A Light in the Window

What the fuck. Sigh. I was iffy about the first one because of how saccharine it was, but would have given it a higher rating than the 2 stars I gave it if not for Rose.

It's one thing to show compassion to someone with mental illness. But enabling them is another thing, which is what Mitford does to Rose. And it's alarming because in the first book, Rose showed some clear patterns of narcissism and abusive behavior. She keeps her husband financially dependent on her and refuses to share her enormous wealth with him. She burned his artwork years ago (or told him she did) because he ate the last of the pickle relish. Despite her wealth, she won't even buy food for him - he pretty much has to live off the generosity of the town. And by the show more time of the events of the first book, he's pretty old (60s or 70s) so he can't just leave her and support himself (not once is he even said to be on Social Security or anything) because he has pretty bad arthritis (to the point where he can't even draw/make art anymore)

So in this book - I will admit I only read the Kindle sample and was so disgusted I couldn't go on further) the dumb cunt now thinks she's a traffic cop and is trying to control the traffic in the downtown area while wearing ridiculous shit like party hats. And when the local merchants complain about the disruption this is causing to tourists/traffic, the mayor shuts them down, because "this town takes care of its own"

Again - there is a difference between compassion and enabling, and if I had a neighbor who treated their partner the way Rose treated her husband, I would certainly be having words with them.

The author seems to have a double standard when it comes to bad behavior. If the roles between Bill and Rose were reversed, I think a lot more people would more easily recognize/admit that the behavior is abusive.

The double standard is further evinced in the character of Edith Mallory, a widow who would flirt with others while her husband was still alive, and is now pursuing Father Tim despite his efforts to rebuff her advances. If the roles were reversed, we'd be calling the man a predator. But since it's a widow, her constant advances - which make Tim alarmed and uncomfortable - are apparently awwwwwwright.

No. Just, no.

GODDAMNIT, NO. FUCK THIS SHIT. show less

Among other goings-on in the town of Mitford, Father Tim is having trouble with women. His eccentric cousin Meg, whom he happens not to know, shows up for an uninvited, indefinite stay at his house. Recently widowed Edith is hot on Father Tim’s bachelor tail. Not to mention that he’s falling for his neighbor, Cynthia, and he doesn’t know what to do about it in A Light in the Window, a novel by author Jan Karon.

Another delightful jaunt through town in this second book in the Mitford Years series. So endlessly cute and humorous. And I always appreciate a read where the author can continually surprise me. They don’t have to be big, flashy surprises, but even cleverly simple ones keep me engaged and on my toes. I like not being able show more to predict everything the story or a character is going to say or do next.

One stretch I enjoyed most in this novel was the small-town Christmas season. But even more than that, there’s something refreshing about a main character in his sixties who’s never been married, feeling clueless as he navigates the daunting twists and turns of romance and wonders at the untapped recesses of his own heart. I’ll admit there were a few times when Cynthia aggravated me more than Tim did, but some of their letters to each other made me ache in a (very good) way I’m not sure I’ve ached before, while reading a love story. Just…gol-lee.

When a novel can make you slap it closed and literally hug it after you’ve finished it, something definitely went right. I’m looking forward to continuing this series. show less

After sixty years as a bachelor, Father Tim has fallen madly in love with his next-door neighbor Cynthia. The problem is that he's afraid, afraid of the irrevocability of opening his heart to another person, afraid to let someone else into his comfortable, settled life. And when he draws back, it causes both of them pain. When Cynthia takes an extended trip to New York, will Fr. Tim gain a greater appreciation of what he stands to lose? And of course, even as Fr. Tim and Cynthia are caught up in the throes of romance, life in Mitford goes on. Fr. Tim must also continue to deal with raising a boy who came to him out of hard circumstances, playing host to a reclusive cousin who takes up residence in his guest room, and being pursued by a show more recently widowed parishioner who's clearly interested in more than just pastoral care.

This is one of my favorite Mitford novels, though in truth I love all of them. The romance and character development are just splendidly written. Another comfort read that I highly recommend! show less

Reading A Light in the Window is a bit like catching up on gossip from your hometown. The going is slow, and you get lots of tidbits about people you don't ever think about between visits. While the overall effect is still a warm glow and you're happy to hear the latest about the people you really care about, you still wish your maiden Aunt Isabel would get to the point a bit faster and not get mired in minutia.

Also, Father Tim can be a lot like a dithering Hamlet in priestly garments, and he can be such a doormat! He undergoes some needless discomfiture because he either doesn't think it through or he doesn't know his own mind.

A Light in the Window, like its predecessor, is a sentimentalized account of life in a North Carolina mountain show more town. People are kinder and race relations better than anywhere in the real South. However, if you can get past that -- and the overly leisurely pace -- you'll enjoy Jan Karon's second installment in the much-adored Mitford series.

It's a bit slow for me to say that the books are great, but all three of my sisters-in-law love them and can't wait for the next one. It's a good enough read, but I wish Jan Karon would pick up the pace a bit and not drag every episode out. Less can be more. show less

I'm not sure if I can finish this [I'm almost at the half-way point]. I read the first in the series, and it was cute enough. Well, clearly I'd forgotten a lot. It's actually rather saccharine and corny, but this is ever so much worse than the first one.

It seems that Rev. Tim, a 60-year-old, life-long bachelor, Episcopalian priest has become besotted with his neighbor, the lovely Cynthia Coppersmith, who has amazing legs. But, Cynthia is working in New York, trying to finish up a book. So, we're "treated" to their love letters back and forth, love letters that sound like they might have been written by 14-year old adolescents. I literally thought I might vomit in the middle of a chapter that was just back-and-forth letters.

In the mean show more time, a rich widow, Edith Mallory has designs on Fr. Tim, and she is not at all shy about letting him know about her designs. Yuck!

Life's too short for this crap. I'm done! show less

Intermixed with enjoyable scenes of life in Mitford is the very real battle that Father Tim goes through as he learns to let go of fear, open his heart to love, and become vulnerable. I enjoyed these themes on both the level of his romance with Cynthia, and on the level of one's relationship with God. Ms. Karon writes a story that contains some traditional "romance" elements such as misunderstandings and separations - but she makes them real in that her characters work through their difficulties and aren't driven by lust. I love Father Tim.

This second book in the series has less proselytizing though too much lovey- dovey praise.

Still, there is the tiring trope of the absent minded rector not seeing that
his cousin is stealing from him as obviously did the Attic Man in his church.

Cousin Meg ruins the plot with ongoing stupidity.

Also readers may hope that he becomes less timid and more taking action when needed, notably to prevent kid accidents and death.