Surrounded by lush vegetable farms and fragrant apple orchards, Newburgh, New York sits at the most scenic bend of the Hudson River. Its setting is a study in contrasts: breathtaking scenery as a backdrop to dilapidated housing projects and the stark beauty of recent immigrants, mostly from Latin America, struggling to find a new sense of place as farm workers.
When Deirdre Cornell returns to the impoverished inner city where she grew up, she rediscovers her own sense of place, and finds herself compelled by the stories of the poor she encounters. The 33-year old mother finds herself more available not only to her children but to the lessons found in the messy mix of family, parish, and community commitments. In seeing Newburgh with new eyes, she learns that you can't go home again but you can return to-- and re-value for yourself -- the best values you learned growing up.
Reminiscent of the graceful prose of Alice McDermott A Priceless View weaves spiritual and social concerns into an inspiring story that reminds us of how we too find grace where and when we least expect it.