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Rating: 
Summary: Corny and old-fashioned in a delightful way.
Review: Collection #6 includes three stories by Grace Livingston Hill: The Best Man, The Big Blue Soldier, and the Witness. There is also included one story written by Grace's aunt, Isabella Alden: As in a Mirror. The Best Man was all right. The plot twists strangely and unbelievably, and amazingly ends well. Not Grace's best work, but not too awfully bad. The Big Blue Soldier is some better, dealing with the sad plight of a soldier returning from the war. He receives aid from our young heroine Mary Amber (reluctantly) and her Aunt Marilla. This story is quite short; only 7 chapters. It makes you think about guys who have to come home after a war only to fight new, small personal wars with their failing health or their relationships with loved ones and strangers. The real jewel in this book is The Witness. I found it a moving, though fictional, account of a Christian man's testimony of faith through his life and family, and then his shocking death. His testimony affects the life of at least one of his former torturers. If you haven't read this story yet, you must get this collection for this story alone! The last story, As in a Mirror, is sort of a Prince and the Pauper remake. A rich society man decides to test whether society is so far advanced as he thinks regarding the issue of homelessness. So he dresses like a tramp and sets out on foot to see if there are any kind people in the world. After months of travelling on foot, without money, he finds employment, eventually, with a family on their farm, his questions are answered, and he finds a way to reveal his true identity. This is a pretty good story, but not as good as The Witness! Keep in mind that Grace wrote her stories in the first part of the 20th century. Her stories are old-fashioned, but her characters show the timeless quality of living their faith in Jesus Christ.
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