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    At Home in Mitford: A Novel
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    At Home in Mitford: A Novel
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    At Home in Mitford: A Novel
    Audiobook19 hours

    At Home in Mitford: A Novel

    Written by Jan Karon

    Narrated by Jan Karon

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The first novel in Jan Karon's bestselling and beloved Mitford series--now available in a new 20th Anniversary Edition, including an introductory letter by the author

    It's easy to feel at home in Mitford, North Carolina. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are friendly. Yet, Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's sixty years old. Suddenly, Father Tim gets more than he bargained for. And readers get a rich comedy about ordinary people and their ordinary lives.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 1, 1996
    ISBN9780786558100
    Unavailable
    At Home in Mitford: A Novel

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    Reviews for At Home in Mitford

    4/5

    873 ratings63 reviews

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    • 4/5
      At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon is the story of Father Tim Cavanaugh, a sixty year old single Episcopalian minister to his flock in a fictional small town in North Carolina. Each chapter of the book is like a small story in itself and introduces the colorful and sometimes eccentric characters that live in Mitford. Father Tim is so busy attending to his duties that he hasn’t taken the best care of himself in recent years and strain is beginning to show. His life takes a few unexpected turns over the course of the year that the book details. First he acquires a large, boisterous dog, then a neglected boy comes into his care and he finds himself totally delighted by his new neighbour, an attractive, single woman. The story unfolds with great warmth and humor. The characters are lovingly drawn with interesting quirks and features. These are homey, cozy stories that tell of how we would like our small towns to be, not as they really are. An important element to the stories is obviously the author’s faith, but this was presented in a straight forward natural way and helped to define Father Tim and enhance the stories so I was more than okay with it. Overall I enjoyed my time in Mitford and will definitely be visiting this small town again.
    • 4/5
      Father Tim, a bachelor rector, has a comfortable life in the small town of Mitford, but he's feeling drained. As he deals with his own health, he encounters changes in his town and finds maybe he can take some time for himself.Though Mitford is presented as too good to be true, I did enjoy the quirky cast of characters presented. Father Tim's struggles were relatable, and it was easy to feel sympathy for him. His interactions with everyone else in the town (and his friends from other areas) were heartwarming.That being said, I did find myself bored with the pace. It was so slow and all too easy to put the book down and pick up something else. There were many scenes I felt could have been cut and the overall story wouldn't have been affected.I will be reading the rest of the series since they are on my shelf. I'm hoping I will enjoy them more since I know the cast now.
    • 5/5
      This book is amazing! I absolutely love Jan Karon's writing style. Each of the characters feel so real and have so much depth, yet there is no "back story dump" Simplistic and to the point. So encouraging. This is a book I have read 4 or 5 times, and I keep coming back to it! Honestly the best piece of fiction I have ever read! I cannot sing its praises enough. The beautiful themes of grace, mercy and God's goodness are simply and engagingly put, and oh so inspiring!

      I would recommend it for ages 13 and up, due to very mild language and somewhat mature themes. A MUST READ!!!
    • 5/5
      Father Tim's adventures in the small town of Mitford are surprisingly compelling. Jan Karon manages to weave a wonderful tale in unusually good taste; despite the absence of swearing, sex, etc., the plot is full of memorable characters and interesting developments. A great read overall!
    • 5/5
      After spending the past couple years in library school, newly employed at a rather stressful job, and being exhausted from having read dozens of books representing the hottest themes in literature today (young adult dystopian fantasies, mostly), I picked up this book hoping for a rest. I was overjoyed to find exactly that. The chapters are short enough to read over a 30 minute lunch break, which suited by lifestyle at the time perfectly. I couldn't wait to get a moment to pick up my latest Mitford book and see what the cast of characters was up to. It was a total escape from my hectic life, and just what I needed. I loved the series so much that I bought several of the books in audio format and listened to them a second time in my car. So relaxing and soul-soothing. At Home in Mitford is the first in the series, and, not to disappoint, but it is the best of the series to my mind. The other books are all wonderful, too, but just getting to know the main character, Father Tim, as well as the cast of eclectic town residents and the town itself, is the most satisfying part of the series to me. I've no doubt I will return to read this book again whenever I need to escape from reality.
    • 3/5
      A cozy read in which all the troubles are turned around; all the prayers are answered; and all the people are lovable in some way or other. No true tragedy is left without a silver lining. Normally I don't like this type of book, too sweet for me, but I'll confess I did grow fond of some of the characters and of course, since there was a dog, I had to like him!
    • 4/5
      Mitford, North Carolina is the home of Father Tim, an Episcopalian rector who appears to be facing multiple issues leading to a spiritual mid-life crisis. He doesn't think that his ministry to the townspeople is very effective, he's developed diabetes, adopted a monster dog by accident, and assumed responsibility for an 11 year-old boy when his grandfather becomes ill. All this and a new love interest has moved in next door.The characters are what make this story come alive. Some make you laugh - Cynthia the new neighbor, others make you want to cry or give them a big hug - Sadie Baxter. Others remind me of neighbors I had when growing up - down to earth and no nonsense. However, Father Tim is the center that draws them together. If my priest were half as good as Father Tim I might still be going to church. He speaks from his heart which obviously embraces the Lord wholeheartedly but he's not preachy. I had a hard time with the start of this book, it seemed to drag but others had told me that I would enjoy it if I liked the Lumby series so I stuck with it and it was worth the effort. Lumby, definitely not, but Mitford is still a place I might like to visit again.
    • 4/5
      Father Tim is a delightful character, someone whom I would enjoy meeting. The mix of quirky village characters could have been plucked from an English village. Refreshing to read books such as this where the morality and principles of the characters are strong yet believable.
    • 4/5
      Possibly THE corniest and nerdiest books on my shelf, but I love them! These also scare Jamie when he happens to overhear them in the car. Basically, the series is about a minister living in a small Southern town. Scary!
    • 4/5
      My first trip to Mitford. It is a lovely place where people are all generally good. I enjoyed this book a lot, it came at a time when I needed something nice and uneventful to read at the end of the day.
    • 4/5
      Good story of an ideal community.
    • 4/5
      I thought this would be overly sweet sappy country christian romance but it actually was a nice interesting read, with mostly believable characters and events. Relaxing lack of adultery, drug use, sarcasm and skepticism presented as "normal" traits of modern people.
    • 5/5
      An easy read that takes you to a quaint village.
    • 4/5
      Read the entire series, fell in love with the characters in this book.
    • 5/5
      In these rough and sometimes horrifying times we live in, this whole series is a WONDERFUL respite. I know it's cliche but the Mitford tales really do take me back to a simpler time aka "the good old days." I fell in love with all of the quirky characters and I'm sure you will too. I guess a series has to end sometime but I really hate to see "my" home in Mitford end. I hope Ms Karon reconsiders and can eke out a few more :-)
    • 3/5
      PlotFather Tim Kavanagh is overworked dealing with his small-town congregation in Mitford, North Carolina. The book follows a year in the life of Mitford. Many characters are introduced, and Fr. Tim helps them through their good times and bad. A small mystery appears, with stolen jewels and a man hiding in the church, but all is well as Fr. Tim helps to save the criminal, and he becomes a favorite son of the town before going off to the federal penitentiary. Miss Sadie Baxter's storied past and love life with the rich tycoon is finally revealed to Fr. Tim. Dooley, a young boy, comes to life with Fr. Tim, and with the help of a rambunctious dog named Barnabas (who is kidnapped back by his previous druglord owners, but returned unharmed) help to rejuvenate Fr. Tim's life. Fr. Tim also comes to find enjoyment in Cynthia's company, his new neighbor. He also helps Olivia, a rich woman in town who needs a heart transplant, and Hoppy, his doctor, who is smitten with Olivia. All is well under Fr. Tim's care, and the year ends as Fr. Tim takes a long-planned and much-deserved lengthy vacation to Ireland.SettingMitford, North Carolina - sleepy Southern small townCharactersFr. Tim Kavanagh, Dooley Barlowe, Puny Bradshaw (the maid), Emma Garrett (church secretary), Cynthia Coppersmith (Tim's love interest)PacingSkips among different characters. Slow to moderate, leisurely pace.NarrationThird-person=====Language - GSex - GViolence - PG - violence where police are involved in drug bust
    • 4/5
      What a great, heart-warming read! I think I fell in love with Father Tim. As in I wished he was preaching in a church here so I could go and listen and get to know him.It was a quick read. The middle dragged a bit so I put it down and took a small break from it. However, that break coincided with a lot of chaos in the house so that might have been more about us than the book!That said, I think I will try to get my hands on the second book so I can keep reading about life in Mitford!
    • 5/5
      I wish this series could go on forever. Everytime I finish a book in the series, I feel like I am saying good-bye to a group of friends. Jan Karon has the ability to make the reader feel as if they are part of the book
    • 4/5
      This was a really comfortable, comforting read. It was heartwarming and simple, gentle and kind, funny and warm. Mitford is akin to Mayberry. There you'll find a young boy reminiscent of Huck Finn, a country vet likely inspired by James Herriot, and a whole slew of sympathetically drawn country characters. Mitford is a great little escape!
    • 4/5
      This book is refreshment to the soul. I found it utterly delightful.
    • 4/5
      At Home in Mitford draws you in with its loveable Father Tim and its other more eccentric characters. Barnabas is a big black stray dog that that can only be controlled by quoted Scripture. He jumps on Father Tim for several days and then becomes part of his life. Emma is Father Tim's middle-aged secretary who butts in his personal life and surprises the priest one day by acquiring red hair and a fiance. There is a itinerant minister who lives in "the hollow" with his sister. There's the sophisticated antique store proprietor, Andrew, who is Father Tim's competition for the attentions of th priest's lovely new neighbor, Cynthia Coppersmith. And there's Dooley, a twelve year old "hillbilly" boy who moves into Father Tim's house and affections. In addition to all these characters and more, Father Tim is dealing with the onset of diabetes and the realization that he has been running from rest. The gentle mystery of who has been stealing food from the church refrigerator is solved with a conversion. Other problems will continue into the next book in the series, problems such as how to provide free housing for Uncle Billy and Miss Rose, will Miss Sadie's plans to build a nursing home with her fortune materialize, and will Father Tim return from his forced vacation to Ireland to find his congregation scattered to the Baptists?
    • 5/5
      This is, and always will be my favorite of the Mitford series. In it we meet Father Tim, a dog, a boy, a quirky church secretary, a lovely and eye-opening neighbor as well as a host of other characters who populate the little town. These stories make you feel comfortable and good. They are what I read when I need to boost my happy mode.
    • 4/5
      I loved this whole series!
    • 4/5
      At first, the book seemed sitcom-ish and very choppy--the frequent breaks and brief segments were hard for me to get used to. But either I got used to it, or Karon found her groove about halfway through, because from about that point on I really enjoyed the book.
    • 4/5
      The word that immediately came to mind after reading this book was "gentle". This is an extremely gentle read. The story hinges around Father Tim, a kind-hearted Episcopalian Priest, whose quiet life is shaken up (in a gentle kind of way) by the happenings of his parish. If I tell you that there is illegitamacy, a jewel theft, and an abandoned child in this book - it will be true, and yet I suspect it will give you an entirely wrong impression about the pace and tone of this book. All of those things do feature in the story, but they are delicately handled - so delicately that they do not stop me from pronouncing this a "feel-good" read. Mechanically speaking, I can tell you that the story is well-put-together, that the plot holds up, and that the writing style is quite smooth: Karon creates real characters in this book, not just characatures. At the end, you feel like you know them all.But possibily the best thing about this book is that although the characters in it are kind, and things generally work out for the best - you still feel that it could all "really happen". You don't feel like the author is simply putting rose-colored glasses on your nose and showing you a world that could never TRULY exist. Instead, you are left feeling that - at least in some small way - there really is a Mitford out there.And this is why I heartily applaud Jan Karon, and look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
    • 5/5
      I started to read this book just to see what my friends had found so fascinating about the whole Mitford phenomenon. Before I had finished this first book, I knew I would have to read the entire series: I was hooked. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the characters of Mitford--the good, the not-so-good, the likeable, and the not-so-likeable. They renewed my hope and soothed my skeptical nature. All in all, a good, wholesome, rewarding read!
    • 1/5
      At Home in Mitford is uninspired and uninteresting. This book is dull, predictable and boring. I need a bit of action and some twists and turns to keep my interest and this is not that kind of book.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book from start to finish! The characters were wonderful. They make you wish you could be part of the town. I love how Father Tim has so much compassion for his town and the people in it (most of the time.)
    • 4/5
      Sometimes a person needs a warm, comfy book to wrap themselves around, and this book will do the trick. It is the sweet tale of a middle-aged priest who falls in love for the first time in his life, and doesn't quite know how to handle it. The object of his affection is his neighbor, and she is as smitten with him as he is with her. If you're looking for a sweet, gentle, happy love story, this is the book for you. After you read it, you'll want the second, the third and so on in this series.
    • 5/5
      I've read all of the Mitford series - again - another series that I came late to the party and now feel like the guest hunting around for more fritos. I'd read anything Jan Karon writes about Father Tim, Cynthia, Dooley and the gang. I have the cook book - the gift books - the outer banks books. Who knew voyerism of a small town in North Carolina would be so fun? so interesting? so all encompasing? Growing up in the Episcopal church was a rather dry experience for my young self. I only thought you could have a one-on-one relationship with God in a big, non-denominational setting. But after reading the Mitford books, I've come to realize it doesn't matter where you worship, or what prayers you repeat - it's what you feel in your heart. Jan Karon has opened a window - and let sunlight and fresh air in for this reformed Episcopalean.