In This Mountain
Jan Karon, 2002
★ 4.34 from 19.2k ratings on Goodreads
Contemporary fiction Literary fiction
A retired Episcopal priest in a small mountain town discovers that leaving the pulpit doesn't settle the question of what he's for. A warm, unhurried read with a witty voice, soft nostalgia, and a retired priest's honest reckoning with purpose.
Feels like wonder, nostalgia and awe. About identity, faith and friendship.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy gentle small-town fiction, church life, and characters who think aloud about faith and friendship. Be aware that the story is quiet and domestic, with an aging protagonist's reflections carrying more weight than a driving plot.
Why read it
It offers a calm, companionable look at what purpose means after a public role ends, with humor and faith woven through ordinary days.
A page from the book
The routine question that catches a man out, long after he thought he was safe.
After nearly four years of retirement, why hadn’t he been able to formulate a pat answer? He usually reported that he supplied various churches here and there, which was true, of course, but it sounded lame. Indeed, he once said, without thinking, “Oh, nothing much.” Upon hearing such foolishness out of his mouth, he felt covered with shame. What readers say
Readers say
Jan Karon.Jan Karon worked in advertising before writing the Mitford novels, which began with At Home in Mitford in 1994.
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Questions readers ask
- Is In This Mountain for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy gentle small-town fiction, church life, and characters who think aloud about faith and friendship. Be aware that the story is quiet and domestic, with an aging protagonist's reflections carrying more weight than a driving plot.
- What is In This Mountain like?
- A warm, unhurried read with a witty voice, soft nostalgia, and a retired priest's honest reckoning with purpose. Feels like wonder, nostalgia and awe. About identity, faith and friendship.
- What should I read after In This Mountain?
- If you liked In This Mountain, try Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (Fannie Flagg), Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry) and The Group (Mary McCarthy).
A taste of the feed
The one thing she'd change about her life is a driver's license.
"But I never drove a car . . . I’ve been stranded most all my life. Always stayed close to home. Always had to wait for somebody to come and carry me to the store or to the doctor or down to the church. Years ago, you used to be able to take a trolley to Birmingham, but they stopped running a long time ago. The only thing I’d do different if I could go back would be to get myself a driver’s license.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe · Fannie Flagg
The advice you give a friend who wants one thing too badly.
Lorie darlin’, life in San Francisco, you see, is still just life. If you want any one thing too badly, it’s likely to turn out to be a disappointment. The only healthy way to live life is to learn to like all the little everyday things, like a sip of good whiskey in the evening, a soft bed, a glass of buttermilk, or a feisty gentleman like myself.
Lonesome Dove · Larry McMurtry
The year before the future arrived.
He would only come if she were unprepared. Or would he come only if she were prepared? With her lamp trimmed like the wise virgins? Christianity would tell her to buy food for two, but the pagans would say, ‘Don’t risk it.’
The Group · Mary McCarthy
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