at home in mitford

reviewed by Mike Crowl

For a long time Christian fiction was dominated by romantic Grace Livingstone Hill and Janette Oke-type novels with well-behaved characters. Or dramatized versions of the lives of Bible people. The trouble with both was that you always knew how the stories would end.

Then Frank Peretti's spiritual warfare thrillers, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness, broke through the mold and showed that Christian fiction could have some punch and style. And shortly after came the quasi-historical sagas by a lady with an unpronounceable name, Bodie Thoene. With acres of research and multitudinous characters her stories inevitably spread themselves over five or six volumes. (They were very popular in our household.)

Now Christian fiction has gone into overdrive: romantic novels galore and thrillers aplenty. In some cases these only differ from those in the secular scene because the hero/ine is a Christian. Hidden amongst the hype, however, are some quieter books that struggle to reach the public. A trilogy by Penelope Wilcocks, for instance, has never taken off quite as it should. These gentle stories about a group of monks in a medieval English monastery are sensitively written and show genuine people who have to rely continually on God's grace - and on that of their brethren. (These were also popular in our household - where the need for grace is continuous...!)

Another book, by an author unknown to me, apparently did well in the States. There's even a sequel already. But the book, Jan Karon's At Home in Mitford, barely made a ripple in New Zealand. It's a marvellous long read at nearly 450 pages; just the thing for the summer holidays.

Not everyone will find it to their taste: it's quiet, most of the characters are good, ordinary people, and no great dramas occur. The setting is a village away from the hustle and bustle we usually regard as normal Americana. In fact, several times I had to remind myself that I wasn't reading an English novel. That's the kind of atmosphere it has.

Karon delights in warmth of place and person, in the changing face of nature, and in the way life turns unexpected corners. The book focuses on Father Tim, a faithful Episcopal rector whose longstanding bachelorhood and very private life is disturbed variously by a dog as big as a Buick - it only behaves when Scripture is quoted at it. By a boy who can't trust adults. By a new housekeeper who delights in baking, and who sniffs out Tim's tatty hidden underwear (!). And by a more than attractive next door neighbour who produces popular children's books about a cat called Violet.

These characters, however, are only part of the fabric of life in Mitford. The book is peopled by all manner of small town bodies, both generous and difficult. Karon's "world" is a joy to dig into, and I found myself reading this book in one great weekend binge. If you're looking for thrills, At Home in Mitford isn't for you. However, if you enjoy a world that knows about high tech but isn't distracted by it, still believes in love even when it's difficult, and has respect for those who view life differently, you may well find this to your taste.

Published in the UK by Lion Publishers

Bodie Thoene's books are in two series:

The Zion Covenant and The Zion Chronicles. A further book, written in collaboration with her husband, and set in the period between the two series, is called Twilight of Courage.

The trilogy by Penelope Wilcocks consists of these three titles:

The Hawk and the Dove

The Wounds of God

The Long Fall

Sadly, all three of these books are now out of print.

When this review was written, the three other stories in Jan Karon's continuing saga hadn't come to my notice. They have done more than 'apparently well' - in fact, they're highly successful.

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