One Ticket to Mitford, Please
Years ago, I met a man named Tim. Tim is an Episcopal priest who, at the time we met, had been assigned to a tiny parish in a North Carolina mountain town. Through Tim, I was introduced to a host of interesting and precious people...
None of whom, much to my great dismay, are real.
I've talked before about my aversion to series reading, how I can handle two or three in a row before tiring of the material/the characters/the setting/the plot similarity. Father Tim et. al. are the exception. Jan Karon's Mitford novels are soul satisfying and full of goodness - like Hallmark movies but funny and quirky. Like Little House on the Prairie, with a little more current oomph. Father Tim's well read character meets my needs for intellectual challenge, and his cast of wacky locals and parishioners fills my craving for whimsy. To me, opening a Mitford book is like stepping into the Florida sunshine or that peaceful feeling that sweeps over me when I know a good friend is standing nearby.
So, how delighted was I to find that Father Tim was back! Home to Holly Springs follows Father Tim Kavanagh back to his Mississippi roots, as he heads home for the first time in 38 years. I can't say that it's a great novel if you're not already connected to Tim, but I know I enjoyed it because reaching the last page made me sad.
For me, a highlight of Jan Karon's work is her ability to pepper Father Tim's dialogue with inspirational quotes, with poetry, with spiritual significance and with some hefty theology. So pick up a Mitford book. Start at the beginning.
But before you go, I want to share a couple of the gems from Home to Holly Springs with you.
A quote from Samuel Rutherford:
From Elizabeth Goudge:
None of whom, much to my great dismay, are real.
I've talked before about my aversion to series reading, how I can handle two or three in a row before tiring of the material/the characters/the setting/the plot similarity. Father Tim et. al. are the exception. Jan Karon's Mitford novels are soul satisfying and full of goodness - like Hallmark movies but funny and quirky. Like Little House on the Prairie, with a little more current oomph. Father Tim's well read character meets my needs for intellectual challenge, and his cast of wacky locals and parishioners fills my craving for whimsy. To me, opening a Mitford book is like stepping into the Florida sunshine or that peaceful feeling that sweeps over me when I know a good friend is standing nearby.
So, how delighted was I to find that Father Tim was back! Home to Holly Springs follows Father Tim Kavanagh back to his Mississippi roots, as he heads home for the first time in 38 years. I can't say that it's a great novel if you're not already connected to Tim, but I know I enjoyed it because reaching the last page made me sad.
For me, a highlight of Jan Karon's work is her ability to pepper Father Tim's dialogue with inspirational quotes, with poetry, with spiritual significance and with some hefty theology. So pick up a Mitford book. Start at the beginning.
But before you go, I want to share a couple of the gems from Home to Holly Springs with you.
A quote from Samuel Rutherford:
"Whenever I find myself in the cellar of affliction, I always look about for the wine."
From Elizabeth Goudge:
"She had long accepted the fact that happiness is like swallows in spring. It may come and nest under your eaves or it may not. You cannot command it. When you expect to be happy, you are not, and when you don't expect to be happy, there is suddenly Easter in your soul, though it be midwinter."
Comments
Gold.