No information was found on the author except for the conclusions that were drawn from the picture on the back of the novel. Jan Karon looks to be in her mid-sixties, and seems to be a strong Christian women from her writing style used in the novel. Jan Karon’s At Home in Mitford, is set in Mitford, North Carolina in present time. Father Tim is the main character in the novel. He is the rector at The Lord’s Chapel in Mitford. He is a sixty year old friendly man who devotes his time to his church, the members of the church, and his dog, Barnabas. He is a simple man that likes his simple life. Next is Emma, who is Father Tim’s secretary at the church.
She is a middle-aged, nosy sort of woman. She is a gossip, a snoop, and very finicky, but an overall nice and caring person. Mrs. Sadie is a ninety year old Georgia peach. She always brings apples and pies to Father Tim and others. Her family was very wealthy, therefore she owned half of the county in apple orchards. She is a very sweet, old, Christian lady. Dooley is an orphan girl who moves in with Father Tim. She is a teenage tomboy who instantly befriends the rector and constantly bugs him. Mitford is the ideal small town. Nestled between mountain ranges, and overlooking beautiful, rolling, foothills, it is the type of town where you could fall asleep anywhere. Crime and trash were not thought of, only chocolate chip cookies from mattie baxter’s bakery.
It was the type of town where everybody owns a flower garden. The town contained one grocery store, one clothes shop, one bakery, and all other business were on the same block. Father Tim was the perfect rector for such a town. He is a jolly old man who never met a stranger, never married, and had a set pattern according to the day of the week. One could only imagine how a sixty year old, simple man would feel when a huge two hundred pound wolf hound dog falls in love with him out of nowhere and would not let him out of sight. Father Tim first saw the dog when he was tackled by the running mutt early one morning.
The rector had never liked dogs and would not dare consider owning one. But something happened when the dog, soon to be named Barnabas, sat completely still while Father Tim recited his latest sermon, the only thing that he could think to say when the dog would not stop licking him. The two instantly became sort of fascinated with each other, and were instantly bound for life.
