Rating: 
Summary: Be Warned - This is a Huge Disappointment
Review: I approached this book with enormous anticipation, having loved the previous books in the series, blew through it in less than two hours and will not keep it because I cannot ever imagine wanting to re-read it, as I have done all of the earlier Mitford books, again and again. Jan Karon, having already beautifully told the story of the romance between Cynthia and Father Tim, here retells it with far less grace and almost no charm. The peripheral characters, whom all Mitford readers have come to love, are almost non-existent. What a waste of time and money!
Rating:
Summary: a common life: the wedding story (the mitford years)
Review: I read some of the 107 reviews, I agree with most of them, there was no heart and soul in this book, It was just thrown together, I was very disappointed in this book.
Rating:
Summary: If you're reading this review, it's probably too late
Review: All of us who love Mitford ("I KNOW I've been to this town, I just can't remember where it is...") bought this book sight unseen. We love Jan Karon, we love Mitford and we would have bought anything to learn more about Father Tim and Cynthia. I will never be this careless again! Jan Karon and her publisher saw a way to make money and they took it. It's damaged her reputation with many of us. Like many reviewers, I am a librarian and will not recommend this book. I hope SHE reads these reviews!
Rating: 
Summary: Utterly bewildered
Review: To say that this newest Mitford book has confused me is too simple a statement. Beyond the vague details and sketchy facts contained in the body of the work, the syntax in which this wedding story appeared in the overall scope of this series leaves devoted readers trying to remember which events had happened at the time the wedding occurred and which had yet to unfold. Hadn't Dooley already bonded with Cynthia? Or was he still surly and unforgiving? Reading this installment had the exact opposite effect of the others--it made me tired and addled where the first five have been a balm to my soul every time I have lost myself in them. Sadly, this one will most likely not be revisited as often as the first five. I look forward to the next trip to Mitford, whenever Ms. Karon is ready.
Rating:
Summary: Publishing, not writing
Review: Here's an example of a good storyteller following a business plan instead of her heart.A Simple Song is a colossal disappointment for the loyal Jan Karon contingent. This slim volume with extremely wide margins reminds the reader of high school days in front of a typewriter with little to say and an assignment to fill a certain number of pages. Unfortunately, Karon has penned a "mid-quel", a volume that jumps in between two of her earlier books in the Mitford series. One might assume that a writer would only do so if there had been something left unsaid. Not in this case. Karon rehashes many of the same scenes from the previous books, and adds nothing to the scene but longer descriptions of hair and flowers. Familiar faces and situations are tossed in with a gratuitous air. Okay, reader, here's your reminder about the famed marmalade cake. Father Tim's diabetes. Cynthia's books. Dooley's voice. Sales of A Simple Song will tell the publisher that this was a fabulous strategy. Readers will realize that Karon's days in advertising and manupulating markets have surfaced. What a shame. It's as if Father Tim and Cynthia moved to the city and stopped going to church.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: I knew before buying this book that it was about the wedding of Fr. Tim and Cynthia. But I was still very diappointed in the shortness of it, and the skipping over Ms. Karon seemed to do for a lot of the characters. There should've been more in the book of the people and their thoughts on the wedding. There is no real substance to this book compared to her others. It's almost as if someone tried to write this in Ms. Karon's place. And, for as long as it took for this book to come out, you'd think she could've done better.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time
Review: I didn't particularly mind that this book was "out of sequence." What I did mind, however, was the quality...or more to the point, the lack thereof...of the writing. For the most part this book sounded like it was written by committee, and a not particularly literate one at that. The overblown writing, the cliches...I think a beginning level creative writing class could have done a better job. This really was an appalling piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: A Common Life: The Wedding Story
Review: I feel as though I have been cheated by the author. The Mitford Series was delightful and I was so looking forward to Jan Koran's new book, but I am highly disappointed that events are repeated. Dooley went off to college in the series. This book takes you back to where Dooley is a young boy living with Father Tim and wondering how he will feel about the marraige.Deja vu! Been there and done that.
Rating:
Summary: Boring and sappy
Review: Though I love the Mitford series, this one is a waste of time. Additionally, while I found the other books in the series quaint, I found this one just plain sappy. I hope Ms. Karon takes the time to write an interesting book next time, rather than selling out to her publishers.
Rating:
Summary: A Common Life
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. I hope Ms. Karon will stick to the story from now on. Her previous books have been so well written that her fans have high expectations.
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