Rating: 
Summary: Good, Clean Reading
Review: I absolutely loved the Mitford Series! With all the gloom and doom in this world, it's nice to go back to a simpler and more wholesome way of life.
Rating:
Summary: The Prayer that Never Fails
Review: Father Tim Kavanaugh, the ever-stuck-in-the-mud pastor of the Episcopalian Lord's Chapel, has finally decided, with his wife's help, to make some big changes. His good friend, Bishop Stuart Cullen, comes to the Chapel to announce that Father Tim plans to retire in eighteen months. Father Tim soon realizes that a year and a half is not nearly long enough to complete the tasks the Lord has given him in Mitford. He must sell Miss Sadie's grand mansion which she willed to the church, ensure that Hope House is running a tight ship for the elderly, and find him and his wife a new place to live. Not to mention, a slightly shady real estate agency is trying to make questionable deals throughout Mitford, and a new candidate is trying to oust Esther Cunningham from her long-held spot taking care of Mitford's own as its mayor. These grand happenings are, as always, secondary to the interpersonal relationships that are always on Father Tim's mind. His foster son, Dooley, is maturing; and two other young girls are brought into his life. Buck Leeper, the abrasive constructin foreman, may be ready to make some changes; and Puny Guthrie's twins have started calling him granpaw. It is these people, that make up Mitford, that always make Karon's books so compelling. The reader of the series feels as if she knows the characters, and is always moved to find out more about what makes them tick. Out to Canaan will be cherished by all faithful readers of the Mitford books!
Rating:
Summary: A happy book for happy people
Review: If you like heartwarming stories, this is the book for you. When I finished this book, I was left with a very happy, satisfied feeling. Father Tim and friends will renew your faith in the goodness of people. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Ok
Review: The Mitford Series is for older Christian readers. This is a novel that you have to stick with to enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Shockingly superficial and naive
Review: I'm gonna get flamed for this review; I might even lose my status as a "Top 1000" reviewer. But somebody has to tell the truth about this book. This is apparently a continuation of a series of books about the little town of Mitford, North Carolina. Mitford supposedly has a population of only a thousand, although there are many more businesses and churches than a town of that size would realistically have. The main character is the longtime rector of the Episcopal Church in Mitford, who is valiantly trying to solve the problems of at least a dozen people. Those attempts are complicated by his own personal and family problems, as well as some political divisions within the town. Without exception, every attempt to solve every problem is successful. The rector confidently places his trust in the Lord, and remarkable coincidences save the day in every case. The naiveté of this book is breathtaking. Karon seems to believe that good intentions will always be rewarded, whether you are trying to reform an alcoholic, raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for your church, teach a teenager how to drive, or build a marriage between two people who remained single well into their fifties. Has Karon's life really been like that, or has she been sleepwalking since birth? The rector doesn't even have to break a sweat to solve every problem and rescue every soul in town. No one ever resents his attempts to intrude into their lives. He never has to deal with the often-agonizing issue of where to draw the line between supporting people and teaching them to support themselves. The religious aspect of the book is not heavy-handed, but the preposterous naiveté of the author's viewpoint applies to religion as well. At one point the rector assures one of his church members that the Lord would not allow a cholera relief project to fail since it's too righteous and important a cause. Now, if relieving cholera is so important to the Lord that He will intervene in human affairs to assure the success of the project, one might wonder why He didn't intervene to prevent the epidemic in the first place. But neither our good rector nor the author Karon seem to have allowed such faithless ideas to enter their heads. Again and again, ridiculously unlikely coincidences, attributed to divine intervention, occur at the very last minute to save the day. In Karon's theology, God seems to spend all His time cleaning up after His own oversights. In order to inject some "realism" into the story, Karon provides a squabble between the rector and his wife - a squabble so minor that no real live married couple would even remember it the next day - and inflates it into a titanic crisis. The characters in the book are consistently and uniformly superficial and one-dimensional. No one ever deeply questions his/her own values, no one feels unloved or unappreciated. No one looks back on his/her life and wonders whether it was truly worth it. There are two teenagers in the book, and neither encounters the emotional crises or shattered self-esteem that are a virtually universal part of everyone's adolescence. There are two "bad guys", but they are kept permanently in the background, and, I believe, neither ever speaks a word. And needless to say, their inner motivations are never explored - presumably because Karon is unaware that human beings ever HAVE inner motivations. A previous reviewer mentioned that there is a good mystery story in this book. Here's the mystery: a little girl is missing, having been taken somewhere, previously, by a cousin. The rector's secretary looks up the cousin's name on the Internet, and discovers that he is living in Florida. The rector and his wife drive down and get the little girl and the cousin (who is nearly dead from gangrene - and the rector saves the day again). That's the "mystery". The whole thing. There is nothing wrong with idealism. We can all aspire to create our own little Mitfords in our lives, and to devote as much time as possible to helping others. The reason this book is so astoundingly bad is not because it is idealistic. It is bad because anyone who tries to live a life like the ones portrayed in this book, and expects to have anything remotely approaching the results this rector achieves, will experience bitter disillusionment, followed by terminal cynicism. The book, very simply, is a lie.
Rating:
Summary: A good detective/mystery novel with interesting sub-plots
Review: The mystery novel seems to be lacking in the past ten years, but Karon does an excellent job of reviving the genre. Father Tim is the best undercover agent I've seen in years. His sleuthing powers are great. Out to Canaan has plot twists and surprises around every corner. Why only a 3 star rating/ Well, I couldn't figure out the addition of the parakeet selling widow in chapter 8 and it seemed to distract from the main plot too much. Be on the lookout for the mysterious Cynthia in Chapter 3, the vegetarian travel agent, she will surprise you in chapter 12. A good book for detective/mystery novel fans.
Rating:
Summary: At Home in Mitford
Review: Fortunately, I was wise enough to begin this series with the first book. I am 66 years old, and just discovered Jan Karon! This story is one that tugs at your soul, and makes you want to find "Mitford" and live there with real people. I didn't want to put the book down, and yet didn't want it to end. I hope Jan Karon will continue to write for those of us who recall a time, place, and people in the Mitford series.
Rating:
Summary: This book is an anomaly--and yet, completely enthralling!
Review: This is the first book I've read by Jan Karon, and I must admit that I was enthralled. It is the fourth in a series, "The Mitford Years." I probably should have read the previous three books first, usually a good plan with a series like the long Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. But this book stands alone very well. Oddly, I'm now starting the sixth book in the series, "A Common Life: The Wedding Story," in which the events described obviously precede the events in "Out of Canaan." I'm frankly perplexed that Karon would write them apparently out of order. "Out of Canaan" is the story of the rector of an Episcopal church, his wife and friends in the very small southern community of Mitsford. In fact, nearly the entire population of 200 souls seems to be involved in the story in some way. Everyone knows everyone else. This is really a good story. The protagonist and most of the other characters are devoted Christians, and there are many Christian references: Bible quotations, hymn lyrics, and other references. The story will probably not be appreciated by atheists, but may be of interest to folks of other religious faiths who can identify with the human feelings portrayed, and ignore dogma conflicts. Although there is some conflict in the plot--otherwise, there would be no story--one cannot characterize it as suspenseful. For those impatient people who demand suspense and a brisk pace toward the resulution of the conflict, this book might be characterized as "boring." For me, it was a delightful experience. If you like to read, and appreciate nice turns of phrase and realistic characters--the kind of people you know and meet every day--you'll probably enjoy this book. Personally, I loved it. Joseph H. Pierre
Rating:
Summary: Change and Decay All Around I see, Lord Abide with Me
Review: The small town experiences modern life -- change. From the hysterical mayorial battle to the bakery shutting down, Tim and Cynthia look forward to retirement. Dooley's future and their own become intermingled in this volume. The author is amazing to keep up the tone and interest and build the plot and characters on where she left off. I don't find her losing much of this pace until the end of #5, but maybe when I get into the recently released #6, I'll discover her genius or maybe she just got tired. Always toughest to land a plane or finish a sermon or a book.
Rating:
Summary: A First Visit
Review: This volume was my first visit to Mitford but it will not be my last. Jan Karon is a master story teller-one who can weave Christian values, the reality of today's troubled world, with a close knit hometown. Father Tim and his wife are getting ready to retire and while they look forward moving around and serving different churches, they are going to miss Mitford and all their friends. I found myself laughing out loud at some of goings on and crying when Pauline's lost child is found. These books are fresh and heart warming and a far cry from my usual choice of mysteries. Bored with the usual? Take a trip to Mitford and come away smiling, with a song in your heart and your spirit renewed.
| 
