Grace Livingston Hill: Her Story and Her Writings
Jean Karr
1948, Greenberg Publishers
Written by Mr. Jean Karr (yes, he’s a man! Many later biographies mistakenly refer to Karr as a woman), this book’s first edition was copyrighted in 1948 by Greenberg Publisher. It is known to have been printed by Grosset & Dunlap in that era, as well.
This book was written just after Grace’s death. It uses a very detached style, more like a newspaper or scholarly report. It has some great photos that are not found in later books, many of which were used in J. B. Lippincott promotional literature.
One of the interesting items found here is the planning of the Grace Livingston Hill Memorial Library which was open to the public for several years after her death. Much of this book’s content is taken from previous published material on Grace’s life and it is accurate with a few exceptions.
Corrections to keep in mind as you read:
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- Grace’s father was not exclusively a Presbyterian Minister, as Karr writes. In fact, the church he was pastoring when Grace was born was a Congregational church. Karr implies that Rev. Livingston’s ministry caused conflict and led to many moves, causing hardship for his family. This incorrect assumption is repeated often by later biographers. Historical church records prove just the opposite. Rev. Livingston was often ill and found it necessary more than once to leave a church because of his serious throat problems, a difficult thing for a preacher to deal with. At one point the denomination actually transferred him to Florida, hoping the change in climate would improve his health.
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- Karr writes that The Story of a Whim grew from Grace’s “visits” to Florida as a young girl, but she actually lived there with her family in the 1890’s. She taught physical education at Rollins College in Winter Park. Many of the references in this early book are family-related.
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- Karr incorrectly dates Grace’s second marriage to F.J. Lutz. They were married in 1904.
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- He talks about Grace’s views on the movies, but they were complex. He also neglects to mention that several of her books made their way to the silver screen!
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- Karr misplaces Grace’s gravesite. The Livingston family plot is in the Johnstown Cemetery in Johnstown, NY.