Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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 hometownwhere he discovered an unknown half brotheranda 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. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The tenth volume in Karon's "Mitford" series fills a long-awaited gap since 2005's Light from Heaven. It has been five years since Father Tim retired from the pastorate of Mitford, NC, though even his retirement has been hectic. He is asked to fill the pulpit in the wake of a crisis yet finds his passion waning toward the position. Ministry is ever present in the Kavanaughs' lives, however, and it's not long before Father Tim finds himself counseling a pastor in crisis, helping a wayward fatherless boy, and guiding his own adopted son through relational struggles. In the wake of all the changes that have taken place since Tim's last time in town, residents find themselves asking the question: Does Mitford still take care of its own? Verdict With the homecoming of much-beloved characters and a few new additions, Karon's latest provides a return to a setting readers have been clamoring to revisit. Longtime readers will not be disappointed by the author's latest cozy redemption tale. [See Prepub Alert, 4/15/14.]-Julia M. Reffner, Fairport, NY (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

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.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2014 Booklist