At Home in Mitford (1994)

I'm ambivalent about God, to say the least, and totally bivalent (in the non-traditional definition) about churches (I've never found one yet that wasn't racked with politics - social and religious), but Karon's feel good book about a priest in Mitford might just change my mind - if I thought a church like that existed.
The 'miracles' that occur in the book are unbelievable (to me), but if I regard them as happy things happening, I get along just fine. So fine, in fact, I stayed up most of the night reading the book. I'm off to the book store to find more. ( )

Father Tim Kavanagh, the nearly 60-year-old priest in what some think of as the sleepy town of Mitford, lives and works and loves his town of eccentrics, from Barnabus the dog who calms down to the recitation of Scripture, to his new, pretty neighbor and a needy boy who moves in with him.

If you enjoy small town, Christian fiction you will find a lot to appreciate in this series, which began in 1994. Father Tim and his flock and funny, maddening, and lovable. When I first read the books in my late teens, I remember being impressed that I could relate to a character who was so very different from me and my time of life. Are they perfect books? No. There's one Black character, for example, and she's... hm, stereotypical and dated, and the story her white friend tells of their growing up together in the '20s is pretty cringy. That does keep me from wholeheartedly recommending it to readers, but I will say that it stands out from the Christian fiction of its day for being, yes, very much faith-based but not having the come-to-Jesus moment of the main character be the climax of the book. ( )

Still a delight. ( )

Set in the charming village of Mitford, this book will delight listeners as it draws them into the life of Father Tim, an Episcopal rector who finds himself running on empty and longing for change. His bachelor existence is changed and enriched by a lovable cast of characters, including a stray dog, a lonely boy, and a comely neighbor.

This book describes a town that reminded me of a model railroad village. It's twee and charming and has everything the author wants to see. There's nothing wrong with that but it's very limited. The self-congratulatory Christianity grated. The setting reminded me of the darling Quebecois village Three Pines in Louise Penny's detective series. That one has too much violent death so the detective can have something to do. But Mitford (sort of a funny name if you know those sisters at all) has a lack of violent death and feels like a sixty year old's lily white nostalgic daydream. I was waiting for it and I did find what I consider some racist bits. But the greatest sins here are of omission.

All that said, I can see the appeal of setting up a sweet little village model, having Father Tim making the rounds praying and blessing, and celebrating nostalgia. For a while. ( )