Title: In This Mountain (The Mitford Years, Book 7 of 9)
Author: Jan karon
Released: May 27, 2002
Publisher: Viking Adult
Pages: 400
Overall: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Father Tim and Cynthia return from Whitecap Island and find change brewing in Mitford. Though Father Tim dislikes change, he dislikes retirement even more. A new challenge seems promising until an unexpected event propels him on a painful journey. For years, Father Tim has helped others find forgiveness; now he must find the courage and grace to forgive himself.
¡WARNING! There are a couple of spoilers in this review. They are marked so you can avoid them if you wish.
Thus far, only one of the six previous Mitford books has ranked lower than five stars. This latest batch of tales from America’s most beloved small town is no disappointment. Karon digs deeper into Father Tim’s past and revisits buried emotions which he must learn to deal with.
Plot: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
{*SPOILER*} This seventh installment of The Mitford Years Series follows Father Tim as he faces another bout with diabetic comatose and the terrible consequences of his lack of dietary discipline. The Man in the Attic also makes a grand return to Mitford and moves in to the rectory’s basement with Harley Welch. {END SPOILER} I love Karon’s knack for bringing back old characters and helping us get to know new characters a little better with each book.
Characters: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
I’m very impressed with the emotional depth Karon bestows on Father Tim in this novel. As per usual with the Mitford series, all the characters are incredibly well drawn. We grow to have a deeper understanding of main characters, familiar minor characters are brought to the forefront of the story, and new characters grace the pages and liven things up.
Ending: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Jan Karon is a master of happy endings, and In This Mountain is no exception. Karon wraps up enough sub-plots to leave readers with a satisfied, warm and fuzzy feeling, but leaves enough loose ends to make the reader long for the next in the series.
Writing: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Karon’s style is warm and wonderfully human. She communicates characters’ various dialects brilliantly and colors the story with her expansive vocabulary.
Cover: ☆ ☆ ☆
Compared with the covers of the other books in the Mitford series, this one is somewhat lacking. The painting on the cover is lovely, albeit a bit boring, but the coloring is horribly bland and not very eye-catching.
Other things you can do:
Visit Jan Karon’s website.
Purchase a copy of In This Mountain.
Source: I purchased by copy of this book at my local book exchange.
