Book: At Home in Mitford

I came across this book entirely by accident. I was browsing in a second-hand bookshop in London, and saw this on the shelf. I actually bought it under a misapprehension - there is a village in England called Mitford (home of the Mitford sisters) and I assumed that this book was set there. As I know someone who lives around there, I thought it might be interesting. It was not long before I realised that the book is actually set in America.

It recounts the daily life of the parish priest of Mitford, Father Timothy, and the various people he knows in his village. There's his bishop, Stuart; the antique dealer, Andrew; a cake-shop owner, a barber, Miss Sadie the wealthy woman, the mayor and, of course, his next-door neighbour! During the time frame of the book Fr. Timothy finds himself having to deal with a teenaged boy, an enormous (and slavery) dog, a robbery, health problems and suddenly taking a fancy to the woman next door.

Although the book is packed full of incident, it is also slow-paced and homely - it describes the sort of community that I would happily pack up and move to, if I were sure any really existed. The author, Jan Karon, describes a happy little town with eccentrics galore, where everyone lives more or less harmoniously - and manages to maintain the peaceful atmosphere even when she is talking about poverty, which is truly amazing.

She has a gentle, quiet spirituality pervading the book - naturally as it is about an Episcopalian priest! It is never preachy, and never forced, but completely natural - just as their faith is a natural part of the lives of her characters.

This is the sort of book I take with me when I'm on a journey, or when I'm staying in a strange place, as it effectively wards of feeling lonely. Her characters are so developed that you feel you could actually meet them, someday. I would unhesitatingly recommend this book - and I'd review the others in the (long) series if they weren't so hard to get in the UK.

Alongside buying this book (you can click on the link above and I'll get a little money if your purchase from Amazon too!) I'd recommend going to Jan Karon's website.

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