The Mitford Series of Jan Karon is one set of books that I read over and over, about once a year. I love the characters, the small town and the basic humanity of the stories. ( )

In A New Song, Father Tim and his wife Cynthia leave the mountain town of Mitford for an interim ministry on Whitecap Island. At first they are homesick for their Mitford friends and the comforts of home, but they soon find room in their hearts for their new parishioners and neighbors.

I like the way this series deals with matters of faith. Bad things happen in life, and faith isn't always easy. Karon's characters struggle with problems like illness, depression, moral failure and its consequences, grief, and loneliness. Father Tim always has just the right word or action to provide help and comfort. When that isn't enough, he relies on prayer and the wisdom of Scripture, with faith that God will provide the strength to endure what must be endured.

Readers living through change in their own lives will likely identify with this book, whether that change be retirement, relocation, a change in employment, or altered family circumstances. Some of the story threads are continued from previous books in the series, so it would help to have read those books first. However, since most of the book takes place away from Mitford, it would be possible to enjoy this book without having read any of the earlier books. I highly recommend it. ( )

Although I enjoyed this story, I missed Father Tim and Cynthia being in Mitford. This is surely worth the read, but it just doesn't hold up to the flavor when the books are centered in Mitford and around those characters. ( )

I have read the actual book versions of all of Jan Karon's Mitford books, but it's been a while. Since I've recently begun to enjoy audio copies while I'm in my car, I decided to listen to A New Song by Karon. I AM SO GLAD I got this audio version. The narrator is John McDonough. HE IS FABULOUS. Let me say again.......HE IS FABULOUS. I'm sure I laughed a lot with the book version of these stories, but the narrator has brought even more humor and fun to the stories. I'm going to have to "hear" them all now. ( )

I was very skeptical about reading this book - from reading the description on the jacket, I thought it would be trite; I'm not particularly interested in reading books with any type of religious bent; and I didn't want to start with a book that was fifth in a series. But I was enthralled by this book, despite its occasional cloying sweetness. I loved all of the characters (well, almost all) and found the book to be very calming and thought-provoking. I'm looking forward to reading the predecessors in the series, as well as other books by the author. I'd still hesitate to recommend it to others though, for all of the reasons for which I was initially skeptical. ( )