Bo Caldwell's The City of Tranquil Light (Holt, Sept.) is, to put it succinctly, one of the best books I have read this year. The novel chronicles the lives of two Mennonite missionaries, husband and wife, working in rural China in the first half of the 20th century, and is told in their voices—hers from a diary spanning the decades of the book, and his as an old man looking back at his life. Will Kiehn, destined to be a Midwestern farmer, receives an unexpected call from God to go to China. Katherine is a nurse and the daughter of missionaries. They fall in love with each other and with Kuang P'ing Ch'eng, the City of Tranquil Light. Their life, described in vivid detail, is often difficult, but usually rewarding. Caldwell's style is lovely, and her material drawn from the lives of her grandparents is assured. This beautifully rendered work is certain to appeal to anyone who likes historical fiction, the call of faraway places, or a truly inspirational story.