My beloved A Mitford novel

Father Tim's wife, Cynthia, wants just one thing for Christmas: a letter. So he pours his heart out through his pen, declaring his love and baring his soul, sticking the letter in a book of Billy Collins poems. Only, the book, and the letter, go missing. It ends up in the hands of nonogenarian former mayor Esther Cunningham, who is sure her husband didn't write it and who sets it out with the recycling. Then, through acts of thrift and generosity, piano teacher (and spinster) Helene Pringle finds it, reads it, and has to take to her bed. Surely Harley Welch, a simple mountain man if there ever was one, didn't write it to her. As the holidays approach, Tim and Cynthia's adopted son, Dooley, and his wife, Lace, deal with familial and financial pressures, not the least of which is where Harley and his partner-in-crime Willie will live when they "retire." It's been a while since Karon's last novel set in western North Carolina, To Be Where You Are (2017), so her many readers will be eager for further dispatches from Mitford. They will not be disappointed with this tender, spiritual tale of family and the boundless love that exists in community.

Karon returns to her bestselling Mitford Years series, eight years after To Be Where You Are, with a charming story about a misplaced love letter that touches everyone who reads it in their town of Mitford, N.C. As Christmas approaches, Episcopal priest Tim Kavanagh writes a heartfelt note to his wife, Cynthia. Father Tim is delighted with the result, which he places in a gift-wrapped volume of poetry before losing the package. Through a comedy of errors, the letter winds up being read by several of the couple's neighbors, each of whom are restored by Tim's message to Cynthia. Among them are piano teacher Helene, who gains faith in love ("that such depth of feeling exists in the human spirit was itself a gift"); elderly former mayor Esther, now homebound, who's reminded of a love she's felt throughout her life; and bookstore manager Hope, who recalls how she once harbored romantic feelings for Father Tim and, recognizing his handwriting, places the book and letter under the counter before it winds up in yet another set of hands before Christmas comes. Karon infuses the story with down-home charm and an earnest belief in the importance of community, family, and grace. Series fans will be enchanted. (Oct.)