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A review by ncrabb
A Light in the Window by Jan Karon
4.0
In discordant times, a few hours in Mitford, North Carolina can be incredibly healing and liberating. Sadly, in this second book, it can also be maddening and frustrating.
Father Tim has returned from Ireland as the book opens; he was there for several months. One of his hopes is that his lovely neighbor, Cynthia Coppersmith, remains his neighbor. She had asked him to “go steady” with her at the end of the first book, and she received a noncommittal unsatisfactory answer. The shy priest is determined to step outside his self-imposed prison of reluctance and fear of commitment and do better than he had before his trip.
While it is charming to watch the two of them misunderstand one another and fumble their way forward, it’s also a bit trying and even a tiny bit off-putting. He is 61; she is in her 50s. But the author has them both acting like a couple of teenagers—her irrational crying spells, his failure to square his shoulders and communicate like a mature man. I confess before this ended, I was frustrated enough to exclaim in a place or two, “fix things already!”
Despite my frustrations, these characters—the entire town—uplift and heal any heart they touch. Even the horny, old widow, who nearly brings the relationship between Father Tim and Cynthia to the breaking point, is good for a smile.
The magic of this book lies in the fact that Father Tim recognizes that salvation happens one person at a time. Ther’s no such thing as aggregate group-activity salvation. When He was here, the Savior did His best work one person at a time. Father Tim has fully caught that mindset and applies it to his work in heart-touching and effective ways.
Father Tim has returned from Ireland as the book opens; he was there for several months. One of his hopes is that his lovely neighbor, Cynthia Coppersmith, remains his neighbor. She had asked him to “go steady” with her at the end of the first book, and she received a noncommittal unsatisfactory answer. The shy priest is determined to step outside his self-imposed prison of reluctance and fear of commitment and do better than he had before his trip.
While it is charming to watch the two of them misunderstand one another and fumble their way forward, it’s also a bit trying and even a tiny bit off-putting. He is 61; she is in her 50s. But the author has them both acting like a couple of teenagers—her irrational crying spells, his failure to square his shoulders and communicate like a mature man. I confess before this ended, I was frustrated enough to exclaim in a place or two, “fix things already!”
Despite my frustrations, these characters—the entire town—uplift and heal any heart they touch. Even the horny, old widow, who nearly brings the relationship between Father Tim and Cynthia to the breaking point, is good for a smile.
The magic of this book lies in the fact that Father Tim recognizes that salvation happens one person at a time. Ther’s no such thing as aggregate group-activity salvation. When He was here, the Savior did His best work one person at a time. Father Tim has fully caught that mindset and applies it to his work in heart-touching and effective ways.