THE SEWING ROOM by Barbara Cawthorne...

THE SEWING ROOM by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton (Penguin: $12.99; 253 pp.). One of the first women to be ordained into the Episcopal priesthood, Crafton offers her reflections on the joys and frustrations of her pastoral duties. In her efforts to care for the homeless in New York, she learns that chemical dependency and mental illness often thwart the best intentions of both care-givers and patients. A cheerful account of a Christmas service for foreign sailors takes a chilling turn when many of the men who attended are lost in a storm. It’s easy to understand how the resistance some parishioners felt toward the idea of a female priest soon gave way to acceptance: Even on the printed page, Crafton exhibits an almost palpable charm.