Padre

This was a pretty good book to read. It was a little to mushy for me at the beginning but it got better as I read the book.

I first read "Padre" when I was spending a semester overseas in Hungary. I was joyously surprised to see that our little Bible College library had one Robin Hardy book (I would have loved to see more, but the library was quite small, so no hard feelings!). As I told Robin in an email, it was a great taste of home while I was 9 time zones away. I recently bought and read the newest edition, and I believe I enjoyed it even more than the first time around. At the time, I was just a "beginning" Robin fan, and now (almost 7 years since picking up my first R.H. book--Chataine's Guardian), I think I appreciate it more. I have become accustomed to her humor, her wit, and her literary nuances. Padre is a wonderful book full of action (... did someone say cowboys and drug runners?), and yes, even a little romance! It is a delightful, addicting read (I finished it this last time in about 6 hours). Pick up a copy today and GET READING!!!

Royce, a New Yorker abandoned in Texas' Big Bend Country, is rescued by the enigmatic Paul, "Padre" as some call him, and her vacation becomes the adventure of a lifetime. A real page turner! I read and enjoyed this book when it first came out, but the new edition is even better than I remembered. And I love the new cover, a beautiful picture of Big Bend taken by the author's father. Don't miss the sequel, His Strange Ways.

When 25 year old Royce Lindel sets out from New York with two coworkers for a taste of the Lone Star State, they get more than they bargained for. As soon as Royce, Marla and Renetta arrive at their vacation destination, they are cheated by their guide and stranded in the desert. The trouble gets worse from there as shady law enforcement, drug dealers, opportunists and exes cause equal amounts of strife. In no other novel does Hardy more emphatically portray the emptiness and void of modern life without a Padre, or Father. The comedy of errors serves as a poignant backdrop for the subtle spiritual activity in the novel. While the book is scant on formula, it is abundant in characterization. The growth of the protagonists through their seemingly endless struggles is believable and illustrative of the real spiritual life. Once again, Hardy's works are not for the faint at heart: while her books can most certainly be read by young adults, they are aimed at readers who are mature enough to glean the Christianity from the plot, not the sprinkled lip service to Scripture that is so prevalent in Christian fiction. Look for a reprint of Padre, and possibly even a sequel, to be forthcoming from Westford Press in the next few years.

It's been years since I read this and I'm sad that it is out of print. It's a wonderful western mixed with innocent love and unselfishness.