Rating: 
Summary: easy, breezy summer reading
Review: Unlike most of the other reviewers, this is my first Mitford book. I'll admit, I bought it because it seemed like a pleasant read and it was 50% off. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I could have done without the author's slight preachiness, but it *is* a book about a preacher, I suppose. It was a quick and easy read, with lots of memorable characters that make me look forward to the next installment. I found it difficult to forget adorable baby Jonathan. I wanted to comfort the tortured Morris. I guess the best way to describe A New Song is that it is cute. It paints a "cute" image of small-town USA.
Rating:
Summary: New characters at last
Review: I forgot to say this in an earlier review that I submitted. I was tired of the predictable and cliched characters in the other books and enjoyed the cast of people more in this book. There is more to mine here, and I hope the author stays in Whitecap for awhile so she can do that digging and tell us more about these people.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the Mitford books
Review: I found this the most interesting of the Mitford books, and unlike the other four, which I read in a couple of days, this one actually made me feel something toward the end. Yes, the books are easy reads and unsophisticated and simple, but this one found a bit of new depth.
Rating: 
Summary: Refreshing
Review: Remember the last time you were tense, grimly exhausted, worn by complications and strife and a day that has dragged on for too long? Remember the blessful relief that you feel after taking a soothing bath, climbing into pyjamas, then stretching out under clean blankets in a big bed, allowing yourself to relax and ease into tiredness with a sigh? Reading Jan Karon's most recent book, "A New Song", is like that. You turn from a confusing, difficult world to a place where you can stop and breath and find comfort. The book is not as deeply developed as the others, but it is nonetheless sweet and refreshing, and I give it five stars. I recommend it to anyone who needs to rest and breath and smile for a little while.
Rating:
Summary: What did I miss?
Review: Wholesome, and down to earth book, maybe not as developed as the previous four, due to the opportuntity to build on the history established at Mitford. However, I must have missed something along the way, was the man at the end of the book in the white shirt Morris, or the outcast choir leader, who abandoned his family?
Rating:
Summary: Another Chance to Escape!
Review: I've read all of Ms. Karon's books. Like some of the other reviewers, I think I prefer Mitford to Whitecap but maybe that's because I know those people better. It's strange to talk of "knowing" characters in a book, but that's how readers of the Mitford books feel--like the characters are old acquaintances, if not friends. Anyway, I enjoyed "A New Song." Reading any of Ms. Karon's books is a chance to escape the sometimes chaotic nature of my own life and slow down for a while.
Rating:
Summary: can't wait for the next one
Review: having read all four of the mitford books, and considering retirement ourselves, i looked forward to reading this one. father tim continues to bless those around him, but i found myself missing dooley and emma and the places and characters i had grown to love. surely there was more depth that could be developed for them in future stories? however, this one brought me to tears in the story of morris, the reclusive neighbor. ms. karon has a talent of showing people's need for God and christian friends. i'll read any book she writes.
Rating:
Summary: Visit Mitford -- you won't be disappointed!
Review: If you cry during reruns of Little House on the Prairie, you'll love this and the other four titles in the "beloved Mitford series." This is the kind of reading that diehard nonfiction readers scoff at: too soft, too sweet. But don't we all deserve to be touched by an angel once in a while? The Mitford series centers on Father Tim, an aging priest who ministers to the small by lively congregation of the Lord's Chapel. He is by turns fussy, funny, and faithful (the kind of faith that is simply there, not overdone, just a part of daily life). And Karon's gift as a writer is that she allows his story to unfold. We discover the characters and the subplots without the heavy hand of a writer who wants to ensure that we "get the message," and we're delighted in the process. Even if your usual bedtime fare is A Brief History of Time, I encourage you to visit this little town for a while. You'll come away enriched.
Rating:
Summary: On the road with Jan Karon
Review: I usually buy paperbacks because they cost less and take up less space, but as soon as I saw "A New Song" on the bookstore shelf, I knew I was not waiting for the paperback version. I had to know what Father Tim and Cynthia were up to now! Although I was somewhat disgruntled at first when I realized it would take place at the coast of N.C. instead of in dear old Mitford, it didn't take long to become just as involved in Whitecap. It was fun meeting new people and seeing new scenes through Father Tim's eyes. Although I live in S.C., I have visited both the N.C. coastal region and Boone (the town Mitford is based on), and Ms. Karon's renditions of both are exquisite and right on the money! I have no qualms recommending this book, or any of the series, and now I eagerly await the next one. Jan Karon, if you're doing anything at this moment other than working on the next Mitford book, stop it and get back to writing!
Rating:
Summary: Another winner
Review: In A New Song, Father Tim and his wife Cynthia take up temporary residence in a new town, and a number of new memorable characters get added to the Mitford list. There is great continuity, and as usual, the story is heartwarming and insightful. I can't wait for the next installment in this wonderful, uplifting series!
|
