A Light in the Window (by Jan Karon)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m so glad I decided to re-read Jan Karon’s ‘Mitford’ series. It’s gentle, heartwarming and inspiring - exactly the kind of thing for this rather depressing time of year. I re-read ‘At Home in Mitford’ in the middle of November, and have just finished the second book in the series. I last read ‘A Light in the Window’ in 2006.

The last time I read this, I had a copy of the book with quite a chunk missing, but I’ve managed to acquire a full edition in the meantime, so have read it for the first time. I don’t know how much it matters - I got rid of the other version, and had forgotten quite a bit of the story anyway.

There’s not a whole lot of plot, but many interesting storylines woven together, as we follow another season in the life of this small town in the United States. Father Timothy is the main character, an Anglican priest in his early sixties. He has been single all his life, but his heart has been stirred by his neighbour Cynthia, who is a writer…

In my view, it’s definitely better to read this books in order, as there’s quite a large cast of characters. I don’t always recall who is whom when reading interludes set in the local cafe, but it doesn’t much matter. However it would be a lot more confusing if I hadn’t read the first book. For one thing, the earlier book explains how Timothy managed to acquire a large dog, Barnabas, and a somewhat rough young teenager, Dooley.

The story of Tim and Cynthia’s budding romance underlies much of the book, with some lovely correspondence, and several misunderstandings. Cynthia sees Timothy with other women in apparently compromising situations. Timothy feels unworthy, and frankly terrified at the thought of giving his heart fully to someone else. They both have hang-ups from their past, and insecurities, and this makes them both delightfully realistic.

Other storylines involve a rather rapacious widow who also rather fancies Timothy, much to his horror, a very rough guy who is running a huge building site, and a rather bizarre Irish cousin who takes up residence in Tim’s house, barely leaves her room, and keeps it locked. She types continually, and eats large amounts…

I’m not entirely sure why these books are so very engaging, as the story meanders gently through the weeks, particularly those between Christmas and Easter. There’s a fair amount of Scriptural wisdom scattered into the conversations, but never in a preachy way. I don’t know of people who talk quite like Timothy and his parishioners do, but I liked the mixture of secular and sacred, of Biblical insights and practical details about everyday life.

It’s quite an easy read, and one that’s oddly difficult to put down, even though I did remember at least the basic conclusion of the very low-key romance thread. I hadn’t recalled any of the other subplots; in addition to those above, there’s one involving a huge rental hike for someone who has to leave his business, and one about a ballroom with stunning paintings on the ceiling. 

It’s quite a mixture, but, as such, reflects life to some extent. And the writing is so good, I felt drawn into Mitford and wanted to read the third book in the series immediately. I won’t - I like spreading my favourite series out rather than reading a whole series at once, but I’m already looking forward to it.

Definitely recommended.

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