Shepherds Abiding

Eighth in the Father Tim Kavanaugh of Mitford, NC series.

It’s Advent, and Father Tim has found what he thinks will be the perfect gift for his wife, Cynthia: an old Nativity set in need of refurbishing. Although he has no skills in this area, Father Tim takes on the task with his usual enthusiasm, aided by friends. Dooley and Lace are quite the young adults, and Tim and Cynthia have a hard time keeping out of the way of the stormy relationship.

All of Karon’s strengths are present: sensitive writing, a robust, attractive, Christian presentation, and characters that are engaging, both series regulars and newcomers.

A strong installment in the series. Highly recommended.

Big changes are in store for Mitford as the end of the year approaches. Everyone knows that Percy and Velma Mosely plan to close the Grill and retire at the end of the year. No one knows that the owner of Mitford's bookstore plans to close the store at the end of the year, leaving store manager Hope with a big decision to make. As Christmas approaches, Father Tim launches into a secret project to restore an old nativity set. After a lifetime of working with words, Father Tim finds new joy in working with his hands. As he works, he reflects on his childhood Christmases.

Most long-running series eventually seem to include a Christmas story. Sometimes these can seem contrived. This one works. It's a gentle read that captures the spirit of show more Christmas in a small town, yet it also advances the story arc of the series. I think it would probably work as a stand-alone, but I think it will be appreciated more by readers who are already familiar with the characters and their personalities as they have developed throughout the series. show less

Having read 8 books thus far in the Mitford series, I must say, the earlier ones are better. I don't know if Karon runs out of ideas or what it is exactly, but I found this one a bit boring at times. Much of the story involved Father Tim painting figures of a creche scene. That's an interesting detail, but to include so many descriptions of the process throughout the book just rendered it uninteresting, slow and somewhat pointless. I much prefer the story lines involving dialogues among the characters and the conflicts they experience and then come to resolve or come to terms with in some way.

This is the eighth book in Jan Karon's 'Mitford' series. It's shorter than the majority: less than 300 pages, and print well spaced out, so I read it in less than two days.

It's a bit of a novelty book rather than an important one in the Mitford story; Christmas is approaching, and the retired Episcopal priest Father Tim spots a rather scruffy set of plaster nativity figures in the antique shop. Hoping to surprise his wife, he enlists the help of a couple of friends and sets to work to repair and paint the figures for Christmas.

We meet old friends from Mitford: Uncle Billy, trying to figure out what on earth to give his crotchety wife for Christmas; Percy and Velma, about to give up The Grill and retire, Lew Boyd who has married someone show more from another state in secret... and many more. The author cleverly weaves in and out of their lives, also including some of Father Tim's positive reminiscences from his childhood, as he finally comes to terms with some of the problems he carried around, due to his father's apparent harshness and high expectations.

An enjoyable book, but not really one to read alone, nor a vital part of the Mitford series for someone who prefers the longer books.

Latest longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/10/shepherds-abiding-by-jan-karon.html show less

I am one of those readers who feels that Christmas stories can be read year round, not just in December. [Shepherds Abiding] is a special book as the reader gets glimpses into Father Tim's childhood and fond memories of those Christmases past. The book does not contain any of the sadder, social issues of previous stories. The focus here is on good will, light, peace and joy for everyone... my kind of Christmas story.

While my print copy only has the story [Shepherds Abiding], the audiobook version I listed to also contained two bonus short stories - "Esther's Gift" and "The Mitford Snowmen". In "Esther's Gift" we get to experience Esther, of the marmalade cake fame, pondering the cost of continuing to make her signature cake as show more Christmas gifts for some of the Mitford community. The story even includes the recipe for the marmalade cake! "The Mitford Snowmen" is a fun romp during a sudden snow downfall where the adults of Mitford find themselves involved in what we would call today a "flash mob" building of snowmen up and down Mitford's main street. Perfect bonus reads! show less

Shepherds Abiding is set right after In This Mountain, during the Advent season. Fr. Tim is determined to find a creative, surprising present for Cynthia, but the project he comes up with may prove to be a bit too ambitious during a busy Christmas season! As Christmas approaches, Hope Winchester takes on the management of the Happy Endings bookstore and a sweet romance blossoms, while on the other end of Main Street the Grill closes its doors after a long, successful run. This book is written in the spirit of the early books in the series and makes for a pleasant interlude between two longer and more serious volumes.

As the cover and title suggest, this is a Christmas themed story. The story begins in October, but Christmas is already on the minds of many in the town of Mitford. You will watch and learn as Father Tim finds a "derelict" nativity scene, with lots of animals and characters, and sets out to repaint and repair the set before Christmas, as a gift to his wife Cynthia. Along the way, others will help him and along the way he will be reminded of his past growing up years as a young child during the Christmas season. And the giving of the gift and Cynthia's gift to him was a very precious scene.