At Home in Mitford - Jan Karon

[goodreads]

Title: At Home in Mitford
Author: Jan Karon
Genre: Christian fiction
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 446
Date read: November, 2011

Father Tim, a cherished small-town rector, is the steadfast soldier in this beloved slice of life story set in an American village where the grass is still green, the pickets are still white, and the air still smells sweet. The rector's forthright secretary, Emma Garret, worries about her employer, as she sees past his Christian cheerfulness into his aching loneliness. Slowly but surely, the empty places in Father Tim's heart do get filled. First with a gangly stray dog, later with a seemingly stray boy, and finally with the realization that he is stumbling into love with his independent and Christian-wise next-door neighbor.

I was in the mood for a comfort read, and so picked up the first Mitford book for a reread. It's been 8 years since I read this series last, and I had forgotten how amazingly feel-good it is. Visiting Mitford is like visiting a group of old friends whom you haven't seen in years, but whom you know will always welcome you with open arms. I realize that sounds sappy, but the feeling of content I had while reading the book actually surprised me with its intensity.

There's not much of a plot, but that doesn't matter, because all I really want from this book is just to spend time with the characters. Books like this are balm to my soul.