Grace Livingston Hill is beloved around the world for her beautifully written Christian love stories. I first read her books more than forty years ago as a fairly young girl. At the time, I didn’t realize when they had been written (as she passed away in 1947) but I knew that the stories meant a lot to me and gave a wonderful message as well as a lovely story.
In “The Flower Brides”, three of her books are brought together: “Marigold”, “Mystery Flowers” and “White Orchids”. In re-reading them recently and as an adult, I realized that the stories are indeed quite dated. For me, that added to their charm. I read a number of older books and also enjoy historical fiction. What isn’t dated is the Christian message that comes across loud and clear in all of Ms. Hill’s novels.
It is interesting that some readers complain about the out of date language and attitudes. I wonder if in the late 1800’s, some readers complained about the language, clothes, and attitudes of Jane Austen’s books. It may be that a certain amount of time must pass before readers can accept a novel written in an earlier time without comparing it unfavorably to today. Or it may be that the complaint has to do with the issues of morality that are dealt with in Ms. Hill’s works.
In any case, the stories were fun to re-read many years later and the messages were still relevant.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Barbour Books, via Netgalley.
