Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good

August 11, 2014
Fans of the Mitford novels, rejoice: Father Tim Kavanagh is back in town, after sojourns to Mississippi and Ireland with his wife Cynthia. Father Tim is wrestling with the existential challenge of retirement and siren calls of various duties. He settles on filling in part-time at the bookstore while owner Hope Murphy is on bed rest during her imperiled pregnancy. A host of subplots are braided together, from the rebellion of Sammy, little brother of Tim's adopted son Dooley, to the romantic prospects of Fancy Skinner's sister Shirlene, new in town. It's a wonderful stew of small town characters, who will confuse new readers and those with bad memories, and details, some of which are funny and some of which need more milking. The ending, which takes place at Christmas, is too emotionally prepackaged and drags out a long book. Fans should debate whether Father Tim has to cry as much as he does, but like him, they will welcome the return to Mitford with its quirky citizens. Agent: Liz Darhansoff, Darhansoff & Verrill.

July 15, 2014
Father Tim Kavanagh ponders the pastand looks to the future in Mitford, his beloved North Carolina mountain town.A few years into his retirement,following a trip to his hometown-where he discovered an unknown half brother-anda journey to Ireland, Father Tim and his wife, Cynthia, are back in Mitford,and he has to decide what to do with his future. Cynthia, a beloved author ofchildren's books, is always busy, but Father Tim is a bit at sea. A humble manwho believes in the power of prayer, he knows God will provide. He turns downthe bishop's request that he return to his old parish after the incumbentadmits to adultery and attempts suicide, but he does take on the job of runningthe village bookstore while the owner is on bed rest for a dangerous pregnancy.Dooley Barlowe, the young man he raised as his own, is well on his way tobecoming a veterinarian after a dysfunctional childhood that left some of hisscattered siblings still in need of help. Father Tim especially worries forDooley's brother Sammy, who seems lost and bitter. Father Tim lunches with oldfriends, continues to raise money for a children's hospital, encourages Sammy'sinterest in landscaping and fights to control the diabetes that caused hisretirement. As he helps out the many friends and neighbors he has known for somany years, his path becomes clearer; as Christmas approaches, his heart isfilled with joy despite the problems and doubts that beset them all.After a long hiatus, Karon (LightFrom Heaven, 2005, etc.) has returned with a novel that offers somethingfor those who believe and those who do not. All the beloved quirky charactersare here, the past is neatly summarized and the future, full of hope.

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September 1, 2014
There are few more difficult transitions for a working person than that of retirement. Some embrace it wholeheartedly; others wonder, What am I to do? As Karon (In the Company of Others, 2010) continues her beloved Mitford series, Father Tim Kavanagh finds himself in the latter camp now that he's no longer parish priest for the Lord's Chapel. He's tried traveling to Ireland with his bride, Cynthia, only to find his inclination to step in to help those in need is a natural one. How then to help himself to some well-earned leisure time when the good citizens of Mitford still rely on him to fix their daily problems, from the quotidian to the life-threatening? As the town's newspaper asks the editorial question, Does Mitford take care of its own?, the answer comes with every encounter with Father Tim. Loyal fans of Karon's Mitford novels and Father Tim will be delighted once again to spend time in this quintessential American village with its leading citizen and his colorful coterie of friends, family, and dependent souls.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)