The Gathering Place - Thomas Kinkade [May/06]

Thomas Kinkade is a world-famous painter, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered he was also an author. The Gathering Place is not the first novel in the series of six books, but I have read other novels by him before. Of the six I am just missing the two Christmas novels, but I still have one more of the non-Christmas ones to read as I am mainly reading them out of order. They are harder to find than one might imagine, and the book store just started carrying them.

Anyways, it is best to just offer the blurb that comes with the book. I know everything that happens in the other two books I have read, as well as this one, so I don't want to give too much away. I think Thomas Kinkade novels are relaxing and fit the paintings that he so beautifully produces. The blurb:

A charming village on the New England coast, Cape Light is the kind of place where neighbours help each other and people take the time to appreciate the little things. Sometimes their lives are touched by hearbreak and disappointment, but there's something special about the folks in this tight-knit community - and their unforgettable stories reminds us of the extraordinary healing power of love.

Now that the Cape Light election is over, Mayor Emily Warwick can finally focus on her burgeoning relationship with Sara - the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty years ago. Seeing her after all these years has stirred up some conflicting feelings for Emily. While she is grateful to have Sara back in her life, she can't help but regret their years apart. Typicall she would turn to Reverand Ben for guidance, but turmoil within his own family has inspired a crisis of faith for the minister, making him question whether he is qualified to counsel his congregants. And there's the fact that Emily is slowly falling for newspaper publisher Dan Forbes, who'd been all set to leave for an extended sailing trip until an accident dashed his plans - giving him and Emily more time to develop their bond. But with two grown children of his own, would Dan ever want to start another family? Emily hopes so - because she's eager for a second chance at life...

I really couldn't have explained the novel better than that blurb. There is such a peace when you read these novels that you can not help being captured by them. They are all perfect for stand alone novels, but I like them and hope to get the Christmas ones soon. Once you plan a trip to Cape Light, you might not want to leave.

4/5