Rating: 
Summary: Thank- you Jan Karon!
Review: You have given us just a taste for a bit more. After finding myself immersed in the first 5 books of the Mitford series this book filled in a part of the story that I truly feel I missed out on. Written as an episodic adventure, we find out the circumstances behind the proposal and marriage of Father Tim to Cynthia. Karon, with her loving touch has also given us a glimpse of characters that we have long since grieved for in the earlier novels. It was a joy to have them back in the world of Mitford even if only for this book. Though shorter than the original books, it is written with the same warmth and grace that we have come to know from this author. From the moment I started chapter one I had a huge grin on my face with every page I turned. I do wish we had been privy to the reception since I am greedy for any time spent in Mitford. The last chapter, spent on their honeymoon in Maine and entitled, "The Beginning" more than solidifies the idyllic love that these two people share. Again I say, Thank-you Jan Karon. Kelsana 4/29/01
Rating: 
Summary: Another great book of course!
Review: Another great read! A little shorter than regular Mitford books. Interesting how she would hold off on the wedding chapters for a later book. I just can't get enough of Mitford!
Rating: 
Summary: New Voices
Review: My wife and I have read each of Karon's Mitford books aloud to each other over the past few years. This is one of the better ones. One thing I enjoyed about this book is that several different characters narrate it. In the other Mitford books (thus far) everything is narrated from Father Tim's perspective. But here we are privy to the thoughts and observations of other well-known characters, such as: Esther Bolick, Uncle Billy Watson, and Mayor Cunningham. I think this change of structure works well for this particular installment. It gives us a fuller view of that most dramatic of events: the marriage of a beloved old bachelor. Let's face it; if it were up to Father Tim to remember the events surrounding his wedding to Cynthia, we wouldn't have much to work with because he had too much going on around him. This book is slimmer than the others, perhaps offering less story than fans are used to. One compensatory value might be that it has a nice two-color interior design. I recommend _A Common Life_ to fans of the series mainly on the virtue of its unique structure, giving voice to other familiar characters
Rating: 
Summary: A let down ...
Review: Though the book claims to be in the 180 page range, it's really much less with its HUGE margins and blank pages separating the chapters. It skips around A LOT -- doesn't cover the whole summer that they're engaged and says NOTHING of the actual reception. Which could have been such a pleasure to read! The only good part of the book is the deeper look into Cynthia that you get. If you're a diehard Mitford fan, you're going to buy it no matter what. Just DON'T expect Karon to keep up her track record. And it seems it'll be quite some time until we get another Mitford like we expect -- in the spirit of J.K. Rowling, Karon will be publishing two mini books this coming Fall which will only take away from the next full size Mitford novel.
Rating:
Summary: way too sappy
Review: This book is a response to the requests of many disappointed readers who wanted to read about the wedding that happened after the end of book two but before the beginning of book three. Jan Karon went back and wrote the story of the wedding and this is the end product. I'm a hopeless romantic and I'm all for romantic love stories, but this book was WAY over the top, to an unrealistic degree. It seems like every other page, Father Tim is marveling at the joyful, desperate, blissful, dazzling, breathless, mesmerizing, overwhelming, extraordinary, happy, dazzling, astonishing, overpowering love he feels for his fiancée (these are just some of the MANY adjectives used in much overabundance throughout the book). It just got too sappy and I didn't feel a connection with the characters at all. I listened to this book on tape from Recorded Books, and the last tape is an interview with Jan Karon. This was the one redeeming quality of sitting through the whole story. Karon sounds like a wonderfully nice person with great inspiration and a solid faith. Even though the last few books have seemed a little too unrealistic and dry, I enjoyed hearing the background of how the Mitford novels came about. I don't know if I'll read any more books in the series. It's gotten to the point where the description of ordinary people living ordinary lives has evolved into a near-utopia, with little to none of the problems that ordinary people in the real world experience.
Rating:
Summary: A Common Life
Review: This book appears to have been written simply to hold the readers until the next book in the series (hopefully with some substance) is released. I should have had a clue when I saw how few pages the book has. Definitely not pn a par with the previous 5 books. I, as a reader before me suggested, would recommend that those reading the series check this one out from the library.
Rating: 
Summary: Where is the story?
Review: Huge disappointment. Don't buy, borrow from the library if you must.
Rating:
Summary: I think she did it for the money
Review: Compared to all the other Mitford books, this one is like a bad movie of the week, or an old rerun of Love Boat. She could have easily added this to the next in the series, rather than devote a whole book to the wedding. And it isn't all that eventful a wedding, anyway.
Rating:
Summary: A Celebration of Love
Review: I only recently began reading Jan Karon's series of Mitford novels, so I read this one in between books two and three, where it belongs. While I have found all of the Mitford books to be sweetly compelling, A Common Life is my favorite so far. Father Timothy Kavanaugh, the lifelong bachelor, has finally decided to commit his life to his vivacious neighbor, Cynthia. He thinks that his feelings of worry about his relationship will be over upon making this decision - but Father Tim is so very wrong. There is, after all, a wedding to be planned! The good folk of Mitford proceed with all of their usual flair. Cynthia is subject to showers and teas, while Father Tim gets a good dose of advice at his favorite diner. There are the usual decisions about flowers, songs, and attendants. Yes, all of this is commonplace - but that is the beauty of Karon's writing. She infuses these decisions, gone through by all engaged couples, with a grace and candor that is rare. I read several chapters of this book with tears in my eyes, impressed by the gentleness and true love of the characters. Fans of Mitford are sure to find a blessing in A Common Life.
Rating:
Summary: Short and sweet
Review: I read this sixth Mitford installment after completing the second one, which is where it really belongs, and I have to say that Jan Karon continues to please me. While A Common Life is not as long or as in depth as her other Mitford novels, it still maintained that downhome sweetness and comfortable, cozy feeling that I've come to expect and love in these books. A Common Life tells the story of Father Tim's acceptance of the importance and neccessity of Cynthia in his life. After proposing, the couple encounters the typical problems, jitters and joys that most engaged couples do. And as expected, the whole town of Mitford is getting into the celebration: Hessie Mayhew is in charge of the flowers, Esther Bollick is waiting for her invitation to bake the cake, and Uncle Joe is busily searching for the best joke to tell at the reception. And of course the wedding couldn't come off without at least a small hitch -- at 10 minutes after starting time, Cynthia is nowhere to be found... Jan Karon has written another pleasing and endearing story. It is written in the same beautiful, classy way as the others, and any Mitford fan will consider this novel to be a wonderful addition to the series. Having said that, I can see where some readers could be disappointed if they were reading the books in order since A Common Life (#6) does not continue with the story where #5 stopped but instead goes back in time to between #2 and #3. However, despite which order you read it (and I recommend #6 after #2), I believe A Common Life is a treasure and perfect as a gift for any engaged or newly married couple as it celebrates a wonderful and simple romance. Looking forward to continuing on with the third book in the series. I know I won't be disappointed.
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