The plot of this one, as others have pointed out, is simple. But if you place this story in the context of the historical time in which it was written, things become more interesting.

These days, it’s hard not to be put off by the character of Betty, our poor little rich girl, as dewily beautiful as a Earl Christy magazine cover but too stupid to realize that maybe her stepmother is lying to her about her father's legacy and too helpless to save herself from an outrageously preposterous plan to force her to marry her stepmother's evil son before she reaches her age of majority. Her only coping mechanism appears to be fainting, which she does on a regular basis.

Betty’s only redeeming grace – besides, apparently, beauty (because physical beauty automatically signifies innocence and spiritual purity at this time, if GLH is to be believed) - is that she's very humble and grateful, especially after she is schooled in good ol’ Christian values by the poor but proud family that takes her in.

Consider, however, that this was published in 1920s, the era of flappers, female dorms in colleges, female office workers/aviators/detectives (Nancy Drew!) and the 19th amendment. Women were seeking out higher education, drinking, dating, smoking.

It’s hard not to infer that the author, Grace Livingstone Hill (GLH), had more in mind than just telling a story. In this context, Exit Betty starts reading more like propaganda, an appeal for the return to an age of Christian values. Our Betty may have engaged in one spontaneous, terrified act of rebellion, but by the end of the novel she has docily given herself up to marriage to “a good man” and a life of quiet, Christian good works. Similarly, the rough factory girl who has helped her achieve her freedom is married off to a law clerk who “doesn’t like the idea of her working.” If GLH had been put in charge of writing Nancy Drew mysteries, Nancy would undoubtedly have married Ned after the first volume, devoting her life thereafter to the care of her father and a nursery full of promptly baptized babies.

One wonders the extent to which books like this continued to lull women into remaining subservient to men in the decades to come? Because – besides forays into factories during the world wars – the fact is that the women’s movement *did* take a step backwards after the 1920s … one could argue that it wasn’t until the 1960s that young women rebelled against GLH’s Christian ethic a second time, this time taking on the name “hippies” rather than “flappers.”

As a female, all I can say is that I'm grateful to be living in a world shaped by Nancy Drew rather than insipid Betty! ( )

Grace Livingston Hill is one of my favorite Christian romance authors from my early teens to this day! ( )

Poor little rich girl Betty finds herself about to be married off to a horrible man. She runs away in her wedding gown and finds shelter with a somewhat rough but good hearted salesgirl who hides her and sends her to stay with her family. Betty learns what family means, what faith means, and what love means when a young lawyer comes to help her out of her entanglement with the bad guy. ( )