Author Jan Karon began her tales about the peaceful little North Carolina town in 1995 with At Home in Mitford. With the series, she introduced one of the most beloved characters in recent literary history kind-hearted Father Tim Kavanagh. In A New Song, the fifth in the beloved Mitford series, Father Tim has retired from Lord's Chapel. Dooley, his adopted son, has grown up and gone away to school, and Cynthia, his new wife, is busy at work on another Violet book. Father Tim is content to spend his time watching over his flock. These peaceful plans are changed, however, when he is asked to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island.
Always up for a challenge, Father Tim and Cynthia pack their bags, close up the house, and set off for new adventures beachside. The Kavanaghs soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters in a church organist with a mysterious past, a lovelorn bachelor placing personal ads, and an eccentric homebound piano virtuoso. Father Tim also realizes he has his work cut out here solving squabbles, soothing hurt feelings, and even taking in a parishioner's three-year-old son. Whitecap is not so very different from Mitford. Father Tim also realizes that Mitford is never far away as various problems back home keep the phone ringing off the hook. Karon's gentle style and beautiful descriptions make her books an absolute joy. She mixes a little romance, a little mystery, and a generous dash of humor, serving up a delicious helping of fine reading.
Devoted readers, old and new, will discover that no matter where Father Tim resides, Mitford will always be a delightful slice of life.
Sharon Galligar Chance is a reviewer for the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, Texas.
