Reading Response #2: At Home in Mitford

As I have continued on reading in this book, I have started to become more familiar with the author’s writing style. Jan Karon uses very descriptive language throughout the book. An example of her descriptive writing is,"The stew was on and simmering, and the fragrance in the rectory was intoxicating. The old walnut dining table gleamed under the chandelier and cast a soft glow over a silver bowl of yellow roses tinged with crimson. The cabernet sparkled in cut-glass decanters, the strains of a Mozart sonata filled the rooms with an air of expectancy and in the fading afternoon light, the gardens looked fresh and inviting from every window.” I love how you can picture this imagery in your head without being given an actual visualization. You can taste, smell, and see what Karon wrote here.
 She also uses many similes to compare different things in a more vivid style. “Hoppy Harper, who was sitting in Father Tim’s wing chair, was as relaxed ‘as a dishrag.’” And, “There was one girl from home, from Virginia, and I stuck to her like bark on a tree.”

 This section of the reading began with Father Tim preparing for the dinner party he was going to host. He wanted everything to be perfect since he hadn’t had company over to his house in quite sometime. He first began with his guest list which included Emma, Miss Sadie, Hal, Marge, and Hoppy Harper. Then he had to begin looking through cookbooks to decide what he was going to cook. He ended up picking Company Stew, one of his classics. After this he decided to clean every single space in his home. Once he finished with all this, he began to wonder why he had even bothered to have the dinner party in the first place. It was a lot of work to get everything prepared, but he was still excited to have company.

 The day of the party, Father Tim thought it would be a good idea to bathe Barnabas. He normally did this in the guest shower, but he didm’t want to clean it again. So, he went and bought a tin tub for $22.95 to bathe him outside in. It ended up being a catastrophe!

“Barnabas hurled himself into the tub with a mighty leap. Just as quickly as he went in, he came out, diving between the rector’s legs. He circled the right leg and plunged back into the water, soaking his master from head to foot.”


Father Tim’s party was not ruined due to this interruption. He was still ready on time and the guests had a delightful time.

 In the next chapter, the appraiser informed Father Tim that the painting was not a Vermeer, but it was still worth about seven to eight thousand dollars. This was a great relief to Father Tim and Emma.

Emma and other friends of Father Tim threw him a surprise party for “The Big Six-O”. He was given a red Vespa motor scooter. At first he was a bit pale and nervous about the scooter. He always walked wherever he went. But after he took it for a ride, he had a huge grin on his face.