.
Negative Content- A semi-detailed robbery; Chris says a man is yellow and that you “couldn’t depend on him”.
Sexual Content- a ‘hussy’, two ‘tramps’; Chris wants to kiss Natalie but doesn’t; A not-detailed kiss; Love & falling in it.
-Natalie Halsey
-Chris Walton
P.O.V. switches between them in a narration form.
Set in 1932
185 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars (and a half)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“The Patch of Blue”, was my favorite out of the three but the negative part was hard for me to read. It was a cheesy plot, but I did like, however, when Natalie shared her Faith with Chris.
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Barbour) for this review.
October 25, 2021
After a plethora of rather dismal GLH book reviews, I've come across another one that I actually really liked! The Patch of Blue is really a little short - it wasn't as short as her other novellas, but it didn't feel quite as long as one of her normal novels. But for once, I didn't feel slighted or cheated out of character development or plot. This story actually worked as a shorter story and I loved it!
The main character Chris goes from a wealthy college student to a poor drop out in a matter of weeks after his father's bank closes. It is somewhere around the Depression Era, and jobs are scare, but Chris goes searching for a job everywhere, only to be rejected at every turn. He finally lands a job as a grocery story errand boy at the recommendation of an old classmate. And that's when the tide turns - Chris makes a success at the store by working hard, falls in love with the old classmate (who is also poor and works at the store), and makes a name for himself by stopping a robbery by chucking apples at the robber! Plus, he finds God in the midst of his troubles and learns that everything happens for a reason.
Maybe I just needed to hear this message in my life right now. Or maybe I just really like stories about grocery stores (I mean, I do love grocery stores - I always wanted to work at one when I was a kid). Regardless of the reason, I quite enjoyed this book and I would definitely read it again!
The main character Chris goes from a wealthy college student to a poor drop out in a matter of weeks after his father's bank closes. It is somewhere around the Depression Era, and jobs are scare, but Chris goes searching for a job everywhere, only to be rejected at every turn. He finally lands a job as a grocery story errand boy at the recommendation of an old classmate. And that's when the tide turns - Chris makes a success at the store by working hard, falls in love with the old classmate (who is also poor and works at the store), and makes a name for himself by stopping a robbery by chucking apples at the robber! Plus, he finds God in the midst of his troubles and learns that everything happens for a reason.
Maybe I just needed to hear this message in my life right now. Or maybe I just really like stories about grocery stores (I mean, I do love grocery stores - I always wanted to work at one when I was a kid). Regardless of the reason, I quite enjoyed this book and I would definitely read it again!
December 12, 2020
Rating: 4.7 / 5
As delightful a story as any Grace Livingston Hill has written, this lovely novel centers around Chris, our hero, which is a bit of a change from the usual heroine-focus of...well, most of Ms. Hill's works, and Christian romances in general. However, it is very suitable for it to focus on Chris because his is the story that involves change, an understanding of life, and a truly spiritual awakening. It's the classic "rich boy falls into hard times" setup that I'm sure has been done many times because, but I like how, unlike in some cases, Chris is not rotten about it or pompous or snobby. Sure, he rebels against losing his family's money and social standing, but at the same time he doesn't want to upset either of his faith-drive parents by making a big deal out of it, so he tries to make the best out of a bad situation and goes out to get a job. Enter Natalie: his angel and introduction into faith in hard times. From here we get a short (it's 180 pages, not the 300+ pages that it states on Goodreads) and sweet romance that ends in a sappy, happy sigh-worthy happily ever after. This is by all accounts a lighter read, but quite enjoyable.
As usual, I find myself feeling calm, peaceful, and utterly happy inside after a read by Ms. Hill. Yet another fine addition of this author's work to go up on my shelves!
As delightful a story as any Grace Livingston Hill has written, this lovely novel centers around Chris, our hero, which is a bit of a change from the usual heroine-focus of...well, most of Ms. Hill's works, and Christian romances in general. However, it is very suitable for it to focus on Chris because his is the story that involves change, an understanding of life, and a truly spiritual awakening. It's the classic "rich boy falls into hard times" setup that I'm sure has been done many times because, but I like how, unlike in some cases, Chris is not rotten about it or pompous or snobby. Sure, he rebels against losing his family's money and social standing, but at the same time he doesn't want to upset either of his faith-drive parents by making a big deal out of it, so he tries to make the best out of a bad situation and goes out to get a job. Enter Natalie: his angel and introduction into faith in hard times. From here we get a short (it's 180 pages, not the 300+ pages that it states on Goodreads) and sweet romance that ends in a sappy, happy sigh-worthy happily ever after. This is by all accounts a lighter read, but quite enjoyable.
As usual, I find myself feeling calm, peaceful, and utterly happy inside after a read by Ms. Hill. Yet another fine addition of this author's work to go up on my shelves!
February 10, 2026
I had heard about this prolific author but dismissed her for what I considered greener book pastures. But, this 1932 book was given to me by my beloved grandmother so it sat on my bookshelves for eons - unread until today when I noticed the handwritten-inscription and decided to plod through it. Given the time, the setting, and the blatant religiosity, I understand why Hill is no longer popular, but I did manage to finish it, and I thank Gram, whose heart was always in the right place. XOXO
It reminded me a a bit of the Anne of Green Gables books, but somewhat less believable.
It reminded me a a bit of the Anne of Green Gables books, but somewhat less believable.
February 23, 2020
Excellent book!
A wonderful romance based on letting go and letting God…! I so appreciate all of her books… You won’t regret reading this for sure!
A wonderful romance based on letting go and letting God…! I so appreciate all of her books… You won’t regret reading this for sure!
October 23, 2021
I guess it's good to pass the time
June 30, 2023
A fun story and a great message about God using ALL things for our good. I just wasn't particularly fond of how fast and kissy the romance was. Not as much as a lot of novels of today, though.
January 14, 2025
A sweet read with a predictable plot.
February 16, 2025
One of my comfort books
January 14, 2026
When a family loses everything they have to learn how to cope with less. A sweet story about a family pulling together and making do. No, it's not always easy but with the right attitude, they manage to do well despite various setbacks along the way.
I really liked this story, as it gave me a glimpse into the working man's world. There's a lot about being humbled here, and coming to find what it means to really put hard work into what you believe in. Yay for grit!
Sweet little romance too, though that's not the main thrust of the story. As usual, Grace gives us something to think about in her story, and if it's a little preachy, I don't mind. There's something which feels good about visiting yesteryear on her terms.
I really liked this story, as it gave me a glimpse into the working man's world. There's a lot about being humbled here, and coming to find what it means to really put hard work into what you believe in. Yay for grit!
Sweet little romance too, though that's not the main thrust of the story. As usual, Grace gives us something to think about in her story, and if it's a little preachy, I don't mind. There's something which feels good about visiting yesteryear on her terms.
August 27, 2019
I thoroughly enjoy the clean inspiring writing of Grace Livingston Hill.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews