Shepherds Abiding: A Mitford Christmas Story

I really tried to finish this book, but it just didn't catch my attention. I have enjoyed other books that jumped back and forth between characters, but this one was too confusing for me to keep up. Perhaps if I started with the first book in the series, I would have enjoyed it better. The main

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story of Father Tim refurbishing the nativity scene was just too slow for me. However, this does not in any way stop me from continuing on my Christian fiction quest.

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A beautiful story for the season, this showcases the lengths Father Tim will go to to please his wife for Christmas. It includes all the other denizens of Mitford with their quirks, problems and charms. A wonderful and heart-warming story.

One that you will want to read each and every Christmas

A small town with multiple interesting people going about their multiple interesting lives. The narrative is a little disjointed at times, but I caught on after a bit, and enjoyed watching the threads of these lives coming together. The main thrust of the story involves life changes at Christmas

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time - the very best time for lives to change.

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Father Tim has always lived what he calls "the life of the mind" and has never learned to savor the work of his hands. When he finds a derelict nativity scene that requries restoring, does he have what it takes to assemble the project.? This small journey of faith reminds us all about the true

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Christmas spirit.

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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

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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.

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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

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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 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.

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This is the perfect book to read at Christmas time. You get glimpses of favorite Mitford characters and Father Tim's special brand of everyday life touched with the grace of his faith.

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

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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.

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Book # 8 of 9 books in the Mitford series. Christmas is coming and Father Tim Kavanaugh has a special project he is working on as a surprise for his wife, Cynthia. She, meanwhile, has a surprise in store for him as well. As we continue to follow the residents of Mitford in their holiday

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preparations it becomes clear that the best gifts are those that come from God.

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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

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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.

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I have not read any of the others in a series and did not realize there were others until I started book.
It was difficult to keep characters straight, although each one has a unique voice. Sometimes the scenes were so short, by the time I realized who it was about, the scene was over. Perhaps if I

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had read the others in the series, the people would have stuck in my mind better.

Hard to jump from scene to scene. Didn't realize until half way through the book that some of the scenes were flashbacks of one of their childhood (guess I'm slow).

It gave a warm, community feeling of a small town in winter. Problems weren't overwhelming, just what to give their loved ones for Christmas...

I could pick it up and leave it when I needed.

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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

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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 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!

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*happy sigh* This is just such a beautiful book, y'all! Such a sweet, fun, simple Christmas read. Highly recommended!

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

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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.

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This one was a pleasant respite for the Christmas Season, with Barnabus still alive!

The best part was the surprise Nativity resolution.