by Jan Karon
Part of Mitford Years, book 3
First published 2005
Father Tim Kavanagh has spent decades as Mitford's beloved rector, wedded to his work and his quiet routines. Now he faces a new challenge: actual marriage to Cynthia, the spirited woman who lived next door. His wife transforms their home with ambitious decorating projects that leave scorch marks on the drapes and strange treatments on the kitchen walls. Meanwhile, the mountain boy he has come to consider his son makes a decision that breaks Tim's heart. The church's new computer system confounds him daily. His peaceful rectory turns into bedlam when it doubles as a nursery. Tim navigates these domestic upheavals with his characteristic patience, but nothing prepares him for a camping expedition in the wilderness that will alter him forever. Through burned curtains and crying babies, through technological frustrations and personal losses, Tim discovers that love multiplies rather than divides, creating abundance from what once seemed like simple devotion.
Genres: christian-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, slice-of-life
Setting: Mitford
414 pages · Paperback · Riveroak Pub