Rating: 
Summary: Down in the Zero
Review: Reading any of Karon's "Mitford Series" is somewhat like reading about people who have been raised for their entire lives to date in some dark closet. Her characters are absolutely and purely ignorant of virtually any and all aspects of human culture, human civilization or human achievement. Their conversation reveals no inkling of what year it is, or what state they are in, much less what nation or planet they are on. In the real world these creatures would have spent the last 50 years glued to the front of the boob tube, and essentially their entire conversation would be devoted to soap operas, talk shows and televised sports.
Yet apart from a few vague references to a "remote," or the "five o'clock news," there is little evidence anyone even has a TV... much less reads a (non-local) newspaper or books, fiction or nonfiction. [Hope, who runs the local bookstore, does seem to know who Thirkell and Wodehouse are.]For quite a few years Karon has been mining the vein of "non-books" diligently, rather than supplying new "adventures" (to use the word very loosely) for Father Tim and his fellow prisoners. This is finally the 6th Mitford novel (despite what the publisher claims), and takes over roughly where A NEW SONG left off. As we join the team, Father Tim and wife are getting ready to spend a year living in a tent in Goatbugger, Tennessee doing something the author never bothers to specify, because it is obvious to both author and reader that Tim ain't gonna get there (what would become of Violet, for example!). Instead Tim, in his customary mindless way, manages to seriously injure himself and another minister, and spends the rest of the novel in a deep, brooding depression. It's not that Tim is communing with his inner thoughts, because like all the other characters, HE HAS NO THOUGHTS! And that makes this novel very rough going, to say the least. As another reviewer noted on these pages, "pray" is almost the only verb in the book, and it seemingly appears about 5 times per page. Otherwise, nothing happens. There is some nonsense about a lunatic who wants to build a log cabin the size of a cathedral, or maybe a cathedral the size of a log cabin, his raving being unclear on this point; continuing villain Edith Mallory makes her customary pointless appearance; Father Tim gets a computer and goes online so he can read his own e-mail; some ex-cons need the good Father's support; one of Dooley's missing brothers turns out to have, gosh, been right there all along; and that's pretty much the size of it. About the only suspense concerns whether or not incidental characters Hope and Helene will become regular church attendees and I wouldn't dream of spoiling that for you! Rumors are afoot that in a later novel in the series, Father Tim will encounter for the first time in his life a Muslim, or a Hindu, or a Jew, or a Catholic, or a university professor, or a scientist, or even an uppity knee-grow, and expire from shock and heart-failure. I don't think loyal readers need to worry.
Rating: 
Summary: I agree with my dad!
Review: My dad was the review I first read. This book I think is the best one in the series. Ties in all the things from the first book! I loved it.. Can't wait to find out what is going on with everyone. Feels like I am away from home and I can't wait to go back and catch up!
Rating:
Summary: They Just Get Better and Better
Review: I have been a fan of the Mitford Series ever since a friend told me about them a few years ago. I have had "In This Mountain" for quite some time and finally sat down to read it. I was spellbound, eagerly waiting to see what came next. Karon's stories are believable because they take one into the mind and soul of the characters. I just know that if I were to run into Father Tim and Cynthia on the street, I would recognize them instantly (Father Tim would probably be in need of a haircut!) The Christian mores are woven so intricately into the story that they do not "hit you over the head." I have found life lessons in the books that I have put into my journal to refer to over and over again. I like the fact that Father Tim, even as a spiritual leader, wrestles with the very same emotions and spiritual issues as the rest of us and that he uses prayer to see him through. I am involved in a couple of Bible studies; these books are a wonderful complement, putting the principles into everyday situations. Can't wait for the next Mitford book! Thank you, Jan Karon!
Rating:
Summary: Get real!
Review: I've liked Karon's Mitford books, but this one was almost too much. Must EVERY exchange between Tim and his friends include, "Im praying for you," and "And Im praying for you, too"? I started noting this early on, checked each occurrence, and there's more than forty such exchanges. Now even for a priest, that'a little much. And I have come to skip over the paragraph where Tim asks Cynthia, "And what DON"T you love?" Her cutesy replies are gag material. And the description of Edith Mallory "trapping" Tim in a locked room and trying to seduce him is almsot Saturday Night Live material. All this said, the nice telling of ordinary stories in an ordinary town is refreshing, and with the above qualifications, this still is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Karon takes it deeper
Review: While I have enjoyed the other Mitford books, if I've had any complaint it is that the stories are a little too pat and everyone is a bit too cute. I was pleased and moved by the direction that Karon took In This Mountain. I felt this book had more substance than her previous books, while retaining their charm. Father Tim's wrestlings were very meaningful to me, and sermon he delivers near the end of the book is a masterpiece. I hope this indicates the future direction of the Mitford series.
Rating: 
Summary: This one had a sad note to it
Review: I love all the Mitford books. I love the characters, the town and even Barnabas. But for some reason, the whole tone of the book seemed sad. With Father Tim having his diabetic blackout and the repercussions that followed were unlike the other books. I always found them uplifting so I am wondering if the next Mitford tale will be within the same vein. Is this the prelude of Father Tim's more grim illness or just an instance of showing us that life is never perfect, even in Mitford? We will have to see.
Rating:
Summary: Feel a little better when you're done
Review: In modern times where any bit of 'entertainment' can leave you feeling a bit down, its nice to have something that lets you walk away with a smile. The quality writing and uplifting story with solid values can make you feel grounded as well as full of hope. The world is an amazing place and though this book is fiction, it gives a positive perspective that may help you get a fresh focus. The characters from Mitford always have something going on and Father Tim seems like someone that you could really enjoy knowing.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, it isn't the best............
Review: some of Jan Karon's other books are better..... but it is always just so wonderful to be back in Mitford and Ms. Karon keeps her characters true and she also has a gentle way of reminding us what happened in the past. While this is a very easy read I thoroughly enjoyed it. As usual, at the end I was happy to have been back but sad it was over so soon. If I ever find a real Mitford I'm going to live there - along with millions of others, I'm sure!
Rating:
Summary: Deus ex Machina
Review: Karon is definitely nearing her best again with this latest installment in the life of Father Tim. Well worth reading, and as always I come away from her better works refreshed in mind and in spirit. However! I take it Ms. Karon has an editor, and while I know that one of the most thankless tasks on earth must be the editing of a highly successful author...if Ms. Karon uses as verbs the words "crow" or "relish" ONE MORE TIME I will personally drown her in a vat of wisteria eau de toilette! The two largest criticisms of her work in general, and I think we can safely say in this book in particular, are Karon's propensity to be precious...suffocatingly precious...and her use of the good Lord to solve all the problems that prove a bit too taxing for her storytelling skills. In this novel, Father Tim suffers not only a crisis of the soul, but clinical depression. While Karon describes the disease very well indeed, she hands off the cure to a convenient religious revelation, which sells short the real life experience of this condition. It strikes me as vastly unwise to suggest that God will send a cure in the absence of prescribed medication (Father Tim ditches his for no good reason) or skilled therapy (Father Tim gets none...a rather damning omission on Dr. Hoppy's part, I thought). The book could also have benefited enormously from another 50 pages or so, delving into the minds of those around Father Tim. Dooley goes through some major stuff off screen, as does the Bishop, Cynthia...jeepers, everybody. The stuff here is good, and don't miss the wonderful diatribe against those who spurn cake-eating, but Ms. Karon needs to pull out the stops and give these books the much better shot I am sure she is capable of.
Rating:
Summary: To all city dwellers
Review: I enjoy the Mitford series. However, I would like to tell Cynthia and misguided readers not to take your moles, voles, or whatever, out to the country! We who live in rural areas don't want them either, likewise your kittens and puppies.
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