Jim of Hellas, or in Durance Vile; The Troubling of Bethesda Pool

A Greek sailor steals a hen and lands in jail. It sounds like the setup for a joke, but Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards transforms this absurd premise into something genuinely tender. After falling overboard, Jim finds himself stranded on an island where his theft of a chicken earns him a stint in prison. Enter Miss Bethesda Pool, the reclusive owner of a small inn, who takes in this foreign stranger despite the town's suspicion. As Jim proves himself through hard work and his remarkable cooking, he becomes beloved by the community. But the real transformation belongs to Bethesda herself, a woman who has walled herself away from the world, until this motley crew of outcasts and wanderers teaches her that opening your door might also mean opening your heart. Richards writes with a light, wry humor and genuine warmth, crafting a story about how strangers become family and how even the most stubborn loner can learn that community is worth the risk of being known.