True confession: I only value the internet for two things – keeping up with emails and buying stuff I don’t need. Oh sure, I can google with the best of them (while we’re talking about googling, you know a word has made a place for itself in the language when it’s used as both a noun and a verb), but otherwise I prefer simpler entertainments: food, shopping, conversation, food, George Clooney, decaf coffee, food – well, you get the idea. Likewise, there are times when we prefer books about the simpler aspects of life – just regular small-town people doing regular everyday things. Here are some authors who specialize in this low-key type of narrative.
Irish author Maeve Binchy (1939-2012) is one of her country’s best-loved writers. She produced 16 novels in all, many involving life in a small community. While some of her stories are stand-alone, many feature a cast of interrelated characters who share the normal struggles of family, romance, and survival. With each story you get to know these people better. For a sampling you can jump in almost anywhere. I recommend starting with “Chestnut Street.”
Since we’re speaking of Irish writers, there’s also Patrick Taylor and his Irish Country series. Taylor himself is a medical doctor and his series stars Dr. Fingal O’Reilly of the town of Ballybucklebo in Northern Ireland. These books go into great detail describing life during the 1960’s, a period referred to as the Troubles. The narrative is slow-paced and seen through the eyes of Barry Laverty, O’Reilly’s apprentice and eventually his partner. Life for the people is hard, whether they are Catholic or Protestant, political or not. Neighbor helps neighbor and O’Reilly oversees it all.
Most of us are familiar with Jan Karon, author of the popular Mitford series. Her main character is the kindly but far from perfect Father Tim, an Episcopal priest. During the course of the series Father Tim gains a wife, Cynthia, and adopts a son, Dooley. There are 14 books in all. Start with “At Home in Mitford.” You will enjoy the mixture of humor, romance, and a touch of mystery. Incidentally, many Jan Karon fans say the fictional Mitford is based on the town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
To continue with books featuring a man of the cloth, take a look at Philip Gulley, who is a real Quaker pastor. His books about the tiny town of Harmony introduce us to Sam Gardner, who returns to his hometown at the age of 38 to pastor the church he grew up in. The books are slow-paced with a soothing tone and a hometown philosophy. Each chapter is like a homily in itself but all the chapters are interrelated. Gulley’s stories have an autobiographical feel to them. I can picture him using individual chapters to illustrate his real sermons. The first book in this short series is “Home to Harmony.”
The humorous Lumby series by Gail Fraser begins with “The Lumby Lines,” published in 2007. Lumby is a small town in the Pacific Northwest. It’s hard to pick a main character from the generous cast (there’s even one who’s a plastic flamingo named Hank, who shows up in different costumes all over town), but probably the main two characters are Mark and Pam Walker, who move to Lumby to escape the rat race, buy an old former monastery, and convert it into a bed and breakfast. They quickly become a part of this town of both generous and very weird citizens. Gail Fraser has been compared to both Jan Karon and Garrison Keillor.
One of my favorite southern authors is Alabama-born Fannie Flagg. I just finished her latest, “Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop,” which is a sequel to her popular “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.” She revisits this fictional little town just outside Birmingham which has gradually died as the interstate highway bypasses it. The people are very close-knit but find they have to scatter in order to survive. They keep in touch by occasional visits and by a self-published newsletter written by one of their older citizens. You’ll fall in love with many of the characters, especially Buddy, the wonder boy referred to in the title. I also recommend four other titles by Flagg: “I Still Dream about You,” “A Redbird Christmas,” “Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven,” and “The Whole Town’s Talking.”
In these tense times it’s relaxing to escape to somebody’s small town and just live there for awhile. You may also want to check out North Carolina author Clyde Edgerton and the Staggerford series by Jon Hassler.
Okay, gotta get back to ordering things I don’t need. Happy reading!
Kaye West recently retired from the Henry County Library System. She enjoys reading, taking daily walks, and spending time with friends. She lives in McDonough with her husband.
