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Summary: Another excellent story by Karon
Review: The Mitford books, and now a Whitecap book, have been a surprising and wonderful stroll through a different layer of life than most people experience -- or at least take note of. A New Song continues a great tradition. Everybody knew from the beginning who took the bronze statue, but it was a very moving chapter when it was resolved, even if one is a little dumbfounded that Fr. Tim didn't figure out who took it. My questions: So is it in bk 6 or 7 that Lace and Dooley make it to the altar? Will Dooley's birth father be there? Will Buck punch him out? Will Morris be the organist? Will Fr. Tim be there, or will he (or Cynthia) have gone home (could we stand the poignancy)? Thanks for the great and fresh spiritual writing, Jan Karon. And thanks even more to my own mother, for sharing this series with me.
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Summary: A continuation of an endearing group of characters!
Review: After reading the 1st of the series, I was totally hooked! Each book brought me closer to the characters & made me care how they all faired. It was so cool that they all moved right in to the island & were continuing their episodes as interestingly as if they were still in Mitford! Loved the island people too, & were grateful of all the connections to Mitford from calls & letters. The series is great for a total escape from our hi-tech busy world!!! I felt that the series could go on forever & was very confused as to why #5-"A New Song" ended the way it did & why #6 goes back to a time between # 2 & 3 in the series--I AM SOOO CONFUSED!!!! Why did #5 end the way it did, not answering so many questions, like about Dooley's other 2 brothers etc. & others & #6 go back to an earlier scenario??? Someone, please explain!!! However, the series has been so delightful & I'm looking forward to many more books continuing this wonderful group of people & all others Jan Karon choses to add to her stories!!!! I so can relate to Timothy & Cynthia & how they connect & see the world!! Thank you Jan!!!
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Summary: Another great book!
Review: Another great book as usual! Too bad there aren't more books like her's. Don't we all wish we lived in Mitford! Great Bible quotes, great friendships and a little love splashed in somewhere!
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Summary: A Comfortable Return to a Beloved Home
Review: If you loved the four original Mitford books, you will love coming home to your old friends. Reading this next volume in the series was like putting on an old, comfy pair of shoes - it just felt right. Father Tim and Cynthia have to uproot their life and move to a new locale, but we don't lose touch with all their family and friends back in Mitford. The author keeps us up to date with the daily goings-on in the town, whilst we meet new people in Whitecap and experience new places, people and events on the tiny island that the Kavanaghs now call home. I'm surprised that five volumes of one series can keep me entertained, but Jan Karon seems to have the formula down. This is a nice, gentle read and I look forward to the next installment.
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Summary: Such a sweet pleasure!
Review: Reading one of Jan Karon's books is just that, a sweet pleasure. I have swallowed book five of the Mitford series whole and can hardly wait for my next serving. They just seem to get better and better as I go along.In this installment, Father Tim and Cynthia go to live on the island of Whitecap off the coast of North Carolina, leaving their little town of Mitford behind but not for long. The apron strings run mighty long, and his friends are not lost over the miles. It's all quite entertaining as he tries to juggle the responsibilities of both parishes. Add a little international intrigue, a major storm that leaves it's legacy on their daily lives along with a three year old that just wants to watch a movie in a box. Could that be a Video Father Tim? Karon has created some of the best characters I have ever encountered. Where is this town? I would love to stop in for a visit. Oh well, I'll have to be content with knowing I have book six to look forward to. 1/26/01
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Summary: Best Book Since Her First One
Review: My wife and I have read each of Karon's Mitford books aloud to each other over the past few years. I enjoyed this book more than I had the previous two in the series. I think that the new locale and the fresh characters really breathed new life into the series. I know from book blurbs that the next installments of the series will be returning to Mitford. I almost wish the author would spend another book in Whitecap, the setting of this book. Mitford is not abandoned; some storylines continue, including those of Buck Leeper and Dooley Barlowe. But Whitecap Island and its residents have a distinctness that whetted my appetite for more. There was a pleasing authenticity to the descriptions of the island community, and I enjoyed discovering it alongside Father Tim. From 'Ernie's Books Bait, & Tackle' to St. John's in the Grove, this is a fascinating place to visit. In St. John's, Father Tim is introduced to church politics of quite a different sort from his experience with the Mitford church. And the conversations in Ernie's shop are some of the best dialogue Karon has written. If there is one disappointment for me with this book, it is that Karon couldn't resist the temptation to resolve a neat ending for the Jeffrey Tolson character. Sometimes it's better to let the readers speculate about the fate of secondary characters, and I think this was a perfect case for just that sort of a vague or unstated ending. If anyone wondered whether the author had enough creativity to go beyond Mitford, I think this book provides an affirmative answer. In my opinion this is the best book since her first one (_At Home in Mitford_)
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Summary: very unplausible stories
Review: With each passing book, the story lines seem to get thinner and thinner, which is why, I suppose, Karon decided to uproot the preacher and his wife and move them to an island 600 miles away from Mitford. A change of scenery to introduce some new people and stories. Still, it seems the main character spends most of his time either praying or saying "consider it done." The characters seem to lack depth and almost everyone is perfect. And the people who aren't perfect still get to have happy endings. The things that make for a good story - a character who wants something and is trying to get it against all odds, a plot that has a climax, a believable antagonist and protagonist, etc. - are lacking in this book.
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Summary: A New Song is a breath of fresh air
Review: Good for Father Tim and Cynthia. Cynthia finally got Father Tim to venture out beyond the great town of Mitford! They didn't get off to the best start with the massive storm on the way to their new home, but all turned out good. Poor Johnathan gets a wonderful loving home while the town takes care of his mommy and I think that was probably my favorite part. I loved how Cynthia, not being a mom herself did such a wonderful job with a sad little boy who wants nothing but his mommy back. This book had such heart to it. A very good read.
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Summary: Gentle soap opera
Review: The series are all gentle soap operas which are non-offensive to all readers. Nothing to be embarrassed about sharing with your mother. I liked this one the best because the main character and his wife get to go somewhere new. Whitecap sounded like a great place to spend some time and the townfolk were funny and likeable. Too bad the Pastor moves back to Mitford in the next book(s).
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Summary: Another Great Mitford Read~
Review: Every time I open another Mitford book, it is like going home again. As always, Karon paints a picture of comfort, quaintness, and pure delight in her town and all of it's characters. In this fifth installment, Father Tim and Cynthia are headed to Whitecap, a little island on the coast where Father Tim will serve as an interim pastor in this new town. Here you will meet a new set of characters, as Father Tim & Cynthia meet the community of Whitecap. Beloved Mitford is still in the picture, as were are kept up to speed with its goings-on, as everyone from Emma to Dooley call in to check on Tim & Cynthia. As always, Father Tim steps in to help the town of Whitecap with the ups and downs of life that it's members come across while not forgetting about his friends and loved ones back in Mitford. In A New Song, Father Tim will reach out to a town recluse, Morris Love, who lives in the neighboring mansion, next to Dove Cottage, where Father Tim and Cynthia are staying. Cynthia also steps in as a surrogate mom for a brief time, to little Jonathan, who's mother is recovering from an emotional breakdown. As the stories unfold, you'll find yourself loving the new set of townsfolk, and continuing to love the old ones. Of course, the ending of A New Song, leaves you wanting for more~
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