Out to Canaan (by Jan Karon)

(Amazon UK link)

'Out of Canaan' follows another year in the life of Father Tim and Cynthia Kavanagh. This is the fifth of Jan Karon's Mitford series (chronologically) but even reading them one after another, I didn't find myself bored. The characters are charming, the setting delightful, and there's just enough humour and sadness to make each book both moving and enjoyable.

This year, Cynthia and Timothy start to plan their retirement, and it's announced to the congregation. There's a mayoral election in Mitford, too. A rather dubious person stands against the long-term mayor, using a lot of money for his campaign.

In addition, Timothy feels he should attempt to find his foster-son Dooley's brothers and sister. He also becomes deeply concerned about the sale of the Fernbank residence.

This book would probably be confusing for anyone who has not read at least some of the previous books... most of the people recur in each one, and some of the subplots run throughout. But as part of the series, it's another well-written novel with a low-key Christian theme running throughout and plenty of interaction.

It's the third time I've read the book in six years, and I enjoy it each time. The four preceding novels in the series are: At Home in Mitford, A Light in the Window, A Common Life, and Those High Green Hills.

Definitely recommended.