A Common Life is a trip back in time for fans of "the little town with the big heart." Somewhere between the second and third volumes of Jan Karon's Mitford Years series, dyed-in-the-wool bachelor Father Timothy Kavanagh and his next-door neighbor Cynthia Coppersmith tied the knot. The author left it to readers' imaginations to fill in the blanks. In this delightful story, Karon paints a complete picture of the events surrounding the wedding of Mitford's best-loved couple, and chronicles the poignant and often hilarious reactions to the nuptial news by the tightly knit North Carolina community.

All the details cherished by those who are enchanted by weddings are offered here, from the color of the bridal outfit (aquamarine) to the choice of flowers (virgin's bower and hydrangeas). When the wedding bells finally ring, the pews are packed with the people who make Mitford special: ornery Uncle Billy, delightful Miss Sadie, indispensable Louella, and the cantankerous Emma Newland. And there's not a dry eye in the house when Father Tim's problematic foster child Dooley Barlowe sings for the two people who love him the most.

A Common Life is not just a wedding story. It's also an intimate portrait of the unfolding love between Cynthia and the shy Father Tim, complete with fears and hesitations, professions of commitment, and Barnabas the dog delivering love letters. But there's nothing heavy-handed here. The tensions don't run any higher than wondering if Cynthia will make it to the wedding on time after getting locked inside her own bathroom, or guessing if Esther will make her famous three-layer orange marmalade cake for the reception. Told in the warm, down-home style that Karon has built her reputation on, A Common Life is sweet without being saccharine, charming without being cloying. It's an invitation to a literary reunion of the best kind, and like all weddings, it will probably coax a few tears and plenty of smiles. --Cindy Crosby

From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Mitford, Karon's delightful fictional village in western North Carolina, will be thrilled with this newest installment, which relates an episode she skipped over in her earlier books: Father Tim and Cynthia's wedding. (He proposed at the end of the second Mitford book, and at the beginning of the third, they were already happily married.) Finally, readers get to see the stunned expressions of most Mitford residents when they hear Father Tim has actually popped the question. Readers learn about Cynthia's anxieties over the pending nuptials, share Esther Bolick's delight when Cynthia asks her to bake her famous orange marmalade cake and hum along as the Lord's Chapel parish belts out "Praise my soul the King of Heaven" at the ceremony. And as usual, Karon works in a few snippets of convincing mountain dialect. While Mitford die-hards will welcome this installment, however, the unconverted won't find much to bring them around; one has to already know Karon's eccentric characters, with all their foibles, to fully appreciate the book. Even Mitford devotees may be a touch disappointed that the trademark lessons about Christian faith that Karon weaves so seamlessly into most of her tales are more or less absent from this slim volume. (When they do appear, they stick out, as when Bishop Cullen pointedly discusses the role of sex in Christian marriage.) Still, don't be surprised if Mitford fans begin serving orange marmalade cake at their weddings, and sing hymn 410 at every opportunity. (Apr. 9)Forecast: Fresh from her 2000 Christy and ECPA Gold Medallion Awards for A New Song (book five), Karon keeps rolling along with the Mitford series. This book will no doubt please the thousands of fans who have written to Karon, asking, "Why weren't we invited to the wedding?" Six weeks before its release, the novel was hovering around the #100 position on Amazon.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Karon's sixth book about the small town of Mitford, NC, tells the story of the long-awaited wedding of Father Tim Kavanagh and his neighbor Cynthia Coppersmith. Tim, at 62, has never been married, whereas Cynthia's first marriage was not a success. However, their need to be together overcomes their fears of the unknown. With remarkable innocence, they plan the myriad details and navigate the dangerous waters of political correctness in their selections of providers of cake, music, and honeymoon cottages. In relating this tale, read with style and grace by Dana Ivey, Karon captures the reactions of all the principal residents of Mitford. She also captures the feelings of excitement, nostalgia, love, loss, and new beginnings thatcause people to cry at weddings, to feel the emotional upheaval of this radical change in lifestyle, and to participate in the euphoric cloud that surrounds the bride and groom before the nuptials and as wedded life begins. Recommended. Joanna M. Burkhardt, Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Univ. of Rhode Island, ProvidenceCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
This addition to the Mitford "canon" will charm and satisfy the author's readers, who have long asked for the story of the wedding of Father Tim and Cynthia. Dana Ivey reads with warmth and depth, fully capturing the emotional resonance of the story, which details the events of the engagement, wedding, and honeymoon. She voices Father Tim as deep, steady, and sure and Cynthia as feminine, strong, and loving. As for the other Mitford townfolk, Ivey captures the full effect of their personalities without ever falling into caricature. Karon doesn't hesitate to show the weaknesses in her lead characters, and their emotional honesty with one another is compellingly read by Ivey. This short program will leave the listener sorry that Karon has chosen the novella form this time--while at the same time realizing that it is the perfect length for the story. Karon's skill with these characters and Ivey's ability to capture them all perfectly just makes one reluctant to say good-bye. M.A.M. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
The latest installment in Karon's beloved Mitford series is neither a prequel nor a sequel but an intercalation, falling in time after A Light in the Window (1995) and before These High, Green Hills (1996) and focusing on a key event in the life of Father Tim Kavanaugh--his marriage. The book begins with Father Tim's proposal to next-door-neighbor Cynthia and ends with their honeymoon at the bishop's summer cottage in Maine. In between, Mitford's various residents prepare for the big day, each in his or her own way. Dooley, the troubled boy that Father Tim has taken under his wing, isn't quite sure how he will like having Cynthia as part of the family. Hessie Mayhew, Mitford Muse reporter and expert flower-arranger, plans an all-out floral assault on the church. Miss Sadie Baxter and her friend Louella ponder what to wear. The bishop delivers his standard premarital counseling session, even though the bride and groom are well into middle age. And the anticipation surrounding the nuptials causes many of our Mitford friends to reminisce about times in their own lives when they first discovered love. Fans will feel right at home with Karon's gentle humor and her characters' faith-based approach to life. Frothier than the other books in the series, this one goes down as easy as a slice of Esther Bolick's famous three-layer orange marmalade cake. Mary Ellen Quinn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
With A Common Life: The Wedding Story, Jan Karon fills in some of the blanks in her much-loved series about the fictional village of Mitford, set in the hill country of North Carolina. Now fans can learn the behind-the-scenes skinny on the marriage of Father Tim Kavanaugh to his next-door neighbor, Cynthia, an event that occurred unseen between books earlier in the series. With her typical folksy style and country ear, Karon treats her readers to the many personalities -- oddball, normal, and everything in between -- who become involved in the planning and implementation of the nuptials. In addition to Karon's delightful characterizations, one of the great strengths behind this popular series is the extraordinary appeal of the ordinary minutiae in these villagers' lives. And there are plenty of entertaining details to be had here, from anxieties over who will bake the cake to the substance of the premarital counseling. (Beth Amos)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Laughter and wedding bells ring as Jan Karon takes her millions of fans back in time to the most cherished event in Mitford!

Mitford's Lord's Chapel seats barely two hundred souls, yet millions of Jan Karon's fans will be there for the most joyful event in years: the wedding of Father Tim Kavanagh and Cynthia Coppersmith. Here at last is A Common Life, and the long-awaited answers to these deeply probing questions: Will Father Tim fall apart when he takes his vows? Will Cynthia make it to the church on time? Who'll arrange the flowers and bake the wedding cake? And will Uncle Billy's prayers for a great joke be answered in time for the reception?

All the beloved Mitford characters will be there: Dooley Barlowe, Miss Sadie and Louella, Emma Newland, the mayor; in short, everybody who's anybody in the little town with the big heart.

A Common Life is the perfect gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, anniversaries, and for a bride or groom to give to his or her beloved. In truth, it's perfect for anyone who believes in laughter, relies on hope, and celebrates love.

FROM THE CRITICS

Bookpage

Taking her readers back in time, Karon describes of one of the most anticipated weddings in literary history.

Roanoke Times

Readers will eat this up with a spoon and ask for more.

Wall Street Journal

...although [Ms. Karon's] books are full of wry humor, she is serious about providing...[an] alternative to the "murder and mayhem" that dominate mass culture.

Dallas Morning News

This new book is an occasionally hilarious, frequently moving story about well-defined people...with whom we can be completely comfortable.

Wisconsin State Journal