Tim Kavanaugh has retired as minister of the Episcopal Lord’s Chapel in the quaint mountain village of Mitford, NC. Now he and his cheerful wife Cynthia find new challenges and adventures when he agrees to serve as interim minister of the small St. John’s in the Grove church on Whitecap Island off the coast of North Carolina. They soon learn that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters including Ella Bridgewater, the new church organist with a mysterious past; Morris Love, their isolated and somewhat hostile neighbor who is a gifted musician but never ventures beyond his gates; Junior, a lovelorn bachelor placing personal ads to find a wife; and Janette Tolson, a young a mother who is battling a paralyzing depression because her husband Jeffrey, the former St. John’s choir director, had left her and their children shortly before. And Jeffrey has hinted that he wants to return to St. John’s. Yet, the Kavanaughs also see that Mitford is never far away when circumstances "back home" keep their phone ringing off the hook. His former secretary, Emma Newland, keeps him informed. Gene Bolick has a brain tumor. Louella Baxter Marshall has fallen and broken a hip. His new tenant, Helene Pringle, sues him and Hope House claiming to be Miss Sadie Baxter’s long-lost half sister who is entitled to a portion of her fortune. And worst of all, his foster son Dooley Barlowe is accused of helping Buster Austin commit larceny. Furthermore, they have to deal with all of this while taking care of three-year-old Jonathan Tolson and weathering a destructive storm. How will they do it all? A New Song is the fifth installment in Karon’s much-loved Mitford series. One reviewer noted, “As in past Mitford episodes, things have a way of working themselves out, but not before Father Tim and his accompanying cast learn a few more valuable lessons about life.” While there are some things in the book that I would have written differently if I were the author, generally it is a wholesome and charming story. We recently listened to the unabridged audio CD version while on a trip to Florida.
I have had the boxset of the first 6 of this series for ages - but my TBR being what it is they keep being over looked. This one is number 5. My sister said this was her favourite of the first 6,and it might be mine too - I can't decide.In this installment we find the adorable father Tim, and his wife Cynthia leaving MItford for a while to take up an interim position in another parish, the island parish of Whitecap. They take Barnabas the dog and Violet the cat but Father Tim's adopted son Dooley stays in Mitford before returning to school. During the time away Father Tim encounters a new group of people who need his ministry. There is the musical recluse next door, a woman suffering depression and her young son, a young man who decides he'll try to find love through the small ads and a church organist who arrives soon after Tim. As well as that he and Cynthia have to battle storms and homesickness as they get to grips with isalnd life and come to know their new neighbours. Mitford is never completely left behind though, and Tim and Cynthia receive regular updates through the phone conversations they have with the people they left behind. Dooley gets into a spot of bother, and later gets a girlfriend, and there's rather a mystery surrounding the tenant at the old rectory.The pace is gentle and melodic, the story has a strong Christian bias of course (this is christian fiction) but can be enjoyed by anyone - the church and I parted company a long time ago. It is a little evangelical and I suopose some might find these books a little twee - but that is part of the charm of the Mitford books. This is a marvelous feel good read - the people (on the whole) are lovely, often quirky and funny, Mitford has been a place that any reader of these books would probably like to go to, and Whitecap the island parish in this novel has the same sort of feel.
What do You think about A New Song (2005)?
I think Karon was smart to change the location for this installment of the series. We were introduced to a new set of characters, which kept things from getting stale. However, this series is getting a little old for me. I'm far enough into it that I will finish it, but this book was not as enjoyable as the first four. I found the reasons keeping Father Tim from Mitford pretty contrived, and I didn't feel that plots and characters were developed as much as they could have been. For example, it's
—Jen
Another great Father Tim story. I was a little disappointed that the setting moved from Mitford but it made realize how emotionally attached I was to all the Mitford characters and how good of a job the author did involving the reader in the books leading up to this one. Most of the Mitford crowd still makes an appearance but Father Tim and his wife Cynthia move to White Cap, NC and meet a new cast of characters and take us through their journey there. My new favorite character is an old man named Morris Lovegood. I enjoyed reading about the changes and the journey that man went through, but my all-time favorite is still Dooley Barlow. He reminds me of so many troubled children I see from time to time. Like Dooley, I know they all could have something wonderful if only given the opportunity. This is another heart-warming tale that leaves you craving more. I love how the author applies the word of God throughout the book and shows us how people's lives can be changed. I look forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended for anyone and everyone!
—Brandy
I've read this in book form; this time it's on audio...I'm preferring audio in this series.• 5th in “The Mitford Years” “Father Tim” series. Father Tim is now retired and so is his secretary, Emma.• In this book, Father Tim and Cynthia are at Whitecap, away from Mitford. I much prefer their Mitford lives and friends. Father Tim is the interim pastor of St. John’s Church at Whitecap. He and Cynthia temporarily take in a 3-year old (Jonathan) whose father left for another woman and whose mother is
—Elaine
