A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim [Hardcover]

Jan Karon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2005

For years, Mitford’s Father Tim Kavanagh has transcribed into his dog-eared journals words of wisdom, faith, and encouragement gleaned from favorite thinkers.

Indeed, A Continual Feast contains lively ideas, common sense, profound wisdom, and plain good humor from the likes of C. S. Lewis, Emily Dickinson, William Blake, Helen Keller, G. K. Chesterton, and Will Rogers. To name but a few.

Want to know a surefire way to read someone’s true character?

Check out what Goethe has to say.

Strive to be that rare individual who labors to serve others, and what will you have? “Little competition,” according to Andrew Carnegie.

This entertaining and useful handbook is for all those who relish a good “Aha!,” including authors, clergy, speechmakers, dog lovers, and anyone who enjoys provocative insight into everything from the righteous to the ridiculous.

Together with its companion volume, Patches of Godlight, Father Tim’s latest quote journal is sure proof of what Lord Byron once penned:

“A small drop of ink produces that which makes thousands think.”

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hard-core fans of Karon's fictional Mitford will welcome her latest offering, a sequel of sorts to Patches of Godlight. Like Patches, this "commonplace book" collects favorite quotations of Karon's protagonist Father Tim on things quotidian and spiritual. Everything from John Wesley's "Direction for Singing" to witticisms by Lauren Bacall are here. Book lovers will delight in the musings about books, such as the Italian proverb "There is no worse robber than a bad book." There are reflections on aging, a few felicitous selections from Proverbs and some wise instructions about prayer. Father Tim (and Karon) are nothing if not well read: other sources of wisdom in this slender volume include Thomas Jefferson, George Herbert, Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor, William Shakespeare, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, St. Augustine, Epictetus and Dorothy Sayers. And, of course, there's a good dose of Oswald Chambers, one of Father Tim's favorite devotional writers (Chambers is often quoted in the Mitford novels, as well). The book's design is delightful; most of the quotations appear in a font meant to resemble Father Tim's hand (scrawling, yes, but not too hard to read), with the occasional quotation typed on his trusty Royal manual and faux-taped into this book. Even folks who have never journeyed to Mitford will enjoy Karon's enchanting collection of insightful quotations. (Mar.)
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Review

The cheerful heart has a continual feast. -- Proverbs 15: 15 NIV --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (March 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670033642
• ISBN-13: 978-0670033645
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When there's never enough..., August 12, 2005

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim (Hardcover)

Jan Karon is a wonderful author, having produced over half a dozen books in the Mitford series, the chronicle of life in the mythical town of Mitford, which centres upon the character of Fr. Tim Kavanagh. This book is not part of that series, but rather a companion (and the second volume of the companion, at that). Around the primary series are gift books and addenda that include 'The Mitford Snowmen', the 'Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader', and the first volume of Fr. Tim's quotes collection, 'Patches of Godlight'.

This book is done in the style of an actual, handwritten quote diary or journal. The printing is done as if it had been inscribed, sometimes carefully and sometimes hurriedly, with even the odd post-it note (printed on the page, to be sure) that include various things that struck the fancy of Fr. Tim (and, by extension, Jan Karon) during the course of the stories in the Mitford cycle. These include names one would certainly expect of an Episcopal priest - C.S. Lewis, John Donne, George Herbert, Martin Luther, etc. It also includes names one might not expect - Dolly Parton, Victor Borge, Cole Porter and Dinah Shore! There are snippets from the Book of Common Prayer, quotes (sometimes with commentary) from the Bible, and even things seen on a t-shirt.

Perhaps my favourite quote inscribed here is from Benjamin Jowett, an Anglican priest and scholar: 'My dear child, you must believe in God in spite of what the clergy tell you.'

A fun companion to the Mitford novels.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good stuff, but not enough, June 2, 2005

By 

John F. Kaess (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim (Hardcover)

I've read and enjoyed all of the Mitford novels and also Patches of Godlight, the first book of quotations ostensibly from Father Tim.

This book dissapointed me. While it contained some great quotes from varied sources, two sources so overwhelmed the content as to make me feel I had wasted my money. There are so many quotes - often pages at a time - from Oswald Chamber's devotional, that a simple suggestion to buy Chamber's book would have been better. In addition there were a LOT of quotes from scripture. I would guess that if all the scripture quotes and the pages of Chamber's devotionals were removed, the book would only contain about 25 pages.

Having said that, those 25 pages that remained were full of great quotations.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim, October 15, 2005

By 

Susan P. Arnold (The Woodlands, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim (Hardcover)

I love all of Jan Karon's works, especially those which are part of the Mitford series. If there were such a place, I'd retire to Mitford, North Carolina and join Father Tim's church!
Amen