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The Tryst
What family secret drives Patricia to adopt a false identity and hide from everyone—even her childhood sweetheart? 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.
387 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1921
99 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
Grace Livingston Hill
572 books564 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 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 20, 2024
2024
I so enjoyed this book. Yes, why the girl leaves home is a bit overblown, but I find this story endearing.
Oh, and Anne Hancock is THE narrator to get for GLH novels.
***
2021
Grace Livingston Hill has been a staple of my reading since I was little. I know I read this one when I was younger, but I had forgotten a lot about it.
GLH had a gift with words and writing stories that capture your heart and imagination, yet still, keep a sweet and calm feeling. Some of her ideas will seem odd to some as makeup, dancing, smoking, and playing cards are far more generally acceptable among Christians than they were in her day. Yet, so many things her characters encounter are still relevant today: churches that aren't acting like they really believe Jesus, Christians who are that in name only, and how to live a radical life for Jesus in the midst of opposition.
This story is a tale of a soldier coming back from WWI finding his faith, and a girl who loses her family and finds Jesus as well as people who care about her. It is a sweet story that also is a call to live radically for Jesus.
Its hard to think this book turns 100 this year.
I so enjoyed this book. Yes, why the girl leaves home is a bit overblown, but I find this story endearing.
Oh, and Anne Hancock is THE narrator to get for GLH novels.
***
2021
Grace Livingston Hill has been a staple of my reading since I was little. I know I read this one when I was younger, but I had forgotten a lot about it.
GLH had a gift with words and writing stories that capture your heart and imagination, yet still, keep a sweet and calm feeling. Some of her ideas will seem odd to some as makeup, dancing, smoking, and playing cards are far more generally acceptable among Christians than they were in her day. Yet, so many things her characters encounter are still relevant today: churches that aren't acting like they really believe Jesus, Christians who are that in name only, and how to live a radical life for Jesus in the midst of opposition.
This story is a tale of a soldier coming back from WWI finding his faith, and a girl who loses her family and finds Jesus as well as people who care about her. It is a sweet story that also is a call to live radically for Jesus.
Its hard to think this book turns 100 this year.
December 5, 2020
Christian historic social commentary centered on “model industrial housing communities” with a touch of romance. Published in 1921 by Lippincott. Set primarily in New York City, but it begins in “a western city” which is never named. I like reading books written a century ago. It gives me a good sense of how much has changed since then.
The plot is annoying. It’s based on a flawed premise to protect father’s honor by adopting a false identity. It seems a false honor because Patty told the truth to her boss — a stranger — but she deceived her oldest and truest friend, repeatedly. Patty Merrill is passive about her family situation, silly about John Treeves, and irresponsible with respect to her father, her solicitor, and her responsibility to report her eyewitness murder testimony to the police — not just to her apathetic boss — especially after she realized he ignored it.
I liked old Hesper, the manservant, and John Treeves, the hero, and Miss Silvia Cole, but I found Patty to be plain irritating. She runs away and then goes to great lengths to hide her identity and avoid the conflict at home. The false identity is drawn out for 99% of the book only to have the resolution loosely thrown together in the final chapter. The climax was unsatisfying. Why should Patty throw away her birthright from her maternal grandfather, and so thoughtlessly, and to such ugly customers? Why didn’t her father tell her the truth about her mother? She deserved to know, regardless of what anyone else felt.
This book has lots of preaching. It overwhelms the story at times. I’m not sure about the veracity of an eleventh-hour confessional repentance after a long life of selfishness, cruelty, and greed. But I guess it’s possible. And the old guy grew on me. A bit.
I much preferred Re-Creations by Grace Livingston Hill. I also loved April Gold, and Cloudy Jewel.
The plot is annoying. It’s based on a flawed premise to protect father’s honor by adopting a false identity. It seems a false honor because Patty told the truth to her boss — a stranger — but she deceived her oldest and truest friend, repeatedly. Patty Merrill is passive about her family situation, silly about John Treeves, and irresponsible with respect to her father, her solicitor, and her responsibility to report her eyewitness murder testimony to the police — not just to her apathetic boss — especially after she realized he ignored it.
I liked old Hesper, the manservant, and John Treeves, the hero, and Miss Silvia Cole, but I found Patty to be plain irritating. She runs away and then goes to great lengths to hide her identity and avoid the conflict at home. The false identity is drawn out for 99% of the book only to have the resolution loosely thrown together in the final chapter. The climax was unsatisfying. Why should Patty throw away her birthright from her maternal grandfather, and so thoughtlessly, and to such ugly customers? Why didn’t her father tell her the truth about her mother? She deserved to know, regardless of what anyone else felt.
This book has lots of preaching. It overwhelms the story at times. I’m not sure about the veracity of an eleventh-hour confessional repentance after a long life of selfishness, cruelty, and greed. But I guess it’s possible. And the old guy grew on me. A bit.
I much preferred Re-Creations by Grace Livingston Hill. I also loved April Gold, and Cloudy Jewel.
October 28, 2012
I really enjoyed this sweet novel. Every once in awhile it is nice to take a break from frenzied, twisted plots and just read a good old-fashioned romance! Like most of her novels Ms Hill does not hurry to the ending but takes her readers on a slow, picturesque journey allowing plenty of time for character developement and soul searching on the parts of the hero and heroine. The ending is a little bit abrupt as though the author (or editor) realized much time had already been spent and now we must tie things up quickly. However it was a pleasant journey and the reader can have the freedom to fill in the blanks as they wish.
February 21, 2021
This is one of those books where you really begin to question just who the book is actually about.
I love Patty, but is it truly her book? Here we start with a girl who has left home where she seems to be unwanted, and sets out to make her way in the world. I'm going to look the other way on just what a fine job she falls into without much effort at all, because I love Grace Livingston Hill. Besides, the rest of the story falls into place so neatly it would be a shame to question this too heavily.
John threw me off a little, in his treatment of his uncle. While I approve of the 'tough love' approach, I would have wanted him to let go of the past, and maybe that's his human failing, the one thing that makes him more real.
This book is filled with sermons, and a great deal about the importance of learning scripture when you're small. I wish I'd memorized Bible verses in my life and could call on them that way (I suppose it's too late now to try to set them into my mind in this way). But there's also a heavy social ministry that Grace only hints at in other books, with beautiful works done by the end to make life better for a large group of people.
I wonder at the time period that this is written in, whether a great deal of Italians were immigrating to America during this time period. It's things like this that brings alive another era, and lets us see other times.
I wish the ending wasn't quite so rushed. I really wish I'd seen more of Patty and John together. But overall, this was a pleasure to read, and a book that I really couldn't put down once I'd gotten into it.
I love Patty, but is it truly her book? Here we start with a girl who has left home where she seems to be unwanted, and sets out to make her way in the world. I'm going to look the other way on just what a fine job she falls into without much effort at all, because I love Grace Livingston Hill. Besides, the rest of the story falls into place so neatly it would be a shame to question this too heavily.
John threw me off a little, in his treatment of his uncle. While I approve of the 'tough love' approach, I would have wanted him to let go of the past, and maybe that's his human failing, the one thing that makes him more real.
This book is filled with sermons, and a great deal about the importance of learning scripture when you're small. I wish I'd memorized Bible verses in my life and could call on them that way (I suppose it's too late now to try to set them into my mind in this way). But there's also a heavy social ministry that Grace only hints at in other books, with beautiful works done by the end to make life better for a large group of people.
I wonder at the time period that this is written in, whether a great deal of Italians were immigrating to America during this time period. It's things like this that brings alive another era, and lets us see other times.
I wish the ending wasn't quite so rushed. I really wish I'd seen more of Patty and John together. But overall, this was a pleasure to read, and a book that I really couldn't put down once I'd gotten into it.
September 6, 2015
I found some of the characters interesting, and it's unusual for Hill to present her usual selfish villainess-type and then bring her to a type of redemption. I'd like this book a lot more if it weren't for a couple of little things that keep it from being a 4-star for me. For instance, our heroine witnesses a crime, knows the wrong guy's in jail, but all she does is tell her boss. She doesn't say anything to the police even after she knows full well her boss hasn't passed the information on and may even be trying to frame the innocent guy (can't remember how complicit he was).
Granted, our heroine is naive to the point of peabrained, and woefully passive in regards to all kinda stuff, so it's not really out of character, but it bugged me. This isn't one where GLH totally loses track of the plot on you -- on the contrary, as another reviewer mentions, she ties everything up in a terribly neat little bow -- and I really enjoy some of the secondary characters, but something was kind of lacking, I think because I never liked the heroine enough to shrug off her annoying tendencies.
Granted, our heroine is naive to the point of peabrained, and woefully passive in regards to all kinda stuff, so it's not really out of character, but it bugged me. This isn't one where GLH totally loses track of the plot on you -- on the contrary, as another reviewer mentions, she ties everything up in a terribly neat little bow -- and I really enjoy some of the secondary characters, but something was kind of lacking, I think because I never liked the heroine enough to shrug off her annoying tendencies.
August 4, 2018
I was given this book as a joke.
And it is a joke. A mishmash of cloying sentimentality, heavy-handed proselytizing, and and utter lack of tension. Though I gotta admire the audacity of a romance novel that doesn’t allow its two leads to have a conversation until literally the last five pages, despite meeting face to face on several occasions.
Only read it if you live with a repressive grandmother who thinks Francine Rivers is too spicy.
And it is a joke. A mishmash of cloying sentimentality, heavy-handed proselytizing, and and utter lack of tension. Though I gotta admire the audacity of a romance novel that doesn’t allow its two leads to have a conversation until literally the last five pages, despite meeting face to face on several occasions.
Only read it if you live with a repressive grandmother who thinks Francine Rivers is too spicy.
April 27, 2021
The best part of this book was John Treeves and his spiritual journey. Without him, I would have had to have given this 2 stars according to my personal taste. I thought the entire plot with Patty was contrived, and I could not get over her implausible behavior that seemed an overreaction to a "family secret" that was not at all that sinister. I liked Miss Cole, Patty's employer. Calvin Treeves and his manservant, Hespur, were exaggerated but entertaining and rather touching. I did appreciate each of the faith journeys that were detailed. Grace Livingston Hill writes them so sincerely. You can tell she really lived her faith and experienced what she wrote about.
September 25, 2021
Rating: 3 / 5
Spoilers ahead~~~~
I have to be candid in my reviews--in this case, starting off with mentioning that I almost gave this a four-star rating instead of five stars, but seeing as I was bored by it long before the climax, I had to downgrade it to an average rating.
There are two main problems here that the story suffers from:
1. A confusion about just what the main point of the story is.
and 2. It's WAY too long.
Since the second problem is directly a result of the first one, I think I'll just explain what I mean by the first problem and why it really took away from the reading experience for me.
So, the story starts off straightforward, if a bit forced: Patty Merrill overhears her mother and her sister talking about her like they want to kick her out of their lives or something, and so Patty saves them the trouble by running away. Her plan is to somehow contact her father, who's off in South America, and then...what? There's a lot of convoluted logic about the family honour being the main reason why Patty has to conceal her true identity even whilst looking for a job and yada yada yada.
Whatever, moving on.
But then she gets a job at literally the first random house she knocks at, and it turns out to be a high-paying, all-the-comforts-of-life, EASY job that lands her in a fancy hotel and with lots of presents coming her way to boot.
Yeah, REAL realistic.
But let's assume that this wasn't that bad, and that I was able to look past it in the hopes of a good story picking up somewhere, most notably in what Patty would do once she met with her childhood friend, John Treeves.
But then when John comes on the scene, Patty's tactic is apparently to avoid him for a good long while, so they don't even meet face-to-face except about 230 pages in. Like...just WHAT? No, instead John's got his own entirely separate plot, in which he happens to have a rich uncle staying at the exact same hotel as Patty and her employer, except this guy's a Scrooge who just wants to make John over into being a rich young lout--reliving his youth, y'know? And John's got his own humble family honour from his "peasant" mother's side, so of course he doesn't go for this and instead spends the story discovering himself in faith and becoming a minister.
Oh, yeah, and Patty also befriends his uncle and she meets up with John but then STILL doesn't reveal her true identity for convenient/stupid plot purposes, and then once John inherits some money the plot changes to helping out the lower classes and uncovering a plot to shoot Patty's employer's brother, who's also the guy who hired John to become a minister and who owns a power plant.
You following okay?
Cause I didn't care enough to.
*sighs* My point is that no author's perfect and I've read enough of Hill's works to determine where there are bumps in the road to every story. Not only does Patty's plot feel forced and stupid since there's literally no good reason for her to keep up this stupid alias façade, but that plot also gets entirely lost in the shuffle of John's plot, which is likewise all over the place.
It. Just. NO.
So yeah, this is one of those reads by Hill that I didn't end up liking, and was honestly much too long for me to put up with it from start to finish. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh now and maybe I'll try re-reading it again someday and judge it better, but for now, I'm setting it aside on my Hill shelf and moving on to something else.
Thankfully, there are many of her works to choose from, and most of them are definitely lovely stories that I look forward to re-reading!
Spoilers ahead~~~~
I have to be candid in my reviews--in this case, starting off with mentioning that I almost gave this a four-star rating instead of five stars, but seeing as I was bored by it long before the climax, I had to downgrade it to an average rating.
There are two main problems here that the story suffers from:
1. A confusion about just what the main point of the story is.
and 2. It's WAY too long.
Since the second problem is directly a result of the first one, I think I'll just explain what I mean by the first problem and why it really took away from the reading experience for me.
So, the story starts off straightforward, if a bit forced: Patty Merrill overhears her mother and her sister talking about her like they want to kick her out of their lives or something, and so Patty saves them the trouble by running away. Her plan is to somehow contact her father, who's off in South America, and then...what? There's a lot of convoluted logic about the family honour being the main reason why Patty has to conceal her true identity even whilst looking for a job and yada yada yada.
Whatever, moving on.
But then she gets a job at literally the first random house she knocks at, and it turns out to be a high-paying, all-the-comforts-of-life, EASY job that lands her in a fancy hotel and with lots of presents coming her way to boot.
Yeah, REAL realistic.
But let's assume that this wasn't that bad, and that I was able to look past it in the hopes of a good story picking up somewhere, most notably in what Patty would do once she met with her childhood friend, John Treeves.
But then when John comes on the scene, Patty's tactic is apparently to avoid him for a good long while, so they don't even meet face-to-face except about 230 pages in. Like...just WHAT? No, instead John's got his own entirely separate plot, in which he happens to have a rich uncle staying at the exact same hotel as Patty and her employer, except this guy's a Scrooge who just wants to make John over into being a rich young lout--reliving his youth, y'know? And John's got his own humble family honour from his "peasant" mother's side, so of course he doesn't go for this and instead spends the story discovering himself in faith and becoming a minister.
Oh, yeah, and Patty also befriends his uncle and she meets up with John but then STILL doesn't reveal her true identity for convenient/stupid plot purposes, and then once John inherits some money the plot changes to helping out the lower classes and uncovering a plot to shoot Patty's employer's brother, who's also the guy who hired John to become a minister and who owns a power plant.
You following okay?
Cause I didn't care enough to.
*sighs* My point is that no author's perfect and I've read enough of Hill's works to determine where there are bumps in the road to every story. Not only does Patty's plot feel forced and stupid since there's literally no good reason for her to keep up this stupid alias façade, but that plot also gets entirely lost in the shuffle of John's plot, which is likewise all over the place.
It. Just. NO.
So yeah, this is one of those reads by Hill that I didn't end up liking, and was honestly much too long for me to put up with it from start to finish. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh now and maybe I'll try re-reading it again someday and judge it better, but for now, I'm setting it aside on my Hill shelf and moving on to something else.
Thankfully, there are many of her works to choose from, and most of them are definitely lovely stories that I look forward to re-reading!
May 7, 2018
I have read a LOT of GLH books over the years. Probably at the very least 40 or more. Some of them are among my favorite books of all time. This one, however, was easily the worst one I've read. As a Christian, I certainly have no problem with the witnessing and sharing of the scriptures in a book. However, it seemed extremely forced and overdone in this story. It also didn't help that I didn't agree with her interpretation of some of the scriptures quoted or some of the doctrines shared. But even aside from that, the story itself wasn't very well done. The heroine goes to great lengths to hide her identity and avoid the trouble at home that she ran away from. The main conflict of the plot is drawn out for 99% of the book only to have the resolution sloppily thrown together in about 3 pages at the end. The climax was unsatisfying to the nth degree! If this was my first GLH book, I'd probably never read another one.
May 5, 2012
As with all of Grace Livingston Hill's books it is very old fasioned in it's view of women and social position. I love these books because my Mom and Grandmother gave them to me when I was a young girl. They are sweet and romantic.
The Tryst is very interesting, there are a lot of side stories and plots. There is everything from a cranky milionaire with a secret love to a man wrongly accused of murder. All this plays in the backgrounfd to a couple who obviously belong together but are so busy helping each other they don't see what's in front of them. While the story is interesting and very involved, the ending is, in my opinion, disappointing. These stories that have been winding up to a climax throughout are ended almost entirely in about half a chapter. Everyone happy, everything right, it was just a little disappointing.
The Tryst is very interesting, there are a lot of side stories and plots. There is everything from a cranky milionaire with a secret love to a man wrongly accused of murder. All this plays in the backgrounfd to a couple who obviously belong together but are so busy helping each other they don't see what's in front of them. While the story is interesting and very involved, the ending is, in my opinion, disappointing. These stories that have been winding up to a climax throughout are ended almost entirely in about half a chapter. Everyone happy, everything right, it was just a little disappointing.
May 14, 2014
Surprisingly, this is the one of my grandmother's 4 GLH books that I have reread several times. I think the crotchety old rich man and his devoted old servant are fun. I especially like the "old maid aunt" who dares to speak her mind, and befriends our heroine. But there is the tryst itself, which if you haven't met God, doesn't make sense. Oh, if you've grown up Christian then you've been preached to about accepting God and feeling him in your heart, but until you make the leap yourself you can't quite get it. Poor GLH clearly had, and tries desperately to convert through her story. If you haven't been there personally, then just keep going -- the story is fine. But once you've made the jump, then this story's description may come back to haunt you - very accurate.
Also there's The Plant -- where the immigrant families live and work -- I think this book may just have more depth than some of her others.
Also there's The Plant -- where the immigrant families live and work -- I think this book may just have more depth than some of her others.
February 20, 2015
One of my favorite authors, this was not one of her best. It was SO full of proselytizing that the story was almost lost. I appreciate a good Christian conversion story, and did enjoy the unusual conversion stories, but it was way over the top, even for Grace Livingston Hill. Missed communication in a story always make me crazy, and this one had plenty of that. I had to see how the pieces came together...
January 21, 2017
I enjoyed this mystery with several threads and a hint of romance.
Some of the threads were left undeveloped, making one wonder which the author would follow. In this day several sequels could be developed. It was a moving read emotionally.
Some of the threads were left undeveloped, making one wonder which the author would follow. In this day several sequels could be developed. It was a moving read emotionally.
December 20, 2007
read 03.28.84
September 25, 2012
MY MOST FAVORITE GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL!!!
April 14, 2013
Hespur, the faithful servant, is my favorite character. He takes a background role to the main lovebirds, but this book is worth reading, if only to read about him and his humility.
April 17, 2013
enjoyable read!
Read
November 29, 2014Love her books.
October 3, 2015
Awesome.... I hated to see it end
Awesome I hated when it came to the end. I wanted it to go on. It kept me wondering what next
Awesome I hated when it came to the end. I wanted it to go on. It kept me wondering what next
July 1, 2016
I am kind of a sucker for GLH books and this one was a sweet read! Yes, unrealistic, but still sweet! It had some great depth of the walk with the Lord that I enjoyed as well.
Want to read
May 31, 2017Publishing date: 1921. Wow... released to Kindle, free.
June 27, 2014
I'll give this story 2 stars for it kept me interested somewhat in what would happen next. Otherwise the plot is terribly weak especially the ending. It's pathetic! The main character actions are so cheesy. The story was building up to its climax and then all of a sudden it crumbles into The End.
March 2, 2015
Nice clean book with a fluffy story and nice moral lesson but didn't make a ton of sense.3 is probably a high rating.
December 6, 2018
A great many typos
A good story and I liked the message of salvation. But the typos so so many made reading difficulty for me
A good story and I liked the message of salvation. But the typos so so many made reading difficulty for me
May 5, 2021
I started out really liking this book, but it wore on me after a while, and the ending felt rushed and incomplete.
We start out by meeting Patty, your typical GLH heroine who is smart, pretty, wealthy, and cultured. She overhears her mother and sister saying how much they hate her, so she runs away to NYC where she realizes that she is out of money and must find a job. Patty quickly and miraculously finds a job as a paid companion to an elderly lady and is off on a whirlwind trip! Along the way, Patty has time to think about her lot in life and wonders if she is adopted because her mother and sister hate her so much (spoiler -she is. but probably more surprising is the fact that Patty even thought about this option. GLH heroines are typically so innocent and naive that they never imagine they could have been adopted...so I was cautiously optimistic from the start because of this).
Once Patty and the elderly lady arrive at the hotel, Patty sees a man from her past and goes extremely out of her way to ignore him and make sure he doesn't know that she is who she is - apparently she doesn't want to shame her family by telling the story about why she ran away? Of course, this man is young, handsome, and interested in Patty. But he is there to visit a rich and ornery uncle.
At this point, the book basically switches over from Patty as the main character to John (the young, handsome old friend) - which is a little odd, honestly. Don't get me wrong, Patty is still in the book, but it seems like the main focus of the narration is John and Patty is mentioned only in conjunction with John or projects that John is involved in. I didn't mind this too much, though, because I found John to be very interesting, and his character arc was one that we don't see much from GLH - we really see John struggle with disbelief and the reader is privy to his thoughts of doubt and unsurity all through his "tryst" with God on a mountain top where he regains his faith and rediscovers a God who is real and who cares intimately about his creations. From this point we follow John's career as a preacher and basically social worker as he strives to help the less fortunate.
Other things happen, but they feel disjointed and superfluous, because at this point the reader is just waiting for Patty to finally be straight with John so they can get married (you know, ASAP because that is how things go down in GLH books).
If you are reading this book for a sweet romance or a fun story line, you might want to skip. However, if you are wanting some spiritual encouragement with a tiny tiny subplot of social justice and human struggle, this is the book for you! I actually really enjoyed the sermons and as always, I felt uplifted by the faith the main characters display in God. This was a book that I would probably consider re-reading, however readers should definitely be aware of what they are getting into.
We start out by meeting Patty, your typical GLH heroine who is smart, pretty, wealthy, and cultured. She overhears her mother and sister saying how much they hate her, so she runs away to NYC where she realizes that she is out of money and must find a job. Patty quickly and miraculously finds a job as a paid companion to an elderly lady and is off on a whirlwind trip! Along the way, Patty has time to think about her lot in life and wonders if she is adopted because her mother and sister hate her so much (spoiler -she is. but probably more surprising is the fact that Patty even thought about this option. GLH heroines are typically so innocent and naive that they never imagine they could have been adopted...so I was cautiously optimistic from the start because of this).
Once Patty and the elderly lady arrive at the hotel, Patty sees a man from her past and goes extremely out of her way to ignore him and make sure he doesn't know that she is who she is - apparently she doesn't want to shame her family by telling the story about why she ran away? Of course, this man is young, handsome, and interested in Patty. But he is there to visit a rich and ornery uncle.
At this point, the book basically switches over from Patty as the main character to John (the young, handsome old friend) - which is a little odd, honestly. Don't get me wrong, Patty is still in the book, but it seems like the main focus of the narration is John and Patty is mentioned only in conjunction with John or projects that John is involved in. I didn't mind this too much, though, because I found John to be very interesting, and his character arc was one that we don't see much from GLH - we really see John struggle with disbelief and the reader is privy to his thoughts of doubt and unsurity all through his "tryst" with God on a mountain top where he regains his faith and rediscovers a God who is real and who cares intimately about his creations. From this point we follow John's career as a preacher and basically social worker as he strives to help the less fortunate.
Other things happen, but they feel disjointed and superfluous, because at this point the reader is just waiting for Patty to finally be straight with John so they can get married (you know, ASAP because that is how things go down in GLH books).
If you are reading this book for a sweet romance or a fun story line, you might want to skip. However, if you are wanting some spiritual encouragement with a tiny tiny subplot of social justice and human struggle, this is the book for you! I actually really enjoyed the sermons and as always, I felt uplifted by the faith the main characters display in God. This was a book that I would probably consider re-reading, however readers should definitely be aware of what they are getting into.
September 19, 2025
Grace Livingston Hill’s “The Tryst” is a wonderful romantic religious read that preaches the salvation through Jesus Christ. There is some mystery that is revealed at the end. I really loved Patty, John, Hespur and Miss Horlus-Cole. The message of God is throughout and not some watered down version. I loved the Bible verses and talk of Sermon on the Mount.
Story in short- Patty hears her older sister and mother talk about her with hate and dislike which causes Patty to leave home.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Patty’s father is abroad and after hearing her mother and sister talk about their wish for her not to stay at home and Patty trying to take her sister’s boyfriend away which was not true. Patty has never been to New York and is excited but worried being alone. Patty finds a job as a companion to the Horlus-Coles, really maiden Miss Cole. John Treeves sees Patty while visiting his rich uncle who wants him to live like he wishes he could but is too old with lots of money. John is angry with his uncle who never approved of his younger brother’s wife who he thought not a good match. John refuses his uncle’s offer and after being a soldier in France during the world war 1, his mother died while serving and remembering his promise to go with a Bible to their spot and seek the God. Before going away he told his mom he no longer believed but this tryst that he promised brought him back to Christ -looking to preach. Calvin his uncle buys him a position in a fancy church. Patty has known John through their mothers but Patty feels for her family honor she must not own family troubles and avoids John who thinks she is Edith Fisher. In the end rich Calvin finds Christ with his manservant’s help and John’s sermons that were sent to him. After Calvin dies John uses the money to help others anonymously at the plant owned by Mr. Horlus-Cole and after Patty hears about troubles for John’s settlement of homes for the workers. John sees that it has been Patty all along. She finds out her mother died long ago and father remarried a woman with a child already. When Patty left her Dad was lost at sea but it seems he is safe. Patty’s mother’s family left her rich and she finds her step mother and sister are in danger of being poor. Patty gives her inheritance to them because she and John will marry and continue helping others. After hearing John preach Patty turned to Christ and bought a Bible. It is sad that Calvin was too money driven that Miss Cole and him did not marry. It was sweet that he gave her the engagement ring he was going to give her. I glad that Marjorie is starting to get closer to Christ and probably marry her fiancé Al who is a good guy working hard for her.
Story in short- Patty hears her older sister and mother talk about her with hate and dislike which causes Patty to leave home.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Patty’s father is abroad and after hearing her mother and sister talk about their wish for her not to stay at home and Patty trying to take her sister’s boyfriend away which was not true. Patty has never been to New York and is excited but worried being alone. Patty finds a job as a companion to the Horlus-Coles, really maiden Miss Cole. John Treeves sees Patty while visiting his rich uncle who wants him to live like he wishes he could but is too old with lots of money. John is angry with his uncle who never approved of his younger brother’s wife who he thought not a good match. John refuses his uncle’s offer and after being a soldier in France during the world war 1, his mother died while serving and remembering his promise to go with a Bible to their spot and seek the God. Before going away he told his mom he no longer believed but this tryst that he promised brought him back to Christ -looking to preach. Calvin his uncle buys him a position in a fancy church. Patty has known John through their mothers but Patty feels for her family honor she must not own family troubles and avoids John who thinks she is Edith Fisher. In the end rich Calvin finds Christ with his manservant’s help and John’s sermons that were sent to him. After Calvin dies John uses the money to help others anonymously at the plant owned by Mr. Horlus-Cole and after Patty hears about troubles for John’s settlement of homes for the workers. John sees that it has been Patty all along. She finds out her mother died long ago and father remarried a woman with a child already. When Patty left her Dad was lost at sea but it seems he is safe. Patty’s mother’s family left her rich and she finds her step mother and sister are in danger of being poor. Patty gives her inheritance to them because she and John will marry and continue helping others. After hearing John preach Patty turned to Christ and bought a Bible. It is sad that Calvin was too money driven that Miss Cole and him did not marry. It was sweet that he gave her the engagement ring he was going to give her. I glad that Marjorie is starting to get closer to Christ and probably marry her fiancé Al who is a good guy working hard for her.
October 5, 2024
Not my favorite of GLH's books.
The premise: a young girl finds out that her mother and sister despise her and her sister even suggests having her killed. Her father's away in South Africa, out of touch. Terrified, she runs away from home, spends EVERY dime wastefully going to NYC, and then lands in a cushy job as a ladies' maid to a rich woman.
Problems with the book: In this one, the heroine lives a lie, every second of the book. She even admits it: "call me Edith, but it's not my name". Lies of omission are still lies. She won't say where she's from, who she is, what's the matter, even when people are kind and willing to help her. She runs off not leaving *ANY* word with her father's lawyer or anyone she trusts at home.
There's a guy she knows from ONE summer when she was a little girl, and he keeps showing up wanting to talk to her, and she spends the ENTIRE book snubbing him out of 'loyalty' to her family... that has made death threats to her?! Seriously?! This is a guy she always trusted/admired, whose mother was dear to her, and she's acting like she doesn't know him to his face.
It did *NOT* work for me.
More, the guy's uncle spends the whole book screaming, throwing tantrums, abusing his servant, conniving, howling, sobbing... it's *MISERABLE* to read. And of course he has a death-bed conversion (which I don't believe in, AT ALL - it's wholly unBiblical). BAH.
I had NO use for this book, at all. There's no redeeming qualities to it. The church folk aren't sincere, the family is ridiculous, even John is kind of pitiful. He inherits millions and... builds a church town? Really.
How about NO.
The premise: a young girl finds out that her mother and sister despise her and her sister even suggests having her killed. Her father's away in South Africa, out of touch. Terrified, she runs away from home, spends EVERY dime wastefully going to NYC, and then lands in a cushy job as a ladies' maid to a rich woman.
Problems with the book: In this one, the heroine lives a lie, every second of the book. She even admits it: "call me Edith, but it's not my name". Lies of omission are still lies. She won't say where she's from, who she is, what's the matter, even when people are kind and willing to help her. She runs off not leaving *ANY* word with her father's lawyer or anyone she trusts at home.
There's a guy she knows from ONE summer when she was a little girl, and he keeps showing up wanting to talk to her, and she spends the ENTIRE book snubbing him out of 'loyalty' to her family... that has made death threats to her?! Seriously?! This is a guy she always trusted/admired, whose mother was dear to her, and she's acting like she doesn't know him to his face.
It did *NOT* work for me.
More, the guy's uncle spends the whole book screaming, throwing tantrums, abusing his servant, conniving, howling, sobbing... it's *MISERABLE* to read. And of course he has a death-bed conversion (which I don't believe in, AT ALL - it's wholly unBiblical). BAH.
I had NO use for this book, at all. There's no redeeming qualities to it. The church folk aren't sincere, the family is ridiculous, even John is kind of pitiful. He inherits millions and... builds a church town? Really.
How about NO.
October 9, 2022
The Tryst in this story by Grace Livingston Hill is actually between man and God as a man tries to regain the faith he had lost. Ms. Hill’s exceptional storytelling skills show all through this book and the scriptures and explanations of what it means to be a Christian shone a golden light over the story. The differences between rich and poor were fully shown and the thoughts that each group feels about the other are not unfortunately much different than today. This was an uplifting tale that I needed right now and Ms. Hill certainly came through!
July 5, 2025
I really liked this book. It’s a bit preachy in parts, but what was said was still true and good. It’s surprising to me just how relevant the themes of this book are 100 years later. (Genuine faith in and relationship with God, pleasures of this world cannot save or satisfy, good works don’t save you, the need to genuinely live out your faith to a hurting world around you) There were plot points that fell very short and the ending was quite rushed, but overall it was an enjoyable read that gave me good food for thought about my own life.
November 26, 2019
Compelling storyline
Compelling storyline, this wonderful story of strong Christian faith and of trials and tribulations and how different people Christian and unbelievers react to the same events.
Compelling storyline, this wonderful story of strong Christian faith and of trials and tribulations and how different people Christian and unbelievers react to the same events.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews