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Mitford Years #1
At Home in Mitford
Father Tim, a cherished small-town rector, is the steadfast soldier in this beloved slice of life story set in an American village where the grass is still green, the pickets are still white, and the air still smells sweet. The rector's forthright secretary, Emma Garret, worries about her employer, as she sees past his Christian cheerfulness into his aching loneliness. Slowly but surely, the empty places in Father Tim's heart do get filled. First with a gangly stray dog, later with a seemingly stray boy, and finally with the realization that he is stumbling into love with his independent and Christian-wise next-door neighbor. Much more than a gentle love story, this is a homespun tale about a town of endearing characters-- including a mysterious jewel thief--who are as quirky and popular as those of Mayberry, R.F.D. --Gail Hudson
413 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 1994
3984 people are currently reading
29180 people want to read
About the author
Jan Karon
142 books2,793 followersBorn Janice Meredith Wilson in 1937, Jan Karon was raised on a farm near Lenoir, North Carolina. Karon knew at a very early age that she wanted to be a writer. She penned her first novel when she was 10 years old, the same year she won a short-story contest organized by the local high school. Karon married as a teenager and had a daughter, Candace.
At 18, Karon began working as a receptionist for a Charlotte, N.C. advertising agency. She advanced in the company after leaving samples of her writing on the desk of her boss, who eventually noticed her talent. Karon went on to have a highly successful career in the field, winning awards for ad agencies from Charlotte to San Francisco. In time, she became a creative vice president at the high-profile McKinney & Silver, in Raleigh. While there, she won the prestigious Stephen Kelly Award, with which the Magazine Publishers of America honor the year's best print campaign.
During her years in advertising, Karon kept alive her childhood ambition to be an author. At the age of 50, she left her career in advertising and moved to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, to pursue that dream. After struggling—and failing—to get a novel underway, Karon awoke one night with a mental image of an Episcopal priest walking down a village street. She grew curious about him, and started writing. Soon, Karon was publishing weekly installments about Father Tim in her local newspaper, The Blowing Rocket, which saw its circulation double as a result. "It certainly worked for Mr. Dickens", says Karon.
The Father Tim stories became Karon's first Mitford novel, At Home in Mitford. That book has since been nominated three times (1996, 1997, and 1998) for an ABBY (American Booksellers Book of the Year Award), which honors titles that bookstore owners most enjoy recommending to customers, and the only book ever nominated for three consecutive years. The fourth Mitford novel, A New Song, won both the Christy and Gold Medallion awards for outstanding contemporary fiction in 2000. A Common Life, In This Mountain, and Shepherds Abiding have also won Gold Medallion awards. Out to Canaan was the first Mitford novel to hit the New York Times bestseller list; subsequent novels have debuted on the New York Times list, often landing the #1 spot.
Karon has also published two Christmas-themed books based on the Mitford series, The Mitford Snowmen and Esther's Gift, as well as Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. Other Mitford books include Patches of Godlight: Father Tim's Favorite Quotes, a compilation of wit and wisdom, and A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim. In addition, Karon has written two children's books, Miss Fannie's Hat and Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny, and an illustrated book for all ages, The Trellis and the Seed.
Karon says her character-driven work seeks to give readers a large, extended family they can call their own. Though Light From Heaven is officially the final novel in the series, there's yet another Mitford book in this prolific author. Karon urges her millions of ardent fans to look for the Mitford Bedside Companion, releasing in the Fall of 2006. "It has everything in it but the kitchen sink", says Karon.
At 18, Karon began working as a receptionist for a Charlotte, N.C. advertising agency. She advanced in the company after leaving samples of her writing on the desk of her boss, who eventually noticed her talent. Karon went on to have a highly successful career in the field, winning awards for ad agencies from Charlotte to San Francisco. In time, she became a creative vice president at the high-profile McKinney & Silver, in Raleigh. While there, she won the prestigious Stephen Kelly Award, with which the Magazine Publishers of America honor the year's best print campaign.
During her years in advertising, Karon kept alive her childhood ambition to be an author. At the age of 50, she left her career in advertising and moved to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, to pursue that dream. After struggling—and failing—to get a novel underway, Karon awoke one night with a mental image of an Episcopal priest walking down a village street. She grew curious about him, and started writing. Soon, Karon was publishing weekly installments about Father Tim in her local newspaper, The Blowing Rocket, which saw its circulation double as a result. "It certainly worked for Mr. Dickens", says Karon.
The Father Tim stories became Karon's first Mitford novel, At Home in Mitford. That book has since been nominated three times (1996, 1997, and 1998) for an ABBY (American Booksellers Book of the Year Award), which honors titles that bookstore owners most enjoy recommending to customers, and the only book ever nominated for three consecutive years. The fourth Mitford novel, A New Song, won both the Christy and Gold Medallion awards for outstanding contemporary fiction in 2000. A Common Life, In This Mountain, and Shepherds Abiding have also won Gold Medallion awards. Out to Canaan was the first Mitford novel to hit the New York Times bestseller list; subsequent novels have debuted on the New York Times list, often landing the #1 spot.
Karon has also published two Christmas-themed books based on the Mitford series, The Mitford Snowmen and Esther's Gift, as well as Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. Other Mitford books include Patches of Godlight: Father Tim's Favorite Quotes, a compilation of wit and wisdom, and A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim. In addition, Karon has written two children's books, Miss Fannie's Hat and Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny, and an illustrated book for all ages, The Trellis and the Seed.
Karon says her character-driven work seeks to give readers a large, extended family they can call their own. Though Light From Heaven is officially the final novel in the series, there's yet another Mitford book in this prolific author. Karon urges her millions of ardent fans to look for the Mitford Bedside Companion, releasing in the Fall of 2006. "It has everything in it but the kitchen sink", says Karon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,904 reviews
April 29, 2025
When I retired, I wanted to repossess my lost innocence.
I thought I could, with books like this. I devoted much free time to them in those anguished and burnt-out years.
But then the “C” word raised its Medusa’s Snake Mane in my family a short three or four years ago. I had never anticipated a colossal power like it before that - but I needed a literary anchor - so once again chose Jan Karon as a vade mecum for a long journey of worry and pain.
Except, as I was to discover, it was one of those Dark books of her mid-life crisis from the Father Tim series - and so, serendipitously, its turbulence rhymed with my anxiety, essentially.
How many anxious hours outside of medical examining rooms were spent in the desperate company of Father Tim, this time in Ireland? That novel was In the Company of Others, and in it we face our Shadow, head on.
That novel proved to me that Mitford and Tim were, like me, changing and coming to maturity in Purgatorial Fire. Sometimes it’s best not to counteract anxiety pharmaceutically, and sometimes being with our anxiety is like holding onto the Tail of a Dragon. For that Dragon can take you along on the road to becoming Yourself.
His nostrils exhale fire, but sometimes purification by fire is necessary.
For if you are Lamenting, yourself, alongside the dear family member who has been diagnosed with cancer, a Part of You is going to soon Die.
The part that is the kid within you, and as he dies he’ll herald a new day of clarity and competence in your life.
My loved one didn’t die.
And this is for real, folks. You see - intellectually AND in my heart - Karon forced me to GROW UP. She put me into a narrow ascending dark tunnel. Until I saw the light at the end of it.
And This is the reason Karon is an important writer.
For just as Tim (and I) later returned to his childhood home to Exorcise his Inveterate Demons, you’ll believe me when I say Karon has purged hers.
So don’t put this beautiful series down too soon.
I certainly won’t...
Cause one of my oldest friends sent me two later Mitford novels - Sheep May Safely Graze and Somewhere Safe with Someone Good - as Holiday treats last Christmas.
For what starts out as a saccharine-sounding Golden Age in THIS book, turns often in her later books to be more reliable and real:
As an adult sneak peak at the Glory to come -
In the flummoxed face of flawed beautiful losers just like you and me...
And the human remnant that hangs their hats in Mitford.
I thought I could, with books like this. I devoted much free time to them in those anguished and burnt-out years.
But then the “C” word raised its Medusa’s Snake Mane in my family a short three or four years ago. I had never anticipated a colossal power like it before that - but I needed a literary anchor - so once again chose Jan Karon as a vade mecum for a long journey of worry and pain.
Except, as I was to discover, it was one of those Dark books of her mid-life crisis from the Father Tim series - and so, serendipitously, its turbulence rhymed with my anxiety, essentially.
How many anxious hours outside of medical examining rooms were spent in the desperate company of Father Tim, this time in Ireland? That novel was In the Company of Others, and in it we face our Shadow, head on.
That novel proved to me that Mitford and Tim were, like me, changing and coming to maturity in Purgatorial Fire. Sometimes it’s best not to counteract anxiety pharmaceutically, and sometimes being with our anxiety is like holding onto the Tail of a Dragon. For that Dragon can take you along on the road to becoming Yourself.
His nostrils exhale fire, but sometimes purification by fire is necessary.
For if you are Lamenting, yourself, alongside the dear family member who has been diagnosed with cancer, a Part of You is going to soon Die.
The part that is the kid within you, and as he dies he’ll herald a new day of clarity and competence in your life.
My loved one didn’t die.
And this is for real, folks. You see - intellectually AND in my heart - Karon forced me to GROW UP. She put me into a narrow ascending dark tunnel. Until I saw the light at the end of it.
And This is the reason Karon is an important writer.
For just as Tim (and I) later returned to his childhood home to Exorcise his Inveterate Demons, you’ll believe me when I say Karon has purged hers.
So don’t put this beautiful series down too soon.
I certainly won’t...
Cause one of my oldest friends sent me two later Mitford novels - Sheep May Safely Graze and Somewhere Safe with Someone Good - as Holiday treats last Christmas.
For what starts out as a saccharine-sounding Golden Age in THIS book, turns often in her later books to be more reliable and real:
As an adult sneak peak at the Glory to come -
In the flummoxed face of flawed beautiful losers just like you and me...
And the human remnant that hangs their hats in Mitford.
January 14, 2009
Tatie frowed up.
Oh yes, Mitford is a lovely, sweet, Christian town, where they've kicked all the poor people out into the country so they don't have to look at them. When someone tells Father Tim that there is suffering in town that he can't imagine, Tim's response is "And I don't want to know." And after 12 years of so-called ministry in this burg, he manages not to know about any problem that doesn't absolutely flatten him. A little boy comes to live with him--he's told that the mother is sick and there are four siblings--and he doesn't even ask the kid about his brothers and sisters, or try to find out anything about the mother's illness or whereabouts. Not for weeks and weeks. (He manages to register the kid in school without even knowing his date of birth, much less who his guardian is.) The countryside is wracked with poverty, but Tim's parish spends its money getting its bells repaired in England, insuring its artwork, and having needlepoint kneelers made.
I can see why the Mitford series is so popular. Mitford has created a world in which Christianity is easy, cosy, comfortable, homey. It demands no pain, no risk, no leaving home. All the people a Christian sees are highly educated and upper-middle-class. There are no yards full of messy cars; there are no falling-down fences; there are no divorces; there is no child abuse; there are no drunks disrupting the church services; there are no hungry people wandering the streets in their torn denim and making you feel bad. "Ministry" means visiting rich old women and listening to their life stories.
Oh yes, Mitford is a lovely, sweet, Christian town, where they've kicked all the poor people out into the country so they don't have to look at them. When someone tells Father Tim that there is suffering in town that he can't imagine, Tim's response is "And I don't want to know." And after 12 years of so-called ministry in this burg, he manages not to know about any problem that doesn't absolutely flatten him. A little boy comes to live with him--he's told that the mother is sick and there are four siblings--and he doesn't even ask the kid about his brothers and sisters, or try to find out anything about the mother's illness or whereabouts. Not for weeks and weeks. (He manages to register the kid in school without even knowing his date of birth, much less who his guardian is.) The countryside is wracked with poverty, but Tim's parish spends its money getting its bells repaired in England, insuring its artwork, and having needlepoint kneelers made.
I can see why the Mitford series is so popular. Mitford has created a world in which Christianity is easy, cosy, comfortable, homey. It demands no pain, no risk, no leaving home. All the people a Christian sees are highly educated and upper-middle-class. There are no yards full of messy cars; there are no falling-down fences; there are no divorces; there is no child abuse; there are no drunks disrupting the church services; there are no hungry people wandering the streets in their torn denim and making you feel bad. "Ministry" means visiting rich old women and listening to their life stories.
October 8, 2016
See the full review at Literary Cafe: http://literarycafe.weebly.com/home/a...
"My friend, if you keep your eyes on Christians, you will be disappointed every day of your life. Your hope is to keep your eyes on Christ"
The beauty of this series is how entertained you can be by a small town's antics. They never cease to make me smile. From the quirky little boy to the smart-mouthed secretary to the dog who makes his way into your heart, this book is packed to the rim with excitement - in the exact places that are normally lifeless and boring.
At Home in Mitford is one of the few Christian comedy novels I've ever read. I must admit, I loved it. Sometimes you just need a lighthearted read that makes you smile. I feel as if there should be so many more books and authors like this.
Not only was it delightfully charming, but it was uncharacteristically impactful and didactic. Many books become 'preachy', some to the point that they quote whole passages of scripture. Now, I'm not implying there's anything at all wrong with scripture. There is a certain tact required to interweaving a Biblical message in a story. Many modern authors lack that. Jan Karon, fortunately, does not.
"My friend, if you keep your eyes on Christians, you will be disappointed every day of your life. Your hope is to keep your eyes on Christ"
The beauty of this series is how entertained you can be by a small town's antics. They never cease to make me smile. From the quirky little boy to the smart-mouthed secretary to the dog who makes his way into your heart, this book is packed to the rim with excitement - in the exact places that are normally lifeless and boring.
At Home in Mitford is one of the few Christian comedy novels I've ever read. I must admit, I loved it. Sometimes you just need a lighthearted read that makes you smile. I feel as if there should be so many more books and authors like this.
Not only was it delightfully charming, but it was uncharacteristically impactful and didactic. Many books become 'preachy', some to the point that they quote whole passages of scripture. Now, I'm not implying there's anything at all wrong with scripture. There is a certain tact required to interweaving a Biblical message in a story. Many modern authors lack that. Jan Karon, fortunately, does not.
February 11, 2008
I have to break up with this book. While the main character doesn't seem to have a "fatal flaw", the book does. It is too nice. Strolls in the warm sunshine, rosebushes, and hot cups of coffee... Others have called it a 'cozy read.' I just can't take it. To the author Jan Karon I say, "It's not you--it's me."
June 4, 2025
This is the first book in the Mitford series. A couple of months ago a Little Free Library steward from the state of Washington came by and dropped off a copy of all the books currently published in this series. I was completely overwhelmed with gratitude with her generous donation. But I never took the time to put this in my currently reading pile on Goodreads because I wasn’t sure if I would read the books or review them, until now.
I had the pleasure of watching the cute made-for-television Hallmark Hall of Fame movie starring Andie McDowell recently when I opted in on the Hallmark streaming service.
This first book in the series was published in 1994, with this paperback version coming out in 1996.
For anyone who is looking for saccharine sweet faith based small town storytelling this is the book to read.
The story follows Father Tim and his many parishioners in the fictional town of Mitford, North Carolina. He is a long-time minister at Lord’s Chapel. He also finds himself adopted by Barnabas a huge black dog and a young boy named Dooley that is in need of a home. How will this affect his bachelorhood?
And, then there is his neighbor, Cynthia Coppersmith. What emotions will this bring out in Father Tim?
So, which did I prefer the book or the movie?
It was easier for me to fall in love with the movie, as the characters were more believable at 40-something, as opposed to the more mature age given to the Father Tim described in the book. (In the book, he was 60.)
Not that I am not opposed to older people having romances. I have after all been quite charmed by stories with older protagonists lately. But this one didn’t ring as true for me in the book. Still, the author does her best to provide a sense of realism and warmth to her characters.
As a classic book series, this may be more appealing to those who are attracted to books that are faith based.
3.5 stars
I had the pleasure of watching the cute made-for-television Hallmark Hall of Fame movie starring Andie McDowell recently when I opted in on the Hallmark streaming service.
This first book in the series was published in 1994, with this paperback version coming out in 1996.
For anyone who is looking for saccharine sweet faith based small town storytelling this is the book to read.
The story follows Father Tim and his many parishioners in the fictional town of Mitford, North Carolina. He is a long-time minister at Lord’s Chapel. He also finds himself adopted by Barnabas a huge black dog and a young boy named Dooley that is in need of a home. How will this affect his bachelorhood?
And, then there is his neighbor, Cynthia Coppersmith. What emotions will this bring out in Father Tim?
So, which did I prefer the book or the movie?
It was easier for me to fall in love with the movie, as the characters were more believable at 40-something, as opposed to the more mature age given to the Father Tim described in the book. (In the book, he was 60.)
Not that I am not opposed to older people having romances. I have after all been quite charmed by stories with older protagonists lately. But this one didn’t ring as true for me in the book. Still, the author does her best to provide a sense of realism and warmth to her characters.
As a classic book series, this may be more appealing to those who are attracted to books that are faith based.
3.5 stars
August 16, 2008
I never would have been drawn to these books had I not been desperate for a book to read and finding little in the way of selection in a hospital gift store... I was in a period of feeling quite low with yet another medical challenge to face with our son. If you are dealing with a "winter" season or you know someone who is--run, don't walk to the nearest bookstore and buy Karon's books. Authentic characters, heart warming stories and uplifting messages leaving you a better person for having read them.
September 19, 2018
I've been hearing about these books for years, but finally read one today...and really enjoyed it! Can't wait to read the sequels!
May 29, 2008
I finally finished! It just seems wrong to say that you don't like a Christian book. There's an implication that I feel obligated to dispel. When I began reading this story I thought I liked the simplicity of the characters, their Christian morals and the charm of the small town they lived in. I patiently waited for more depth and purpose and perhaps more twists and turns. There were some turns, but predictable. I prefer stories that I can sink my teeth into with more complex characters...like real people. There were a couple of "people of color" woven into this homogenous community. I was disappointed with their descriptions and couldn't quite figure out why they went through the trouble to even acknowledge their "color" it made them even more simple minded. They were trying to convince you that they were a welcome part of the community, yet their descriptions were so superficial using perjorative terms to reinforce their "blackness"...i thought, "are you kidding me?" I've read books set in the early 1900's that i found less offensive than this story that took place in my lifetime. I'm sure the intention was not to offend, but I found it very distracting and hard to ignore...given the fact that the book wasn't holding my attention anyway. Being bored and offended are just not my idea of a good time. I have forgiven myself for not being a fan of this book and I realize finally that it doesn't diminish my Christianity.
January 11, 2020
okay #conflicted
*deep breath*
I'm just gonna get this out of the way real quick:
This book doesn't have a plot.
And that's the biggest reason why I can't give it the four or five stars its deep and intimate character portraits would otherwise deserve.
Now, when I say there's no plot--understand, I'm not saying "it's boring" or "nothing happens." PLENTY of stuff happens, exciting stuff (jewel thieves and near death experiences and long buried family secrets among them), but they're not linked together in any broad narrative thread of rising and falling action. There's no STRUCTURE, would perhaps be a better term. Rather, "plot points" ebb and flow throughout the book in little waves, but because they're not tied to a narrative progression (that I could detect anyway), they end up just being kinda . . . exhausting.
400 pages of seemingly random events bouncing around does tend to leave one wondering, "when is this ever gonna end??"
Another thing: The main character, Father Tim, doesn't make any real DECISIONS which could help drive the plot arc forward. Honestly, as far as I can see, his main conflict throughout the book is 'do I take a vacation, or not?' Eventually this question is decided for him, by his bishop ordering him to take a vacation. That's kinda satisfying in its way [seeing him get the recreation he needs], but nowhere near as satisfying as Father Tim choosing it for himself would be. Also at the end of the book, he tells the woman whom he's been seeing for most of the story, that . . . he's not ready to make a decision about whether to formally Date Her yet. Again, NOT A DECISION. And as we all know, decisions are what shape story arcs, for better or for worse.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut on the other hand . . .
I don't want to say this book is 'bad' or that I didn't enjoy it, because I honestly really did enjoy myself!! Jan Karon clearly has a highly nuanced understanding of both the human condition and the Christian spiritual life. And that's rare in a Christian fiction author, fellas. She stays away from pat solutions and she stays away [for the most part] from sugary optimism. She's writing about a town full of people who believe in turning to God with their problems, yes; but who also understand that God won't just magically fix them and that they might have to live with some Real Tough Stuff for a Real Long Time. That . . . that was genuinely inspiring to me. <3
I've complained about Father Tim being a passive protagonist, because he is: yet I have to give Father Tim his due in being a refreshingly REAL and three-dimensional protagonist. He's a man of deep faith and rich intellectual curiosity, who still struggles with petty anger and chronic indecision and generally muddled thinking when it comes to Practical Affairs. He's got scenes where he's all "don't worry, fam, I got this," and he totally does--yet he's also got plenty of scenes where he'll just be like "ummmmmmm who let me adult today???" #i relate #i relate hardcore
Also he's SIXTY and currently single so yassssssss for middle-aged and elderly MCs.
The side characters are astonishingly vivid. Every last one of them. Think Dickens, where even the clerk who wanders on screen at page five hundred and sixty and says three lines about the mutton chops IS A PERSON YOU FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW. I can see them in my mind and hear them speak, I care about their struggles, I care about their interior lives. This is a major accomplishment in itself.
Puny Bradshaw is my fave and I want to hire her to run my entire life and I will not be accepting constructive criticism of this decision at this time.
*grins*
Also not gonna lie: Dooley Barlowe annoyed the heck out of me in the beginning, but by the end he was makin me cryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy and I feel that's hardly fair. It's fine tho. Everything's fine. :'-)
I don't know that I want to read the next books in the series; but either way, I'm very glad I made the acquaintance of Father Tim and the town of Mitford. I think I'll remember them for a long, long time.
*deep breath*
I'm just gonna get this out of the way real quick:
This book doesn't have a plot.
And that's the biggest reason why I can't give it the four or five stars its deep and intimate character portraits would otherwise deserve.
Now, when I say there's no plot--understand, I'm not saying "it's boring" or "nothing happens." PLENTY of stuff happens, exciting stuff (jewel thieves and near death experiences and long buried family secrets among them), but they're not linked together in any broad narrative thread of rising and falling action. There's no STRUCTURE, would perhaps be a better term. Rather, "plot points" ebb and flow throughout the book in little waves, but because they're not tied to a narrative progression (that I could detect anyway), they end up just being kinda . . . exhausting.
400 pages of seemingly random events bouncing around does tend to leave one wondering, "when is this ever gonna end??"
Another thing: The main character, Father Tim, doesn't make any real DECISIONS which could help drive the plot arc forward. Honestly, as far as I can see, his main conflict throughout the book is 'do I take a vacation, or not?' Eventually this question is decided for him, by his bishop ordering him to take a vacation. That's kinda satisfying in its way [seeing him get the recreation he needs], but nowhere near as satisfying as Father Tim choosing it for himself would be. Also at the end of the book, he tells the woman whom he's been seeing for most of the story, that . . . he's not ready to make a decision about whether to formally Date Her yet. Again, NOT A DECISION. And as we all know, decisions are what shape story arcs, for better or for worse.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut on the other hand . . .
I don't want to say this book is 'bad' or that I didn't enjoy it, because I honestly really did enjoy myself!! Jan Karon clearly has a highly nuanced understanding of both the human condition and the Christian spiritual life. And that's rare in a Christian fiction author, fellas. She stays away from pat solutions and she stays away [for the most part] from sugary optimism. She's writing about a town full of people who believe in turning to God with their problems, yes; but who also understand that God won't just magically fix them and that they might have to live with some Real Tough Stuff for a Real Long Time. That . . . that was genuinely inspiring to me. <3
I've complained about Father Tim being a passive protagonist, because he is: yet I have to give Father Tim his due in being a refreshingly REAL and three-dimensional protagonist. He's a man of deep faith and rich intellectual curiosity, who still struggles with petty anger and chronic indecision and generally muddled thinking when it comes to Practical Affairs. He's got scenes where he's all "don't worry, fam, I got this," and he totally does--yet he's also got plenty of scenes where he'll just be like "ummmmmmm who let me adult today???" #i relate #i relate hardcore
Also he's SIXTY and currently single so yassssssss for middle-aged and elderly MCs.
The side characters are astonishingly vivid. Every last one of them. Think Dickens, where even the clerk who wanders on screen at page five hundred and sixty and says three lines about the mutton chops IS A PERSON YOU FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW. I can see them in my mind and hear them speak, I care about their struggles, I care about their interior lives. This is a major accomplishment in itself.
Puny Bradshaw is my fave and I want to hire her to run my entire life and I will not be accepting constructive criticism of this decision at this time.
*grins*
Also not gonna lie: Dooley Barlowe annoyed the heck out of me in the beginning, but by the end he was makin me cryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy and I feel that's hardly fair. It's fine tho. Everything's fine. :'-)
I don't know that I want to read the next books in the series; but either way, I'm very glad I made the acquaintance of Father Tim and the town of Mitford. I think I'll remember them for a long, long time.
Read
February 12, 2019Not my first reading, but it has been twenty years... It was LOVELY to revisit Mitford again. If you need a little vacation -- I highly recommend it.
February 25, 2017
This book is amazing! I absolutely love Jan Karon's writing style. Each of the characters feel so real and have so much depth, yet there is no "back story dump" Simplistic and to the point. So encouraging. This is a book I have read 4 or 5 times, and I keep coming back to it! Honestly the best piece of fiction I have ever read! I cannot sing its praises enough. The beautiful themes of grace, mercy and God's goodness are simply and engagingly put, and oh so inspiring!
I would recommend it for ages 13 and up, due to very mild language and somewhat mature themes. A MUST READ!!!
I would recommend it for ages 13 and up, due to very mild language and somewhat mature themes. A MUST READ!!!
January 3, 2021
Simplistic but yet entertaining. This has a "Mayberry" feel, meaning: a wholesome town, with moral upstanding citizens. There were several laugh out loud moments, and several heartwarming moments as well. There are multiple intertwining storylines, and I don't wish to give spoilers. There are Biblical and Christian references, but is never preachy. I found it heart warming. I will definitely continue on with this series, and look forward to it.
May 30, 2011
When I first began reading this series-opener, it took me awhile to warm up to it. That's because the human drama of the various plot lines is slow to develop, and because I didn't immediately get close enough to any of the characters to actually get inside their heads and understand or relate strongly to them. (The third-person narration isn't the cause of this. Arguably, that's much the way things are in real life; most of the time, it takes awhile to get to know a new community and new people and to feel fully a part of things.) As my rating shows, it was worth sticking with it and giving it a chance; the number of stars I was prepared to give rose steadily as I read --which is always a nice experience, compared to the all-too-common reverse!
Karon's central character here is a sixty-ish Episcopal priest, Father Tim (his last name is never given, as far as I can recall), rector of a small congregation in a little North Carolina mountain town, clearly modeled on the author's home community. The various plot strands revolve around his own concerns and the life of his parish; this makes it easy and natural for Karon to weave in references to the Christian faith of her characters (which mirrors her own) and its role in both individual and community life. Her Christianity is of a simple, gentle sort; she shows God working through the changed hearts of those who respond to Him, more so than through spectacular miracles, and Father Tim's witness and spiritual counsel is more in the nature of winsomely declaring truth that most people can instinctively relate to, rather than of arguing theology and Christian evidences. For general fiction dealing with the everyday lives of ordinary people, this approach strikes me as pitch-perfect. This book was published by a secular press (perhaps partly because Karon's Episcopal characters aren't averse to an occasional glass of wine, which no doubt violates ECPA/CBA rules), and I think could appeal to secular readers who aren't reflexively repelled by portrayals of religious believers. It also has no sex or bad language, and would certainly appeal to most Christian readers. (Though Karon is an Episcopalian herself, she doesn't beat a denominational drum here; indeed, the warm fellowship between Father Tim and Baptist preacher Absalom Greer makes a good ecumenical point.)
While I expected to encounter regionalist Realism here, I would say that Karon actually doesn't make as strong a use of the specifically Appalachian setting as Sharon McCrumb does in the Ballad series; much of the atmosphere here might be that of any small town anywhere in the U.S. She also does not deal much in grappling directly with modern social and economic problems (though she doesn't ignore them totally; one short passage, for instance, makes it clear that Mitford's mayor and others are well aware of the threat of so-called "development" and --in a community whose home-owned businesses are still viable-- resolved to resist it). At times, the novel can also have a somewhat "sanitized" feel (and that's apart from the freedom from profanity and sex, which to me is positive). But the characters do face serious and realistic painful or challenging situations: Father Tim's diabetes, the loss of a beloved spouse, a terminal illness, thwarted romance, dark family secrets, schizophrenia, and the starkly awful family situation of 11-year-old Dooley (he and his siblings given away by an alcoholic mother like a litter of unwanted puppies or kittens), to name a few. There's rural poverty in the back country hollows, and drugs and crime are realities. The mood, though, is upbeat; we see characters able to confront and get a handle on problems. While Karon can sometimes, IMO, use "quirkiness" as a crutch, she's basically good at characterization; she has a healthy sense of humor that leavens the story, and she's able to blend the mundane and the lyrical in some beautiful passages (the ending here lifted the book into four-star territory). She also imparts a lot of solid wisdom for life in these pages, and delivers an appealing romance (of a man and woman in the autumn, rather than the spring, of their lives), though this isn't a "romance" novel and doesn't follow commercial "romance" conventions.
More by accident than deliberate choice, my reading over the years has tended to neglect contemporary general fiction. But that tradition has a lot of rewards to offer, as novels like this show; and I do want to read more in it. I definitely plan to continue with this series (eventually); and I'd expect to be able to get into the second one much more quickly now, for knowing the characters and community!
Karon's central character here is a sixty-ish Episcopal priest, Father Tim (his last name is never given, as far as I can recall), rector of a small congregation in a little North Carolina mountain town, clearly modeled on the author's home community. The various plot strands revolve around his own concerns and the life of his parish; this makes it easy and natural for Karon to weave in references to the Christian faith of her characters (which mirrors her own) and its role in both individual and community life. Her Christianity is of a simple, gentle sort; she shows God working through the changed hearts of those who respond to Him, more so than through spectacular miracles, and Father Tim's witness and spiritual counsel is more in the nature of winsomely declaring truth that most people can instinctively relate to, rather than of arguing theology and Christian evidences. For general fiction dealing with the everyday lives of ordinary people, this approach strikes me as pitch-perfect. This book was published by a secular press (perhaps partly because Karon's Episcopal characters aren't averse to an occasional glass of wine, which no doubt violates ECPA/CBA rules), and I think could appeal to secular readers who aren't reflexively repelled by portrayals of religious believers. It also has no sex or bad language, and would certainly appeal to most Christian readers. (Though Karon is an Episcopalian herself, she doesn't beat a denominational drum here; indeed, the warm fellowship between Father Tim and Baptist preacher Absalom Greer makes a good ecumenical point.)
While I expected to encounter regionalist Realism here, I would say that Karon actually doesn't make as strong a use of the specifically Appalachian setting as Sharon McCrumb does in the Ballad series; much of the atmosphere here might be that of any small town anywhere in the U.S. She also does not deal much in grappling directly with modern social and economic problems (though she doesn't ignore them totally; one short passage, for instance, makes it clear that Mitford's mayor and others are well aware of the threat of so-called "development" and --in a community whose home-owned businesses are still viable-- resolved to resist it). At times, the novel can also have a somewhat "sanitized" feel (and that's apart from the freedom from profanity and sex, which to me is positive). But the characters do face serious and realistic painful or challenging situations: Father Tim's diabetes, the loss of a beloved spouse, a terminal illness, thwarted romance, dark family secrets, schizophrenia, and the starkly awful family situation of 11-year-old Dooley (he and his siblings given away by an alcoholic mother like a litter of unwanted puppies or kittens), to name a few. There's rural poverty in the back country hollows, and drugs and crime are realities. The mood, though, is upbeat; we see characters able to confront and get a handle on problems. While Karon can sometimes, IMO, use "quirkiness" as a crutch, she's basically good at characterization; she has a healthy sense of humor that leavens the story, and she's able to blend the mundane and the lyrical in some beautiful passages (the ending here lifted the book into four-star territory). She also imparts a lot of solid wisdom for life in these pages, and delivers an appealing romance (of a man and woman in the autumn, rather than the spring, of their lives), though this isn't a "romance" novel and doesn't follow commercial "romance" conventions.
More by accident than deliberate choice, my reading over the years has tended to neglect contemporary general fiction. But that tradition has a lot of rewards to offer, as novels like this show; and I do want to read more in it. I definitely plan to continue with this series (eventually); and I'd expect to be able to get into the second one much more quickly now, for knowing the characters and community!
November 2, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
I’m definitely in the minority on this one. I found it too long and a little too boring to capture my interest.
I’m definitely in the minority on this one. I found it too long and a little too boring to capture my interest.
February 3, 2018
This is not a book I can review in the normal fashion.
Goodreads is saying I've read it twice, this being my second time. That is a blatant falsehood.
My mother first gave this book to me when I was nine or ten. I was firmly convinced even at the time that if she remembered some of the thematic material it contained--especially in books 2 and 3--she would never, ever have given it to me. But she did, and I read it, and I loved it.
Especially since I found it at the time that I was beginning to come into my adult emotions, and instead of reading about teenagers destroying things and having shallow relationships, I was reading about adults seeking God and trying to do so much for him. Their relationships were influenced by maturity. They were imperfect but very, very real, and I loved it.
This is a funny, heartbreaking, perfect book, and I really can't say how much it means to me. I can't write a normal review for it, but I can say this:
Five golden stars and the title of one of the most important, life-changing, beloved books of my existence.
Go read it.
Go, and be as the butterfly.
Goodreads is saying I've read it twice, this being my second time. That is a blatant falsehood.
My mother first gave this book to me when I was nine or ten. I was firmly convinced even at the time that if she remembered some of the thematic material it contained--especially in books 2 and 3--she would never, ever have given it to me. But she did, and I read it, and I loved it.
Especially since I found it at the time that I was beginning to come into my adult emotions, and instead of reading about teenagers destroying things and having shallow relationships, I was reading about adults seeking God and trying to do so much for him. Their relationships were influenced by maturity. They were imperfect but very, very real, and I loved it.
This is a funny, heartbreaking, perfect book, and I really can't say how much it means to me. I can't write a normal review for it, but I can say this:
Five golden stars and the title of one of the most important, life-changing, beloved books of my existence.
Go read it.
Go, and be as the butterfly.
March 21, 2015
Let's be kind. The sort of people who read books like this like books like this. Not my genre.
Which is no excuse for bad writing. Among other things, the author describes an African-American woman at an apparently all-white church as "like raisins added to bread" which left me agape. And the main character is a 60-year old virgin minister who is thinking for a hundred pages about perhaps going steady. And was is with the livermush? Let me google that. BRB.
OK, so that is one of the 50 fattiest foods in America, a mixture of pig liver and head parts, a food indigenous to North Carolina that was perhaps used by the Anglophile author to indicate a familiarity with American folklore.
There is a former alcoholic character named Homeless who isn't, but who is a former advertising exec who chose to return to the woods and speak the vernacular. He did say, "I lost three wives, nine jobs, four houses, two kids, and one foot. Th' only thing I didn't lose was m' self-respect, and that's because I didn't have any." Writer probably stole that from an AA meeting.
Characters are banal, writing is labored, religious theory is given in heavy-handed doses, and what's with the valuable tapestry gathering dust in the rectory?
This book made it into our bookshelves as a gift from a former girlfriend of my spouse. He never read it. I'm sorry I wasted my time on it, but, hah! it's evidence that I know his tastes better than she did. So there.
Which is no excuse for bad writing. Among other things, the author describes an African-American woman at an apparently all-white church as "like raisins added to bread" which left me agape. And the main character is a 60-year old virgin minister who is thinking for a hundred pages about perhaps going steady. And was is with the livermush? Let me google that. BRB.
OK, so that is one of the 50 fattiest foods in America, a mixture of pig liver and head parts, a food indigenous to North Carolina that was perhaps used by the Anglophile author to indicate a familiarity with American folklore.
There is a former alcoholic character named Homeless who isn't, but who is a former advertising exec who chose to return to the woods and speak the vernacular. He did say, "I lost three wives, nine jobs, four houses, two kids, and one foot. Th' only thing I didn't lose was m' self-respect, and that's because I didn't have any." Writer probably stole that from an AA meeting.
Characters are banal, writing is labored, religious theory is given in heavy-handed doses, and what's with the valuable tapestry gathering dust in the rectory?
This book made it into our bookshelves as a gift from a former girlfriend of my spouse. He never read it. I'm sorry I wasted my time on it, but, hah! it's evidence that I know his tastes better than she did. So there.
July 16, 2008
This was my first attempt to read a 5 star book from each friend's book list so I hate to give this one star, but it just wasn't my thing. I read about 150 pages, jumped to the very end and put it down. The author jumps from quaint small southern town situation to quaint small southern town situation without delving into the characters. You know what I think my problem is? No one in Mitford has a dark side. Not one person in the whole darn town.
June 8, 2008
I loved this book! It was SO delightful - it is nice to sit down with a book that you know will not offend. I am working on finishing up the series - I highly recommend this book.
pg. 141 Psalm 68: "Blessed by the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits."
pg.152 "Whatever your hand finds to do, do ith with all your might!" he quoted cheerfully from Ecclesiastes.
pg. 165 "Do you like the fall of the year?"
The man gave an odd laugh. "Why?"
"One of the things that makes a dead leaf fall to the ground is the bud of the new leaf that pushes it off the limb. When you let God fill you with HIs love and forgiveness, the things you think you desperately want to hold on to start falling away... and we hardly notice their passing."
pg. 172 For a long time afterward, he sat by the fire, feeling the joy of Christmas, and knowing with unsearchable happiness that Christ did, indeed, live in his heart. Not becase he was a "preacher." Not because he was, after a fashion, "good." But because, long ago, he had asked him to.
Philippians four-thirteen
pg. 218 "That man is th' riches whose pleasure s are th' cheapest!"
"Thoreau," said Father Tim
"Dead right," beamed his host
pg. 227 "'Absalom Greer has got religion,' they said, but they were only partly right. It was religion that had got me, it was God Himself who had me at last, and it was the most thrilling time of my life.
"The words would jump off the page, I would understand things I had never understood before. I could take a verse my tongue had glibbed over in church, and see in it wondrous and thrilling meanings that kept the hair standing on my head."
pg. 229 Rain again! he thought, as he put the tea kettle on. But every drop that fell contained the promise of another leaf, another blossom, another blad of grass in the spring.
pg. 231 "No rechon about it. It would be a lie, and a lie is a hateful thing."
"Why?"
"For one thing, telling a lie is like eating peanuts. One leads to another. In no time at all, you've gone through a bag full."
He rinsed the razor under the tap. "Worst of all, you become a slave to something that isn't real."
"We been readin' about slaves. I wouldn't want t' be one."
"Let me say again that lying will make you a slave for whoever tells a lie is the servant of that lie. I hope you'll hide that in your heart son."
pg. 278 "Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established."
pg. 281 "'Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers... for what communion hath light with darkness?'
pg. 288 Uncle Billy shook his head. "Y' know, Preacher, th' more things you own, th' more you're owned by things..."
pg. 305 "The firefly only shines when on the wing. So it is with us -- when we stop, we darken."
pg. 362 How could he have considered taking Monday off? Monday was the diving board poised over the rest of the week. One walked out on the board, reviewed the situation, planned one's strategy, bounced a few times to get the feel of things, and then made a clean dive. With out Monday, one simply bombed into the water, belly first, and hoped for the best.
pg. 141 Psalm 68: "Blessed by the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits."
pg.152 "Whatever your hand finds to do, do ith with all your might!" he quoted cheerfully from Ecclesiastes.
pg. 165 "Do you like the fall of the year?"
The man gave an odd laugh. "Why?"
"One of the things that makes a dead leaf fall to the ground is the bud of the new leaf that pushes it off the limb. When you let God fill you with HIs love and forgiveness, the things you think you desperately want to hold on to start falling away... and we hardly notice their passing."
pg. 172 For a long time afterward, he sat by the fire, feeling the joy of Christmas, and knowing with unsearchable happiness that Christ did, indeed, live in his heart. Not becase he was a "preacher." Not because he was, after a fashion, "good." But because, long ago, he had asked him to.
Philippians four-thirteen
pg. 218 "That man is th' riches whose pleasure s are th' cheapest!"
"Thoreau," said Father Tim
"Dead right," beamed his host
pg. 227 "'Absalom Greer has got religion,' they said, but they were only partly right. It was religion that had got me, it was God Himself who had me at last, and it was the most thrilling time of my life.
"The words would jump off the page, I would understand things I had never understood before. I could take a verse my tongue had glibbed over in church, and see in it wondrous and thrilling meanings that kept the hair standing on my head."
pg. 229 Rain again! he thought, as he put the tea kettle on. But every drop that fell contained the promise of another leaf, another blossom, another blad of grass in the spring.
pg. 231 "No rechon about it. It would be a lie, and a lie is a hateful thing."
"Why?"
"For one thing, telling a lie is like eating peanuts. One leads to another. In no time at all, you've gone through a bag full."
He rinsed the razor under the tap. "Worst of all, you become a slave to something that isn't real."
"We been readin' about slaves. I wouldn't want t' be one."
"Let me say again that lying will make you a slave for whoever tells a lie is the servant of that lie. I hope you'll hide that in your heart son."
pg. 278 "Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established."
pg. 281 "'Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers... for what communion hath light with darkness?'
pg. 288 Uncle Billy shook his head. "Y' know, Preacher, th' more things you own, th' more you're owned by things..."
pg. 305 "The firefly only shines when on the wing. So it is with us -- when we stop, we darken."
pg. 362 How could he have considered taking Monday off? Monday was the diving board poised over the rest of the week. One walked out on the board, reviewed the situation, planned one's strategy, bounced a few times to get the feel of things, and then made a clean dive. With out Monday, one simply bombed into the water, belly first, and hoped for the best.
May 25, 2011
The characters in Mitford are mostly lovable, even Homeless Hobbes, and the love stories are a delight to read. One thing I have observed is that except maybe for Dooley, the 11-year old boy left under the care of Father Tim, all the other characters are adults, most are elderly. But one just has to laugh at their childlike personalities. I am reminded of the Anne of Green Gables series while reading this book. I don’t know why. Maybe it is because the characters are easy to fall in love with and the quaint description of the Mitford town is comparable to the small town of Avonlea where Anne Shirley lived.
At Home in Mitford offers an idyllic escape from a chaotic world, where all you get to ever read is the utter goodness of every character, eventhe town Mayor is just so good to be true. It took quite a while for me to finish this book, it is the kind of story every page you want to savor and requires no chest-thumping suspense to make you flip the pages until you finish. Reading At Home in Mitford is like watching a teleserye (TV soap opera), you only need to spend 30 minutes every day for one episode and then look forward to another episode on the following day. Or maybe it is like reading a string of short stories tied together and bound into a single book. Of course, I am saying this as a compliment.
At Home in Mitford is a humorous, charming and calm read, a perfect companion to the beach or the airport lounge. If you don’t mind doing simultaneous reading, you can pair this with a more fast-paced story, just like what I did, in order to break the monotony.
Excerpt from It's A Wonderful Bookworld
At Home in Mitford offers an idyllic escape from a chaotic world, where all you get to ever read is the utter goodness of every character, eventhe town Mayor is just so good to be true. It took quite a while for me to finish this book, it is the kind of story every page you want to savor and requires no chest-thumping suspense to make you flip the pages until you finish. Reading At Home in Mitford is like watching a teleserye (TV soap opera), you only need to spend 30 minutes every day for one episode and then look forward to another episode on the following day. Or maybe it is like reading a string of short stories tied together and bound into a single book. Of course, I am saying this as a compliment.
At Home in Mitford is a humorous, charming and calm read, a perfect companion to the beach or the airport lounge. If you don’t mind doing simultaneous reading, you can pair this with a more fast-paced story, just like what I did, in order to break the monotony.
Excerpt from It's A Wonderful Bookworld
August 9, 2015
Mitford is a charming small town, slightly old fashioned and conservative where people look out for each other. Father Tim is the Episcopalian rector in charge of this small flock which seems to entirely consume his days. He's either visiting the hospital, checking on the elderly or the homeless man in the back woods or seeing to Church business. His is a practical Christianity that he bestows on others by deed and not merely by preaching. Of late, having just turned 60, he's been feeling a little lonely but that's all about to change as a large dog, a small boy and an interesting neighbour appear on the scene. A warm comforting read about the everyday life of quirky, interesting people in a small town where nothing too bad ever happens. Father Tim is a wonderful character, often human and a little flawed himself he always brings out the best in people with his quiet patience and kindness. I'm pleased to see there are another nine books in the series so I'll be able to enjoy visiting Father Tim in Mitford again!
December 26, 2018
Years ago, I got this from the library and loved the colorful hometown of Mitford. I had to return it before I had time to finish it, though, This year I finally got my own copy and devoured it in less than 24 hours. Best of all, the author’s note in the front says there’s a real city where some of these stories really happened. I loved my first visit to Mitford and am eager to read the next book.
Content: moderately frequent profanity, including from the rector.
Content: moderately frequent profanity, including from the rector.
October 14, 2018
So sweet and cozy. Reminded me a little of a Louise Penny book and her idyllic Three Pines but without the mystery and with a little more humor. So enjoyable!
June 8, 2020
My rating merely indicates my personal appreciation of this book. Lots of others love it. For me, the book was OK, and so I am giving it two stars.
It is about a parish priest, Father Tim, living in a small village of North Carolina. It takes place over a two year period in about the 1980s. Father Tim is kind. He cares about his parishioners. They love him in return. The issue that arises is that he takes on more problems than he can cope with.
I listened to this over a long car ride. One might say it is perfect for that. It is easy to follow—it doesn’t take much of your brain. It is sweet. It is without violence or sex. It has little mysteries to be solved, secrets to be revealed, several tame love affairs. A dog is stolen. A little boy is deserted by his alcoholic mom. Serious difficulties are touched upon, but always in a clean, neat and nice way.
The central character is a priest—does this mean the book is preachy? No, it isn’t, but at the same time it has a large amount of religious content. References are made to passages in the bible. One returns many times to the value of faith and prayer, not as a lecture, but simply because it is in these terms that Father Tim thinks. For a person not religious, me for example, one does not turn to religion to solve problems. The result being that a large portion of the text did not speak to me. There are of course moral lessons relayed that everyone can relate to—but few would disagree with what is said. The bottom line is that the book gave me little to think about. The solutions to the problems that arise are rather obvious.
This is a feel good story. If that is your cup of tea—grab this book. You’ll love it. For me, too much, turned out too good.
So, the book gave me too little to think about. The dilemmas that arise have arisen before-- they are ordinary, they are typical, you know right off the bat what you would do. Its religious content is too heavy, for my taste. There are some good lines and sure, you will chuckle off and on.
John McDonough narrates the audiobook very well. He reads clearly and at a good pace. He intones the characters well. The narration I have given four stars.
Please, do not ask me to get excited about a book that is so ordinary.
It is about a parish priest, Father Tim, living in a small village of North Carolina. It takes place over a two year period in about the 1980s. Father Tim is kind. He cares about his parishioners. They love him in return. The issue that arises is that he takes on more problems than he can cope with.
I listened to this over a long car ride. One might say it is perfect for that. It is easy to follow—it doesn’t take much of your brain. It is sweet. It is without violence or sex. It has little mysteries to be solved, secrets to be revealed, several tame love affairs. A dog is stolen. A little boy is deserted by his alcoholic mom. Serious difficulties are touched upon, but always in a clean, neat and nice way.
The central character is a priest—does this mean the book is preachy? No, it isn’t, but at the same time it has a large amount of religious content. References are made to passages in the bible. One returns many times to the value of faith and prayer, not as a lecture, but simply because it is in these terms that Father Tim thinks. For a person not religious, me for example, one does not turn to religion to solve problems. The result being that a large portion of the text did not speak to me. There are of course moral lessons relayed that everyone can relate to—but few would disagree with what is said. The bottom line is that the book gave me little to think about. The solutions to the problems that arise are rather obvious.
This is a feel good story. If that is your cup of tea—grab this book. You’ll love it. For me, too much, turned out too good.
So, the book gave me too little to think about. The dilemmas that arise have arisen before-- they are ordinary, they are typical, you know right off the bat what you would do. Its religious content is too heavy, for my taste. There are some good lines and sure, you will chuckle off and on.
John McDonough narrates the audiobook very well. He reads clearly and at a good pace. He intones the characters well. The narration I have given four stars.
Please, do not ask me to get excited about a book that is so ordinary.
April 9, 2018
This is the kind of book that makes me wish that I was living in a small town and had a lovely minister like Father Tim in this book. Even the town's people were wonderful. It was a reminder of a quieter life, much like "The Waltons" or "It's a Wonderful Life." And well, "Andy Griffith." Philip Gulley's books are much like this one too. But then I tried to read the next book, and it was too slow of a read.
Update 2018: And now I do live in a small town, and while I have met wonderful people I don't go to any church, and I can't imagine that there would be one like this anyway.
Update 2018: And now I do live in a small town, and while I have met wonderful people I don't go to any church, and I can't imagine that there would be one like this anyway.
October 2, 2016
This just wasn't for me. Many love this book and the series so I'm sure it's just a matter of reader/story compatibility. It's just too saccharine for my reading sensibilities.
July 26, 2017
This book in one word: cozy. <3
My favorite part in two words? Father Tim.
And my least favorite part in three words: Dooley is crude.
But that’s no proper review at all. Let me try again. ;)
I spent several years of my childhood in a sweet, small town as the daughter of a pastor who loves C.S. Lewis, poetry, and quiet walks much like Father Tim. Reading this book felt like coming home. <3 Even the troubles of Mitford were charming! I enjoyed all of the side characters especially Emma, Uncle Billy, and Miss Rose. (And Barnabas who deserves mentioning.) My favorites were of course Father Time and my dear Hoppy. (I hope he gets a happy ending. The same with Miss Sadie.) I think my favorite part of the book was the chapter “The Finest Sermon”. ;) Even though Father Tim was Episcopalian, I was never uncomfortable with his views and found myself especially impressed that he was comfortable with a Baptist preacher filling in for him. Recommended for older teen readers because of some mild physical attraction between adults and a few crude terms mostly used by an orphaned boy.
Best quote? The last few lines actually, which means I won’t be sharing them. You’ll just have to read the book. :D
Altogether, I loved this and will definitely read on in the series. Also, I want to have Cynthia’s attitude. ;)
My favorite part in two words? Father Tim.
And my least favorite part in three words: Dooley is crude.
But that’s no proper review at all. Let me try again. ;)
I spent several years of my childhood in a sweet, small town as the daughter of a pastor who loves C.S. Lewis, poetry, and quiet walks much like Father Tim. Reading this book felt like coming home. <3 Even the troubles of Mitford were charming! I enjoyed all of the side characters especially Emma, Uncle Billy, and Miss Rose. (And Barnabas who deserves mentioning.) My favorites were of course Father Time and my dear Hoppy. (I hope he gets a happy ending. The same with Miss Sadie.) I think my favorite part of the book was the chapter “The Finest Sermon”. ;) Even though Father Tim was Episcopalian, I was never uncomfortable with his views and found myself especially impressed that he was comfortable with a Baptist preacher filling in for him. Recommended for older teen readers because of some mild physical attraction between adults and a few crude terms mostly used by an orphaned boy.
Best quote? The last few lines actually, which means I won’t be sharing them. You’ll just have to read the book. :D
Altogether, I loved this and will definitely read on in the series. Also, I want to have Cynthia’s attitude. ;)
August 2, 2024
2024 Re-read: What a joy to be visiting my old friends in Mitford again!
This is really a review of the entire Mitford series which I have re-read too many times to count.
If you're looking for gentle wit, a bit a sarcasm, likeable characters, lovable dogs (a few cats), great storylines including some nice love stories, as well as great spiritual messages without it becoming preachy, you will love reading about Mitford and Father Tim.
Although Ms. Karon handles some pretty serious issues such as alcholism, depresssion, and child abuse, it's done without rubbing the reader's nose in it. There's no bad language, the strongest exclamation being "blast!". Her books are G rated when it comes to sex. It's clear when the characters are physically attracted to each other but you don't follow them into the bedroom.
As the characters are developed over the course of the series, the books get better and better. In fact, when I first read the last two in the series, I immediately went back to the beginning and read them again because they were so good! :-) I don't think I've ever done that before.
And, of course important for me, her books have happy endings.
This is really a review of the entire Mitford series which I have re-read too many times to count.
If you're looking for gentle wit, a bit a sarcasm, likeable characters, lovable dogs (a few cats), great storylines including some nice love stories, as well as great spiritual messages without it becoming preachy, you will love reading about Mitford and Father Tim.
Although Ms. Karon handles some pretty serious issues such as alcholism, depresssion, and child abuse, it's done without rubbing the reader's nose in it. There's no bad language, the strongest exclamation being "blast!". Her books are G rated when it comes to sex. It's clear when the characters are physically attracted to each other but you don't follow them into the bedroom.
As the characters are developed over the course of the series, the books get better and better. In fact, when I first read the last two in the series, I immediately went back to the beginning and read them again because they were so good! :-) I don't think I've ever done that before.
And, of course important for me, her books have happy endings.
February 8, 2018
I unapologetically love this book. What's funny is that I decidedly did NOT love it the first time I read it, years ago. That dog-responding-to-scripture trope was just too quirky.
But since Jan Karon announced that To Be Where You Are is her last word on Father Tim and Mitford, I decided to go back and reread the entire series s-l-o-w-l-y. I joined a fabulous Facebook Group that reads four chapters a week.
Knowing the full arc of the story, I revel in little clues given in this first book. I rejoice in the reminders of forgotten facts and characters. I reflect on the small, daily acts of grace. Near the front cover of the book I record authors, composers, artists that are referenced.
I bought the new Putnam edition, with its gorgeous cover (goodbye ghastly Penguin orange!) and am happily marking it up. These are life books, books I hope to re-read several more times, but whose presence on my bookshelf is in itself a benediction.
But since Jan Karon announced that To Be Where You Are is her last word on Father Tim and Mitford, I decided to go back and reread the entire series s-l-o-w-l-y. I joined a fabulous Facebook Group that reads four chapters a week.
Knowing the full arc of the story, I revel in little clues given in this first book. I rejoice in the reminders of forgotten facts and characters. I reflect on the small, daily acts of grace. Near the front cover of the book I record authors, composers, artists that are referenced.
I bought the new Putnam edition, with its gorgeous cover (goodbye ghastly Penguin orange!) and am happily marking it up. These are life books, books I hope to re-read several more times, but whose presence on my bookshelf is in itself a benediction.
October 31, 2007
It's been a long time since I spent whole afternoons reading a book, but At Home in Mitford hooked me so fast that I spent a very happy weekend living there myself. The characters are real, honest, and flawed in the most endearing ways, and I spent most of the book pulling for all of them. I especially loved the main character, Father Tim (and who'd have thought I'd enjoy reading about an Episcopalian preacher?), who has the biggest, most open heart--at least until his neighbor starts to steal it. Perhaps best of all, it reacquainted me with hope, with faith in God, and with the extraordinary beauty of living a simple life.
I spent a lot of time searching for a word that would sum it up--quaint and charming seemed much too cliche, for it is much more than that. Bittersweet, yes, but overall, I at last found the perfect word to describe it: Delightful.
I spent a lot of time searching for a word that would sum it up--quaint and charming seemed much too cliche, for it is much more than that. Bittersweet, yes, but overall, I at last found the perfect word to describe it: Delightful.
August 23, 2019
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a book that you have to hug right after you finish it! It was wonderful and I enjoyed it so much.
I had no idea I would be reading a timeless, beautiful love story filled with wonderful characters.
This town is really something special! Is it perfect? No. Is it troubled? Sometimes. Is it complicated? Almost always. And it’s worth it!
“Don’t be afraid to show up”, I like to always say! 😊
And I could just go on and on but you’ll have to experience it yourself.
Things I loved:
• Father Tim
• Cynthia
• Barnabas
• Dooley
• Homeless
• The struggles
• The rewards
This ended up being a buddy read for me because I share all my favorite books with him and he is my best friend and he also loved it! ♥️
This is a book that you have to hug right after you finish it! It was wonderful and I enjoyed it so much.
I had no idea I would be reading a timeless, beautiful love story filled with wonderful characters.
This town is really something special! Is it perfect? No. Is it troubled? Sometimes. Is it complicated? Almost always. And it’s worth it!
“Don’t be afraid to show up”, I like to always say! 😊
And I could just go on and on but you’ll have to experience it yourself.
Things I loved:
• Father Tim
• Cynthia
• Barnabas
• Dooley
• Homeless
• The struggles
• The rewards
This ended up being a buddy read for me because I share all my favorite books with him and he is my best friend and he also loved it! ♥️
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