- Paperback: 429 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine; Reprint edition (Jan 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345410130
- ISBN-13: 978-0345410139
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 14 x 2.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,062,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
When St. Isidore's Elementary in Staggerford, Minnesota is closed, Miss Agatha McGee, who has taught there her whole life, is thrown back on her friends to sustain her. She finds her friends wanting. Fleeing unhappiness at home, Agatha sets off on a pilgrimage to Italy, unaware that her old soulmate and nemesis, Father James O'Hannon of County Kildare, Ireland, is waiting to meet her. There, in the golden light of Assisi, Agatha and James begin to rebuild their friendship . . . and their love.
From the Paperback edition.
From the Paperback edition.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
A lovely, insightful book with well developed characters
11 July 1998
Format:Paperback
"Dear James" is a sequel to "A Green Journey", further exploring the staunch character of Miss Agatha McGee and continuing her complicated relationship with James.
The book focuses closely on his characters and their interactions. Their detailed conversations and day to day activities show us just who they are and how they fit together as a community. This book is not a travelog; if you are looking for great adventure and beautiful descriptions of exotic lands, look elsewhere. Instead, it's a marvelous portrait of regular every day small town people, their values, their lives and their interconnections.
I have always been impressed with the depth and consistency of Hassler's characters. He treats Miss Agatha McGee and all the residents of Staggerford (and elsewhere) lovingly and yet humorously. His characters are honored even for their foibles.
He presents information about his characters as his novel goes on, painting layer upon layer of experience and character. He builds these characters carefully and logically, so that when they reach a turning point or make a decision, it always seems consistent with their makeup. Yet even when a character makes a decision that seems almost tragically wrong to me, it always seems consistent with their belief systems. This strikes me as very rare in the fiction I read.
Miss Agatha McGee in particular has become a fuller, more developed and more complicated character with each book. Her life and her decision, very different from mine, do manage to bring her happiness and peace.
Through Hassler's insightful writing, I have developed a much greater understanding of belief systems and motivations very different from my own.
It's a delightful portrayal of regular small town folks and their lifetime of interactions, carefully drawn in wonderful detail. Hassler renews my faith in people.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Loved it! Please give us more about Agatha
31 July 1999
Format:Paperback
I love Jon Hassler's novels and wish he would write many more, especially if Miss Agatha is one of the characters. I find myself thinking about her all the time, wondering how she is doing, and hate to have to remind myself that she exists only in our imaginations. She is a combination of your favorite grade-school teacher, a beloved aunt or grandmother, the elderly neighbor loved by all, with a little of Aunt Bea mixed in. Read everything Jon Hassler has written. You can't go wrong with any of his books.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
My Favorite Book of All Time!!!
30 Jun 2006
Format:Paperback
I have read this book four times now (there is NO other book I've read this many times). Agatha is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction and I read a lot of fiction. She's true to herself in everything she does! I really love the relationship she has with the townsfolk and most particularly with James, although this isn't the first book with Agatha (Staggerford) or with Agatha and James (Green Journey), it can stand alone. It's warm, it's touching, it's funny, it's sad, it's, quite simply, wonderful!
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
