Having been a Jan Karon fan for over 20 years – or at least it seems that way, I have always been drawn first and foremost to the Mitford series. While I loved the few books that took Father Tim away from Mitford to his roots, they didn’t bring me back to where I wanted to be – with the people in that small North Carolina mountain village of Mitford.

Excitement came to me immediately when I read of the release of the newest Mitford book. I knew I would be buying it in hard cover and possibly soft cover eventually even without cracking a cover. To be able to read it in advance and tell friends how much like a homecoming this book felt is a bonus.

Not totally picking up where the last Mitford novel left off, a reader who has not followed Karon and her character Father Tim may feel a bit lost. There is, other than your own loss, no reason to read all the previous books to feel right at home in this one. The closeness of small town America, the gentleness of a preacher’s home, the family and friends that came in the previous novels are all brought back together.

I will not spoil this by saying what exactly happens. I will, though, say I hopefully await the next installment as I can picture where it might lead.