At Home in Mitford (The Mitford Years, Book 1)
by Jan Karon

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• ISBN13: 9780140254488
• Condition: New
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Book Reviews of At Home in Mitford (The Mitford Years, Book 1)

Book Review: Marred by Divorce and Remarriage
Summary: 4 Stars

First, I have to say that it was somewhat less than absorbing. My wife and daughter finish one of these 350-page books in 2 or 3 days, whereas it took me several months. And the difference is due to something other than reading speed. In fact, for a while I thought that my 13-year-old son's comment after reading the book jacket, "That's all I need to know about Mitford," was pretty close to the mark.

After working on the book for several weeks and not seeing anything happen, I asked my wife for an outline of the plot. Her answer: "There is no plot. It's just the meanderings of small town daily life." This was difficult to absorb! I wondered (to myself), "Why would anyone want to write about such a thing? And if one did, who would want to read it? And if one read it, how could one in good conscience inflict it on someone else?" Nevertheless, I persevered.

That said, however, I must admit, upon finally finishing, that it was a good book; I even enjoyed it. After coming to terms with Father Tim not being an Indiana Jones type, I was able to appreciate his life and "adventures," such as they are. And he does have some adventures. Shootings, drug dealers, and international jewel heists somehow make their way into the book. The book is also packed with dry humor; I found Father Tim and his countrymen a hilarious bunch of characters. I hope they were not insulted by my laughter. Possibly my familiarity with small town Southern life contributed to my enjoyment of their daily tribulations.

The book is set in quaint little Mitford, North Carolina, the parish of Father Tim Kavanaugh, an Episcopal priest who was raised as a Baptist. Father Tim is a solitary, but contentedly cheerful, sexagenarian bachelor recently diagnosed with diabetes. We see Mitford through his eyes and thoughts. Father Tim has a strong commitment to the people of his parish, and he, in turn, is beloved by them. The supporting characters appear as genuine people whom the reader gradually comes to know through natural, unforced dialogues and the author's original descriptions of daily activities.

I especially appreciated author Jan Karon's portrayal of authentic Christian faith and the application of such faith to everyday life. She does it in a frank, non-preachy way which I found uncommonly attractive and strikingly effective. Her presentation of Biblical theology is for the most part sound and accurate. The book is more effective than most standard evangelistic tracts in winsomely presenting authentic biblical faith in the Creator. She uses believably realistic accounts of normal people's joys and sorrows to depict the reality of life with God in a broken world.

My one serious criticism is that Cynthia Coppersmith, Father Tim's neighbor and emerging love interest, is divorced. It was disconcerting to have to change my view of the Tim-Cynthia romance upon learning of her marital status. After all, how can one "root for" a developing relationship which the Son of God identifies as adultery? ("Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery." Luke 16:18) Their illegitimate romance leaves a bitter taste in the reader's mouth. I strongly object to the books' implicit approval of remarriage after divorce. The Mitford Chronicles are for the most part so wholesome that the commendatory presentation of the Tim-Cynthia relationship desensitizes people to the seriousness of divorce and serves as a persuasive voice to legitimize remarriage after divorce. Due to the nature of the books, most people will find Karon's implicit message far more credible and enticing than when they encounter the same message in other cultural opinion sources. It is a sign of the degradation of our culture and the dilution of Biblical authority in the culture that most readers are completely unfazed by this divorce and remarriage issue.

Unhappily, the illicitness of this relationship stains the remaining books in the series as they are centered on Tim & Cynthia's developing romance and eventual marriage. It would have been far better for Karon to have cast Cynthia Coppersmith as a widow. Nothing of consequence would have been lost, and it would have made her relationship with Tim legitimate. Father Tim's total lack of concern about Cynthia's divorce is terribly inconsistent with his Baptist upbringing, with his position as a small-town Episcopal priest, and with his lifestyle of otherwise-consistent Biblical faithfulness. His silence is a serious literary (and moral) fault. I would like to have seen him "tear himself away" from Cynthia after learning of her divorce. I suggest that readers mentally re-designate Cynthia as a widow in order to appreciate the Mitford Chronicles.

Possibly the most surprising result of all is that I have agreed to read vol 2: A Light in the Window. It turns out that I "need" to know more than what's in vol 1 as the books are less than swift in getting to certain points. Can you believe that I have even gotten started on the second volume?

Summary of At Home in Mitford (The Mitford Years, Book 1)

Fiction Books

• Subjects > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Fiction
• Literature & Fiction
• Religion & Spirituality > Fiction