At Home in Mitford (by Jan Karon)

(Amazon UK link)

'At home in Mitford' is a novel by the American Christian writer Jan Karon. I had not heard of her before, but was given this book by a relative at Christmas; he had enjoyed it very much, and thought I would too. He was correct!

This book is the delightful story of 60-year-old Father Tim, an Anglican priest in a small village in the USA, who's feeling a bit unsettled. Through his eyes we get to know his neighbours, and watch him house a scruffy boy. He finds stolen jewels in his church in the course of this book, and also falls in love for the first time...

It took a few chapters to get going, but I thought it a wonderfully relaxing book that painted a believable picture of small-town America. There's nothing particularly thought-provoking or deep in it, but nothing to dislike either.

Definitely recommended for a peaceful weekend's reading.

I wrote a longer review of 'At Home in Mitford' when I re-read it some years later