Home to Holly Springs

I love Jan Karon’s novels about Episcopal minister Timothy Kavanagh of Lord’s Chapel in Mitford, NC.
Karon has an undeniable gift that is neither obvious nor overdone. The Father Tim novels -those sweet, simple, faith filled books- brought me back to Christianity when I was about as far away as I’d ever been… and for that I am truly thankful. They have a way of distilling faith down the the simplest common denominator without a lot of pomp and circumstance… and while that might not sound appetizing for some, I would invite them to visit Mitford and judge for themselves. Not a writer myself, I don’t know quite how to describe Karon’s writing style other to note that she won’t describe the baby bedding to you in excruciating detail, but you might know that it’s there.

Karon -or rather Father Tim- also taught me to pray the prayer that never fails: “Thy will be done.” Again, simple… yet powerful.

I have 7 of the 9 ‘Mitford’ series, set in the fictional Mitford, NC and just read Home to Holly Springs, the first of the ‘Father Tim’ series. This is a different book; not since the first novel has Tim been so much on his own. Faster paced than some of the other works, I sometimes had trouble keeping up. No wonder the minister’s head was reeling for much of this trip back to his roots! I think it helps if you’ve visited with Tim and his family before reading this one, but it’s not a prerequisite.

The trip to Holly Springs introduces new characters that are sure to turn up in later novels, but I sincerely hope we also see the usual suspects. More important than any other character was the young Timothy. We have a bird’s eye view of how our venerable Father Tim grew up, where, what obstacles he overcame, what tragedies he endured. I would say that he grew into the man he is in spite, not because of, these things.

Bottom line, there were people in his hometown that he reconnected with; memories he relived. Most importantly, there were blessings to be had for one and all.