At Home in Mitford (The Mitford Years)

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Summary: A breath of fresh air - fun, funny and delightful!
Review: I loved this book from the first page to the last. The characters are very real and accurately portray small town life and real people. And hidden throughout the stories of their lives are wonderful tidbits of wisdom which touched even a big-city girl like me. Jan Karon writes in a delightful manner which is fun and inspiring. I couldn't wait to pick up the book each evening to see what would happen next.

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Summary: Sickeningly sentimental fantasy which disappointed me.
Review: I am usually a sentimental and empathetic person, but with this book I found myself feeling manipulated and quite unmoved. What was the time and place supposed to be - an English village of 50 years ago? It was not believable as a present day American town, I don't care how rural it is! The dialogue never rang true and the characters were just too quaint and folksy. I felt like I was trapped inside a Thomas Kinkead painting. I enjoy the folksy thing as much as the next person but let's have a bit of reality. Show me a twelve-year-old boy who talks the way this one did. I was hoping and wanting to like this book but was very disappointed.

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Summary: What a wonderful book
Review: I have read this book impossibly slow, leaving it in my car to read while I wait to pick up my son from school, or music lessons, etc. Rarely has a book given me such pure pleasure.At times I would find myself crying at the simplicity and beauty of the story.The world can be such a hard place, but if you take on the concern for others, and give of yourself as do these delightful charactors, the world would have to be a better place.I am already reading the next book with great anticipation of the same pleasures.Would love to hear from other readers of this wonderful book.

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Summary: A Great Escape!
Review: I am 3/4 of the way through "A Light in the Window" and I don't want it to end! I received At Home in Mitford and this one as a Christmas gift. I will definitely purchase the other books in this series! This set will go on the shelf alongside of the Anne of Green Gables set that I have read and reread. I am sure that I will reread these as well!

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Summary: The Most Delightful Books I've Ever Read
Review: If you get up every morning, read the local paper, watch the morning talk shows, and end your day with the evening news, this is the book for you! Feeling depressed? Fearful? Tired of all the gloom and doom? Come to Mitford. The wonderful thing is that Mitford does exist. Perhaps not on a map but in the hearts of those who chose to live by faith. It lives within families who choose to love each other and those around them. If you are looking for the latest sensational headlines in fictional form, you won't find it here. Instead, you will find a place that encompasses what life is supposed to be in a fallen world. There is danger, evil, and heartbreak, but there is a home to retreat to at the end of the day, and a person to lean on in the darkest hour. Take this book to heart and learn the core truth that causes the principle characters to find life worth living.

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Summary: Mitford and Jan Karon have a special place in my heart!
Review: As a voracious reader, having read hundreds and hundreds of books over the past twenty years; I can honestly say the Mitford series has been the best yet! Never has a fictional book touched my heart as these have. As I began reading the series, I found myself making changes in my life brought about by Ms. Karon's writings. Familial relationships, friendships, my faith, and my personal contentment have all been enriched by Father Tim, Barnabas, Dooley, and the gang. Thanks to Ms. Karon for empowering her readers to find peace, happiness, and contentment in their own lives through the lives of her gentle characters. I'd like to correspond with other readers about the Mitford books if anyone is interested.

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Summary: Wonderful story!
Review: I really enjoyed this book because it is so refreshing! There is so much garbage written these days, and it's nice to read something that has true meaning to it. I thought the story was vivid and I felt I was a part of the action. I could hardly put the book down!

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Summary: Soothing after a daily dose of reality
Review: Yes, it's syrupy and a little hard to imagine at times, but it makes for a great escape after a hard day at the salt mines (or the middle school). I thought the characters were lovely, and most of them reminded me of individuals with whom I grew up in a small town in Tennessee. I also appreciated the Bible passages sprinkled throughout the book. It seemed as if Father Tim, Cynthia and Olivia were quoting scripture to meet my needs. Perhaps we cannot yet find Mitford on a map, but Karon encourages us to keep looking.

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Summary: Longing for days gone by
Review: Jan Karon has been on my book list of "must read" for some time now. Finally I happened upon "At Home In Mitford". My nights have now been longer because I can't put the book down. Father Tim, Barnabas, Dooley, Puny, Homeless, Uncle Billy, Cynthia and the entire Mitford family have me not wanting to miss a moment with them. Visiting Blowing Rock many times, I found myself trying to figure out where I might find Father Tim the next time I'm there. In my mind I can even see the church she might have fashioned his church from. It's amazing how Ms. Karon can write and in a secret sort of way teach us all life lessons. Visiting Mitford made me long for the days when I was young and our neighbors really knew who we were. At midnight last night I had finished my book and wondered how I'd get though the night until I could get to the book store on my lunch hour for "Light in the Window. Will Father Tim finally wakes up and realizes that he's about to loose one of the dearest persons in the world? Thanks Jan Karon for such wonderful stories.

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Summary: One of the most engaging and soul-satisfying books!!!!
Review: This is one of the most engaging books I have ever read. In fact I have read all four of them, and I only hope this will not be her last. I loved all the characters,especially Father Tim, and Dooley. My hat goes off to Ms. Karon.