If you've never read Jan Karon's Mitford series, the following makes no sense. If you have, however; what follows is a detailed list of every time in the series she rattles off several things she doesn't like. I marked down every instance this happened while re-reading through the series for about the third time. (I think I'm in the middle of my sixth-plus time right now, but not sure.)
Karon captures the details and small joys and frustrations of everyday life so vividly; especially considering the world comes to eventually contain something like 800 characters. They're all so full of personality, each with their own quirks and mannerisms. These things Cynthia doesn't love, though she enthusiastically loves almost everything else, mesh together with her personality and make a great character. They're usually listed in threes, I just made it one continuous stream for easier listing.
"What don't you love, Cynthia?" he asked her curiously.
She thought a moment.
"People who are never on time; garden slugs; artificial flowers; loud music; stale crackers; cursing; complaining; soggy mittens; chocolate without nuts; a man who can't find it in himself to hold your hand when it's sticking out there in plain view; never being asked out to dinner, not even once; exhaust fumes; movies made for TV; cakes baked from mix; daytime TV; pickled onions; cheap ballpoint pens; age spots; stress; stress; stress; grits without butter; dust balls on ceiling fans; grumpy husbands; fading eyesight; creeping forgetfulness; calendars with no room to write all the day's events; husbands who can't talk about their feelings; sand in the bed; maps that won't refold properly; taxis that go 90 miles per hour in midtown traffic; pantyhose that are a size too small; age spots; labels that scratch at the back of my neck; size 8 jeans that don't fit anymore; baked potatoes without sour cream; 25-watt bulbs in reading lamps; cats that throw up on the rug after devouring a mouse; age spots; jeans without Lycra; lug soles on barn shoes; any sitcom more recent than M*A*S*H; shopping malls at any time of year, especially Christmastime; flea shampoo that does nothing but attract a new colony of fleas and roasts that cost a fortune and then cook out dry."
The last time this happens, in Light From Heaven, the ninth book in the series, Father Tim responds, "Every time I ask you this question, you always have the answer right on the tip of your tongue. How do you do that?"
Thank you I as looking for this list
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