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Light From Heaven (2006)

Light from Heaven (2006)

Book Info

Author
Series
Rating
4.32 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
0143037706 (ISBN13: 9780143037705)
Language
English
Publisher
penguin books

About book Light From Heaven (2006)

Jan Karon's Mitford series is my "dessert" reading. The Christmas break afforded me the opportunity to savor the last chapter of the final book in the series, Light from Heaven. It turns out the timing of my reading was perfect, since the book closes with a Christmas celebration.If you like a White Christmas, there is a decided advantage to stepping in on the Mitford celebration. You can enjoy the snow without shoveling it or driving in it!"The snow was falling thick and fast by the time they turned into the driveway at Meadowgate. The wreaths on the gateposts had a fine topping of snow, and the wipers had already pushed a good bit of it to either side of the windshield."Doesn't that sound idyllic?Whenever I finish a "Mitford" book, a sense of sweetness lingers. I'm not quite sure how the author achieves that result, because the characters she portrays certainly have flaws and foibles. But those are perhaps the very things that serve to endear the characters to my heart. Whether we hail from a rural, mountain community like Mitford or from the plains or the desert, underneath we are all people of like passion.Father Kavanaugh, the main character, is a man of deep and vibrant faith. Very refreshing, because there is no timidity in the way he is portrayed.Often, I find myself reaching for pen and paper to jot down the snippets of poetry that are sprinkled throughout the book. Like this one, entitled "Let the Stable Still Astonish" by Leslie Leyland Fields:Let the stable still astonish;Straw--dirt floor, dull eyes,Dusty flanks of donkey, oxen;Crumbling, crooked walls;No bed to carry that pain,And then, the child,Rag-wrapped, laid to cryIn a trough.Who would have chosen this?Who would have said: 'Yes.Let the God of all the heavensAnd earthBe born here, in this place'?Who but the same GodWho stands in the darker, fouler roomsof our heartsand says, 'Yes.let the God of Heaven and Earthbe born here-in this place.'"I LOVE that and would use it in my next Christmas greeting, but for its length. Most people don't read greetings over a couple of sentences long.Incidentally, there is a book of Father Tim's favorite quotes and poems entitled Patches of Godlight. I own the book and love it, too, but somehow I always see the words differently when they are applied to the story.I am a little sad to close the last page on Mitford. I've laughed and cried with those folks for many years. But of course I can and will go back and re-live their best moments. Our family enjoys taking the audio books with us on long car trips, the ones read by the author. Jan Karon has a slight southern lilt that adds just the right touch to the reading.Light from Heaven is certainly a worthy finale to the Mitford series.

Ninth book in the Father Tim Kavanaugh of Mitford, NC series.Karon wraps it all up in this last book in the Mitford series. Father Tim and Cynthia finalize their plans for retirement, the multiple ongoing story threads are resolved, Dooley and Lace mature, mysteries are brought to light, Father Tim’s old nemesis reappears in a surprising way, and the book ends in an satisfying if improbable way. Life moves on.What I find remarkable about this series is what appears to be Karon's attitude toward Mitford and its people. No such town has ever existed, and she is not recommending that we search for it. But what seems to me is that instead--and it is the real power behind this series--she is presenting what could be, a role model for living, so to speak. And that is its charm. The old, seductive “If we just (you fill in the blanks), life would be so much better.” Her fill-in-the-blanks is a model of Christian living, an ideal to strive for with all our human failings.One does not have to buy into this particular model to appreciate the fine writing, the charm of the characters, the cherishing of everyday living and dying, and the sincerity that permeates the books. There is nothing banal about this series. It is a point of view that is very well presented in an entertaining fashion. Can’t ask for much more than that.Highly recommended.

Do You like book Light From Heaven (2006)?

I'll use this review to review the entire series:What I liked: -Miss Sadie's stories-Uncle Billy's jokes-the local people, especially the mountain folk-the "food" talk (I got hungry every time I listened to this)-the excellent narrator of this audio set, John McDonoughWhat I disliked: -I know, I know, we are supposed to love Cynthia but I found her to be too needy, demanding and affected. Toward the end I wanted to puke everytime she zapped Father Tim with her "sapphire" eyes and when she recited "what she did not like". And I'm sure all the other working mom readers had to laugh at how she found keeping house for herself and Father Tim to be too much work. Give me a break. And, funny how her physical description looks just like the photo of the author.-the simplicity of the "message" - if all it took was a simple prayer to make your life better there wouldn't be enough churches in the world to hold all the believers.-things were too easy with the transformations of Dooley and Lace (although maybe they were smart enough to realize what a good deal they were getting)
—Sonia

This is the last in the Mitford Series. Father Timothy Kavanagh is an Episcopal priest living in Mitford, NC.While anticipating retirement and a trip to Ireland with his wife Cynthia he is asked to farm sit for several months while the owners, the local Vet, and his wife are away.Though not officially retired, his Bishop asks him to resurect an old country church that hasn't been used in years. With the help of the townsfolk and his wife he brings the church back to life and helps to improve the spiritual lives of the residents of the area.The descriptions of the rural setting and the old farm house are lovely. The author always includes a map of Mitford and the surrounding areas in all the Mitdord series books.I have to say this is a nice positive story; but I wasn't enjoying it as much as the other books in the series. Alot of the conversations are written with the rural southern accent spoken by the mountain folk of NC. Sometimes I found it difficult to understand.This isn't my favorite in the Mitford series; but I would still recommend it. The story is positive and inspiring.I would suggest reading the series in order.
—Ruth

This is the ninth and last of Jan Karon's 'Mitford' series about the American Episcopal priest Father Tim and his delightful wife Cynthia. In this novel, Tim and Cynthia spend a year at their friends' farm, Meadowgate, while their friends are away. It's not far from Mitford, so Tim (and we, the readers!) manage to keep up with news of old friends. But Tim also gets asked to take on a new job: to re-start a regular service at a small church in the mountains. There he meets the wonderful Agnes - an elderly and robust lady who gave many years of her life to the mission field. Having been aquainted with two such ladies myself, I found her believable and a great asset to the novel.A few reader reviews on Amazon objected to the new characters who were introduced in this story. I thought it was a great idea to start some new threads; otherwise the book would have been too much like the previous ones. Yes, there were some ongoing plot-lines which were nicely tied up in this book, but if that had been all, it would have felt rather slow and tedious. As it was, Tim's new parish and parishioners provided a nice contrast to his older friends in Mitford.Of course there's a Christian theme running through the book, mostly low-key although there are a few pages of Scripture explanations and mention of the 'Sinners' prayer'. Although a Christian myself, I often find such things rather cringeworthy in novels, and indeed I did find myself skimming a bit when these cropped up. But they're mostly well-written and fit well with the story and characters so they don't feel too out-of-place. It would be quite possible to skip those passages although an understanding of what they are about probably adds to the enjoyment of the novel in general.I enjoyed reading this in its rightful place in the series, directly after reading all the others. But I think it probably could have been read as a novel on its own, since there were the fresh characters. All in all, I thought it an excellent ending to the series.
—Sue

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