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snowmaiden's review
4.0
Three years have gone by since the events of the previous book, [b: A Green Journey|386713|A Green Journey|Jon Hassler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388509963l/386713._SY75_.jpg|376359]. Miss Agatha McGee has never resumed writing to her Irish penpal, James. She's never been able to get past her shock at discovering that he was a priest, which dashed all the romantic dreams she'd harbored about him. All that changes when she plans a trip to Italy to see the pope and finds James waiting there for her.
Hassler is treading a fine line here. As a Catholic writer, he can't let anything too romantic happen between this forbidden couple, but at the same time, it's obvious he wants them to have the happy ending that they didn't quite get to in the last book. The book is about the two of them finding a compromise between the wild romantic dreams both of them hold in their hearts and the detachment that would seem necessary between a priest and an unmarried woman. James doesn't seem to have the same difficulties with the situation that Agatha does, but then again, he had years to contemplate things while she was still in the dark about his real identity.
In this novel, Agatha is playing catch-up, trying to understand if it is possible to love someone deeply and utterly without actually possessing them, and if so, how. Eventually, she finds a kind of peace while reading a biography about St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi.
An aside here: I wanted to read this book now because of recently discovering the movie A Green Journey on Amazon. I was more influenced by that film than I first thought. I had a totally different picture of Miss McGee in my head before seeing it, but now I can't imagine her as anybody but Angela Lansbury. (I must admit that makes her a little bit more sympathetic and attractive to me.) I'm going out on a limb here, but I want to suggest that Hassler himself was similarly influenced by the film. It came out in 1990, and this novel appeared three years later. Certain plot points seem directly influenced by the film, and I think it's likely that Hassler saw his characters in a new light after being exposed to another writer's interpretation of the first book. For instance, because they felt his original ending for her was too dark, the filmmakers constructed their own "happy ending" for Miss McGee, and this book seems like Hassler's attempt to reject that ending while giving her a brighter future more in line with her character.
I really enjoyed this book, but I wouldn't start here if you're new to Hassler. One definitely must read [b: A Green Journey|386713|A Green Journey|Jon Hassler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388509963l/386713._SY75_.jpg|376359] before attempting this one, and it might be a good idea to go all the way back to [b: Staggerford|141543|Staggerford|Jon Hassler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172125936l/141543._SY75_.jpg|136511], in which Miss McGee, although not the main character, plays a pivotal role.
Hassler is treading a fine line here. As a Catholic writer, he can't let anything too romantic happen between this forbidden couple, but at the same time, it's obvious he wants them to have the happy ending that they didn't quite get to in the last book. The book is about the two of them finding a compromise between the wild romantic dreams both of them hold in their hearts and the detachment that would seem necessary between a priest and an unmarried woman. James doesn't seem to have the same difficulties with the situation that Agatha does, but then again, he had years to contemplate things while she was still in the dark about his real identity.
In this novel, Agatha is playing catch-up, trying to understand if it is possible to love someone deeply and utterly without actually possessing them, and if so, how. Eventually, she finds a kind of peace while reading a biography about St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi.
"She took the book to her room and read, engrossed, until nearly midnight, paying particular attention to the bond between Francis and Clare. It put to rest for good her misgivings as the woman in James' life. Francis and Clare were saintly, chaste, and intensely in love."
An aside here: I wanted to read this book now because of recently discovering the movie A Green Journey on Amazon. I was more influenced by that film than I first thought. I had a totally different picture of Miss McGee in my head before seeing it, but now I can't imagine her as anybody but Angela Lansbury. (I must admit that makes her a little bit more sympathetic and attractive to me.) I'm going out on a limb here, but I want to suggest that Hassler himself was similarly influenced by the film. It came out in 1990, and this novel appeared three years later. Certain plot points seem directly influenced by the film, and I think it's likely that Hassler saw his characters in a new light after being exposed to another writer's interpretation of the first book. For instance, because they felt his original ending for her was too dark, the filmmakers constructed their own "happy ending" for Miss McGee, and this book seems like Hassler's attempt to reject that ending while giving her a brighter future more in line with her character.
I really enjoyed this book, but I wouldn't start here if you're new to Hassler. One definitely must read [b: A Green Journey|386713|A Green Journey|Jon Hassler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388509963l/386713._SY75_.jpg|376359] before attempting this one, and it might be a good idea to go all the way back to [b: Staggerford|141543|Staggerford|Jon Hassler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172125936l/141543._SY75_.jpg|136511], in which Miss McGee, although not the main character, plays a pivotal role.
rachelgertrude's review
4.0
Who knew that a seventy-something spinster, former Catholic school teacher, could be such an interesting and complex character? Agatha is one of those characters that you feel you know from somewhere, and then you read a book about her and find out that there is so much more to know. i read this book in the last few days of Christmas vacation and found those days more warm, more insightful, because of what I found here.
bkwrm127's review
5.0
Agatha McGee, staunch Catholic school teacher and grande dame of small town Staggerford, is dismayed when her school is closed down. At age 70, with seemingly no purpose to her existence, she struggles with depression. Then she receives a letter from former penpal, James O'Hannan, begging her to reopen communication. She had broken off writing to James after traveling to Ireland three years previously to meet him, and discovered the man she had fallen in love with was a priest. In an effort to fight the depression and recharge her spiritual life, Agatha travels to Italy where she encounters James. While Agatha is traveling in Italy, a former pupil finds and reads Agatha's letters from James, then reveals her opinions of the townsfolk in a malicious attempt to discredit Agatha in the eyes of the community. The author deals with issues of small town life, love and betrayal, aging, spirituality, and forgiveness with a sure hand and wonderfully drawn characters. I was especially drawn to the tender romance between Agatha and James, and the thought that the inner life of someone at age 70 is no different than at age 40. A book for fans of the Mitford series ~ with a little more depth.
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