Grace Will Lead Me Home: A Novel [Paperback]

Katherine Valentine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2004

The small New England town of Dorsetville is filled with quirky, loveable characters much like those who populated Andy Griffith’s Mayberry.

Dorsetville is all aflutter. The housekeeper at St. Cecilia’s rectory, Mrs. Norris, has quit in a huff, and the rectory is beginning to look like a college dorm. Father Dennis could lend a hand, but since his cooking show, The Fat Friar, has gained popularity, he’s become, well, moody.

Nellie Anderson and Harry Clifford are about to tie the knot—that is if someone can find the missing wedding invitations. Bungling Deputy Hill has been left in charge since the sheriff is sick, but will the town survive in the meantime?

Meanwhile, Father James is helping an ex-convict learn to resume his life. Valerie Kilbourne, a single mother, needs money for a very expensive operation for her twin daughters. And Lori Peterson, who has had her share of tragedies, will be asked to face another.

Katherine Valentine’s keen insights into human nature and extraordinary sense of humor make for characters you’ll want to know for years.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this third installment of the Dorsetville series, Valentine portrays a small town and its people in a manner highly reminiscent of, but not quite equal to, Jan Karon's Mitford series. Substitute New England for North Carolina, change the Episcopalians to Catholics, toss in a little Jewish seasoning and you'll be awash in déjà vu. There are strong similarities to The Andy Griffith Show as well, from the drunk named Odis to Deputy Hill, who's a ringer for Barney Fife. Thankfully, Valentine puts a different spin on the challenges her characters must face. Single mom Valerie Kilbourne has young twin girls who need operations quickly or they will lose their sight. Lori Peterson is pregnant, but a tragic diagnosis sends her into despair—and prayer. Sam Rosenberg's old car gives up the ghost, and Harry Clifford and Nellie Anderson's wedding invitations have gone missing. Through it all, the tight-knit community of Dorsetville is always ready to step in and offer support and solace. The antics of Father Dennis and his televised cooking show, The Fat Friar, create some enjoyable moments, and the recipes mentioned throughout have franchising possibilities written all over them should the series prove a hit. Unlike the Mitford books, however, dialogue troubles slow the novel's pacing, and the characters are too lightly sketched.
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Review

is one of the loveliest novels I've read in years.  Kate Valentine has created a world filled with laughter, tears, and enough goodness to warm the heart.  Her return to Dorsetville is a triumph of faith, humor, and hope.”
--New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky

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Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Image (July 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385511949
• ISBN-13: 978-0385511940
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grace Will Lead Me Home, September 20, 2004

By 

Sandra Mitchell "Sandra Mitchell" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grace Will Lead Me Home: A Novel (Paperback)

In her third installment in the Dorsetville series, Katherine Valentine reunites us with her cast of colorful characters from A Miracle for St. Ceclia's & A Gathering of Angels. By now the characters feel like family. From the first page, you'll feel like you're returning home.

Ranging from light-hearted story lines, like the priests losing housekeeper Mrs. Norris, leaving them in a house of chaos, to some more serious subject matters, the novel remains cozy, charming & entertaining. If you're looking for a feel good book that has small town charm and lovable characters, this is the book for you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With faith, anything is possible-great story!, November 6, 2007

By 

J. Kirkman "book jen" (St. Petersburg, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grace Will Lead Me Home: A Novel (Paperback)

This book begins with the final repairs to the Congregational Church that had been burned down by the Galligan twins in the previous novel. St. Cecilia's reaches out in many ways until the final work is all done.

Stephen Richter incarcerated for 8 years as an accessory to manslaughter was being released from prison. Father Casio called on Father James to see if he felt that Stephen could move in there to make a new start in life. Stephen was a very talented artist and had ambitions of pursuing that field. Father James welcomed him into his home and found Stephen a job right away helping Chester in his business.

Valerie Killbourne and her two twin daughters were new to Dorsetville. Linda and Leah both came down with an eye disease where their vision was rapidly deteriorating. They would both go blind eventually if they did not have the surgery to correct it which was over 100,00 each. Valerie who had no health insurance, was at a total loss of what to do. As she tells Father James her problem, he has the church come up with a plan to raise all the money needed for the surgery.

Lori Peterson is expecting a baby which she thought they could never have again due to her husband's recent cancer that had been cured. But as time moves on, it is a sad story as the pregnancy progresses. Lori was so angry that they had to bear yet another tragedy.

Mrs. Norris feels under-appreciated and decides to quit her housekeeping job at the rectory. This throws Father James and Father Dennis in limbo not knowing what to do for a housekeeper. They try a few others who do not do the job, and Father James is at his wits end unless he can talk Mrs. Norris into coming back which may not be possible.

Deputy Bromley gets quite sick for awhile in this book with a terrible virus that is going around town. And when Hill takes over, it is always a big disaster. When Hill took the cruiser out on a call to catch some robbers, he crashes the cruiser into Sam's very old faithful Plymouth Duster. Now Sam is without a car, as well as the people who depend on the car as well to haul them every place. So prayers are in order to find Sam a new vehicle.

The book is very hard to put down and I loved every minute of it. I am now looking forward to the next one A Wing and a Prayer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Dorsetville wonderful read!!!, August 2, 2004

By 

Judith Nelson (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace Will Lead Me Home: A Novel (Paperback)

Once again the characters in the fictional town of Dorsetville are faced with a host of challenges. Mrs. Norris leaves in a huff, leaving poor Father James without a housekeeper just as a new boarder shows up and Father Dennis is distracted by his new cooking show, The Fat Friar. Harry Clifford has finally asked Nellie Anderson to marry him, but things get a little rocky when the wedding invitations are lost by Deputy Hill.

But there are also hardships to get through like the loss of a baby, the need for forgiveness, and the hope for a miracle. Once again, Katherine Valentine skillfully tucks the message of God's undying faithfulness into the ordinary lives of this unforgetable host of characters.