The Promise of Lumby (edition 2009)

When your spirits are low, when you're feeling lonely or depressed, when just need to feel that there's a better place in this world other than where you are - pick up a Lumby book and your spirits will lighten, you'll laugh out, and you'll feel that indeed there is a better place if only in your imaginative travels to this quirky little town.

Ellen Campbell has been Lumby's vet for many years and now she's retiring - only the town doesn't seem to understand that fact. She's told her clients, the Town Council, even advertised her practice for sale, but the townsfolk just won't believe until she sells to Tom Candor and heads off into the sunset. But Tom, who has come to Lumby to hide away from his past, gets more than he bargained for - he finds his soul mate and the courage to face his past and move forward.

Lumby's regular citizens have are still as delightfully funny and refreshingly quirky as in the previous books. The process of gaining a new vet, losing a new vet, and persuading his return with his own zoo couldn't be told better. I've one more in the series and looking forward to it immensely. ( )

I loved Gail Frazier's latest book and know all those who feel the need to travel to a quirky little town with some wonderful and interesting characters will feel the same! You can't help but get caught up in the people and all the things going on . The town, the people, animals and the monks give this town so much love, fun and character. Thanks to Ms. Frazier for another great book and one you can't wait to get lost in. My only disappointment is I have to wait until next year for her next release so in the mean time I will just read the Lumby series once again. Not since Jan Karon's Mitford series have I enjoyed reading so much again. I laughed, I cried, I worried and I was completely pulled into this great read. ( )

Reading another book in the Lumby series now feels like returning to visit old friends. The adventures at Montis Inn and Saint Cross never fail to delight me while also giving me something to contemplate. The main story in The Promise of Lumby though is that of Thomas Candor, a man seeking to forget his past. Fraser actually begins her story not in Lumby but with Tom as events unfold in a way that destroys his marriage and potentially his career. This was a great way to reveal information central to the story but that the majority of the characters would not discover until much later in the book. Revealing this information at the beginning helps to understand Tom, what he is seeking from Lumby, and why he reacts to things the way he does.

The one flaw that I found with this Lumby book was how quickly the town initially welcomed Tom. Yes, they desperately needed a veterinarian to replace Ellen but in every book there have been comments about how Lumby doesn't like outsiders. This was certainly demonstrated in the reservations the town displayed when Pam and Mark Walker began renovating Montis Inn. On the other hand, Tom seemed to have the trust of the town before it was earned. Only one person seemed to proceed with caution as Dennis Beezer's reporter instincts told him that Tom was hiding something. The quick acceptance seemed a little out of character for the town.

Overall, this was another fun Lumby tale and I'm glad that I discovered this series. At this point I only have one book left to read and review - Lumby on the Air - and then I'll have to wait for the next book to come out. ( )

When I first received this book I was not too excited and thought the title was kind of strange (not having read any other Lumby books) but I am so glad I received this now! Otherwise I would have missed out on a wonderful book filled with a quirky town full of people you will come to love. I love how Hank, the town’s flamingo mascot, ends up every where and is attributed all of these great actions. The antics of the towns people will put a smile on your face even as you are shaking your head. I will admit that the one character I had a hard time with was Pam Walker’s husband. I know he was supposed to come off as so clueless that he loveable but I just found him irritating and thought love must be blind in order for Pam to stay with him. Other than that this was a great book that I highly recommend you pick up if you need a laugh and are willing to suspend reality and enter the entertaining world of Lumby. ( )

The Lumby series is populated with a handful of regular animal characters: Hank the pink plastic flamingo, Howard the moose and Jeremiah Abrams’s horse Isabella. But in The Promise of Lumby, the non-human cast is expanded to include new players both exotic and ordinary. So it’s no surprise that one of the main story lines involves the town’s veterinarian, who’s planning to retire, and her replacement, a man with a past shrouded in mystery.

Tom and Mark Walker, owners of the Montis Inn bed and breakfast, play prominent roles in The Promise of Lumby, along with their friends, the brothers of nearby Saint Cross Abbey. Also featured is Mackenzie McGuire, a 40-something building contractor, a single mother to a nearly grown, testosterone-driven son. Could Mac open her heart to a new man?

I love so many aspects of this series, but the way the author weaves characters in and out of the books is absolutely wonderful. A star in one book may be a bit player in the next. The Lumby books (Promise is #4) contain an undercurrent of kindness and gentility, but the characters are not plaster saints. In The Promise of Lumby two town leaders fall prey to a mean-spiritedness that is counter to the prevailing spirit of Lumby. (Not to worry, there’s a lesson for them.)

While we’re going through tough times, Lumby is just the spot to visit. The cost is less than a tank of gas and the books take readers on a vacation to a place where second chances abound and redemption is a reality.

By Diana. First published in the Cozy Library July 2, 2009. Publisher-provided copy. ( )