"Father Timothy Kavanagh has been asked to "come up higher" more than once. He did, after all, raise a thrown-away boy, adopt a dog the size of a Buick, and recite his wedding vows at the tender age of sixtysomething. But he's never been asked to do the impossible. While farm-sitting with Cynthia outside Mitford, the retired Episcopal priest is charged with the revival of Holy Trinity, a mountain church that's been closed for forty years. His bishop's...

Blackston gives a whole new meaning to modern dating practices. Jay Jarvis, a successful stock broker, decides that the best way to meet eligible woman is to join a church singles group. The ensuing misadventures are delightful as Jay meets quirky people, including a Caddie-driving speed demon, an insightful African-American janitor, and. . .the perfect woman. The only problem is that she's a missionary in Ecuador. As Jay becomes a much wiser man,...

"It's easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet Father Tim, the bachelor rector who yearns for something more, suddenly finds he has more than he can handle. His life is turned upside down with church secretary Emma Garrett managing his every move, the appearance of a very large dog, the charm of an attractive new neighbor who effects surprising...

A retired Episcopal rector accepts an interim post on an island off North Carolina. The novel describes the way he and his wife minister to the needs of the parishioners and their low-key social life. By the author of Out to Canaan.