At Home in Mitford (by Jan Karon)

(Amazon UK link)

As I was pondering which favourite author’s books to re-read over the next year or so, an image of Mitford came to my mind. This small-town village is filled with so many warm memories, and I knew it was time to pick up Jan Karon’s series yet again. Having just finished ‘At Home in Mitford’ for the third time, it’s very tempting to go straight on with the series, but I know from experience that I enjoy books all the more if I spread them out, reading others in between. 

I last read this wonderful book in 2006, so I was well overdue for a re-read. It’s possible I would never have come across it, but for a gift from my father, Christmas 1999; he had read the book himself, and thought I would love it. He was right. I don’t know quite why it’s so very appealing; I’m not generally a fan of American Christian fiction. But the Mitford series are uplifting, encouraging, amusing in places, and leave me with a feeling of peace and warmth.

Father Tim is the unlikely protagonist of this book, and indeed the entire series. He’s a 60-year-old Episcopalian priest who works hard, loves God, and deals extremely well with his often difficult congregation. Mitford is a small town from the author’s imagination but it comes alive in my mind every time I embark on this series. It feels old-fashioned, yet in a delightful way that makes me wish I could have lived somewhere like that.

At the start of the book, Timothy is feeling jaded. He doesn’t have as much energy as he used to, and he feels as if his sermons are falling flat. He’s not depressed, exactly, but low in spirit. Into his life comes a large, enthusiastic and rather messy dog. He doesn’t want a dog, but it’s rather hard to resist… and while the dog is a good companion, it’s symptomatic of his life. He can’t say ‘no’. He cares about all his parishioners and other folk in Mitford, and he wants to help as much as he can.

So he visits the sick and the elderly, listening to their stories. He takes the time to chat to people who need to talk, and to pray for those who need help. He studies and prepares sermons, yet his calendar is always full. His phone rings regularly with more questions and needs… He loves what he does, but it’s wearing him out.

It doesn’t sound like the premise for an interesting story, but the characterisation is so good that I find myself transported to to this small town, seeing into Timothy’s mind and heart, feeling his temptations and joys. He has a serious health issue, one of the few things I had remembered clearly from previous reading of the book, but he neglects himself, finding it hard to see how his physical state can have such an impact on his emotional and spiritual needs.

Other main characters in this saga - which is much longer now than it was when I first came across it - include Dooley, a boy of eleven who is often rude and regularly irresponsible - yet has brought up, almost single-handed, his four younger siblings as their mother is not able to look after them. Timothy has no idea how to deal with boys, particularly one from an entirely different stratum of society, but his gentle manner and thoughtful methods are often poignant in their efficacy.

Then there’s Cynthia, a writer who moves in next-door to the Rectory, with her cat Violet.  Cynthia is a writer, a lovable, scatterbrained romantic, who needs a lot of affection. Timothy, a lifelong bachelor, realises that she means a great deal to him, but isn’t sure if he wants to take steps that might change their growing friendship.

There are plenty of other subplots in the book - stolen food, hidden jewels, a couple of romances, a long-hidden love story, and much more. There are a lot of characters; this was evidently always meant to be the start of a long series rather than a one-off, yet it’s an enjoyable novel in its own right.

I am already looking forward to reading the next book in the series in a few weeks time.

Very highly recommended if you like gentle character-based novels, and don’t mind a fair amount of Christian input - most of it included in an entirely non-preachy way.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's Book Reviews