Remember Me

August 29, 2005
In a novel that's far subtler than run-of-the-mill Christian fiction, bestselling author Bedford (If I Had You
) introduces us to Sam Tibbits, a beautifully drawn bachelor pastor who is sure to give Mitford's Father Tim a run for his money. As a boy in the late 1960s, Sam summered with his family at Piddock Beach in the Pacific Northwest. There, he became good friends—actually, more than friends—with a girl named Aubrey. They corresponded during the fall and winter and always looked forward to seeing each other again when summer rolled around. But during college, Sam arrived at Piddock Beach to find that Aubrey and her family had up and moved, leaving no forwarding address. The heartbroken Sam got on with his life, though he never married. As the novel opens, Sam is a minister who devotes himself wholly to his parish, and to his widowed sister and her son. He's a good pastor, but clearly on the road to burnout. To escape the pressures of his job, Sam returns to Piddock Beach and of course encounters Aubrey. On the surface, this novel explores the well-worn plot line of reconnecting with one's childhood sweetheart. But it's about many other things, too: Vietnam, vocation and the difference between dreams and reality. It's a multilayered, rewarding read.

November 1, 2005
Summer vacations at Maine's Piddock Beach, where he met a girl named Aubrey, are Pastor Sam Tibbits's favorite childhood memories. Only his feelings for his old sweetheart have never really gone away. The last time he visited the beach town was to propose to Aubrey, but she had moved and left no forwarding address. Thirty years later, Sam is facing a spiritual crisis after his brother-in-law's tragic death. When his board of deacons insists that he take a sabbatical, Sam revisits Piddock Beach, where fate brings Aubrey into his life once more. RITA-nominated Bedford ("When You Believe"; "If I Had You") spins a rich tale that flows beautifully. Not a typical romance novel, this is sure to please fans of Nicholas Walker or Richard Paul Evans. Recommended for public libraries. Bedford lives in Wyoming.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.