Where Two Ways Met

 Where Two Ways Met (1946) by Grace Livingston Hill

When Paige Madison comes home from the battlefields of war, he knows he must find a good job. A job that will allow him to take some of the burden off his father, whom he knows is getting past the point where he can work. He thinks he's found that good job when Harris Chalmers, the president of one of the town's most prosperous real estate firms offers him a job. But from the first meeting with the board he felt uneasy--that those men were too self-satisfied, too sleek and smug. He just didn't know if their world-view and values would sit right with his own.

He soon discovers that his first fears are justified. He's confronted by situations that that challenge his faith in human nature and his own principles. Chalmers and his board are men who take no interest in the humanity of their tenants. There is no lee-way for those who have faithfully met their obligations but have an honest set-back that prevents payment. The policy is "Pay or get out" and Madison is forced to carry out orders to that effect. Meanwhile, the boss's daughter Reva, a spoiled beauty used to getting her own way, has set her sights on Paige. His reserved manner and little liking for the high life makes her determined to win his affection (for which read slavish devotion) or to ruin him if he won't come to heel. She believes that he'll be willing to do her bidding just to save his job. She may have misread her man...

Paige wrestles with his conscience over the business practices he's asked to follow and just when he feels attacked on all sides, he meets June Culbertson, the sweet, faithful daughter of a local minister. They find that they share beliefs and principles that could never appeal to Chalmers and his daughter and while helping families less fortunate than themselves they also find that they may share more. But will Reva find a way to disrupt their peace? And will a train accident put a final end to their budding relationship? You'll just have to read and find out....

Grace Livingston Hill does her usual good job of sprinkling her religious themes throughout the story without being too heavy-handed. She's straight-forward, so there's no doubt about what she and her characters believe, but she doesn't press. I am a bit in two minds about this one, though. It doesn't pull me into the story the way her best novels do (Crimson Roses, Miranda, The Honor Girl...). It's a sweet story and fairly predictable, making it a good comfort read for those who enjoy books with Christian themes. There is one unusual aspect--at least to me--this is the first Hill novel I've read that focuses so much on the man. All of the books I've read in the past have focused on the young woman and we see everything from her perspective--here we have a man of principle finding his way to the woman he can spend his life with. That does make this one stand out a bit from other books I've given three stars to, but not enough to raise the rating any higher. A good, solid read. ★★★

First line: The sky was dark and the wind was cold.

Last lines: "Go on back to sleep, father. I'll drive carefully."