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Matched Pearls
Constance is used to getting what she wants. But when she finally meets a man she can't control, her self-centered life is turned upside down!
Grace Livingston Hill is the beloved author of more than 100 books. Read and enjoyed by millions, her wholesome stories contain adventure, romance, and the heartwarming triumphs of people faced with the problems of life and love.
Grace Livingston Hill is the beloved author of more than 100 books. Read and enjoyed by millions, her wholesome stories contain adventure, romance, and the heartwarming triumphs of people faced with the problems of life and love.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
61 people are currently reading
245 people want to read
About the author
Grace Livingston Hill
574 books565 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 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 8, 2020
Published in 1933. On some website, I read that this was one of Hill’s best books, so I picked up a copy. I almost didn’t finish reading it. So predictable. Boring. And just one long guilt trip after another about the pearls. Constance Courtland was a perfect jerk in chapter one and her subsequent conversion felt fast, and almost forced, by death, her grandmother’s illness, and guilt. Her roommate’s conversion felt totally contrived. Of course, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen as written, but Hill did not convince this reader. Character development was too simplistic, and character changes were too sudden. Very preachy. Lots of internalization, scripture readings, and songs. The story itself seemed to get second shift. For a better view from the Hill, I suggest Re-Creations or April Gold.
August 26, 2021
Rating: 3.6 / 5
This is a story written in the true Grace Livingston Hill fashion, in that it focuses on the reform of a non-believer into a believer, after which they receive romance as a reward.
Constance Courtland is the nonbeliever with which we are met. A college girl about to graduate, she's home for the Easter holidays and more than anything wants the expensive matched pearls that her grandmother has. But dear ol' granny has a condition: Constance will only have the pearls if she joins the church. Believe it or not, Constance does this, but she doesn't really mean any of it--like Judas, whom she identifies herself with later on, she's essentially selling Jesus for a material gain (i.e. thirty pieces of silver = the matched pearls).
But then, Connie meets Graham Seagrave, a true believer, and from there on her entire perspective on her own life and faith change.
As far as stories go from Hill, this one was pretty average, and with Constance as the voice of "modern" skepticism and reason with regards to religion and how much she can truly believe. It was a journey with a lot of resistance for Connie, and yet just enough for faith to shine through in the end. Insofar as the story goes, personally I'd say that it's pretty average in terms of what I've read from Hill, but still pretty good.
Adding it up onto my shelves.
This is a story written in the true Grace Livingston Hill fashion, in that it focuses on the reform of a non-believer into a believer, after which they receive romance as a reward.
Constance Courtland is the nonbeliever with which we are met. A college girl about to graduate, she's home for the Easter holidays and more than anything wants the expensive matched pearls that her grandmother has. But dear ol' granny has a condition: Constance will only have the pearls if she joins the church. Believe it or not, Constance does this, but she doesn't really mean any of it--like Judas, whom she identifies herself with later on, she's essentially selling Jesus for a material gain (i.e. thirty pieces of silver = the matched pearls).
But then, Connie meets Graham Seagrave, a true believer, and from there on her entire perspective on her own life and faith change.
As far as stories go from Hill, this one was pretty average, and with Constance as the voice of "modern" skepticism and reason with regards to religion and how much she can truly believe. It was a journey with a lot of resistance for Connie, and yet just enough for faith to shine through in the end. Insofar as the story goes, personally I'd say that it's pretty average in terms of what I've read from Hill, but still pretty good.
Adding it up onto my shelves.
June 11, 2013
Matched Pearls
What a precious testimony! Id love to think it was a true story maybe there is a person to whom, maybe not in all details, but it is a true testimony.
Connie is a playful girl who knows her limits of course but still is a bad sinner and even worse after she mocks God's vows for a string of matched pearls. The way the events run in this book like a perfect string of pearls makes me think of the verse in Romans 8:28 and realize that nothing happens by chance in life. People we meet, some carelessly thrown words or some well thought out discussions. We think they just pass on a wind never realizing that our words may well haunt someone's dreams.
The power of a prayer for an unbeliever is amazingly described. I have seen that power at work in our family and it touched me how she described in detail the turmoil it has caused to poor Connie.
Of course its a romance novel and they --perfect strangers-- fall madly in love. And it was beautiful. But Connie's Dories' and Frank's conversion to christianity so in contrast to what they were thought in school was a highlight of this book and made me rethink my path with the Lord. Enjoy! I really did.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
What a precious testimony! Id love to think it was a true story maybe there is a person to whom, maybe not in all details, but it is a true testimony.
Connie is a playful girl who knows her limits of course but still is a bad sinner and even worse after she mocks God's vows for a string of matched pearls. The way the events run in this book like a perfect string of pearls makes me think of the verse in Romans 8:28 and realize that nothing happens by chance in life. People we meet, some carelessly thrown words or some well thought out discussions. We think they just pass on a wind never realizing that our words may well haunt someone's dreams.
The power of a prayer for an unbeliever is amazingly described. I have seen that power at work in our family and it touched me how she described in detail the turmoil it has caused to poor Connie.
Of course its a romance novel and they --perfect strangers-- fall madly in love. And it was beautiful. But Connie's Dories' and Frank's conversion to christianity so in contrast to what they were thought in school was a highlight of this book and made me rethink my path with the Lord. Enjoy! I really did.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
September 16, 2016
This book really dragged for me, and I didn't really care for any of the characters except the little brother, whose name I've already forgotten. I appreciated the message of salvation but I just didn't enjoy the story.
September 11, 2011
Constance Courtland is a lively and attractive young woman who is finishing up college. On her break she comes home and finds out that her grandmother has given a different condition for Connie to receive the matched pearls she was going to give her for graduation. Now it seems the only way to get the pearls are to join the church! Her grandmother has some sentimental reason for doing it this way. Well, why not just join the church and get it over with? It is simple enough, and the words she had to say in the church service don’t really mean anything. There was no harm done, and she had pleased her grandmother, anyway.
But more trouble comes from Connie’s false vows than she could have imagined. The young man who had joined the church at the same time comes one day bearing a package of flowers for her. He is a handsome but altogether presumptuous man! He acts as if he has known her for a long time. It annoys Connie, but she cannot help but notice his gentlemanly manners and sweetness. Besides, he is extremely handsome, even if he is poor. He invites her to take a walk with him the next morning to see where he had gotten the flowers from the woods. She thinks it is rather crazy to go, and of course she wouldn’t—she wants to sleep in and then she would have to get ready to leave for college. . . . But a little bird outside her window wakes her early the next morning, and she gets up, curious to learn more about the strange young man with the last name of Seagrave.
He is out front waiting, and they go and see the delightful blue flowers. Then, something quite embarrassing for Connie happens. Seagrave asks her how long she has been saved. She fumbles and stammers, not sure what he means. He explains to her, and she says that she isn’t really a Christian and that she had joined the church to please her sweet grandmother. Seagrave looks sad and tells her how wrong that was of her. Connie realizes deep down that he is right, but is still rather self-righteous. She wasn’t such a bad person!
Connie goes back to college and tries to forget about Seagrave, but his searching brown eyes haunt her from time to time. Connie attends a dance with a handsome young man she has never met before. He is too intimate in his gaze and touch for her, but she goes along with it. Then, when they are outside, the man tries to kiss her, and before he can, Seagrave’s eyes appear again to Connie, and she slaps the man away and runs out of the party, professing illness and tiredness. She flees to her room, feeling wretched. She catches a glimpse of her awful self—she had submitted to the man’s advances, had been close to giving in, and she was really just as awful as he was!
As time goes on, Connie learns more and more her own sinfulness and realizes that she had mocked the Lord with her dishonest vows all for a string of matched pearls! Valuable as they were, they were no excuse for her hypocrisy! Was there a way to undo her damage? Could she work and do good to erase her bad deeds?
In the end, after much distress and wrong turns, Connie finds that the only way to be happy is to trust in Jesus . . . He alone could take her sins away.
If there is one Grace Livingston Hill book worth reading, this one is. There are a few things perhaps not perfect or totally Biblical in the book, but for the most part, it is a good, profound story of grace. Connie is a deeper and more realistic character than most of Grace Livingston Hill’s, and I think it will always be one of my favorites of her books.
But more trouble comes from Connie’s false vows than she could have imagined. The young man who had joined the church at the same time comes one day bearing a package of flowers for her. He is a handsome but altogether presumptuous man! He acts as if he has known her for a long time. It annoys Connie, but she cannot help but notice his gentlemanly manners and sweetness. Besides, he is extremely handsome, even if he is poor. He invites her to take a walk with him the next morning to see where he had gotten the flowers from the woods. She thinks it is rather crazy to go, and of course she wouldn’t—she wants to sleep in and then she would have to get ready to leave for college. . . . But a little bird outside her window wakes her early the next morning, and she gets up, curious to learn more about the strange young man with the last name of Seagrave.
He is out front waiting, and they go and see the delightful blue flowers. Then, something quite embarrassing for Connie happens. Seagrave asks her how long she has been saved. She fumbles and stammers, not sure what he means. He explains to her, and she says that she isn’t really a Christian and that she had joined the church to please her sweet grandmother. Seagrave looks sad and tells her how wrong that was of her. Connie realizes deep down that he is right, but is still rather self-righteous. She wasn’t such a bad person!
Connie goes back to college and tries to forget about Seagrave, but his searching brown eyes haunt her from time to time. Connie attends a dance with a handsome young man she has never met before. He is too intimate in his gaze and touch for her, but she goes along with it. Then, when they are outside, the man tries to kiss her, and before he can, Seagrave’s eyes appear again to Connie, and she slaps the man away and runs out of the party, professing illness and tiredness. She flees to her room, feeling wretched. She catches a glimpse of her awful self—she had submitted to the man’s advances, had been close to giving in, and she was really just as awful as he was!
As time goes on, Connie learns more and more her own sinfulness and realizes that she had mocked the Lord with her dishonest vows all for a string of matched pearls! Valuable as they were, they were no excuse for her hypocrisy! Was there a way to undo her damage? Could she work and do good to erase her bad deeds?
In the end, after much distress and wrong turns, Connie finds that the only way to be happy is to trust in Jesus . . . He alone could take her sins away.
If there is one Grace Livingston Hill book worth reading, this one is. There are a few things perhaps not perfect or totally Biblical in the book, but for the most part, it is a good, profound story of grace. Connie is a deeper and more realistic character than most of Grace Livingston Hill’s, and I think it will always be one of my favorites of her books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2013
Such a beautiful story of the saving grace of God and the happiness and joy he promises if we will only give our lives to Him.
Constance Courtland is a rich college girl more interested in her social calendar than her relationship with God. What she does want though is her grandmother’s heirloom matched pearls. In order to get them, she just has to attend church and be confirmed into the membership. This she does and gains the pearls.
At church during her confirmation, Constance meets Seagave. He's new in town and joining the church too. He is like a delightful breath of fresh air to Constance and yet she doesn't quite know what to think of him. Graham Seagave is a Christian young man with high ideals who initially believes Constance shares his faith. When he realizes, the discrepancy he so willingly and beautifully witnesses to her. He's such an honest sincere person from day one and nothing like the men Connie knows as he proclaims Gods great promises.
This was so much more a story of Constance finding The Lord than finding a mate. It was lovely to see the dynamic of Constance's character. She changed from a spoiled rich girl to a lovely young woman with a heart opening to God until she does finally ask him in.
Seagrave is an example of how all Christians should endeavor to be. He doesn’t just claim to know Christ; he has a personal relationship and the ability to share Christ for any who will listen. It is beautiful how much Bible he has memorized so that he can pull out a passage as needed. Quite inspiring.
How beautiful it was to see how Constance’s introduction to Seagrave opens her eyes to what a sinner she is. Like so many who are lost, they can’t see their sin as though they are blind until someone points it out to them. Then it becomes so obvious they can’t neglect to see it. Constance first realizes it when she gets back to college and even more so after she returns home after graduation and she begins reading Seagrave’s Bible. She knows now more than ever what a sinner and a hypocrite she is.
The book includes beautiful descriptions of nature: weather, breezes, flowers, etc. GLH is akin to L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables) in the beautiful, flowery descriptions that flow masterfully and succinctly over the page creating visual pictures in the mind of the reader.
This is one of those books to enjoy and savor. The plot carries you swiftly from chapter to chapter and is quite emotional. The gospel is simply revealed in the author’s beautiful prose through the minster of the hero.
The romantic finale develops into a gift to our characters from The Lord above. Some readers might find the story old-fashioned from its sentimentality to the style of prose with more telling than showing, but the message in this book is just as strong and just as poignant as it was back in 1933. I do wish there had been more interaction of hero and heroine in the middle of the book. Of course, this is when Constance went through the introspection and growth she needed to do on her own. By the time Seagrave does return, Constance was finally ready to make a commitment to Christ and to Seagrave.
Highly Recommended!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Constance Courtland is a rich college girl more interested in her social calendar than her relationship with God. What she does want though is her grandmother’s heirloom matched pearls. In order to get them, she just has to attend church and be confirmed into the membership. This she does and gains the pearls.
At church during her confirmation, Constance meets Seagave. He's new in town and joining the church too. He is like a delightful breath of fresh air to Constance and yet she doesn't quite know what to think of him. Graham Seagave is a Christian young man with high ideals who initially believes Constance shares his faith. When he realizes, the discrepancy he so willingly and beautifully witnesses to her. He's such an honest sincere person from day one and nothing like the men Connie knows as he proclaims Gods great promises.
This was so much more a story of Constance finding The Lord than finding a mate. It was lovely to see the dynamic of Constance's character. She changed from a spoiled rich girl to a lovely young woman with a heart opening to God until she does finally ask him in.
Seagrave is an example of how all Christians should endeavor to be. He doesn’t just claim to know Christ; he has a personal relationship and the ability to share Christ for any who will listen. It is beautiful how much Bible he has memorized so that he can pull out a passage as needed. Quite inspiring.
How beautiful it was to see how Constance’s introduction to Seagrave opens her eyes to what a sinner she is. Like so many who are lost, they can’t see their sin as though they are blind until someone points it out to them. Then it becomes so obvious they can’t neglect to see it. Constance first realizes it when she gets back to college and even more so after she returns home after graduation and she begins reading Seagrave’s Bible. She knows now more than ever what a sinner and a hypocrite she is.
The book includes beautiful descriptions of nature: weather, breezes, flowers, etc. GLH is akin to L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables) in the beautiful, flowery descriptions that flow masterfully and succinctly over the page creating visual pictures in the mind of the reader.
This is one of those books to enjoy and savor. The plot carries you swiftly from chapter to chapter and is quite emotional. The gospel is simply revealed in the author’s beautiful prose through the minster of the hero.
The romantic finale develops into a gift to our characters from The Lord above. Some readers might find the story old-fashioned from its sentimentality to the style of prose with more telling than showing, but the message in this book is just as strong and just as poignant as it was back in 1933. I do wish there had been more interaction of hero and heroine in the middle of the book. Of course, this is when Constance went through the introspection and growth she needed to do on her own. By the time Seagrave does return, Constance was finally ready to make a commitment to Christ and to Seagrave.
Highly Recommended!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
December 5, 2013
Hott Synopsis:
When Constance Courtland agrees to join the church in exchange for her grandmother’s perfect strand of pearls she has no idea that it’s the wrong thing to do.
When a few pointed words from an acquaintance point out the errors of her ways, Constance, Connie, tries to laugh it off but in the ensuing weeks keeps coming back to haunt her. She can’t help but to see his disapproving eyes as she tries to continue her life as before.
Will Connie be able to get his condemnation out of her head or will she finally realize that she’s a sinner & give in to The Almighty?
Hott Review:
What I liked: I enjoyed that this book really puts you on the spot. The author very clearly states that we are all sinners and offers some very real ways that we sin. It seems so funny – and yet is so true – how one simple statement can completely change the direction of our life.
This is one of those books that really digs down and makes you reflect on yourself as a person and as a Christian. It makes you take an honest look not just at what you’re doing but why you’re doing it.
What I didn’t like: In some ways this book was a bit shocking. It seemed so odd that when this novel was written dancing and holding hands were considered disrespectful but the way that they spoke to each other and their parents wasn’t. It was also very frustrating to me how mousy the mom was and how absent the father was… though he was physically present.
More…
Author: Grace Livingston Hill
Source: Barbour Book via Netgalley
Grade: B+
Ages: 15+
Steam: YA
When Constance Courtland agrees to join the church in exchange for her grandmother’s perfect strand of pearls she has no idea that it’s the wrong thing to do.
When a few pointed words from an acquaintance point out the errors of her ways, Constance, Connie, tries to laugh it off but in the ensuing weeks keeps coming back to haunt her. She can’t help but to see his disapproving eyes as she tries to continue her life as before.
Will Connie be able to get his condemnation out of her head or will she finally realize that she’s a sinner & give in to The Almighty?
Hott Review:
What I liked: I enjoyed that this book really puts you on the spot. The author very clearly states that we are all sinners and offers some very real ways that we sin. It seems so funny – and yet is so true – how one simple statement can completely change the direction of our life.
This is one of those books that really digs down and makes you reflect on yourself as a person and as a Christian. It makes you take an honest look not just at what you’re doing but why you’re doing it.
What I didn’t like: In some ways this book was a bit shocking. It seemed so odd that when this novel was written dancing and holding hands were considered disrespectful but the way that they spoke to each other and their parents wasn’t. It was also very frustrating to me how mousy the mom was and how absent the father was… though he was physically present.
More…
Author: Grace Livingston Hill
Source: Barbour Book via Netgalley
Grade: B+
Ages: 15+
Steam: YA
September 11, 2015
I read this and many of her other books a long, long time ago but this was the one that stuck in my memory the best.
I remember some of the other titles, but I remember this particular story.
I can still picture Connie standing in front of the congregation, lying to them, while her hand caressed the pearls around her neck. I remember... a lot that would be considered as spoilers and I just had to delete.
I also remember thinking that I couldn't wait to finish one book so that I could start another. I loved her writing and would stay in the library after school was over so that I could finish one book and then take another home with me.
I think I'll reread her novels, maybe I'll like them again now.
I remember some of the other titles, but I remember this particular story.
I can still picture Connie standing in front of the congregation, lying to them, while her hand caressed the pearls around her neck. I remember... a lot that would be considered as spoilers and I just had to delete.
I also remember thinking that I couldn't wait to finish one book so that I could start another. I loved her writing and would stay in the library after school was over so that I could finish one book and then take another home with me.
I think I'll reread her novels, maybe I'll like them again now.
July 12, 2013
This book was a delight and a treat. Such a surprise as I turned the pages, I am impressed with this author, and shocked it's taken 9 years to discover her! I loved how well she captured the snobby, college girl attitude....how the bits of detail came back under her own internal microscope, as she realized, for example, that her grandmother wasn't a fake christian, she truly did know the Lord and wanted the same for her!
February 25, 2015
I recently rediscovered Grace Livingston HIll's books and I've been enjoying them. Matched Pearls was an enjoyable story about a girl's journey from total self-absorption to saving faith in Christ. I like the simplicity of the author's style and characters. And I appreciate the way she communicates spiritual truths through the story. A fun and uplifting read. =)
February 23, 2015
Great book that explains the blessing of the gift of salvation and how we can all obtain it, no matter what we've done or how unworthy we feel!
October 30, 2025
3.5 stars
I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first. I didn’t care for Constance, and Frank was annoying. But that changed. Yes, a lot of the book, okay, most of the book, if spent with Constance going over and over and over certain events and trying to make herself good enough to fix her problem, but isn’t that exactly what we do? And things got better, little bit by little bit. And Frank became a dear. And Grand! Loved the talk she and Constance had together! I do find it a little odd at how fast the romance was. It just didn’t seem real. But not all romance is the same.
Some good Christian truths in this story.
I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first. I didn’t care for Constance, and Frank was annoying. But that changed. Yes, a lot of the book, okay, most of the book, if spent with Constance going over and over and over certain events and trying to make herself good enough to fix her problem, but isn’t that exactly what we do? And things got better, little bit by little bit. And Frank became a dear. And Grand! Loved the talk she and Constance had together! I do find it a little odd at how fast the romance was. It just didn’t seem real. But not all romance is the same.
Some good Christian truths in this story.
December 28, 2020
I decided to read a Grace Livingston Hill book this year as I had read so many of them in high school and they had a big impact on me. I believe God used some of those books to cause me to yearn after a real relationship with Christ. This one was a pretty typical plot of unhappy pagan girl meets Christian boy and is attracted to him. Sweet, sentimental, somewhat stereo typical complete with a dramatic rescue.
December 31, 2018
I enjoyed this book. I love Grace Livingston Hill's writing and found it a very good read. I especially liked how the main character really had to come to terms with her behavior.
March 17, 2017
A story so glorious and easy to understand that the truth of it shines out even now nearly a hundred years after its writing.
Constance joins the church in an empty gesture with the sole purpose of obtaining a rather valuable set of matched pearls. From there her journey becomes painful and complicated as she learns what it means to live that lie.
Oh yes, the melodrama is rich and deep, especially in the college story which calls upon pathos and a certain amount of 'just desserts' but even that, as heavy handed as it is, rings with a certain truth that we'd like so much to deny. Maybe Grace preaches a little too obviously - but to the reader who is struggling, perhaps obvious is at times necessary to drive home the desire lesson?
I loved how deep and complex the plot of this particular story was. The way the lie compounds is almost laughable, especially when Constance is roped into teaching a Sunday school class. But being a romance by Grace Livingston Hill means that by the end all will be well. Goodness and faith always prevail, leaving the reader satisfied and happy and wishing that the book would continue just a little bit longer so that you can find out what happens next.
Constance joins the church in an empty gesture with the sole purpose of obtaining a rather valuable set of matched pearls. From there her journey becomes painful and complicated as she learns what it means to live that lie.
Oh yes, the melodrama is rich and deep, especially in the college story which calls upon pathos and a certain amount of 'just desserts' but even that, as heavy handed as it is, rings with a certain truth that we'd like so much to deny. Maybe Grace preaches a little too obviously - but to the reader who is struggling, perhaps obvious is at times necessary to drive home the desire lesson?
I loved how deep and complex the plot of this particular story was. The way the lie compounds is almost laughable, especially when Constance is roped into teaching a Sunday school class. But being a romance by Grace Livingston Hill means that by the end all will be well. Goodness and faith always prevail, leaving the reader satisfied and happy and wishing that the book would continue just a little bit longer so that you can find out what happens next.
March 12, 2018
Inspirational
This author's books have answered many lifelong questions held in my heart. Through her simple way of explaining complex questions I have learned how to become a Christian through faith.
This author's books have answered many lifelong questions held in my heart. Through her simple way of explaining complex questions I have learned how to become a Christian through faith.
Read
May 31, 2011Grace Livingston Hill is my guilty pleasure...
Read
November 29, 2014I love her books.
September 13, 2018
I love this book. I must have read it at least 10 times.
January 21, 2020
Boring story. Stereotypical characters. Extremely preachy! Reads like just a long sermon.
April 12, 2024
This was a seriously hard book to read. And while it was written in 1933, it's amazing how parallel the problems Constance has match up to what the world is like, today, in a lot of ways.
It's about a spoiled brat raised by a rich family with a matriarch grandmother who just wants to see her grandchildren have a relationship with the Lord. But because they've had everything they've ever wanted given to them, they're both pretty self-centered kids.
Until the day Grandmother tells Constance she can only have the family heirloom pearls if she's a member of the church. This ultimatum sets in motion events that absolutely change Constance to the very core, and some of them are terrible, terrible events.
I've read in the other comments that Constance spends too much time feeling guilty... but people with consciences often do, especially when they know they've done something awful and can't find a way back out of it. Things snowball, and... well, this is VERY true to life.
But the amazing part of the story is that all of those things work for the GOOD of the girl - to bring her back around to where true grace, beauty, love, kindness, and faith are. You can't have an incredible ending without an intense ride.
This was one of those.
I HIGHLY recommend this book.
It's about a spoiled brat raised by a rich family with a matriarch grandmother who just wants to see her grandchildren have a relationship with the Lord. But because they've had everything they've ever wanted given to them, they're both pretty self-centered kids.
Until the day Grandmother tells Constance she can only have the family heirloom pearls if she's a member of the church. This ultimatum sets in motion events that absolutely change Constance to the very core, and some of them are terrible, terrible events.
I've read in the other comments that Constance spends too much time feeling guilty... but people with consciences often do, especially when they know they've done something awful and can't find a way back out of it. Things snowball, and... well, this is VERY true to life.
But the amazing part of the story is that all of those things work for the GOOD of the girl - to bring her back around to where true grace, beauty, love, kindness, and faith are. You can't have an incredible ending without an intense ride.
This was one of those.
I HIGHLY recommend this book.
July 23, 2021
Other than the romance (gag) and the characters names (Graham again???!!! GLH, do you not know that there are other male names in the world? Seriously...sheesh), I actually liked the premise of this book. The way the author spent almost the entire book focused on one girl's internal processing of guilt and grace was interesting and insightful. And the brother was the best! Frank gets the "best sibling in a GLH novel" award from me! It was a little slow, though, and the randomly thrown in theft at the very end was pretty lame.
Overall, not one of Hill's best, but definitely not her worst.
Overall, not one of Hill's best, but definitely not her worst.
January 21, 2024
The Struggle to Get Free of the World & Surrender to God
This is another of my favorite Grace Livingston Hill masterpieces. The characters are realistic depictions of the various types of people we all are or encounter every day. The underlying theme of the pearls is handled with the genius only a great author can achieve. Plenty of action and twists to keep this from falling into the tedious formula publishers now demand, especially in the romance genre. I believe GLH books should all be re-released. They qualify as the finest literature.
This is another of my favorite Grace Livingston Hill masterpieces. The characters are realistic depictions of the various types of people we all are or encounter every day. The underlying theme of the pearls is handled with the genius only a great author can achieve. Plenty of action and twists to keep this from falling into the tedious formula publishers now demand, especially in the romance genre. I believe GLH books should all be re-released. They qualify as the finest literature.
March 27, 2023
Grace Livingston Hill is an inspirational writer. Her books are full of hope, faith, and innocent romance. All are worth reading, and Matched Pearls is no excception.
August 17, 2023
This book is so beautiful. The way Constance slowly starts to have her heart changed to love the Lord throughout the book is written so well. One of Grace Livingstill Hill’s best books!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
May 26, 2025Again, super boring and old timey. But hey if you're into that, kuddos to you 😉
July 21, 2019
Unlike the last GLH novel I read (the Mystery of Mary), Matched Pearls has a spiritual theme throughout the entire book. Young Constance Courtland joins the church in order to receive her grandmother's pearls. She is not a Christian; she is a very worldly young lady who wants the pearls and doesn't care what she has to do to get them. On the Sunday she joins the church, a young man sitting beside her is captivated by her appearance and, not realizing that she is faking Christianity just for the pearls, begins to care for her on the spot. He tries to strike up an acquaintance with her, but when he realizes that she really doesn't understand, nor care, what she has done by taking vows upon her that she doesn't mean, his disappointment makes her feel that she would be losing something by discarding his friendship and good opinion. When she goes back to college, her roommate is in a bad accident, and calls for Constance on her deathbed. She believes that since Constance has joined the church, she should have the answers about death, what happens after death, and how one can be able to die in peace. But Constance has no idea. She does however remember the young man and his assurance about Christ and salvation, so she calls him and he comes. Following this experience, Constance becomes more and more convicted that she is a great sinner, that she is not saved, and that she has sold her soul for a string of pearls. Her struggles change her life and lead her to salvation. In the end, the pearls become a symbol to Constance of the "pearl of great price."
I found it interesting (GLH does this a lot) that her main male character's name was Seagrave. As in "see grave." It is her roommate's death and seeing her "grave" that really sparks change in Constance's life.
I found it interesting (GLH does this a lot) that her main male character's name was Seagrave. As in "see grave." It is her roommate's death and seeing her "grave" that really sparks change in Constance's life.
March 12, 2024
This was the very first GLH book I read over 40 years ago. I was hooked. I started my quest to read and own a copy of all her books. I have all in paperback and several first editions. This is still one of my favorite because the way of salvation is so complete and straight out of the book of John.
February 27, 2022
Not a favorite.
Heroine wasn't particularly likeable, the deathbed scene was over the top, and there wasn't much plot beyond the conversion.
Heroine wasn't particularly likeable, the deathbed scene was over the top, and there wasn't much plot beyond the conversion.
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