Out to Canaan (Book 4 of the Mitford Years) (1997 original; edició 1998)

The Episcopal rector in Mitford, Father Tim, is no huge fan of change. So he isn't keen on a new mayoral candidate making a big noise about improving the small town—through change. Plus, all of the new, sudden, out-of-town offers to buy up Mitford properties don't look too safe either. And the prospect of retirement is starting to stare Timothy down his sixty-something throat in Out to Canaan by author Jan Karon.

Here I've gone for another visit to a comfy locale that never sleeps (though it's sort of in bed by eleven) in this fourth novel in The Mitford Years series. Here I've had another jaunt that's given me a new bundle of surprises along the way.

I thought to myself as I read this one, "Karon truly has a gift." A novel like this could be so totally corny and thoroughly predictable, but this isn't. It's hilarious here, tender there, romantic without being sappy, and delightful without everything being quick and easy and perfect for the characters.

Yes, Mitford has its share of small-town quirks and quirky folks, but the stuff happening to these people is real-life stuff. I had laughs, I had tears, and moments when I had to pause and let certain events sink in.

Gee. It's one of my favorite novels of the series so far. ( )

Continues with Father learning to live life by accepting a woman cutting his hair, having a boy wanting to learn to drive, a wife who likes to redecorate, a candidate for mayor that wants to change the town. Like how his wife comes up with simple pleasures to enjoy as a couple, yet willing to have interesting people live in their house. ( )

In this delightful story about the town of Mitford and the folks who live there, you will deal with Father Tim turning 64 and announcing his upcoming retirement. Then there will be a Mayoral election race that gives the long-term mayor a real run for her money. There are also a lot of interesting real estate deals going on around town. As someone said in the back of the book; "Readers new and old will be reassured that the uncommon delight of life in Mitford lives on".

Once again I enjoyed my visit to Mitford. The town really is starting to grow on me. This is a story that you feel good about reading, where people have their quirks, but you grow to love them as they are. And I never fail to laugh out loud at least once while reading each story. ( )

Millions of readers have come home to Mitford, the little town with the big heart, whose endearing and eccentric residents have become like family members. But now change is coming to the hamlet. Father Tim, the Episcopal rector, and his wife, Cynthia, are pondering retirement; a brash new mayoral candidate is calling for aggressive development; a suspicious realtor with plans for a health spa is eyeing the beloved house on the hill; and, worst of all, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing. Meanwhile, ordinary people are leading the extraordinary lives that hundreds of thousands of readers have found so inviting and inspiring.

Book jacket synopsis: * Father Tim, the Episcopal rector, and his talented and vivacious wife, Cynthia, are pondering the murky uncertainties of retirement. They're also trying to locate the4 scattered siblings of Dooley Barlowe, the mountain boy they love as their own. A brash new mayoral candidate is calling for aggressive development, and a tough survivor must hunker down for the fight of her life. Worse, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing, and a suspicious real estate agent is trying to turn the beloved house on the hill into a spa. Can change be coming to Mitford? The buzz on Main Street says yes. Change is certainly coming to the tenderest regions of several townspeople's lives. A woman struggles every day to stay on course after years of hard living. A man tries to forgive himself for a tragic mistake. And the town's most eligible bachelor leaves Mitford- and returns with a stunning surprise.*

This is the 4th book in the Mitford series by Jan Karon. I have found that I really enjoy these books. They are easy reads and the characters are slightly eccentric with everyday problems and I find them lovable. I also find myself wondering what will happen next in their lives. Father Tim always has a prayer and the complete faith that everything will work out the way it is supposed to, for good or ill. I love his blind faith and these books always leave me with higher spirits and a sense of faith and trust in life. ( )