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What is a “romance novel?” Is it a novel whose main focus is the building of a relationship that leads to marriage between a man and a woman? By that definition, much or even most of modern “romance novels” would not qualify. Growing up into adulthood and developing affection for a member of the opposite sex that leads to the joys of life-long marriage and family unity is an incredibly important part of life, second only to the establishment and life-long continuation of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, one would think that having romance as a part of fiction would be a normal thing and not be relegated to one genre that is oriented towards females-only. If denying books to boys that encourage them to be brave, strong men is a disservice to them, then stripping all romance from boys’ reading is an equal disservice. If we want to teach our children, boys and girls, the wonders of love and marriage, supporting Biblical teaching with good fiction in which romance plays a part would be a wise thing to do. This romance aspect of novels should focus on males and females, since the Bible commands both to love their spouses.
A wonderful American author who wrote in the first half of the 20th century was Grace Livingston Hill. She created lovely books, solidly and explicitly Christian, which explore life and adventure in general but focus on relationships between men and women. She has outstanding heroines and heroes and usually tells her stories through both points of view. Her best books, I think, rival Jane Austen’s classic writing in their realism, wit, gentle sarcasm, and deep emotional feeling. In the three books by Grace Livingston Hill reviewed below, the main characters are young men who have various trials to deal with, including spiritual trials in facing the world and worldly people. There is an element of romance in each book leading to marriage, which is nicely and warmly told, but that is only part of each story and not necessarily the main part.
The Witness is inspired by the Biblical account of Stephen, the first martyr, and his effect on Paul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle to the Gentiles. The setting is America in the early part of the 20th century. The main character is named Paul and the acquaintance whose death drives him to the Lord is named Stephen. The story opens with the drama in college that results in Stephen’s death, which is partly Paul’s fault and which makes Paul start to question his position of politely ignoring the requirements of God. He has to face Stephen’s mother in a beautifully written part of the book. Paul confronts hard choices between the gospel and the worldly influences in his life. Paul does change and he does find a woman he can love and marry, but that is a secondary part of the book. The gripping spiritual adventure and dramatic struggle in Paul’s life that God puts him through is the main theme of the book.
The title of The Seventh Hour comes from an older idiom that means “at the last possible moment.” Dana is a young Christian man, just out of college, whose beloved father has recently died. His father’s last words to him were “Find your mother and sister and get to know them.” Dana’s mother Lisa had abandoned his father, Jerrold, when Dana was a little boy. She had taken Dana’s sister, Coralie, then a baby, with her. There had been no contact between the two halves of this divided family for twenty years – Lisa had not wanted any contact with her ex-husband or her little boy. There is great conflict in the book between the very sinful world of Lisa and Coralie and the Christian world of Dana and his best friend, Bruce. God’s love and human love are clearly at work. The Holy Spirit is also active in Coralie’s heart and we see the spiritual struggle in this young woman’s soul. There is physical conflict as well stemming from the sin of Lisa’s life. All warring forces come to a stirring conclusion “at the seventh hour.”
Many books and movies that we enjoy employ a single plot device that then is developed into an interesting story. The Story of a Whim is just such a book. Christie Bailey is a young man who, after a wasted few years, invests in a Florida orange grove back in the 1920s when the orange industry was just getting started. He lives simply until his orange trees can start bearing fruit. By an accident, a young woman up north, Hazel, comes upon some of his luggage being shipped south and mistakes his name for that of a woman’s name. Out of compassion, she sends him all the materials needed for holding a Sunday School. Christie answers her letter, never having the heart to tell her that he is really a man. Out of loneliness and boredom, almost on a whim (and from God’s prompting, no doubt), he starts a Sunday School for the poor children living around him, many of them African-American, and makes a positive impact on their lives - and on his. His faith in God becomes real and his continuing correspondence with Hazel becomes precious to him. All is well – until Hazel comes to Florida on vacation with her family and decides to stop in and meet this Christie who she has become close to through their many letters.