The Substitute Guest (1936) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ by Grace Livingston Hill
Inside the cover of my copy, there is a shiny gold sticker that says “Honaker’s Huntington W. VA.” and someone did a series of subtraction math problems in it. In the front flyleaf, it says “Clara Stover 1102 Chestnut St. Kenova W. VA”. There are also two newspaper clippings inside it. One is a prayer, and another is a clipping from Dear Abby about temperance.
An absolutely delightful book about a man whose car accidentally breaks down in a snowstorm is stranded in front of the home of a wonderful family who takes him in for Christmas.
This book is a must-read for a December/holiday season. There is a lot of religious preaching in the book, but, honestly, even if that was taken out, it is a lovely book of finding kindred spirits.
Apparently Grace Livingston Hill was married to a preacher, and all her books are like that, religious in nature. It’s fine, she’s a lovely writer, and if all of her books are this wonderful, I want to read more. She wrote over 100 novels, so there are lots to choose from!
The book is just so beautiful, the characters are so lovable, that you really, really want to know this family and spend one season in their world.
