Come Rain or Come Shine

This is truly an excellent book by Jan Karon – about a modern couple!! I’ve seen some derogatory reviews here – and now that I’ve read the book, I’m wondering why they were posted??!! I have read and loved all of the Mitford books, and my response to this one is no different – I loved it!!!
The characters have grown older (or Dooley & Lace wouldn’t be getting married!) and they have moved into a modern time – where character’s communication may vary – and some of the style of writing may (very appropriately) be a reflection of that fact. As the Los Angeles Times review states: “Jan Karon reflects contemporary culture more fully than almost any other living novelist.” Thankfully, she has done that without losing the charming Mitford flavor, catching us up on all the characters we have grown to love, and retaining the faith and values of those characters.
Please don’t be put off by negative reviews – I was nearly misled. I found this to be a great read – I’m certainly glad I didn’t miss it!!

I once prayed, Lord, please let Jan Karon live long enough to get Dooley and Lace married. The answer to that prayer was a whelming flood; I started crying on page 32 and sniffed and sobbed my waypunctuated by laughsto the final page. Redemption, benediction, healing, holy amazement, connection. Reading this brings the satisfaction of resolution, the two bits after the shave and a haircut.

The focus of Come Rain or Come Shineis on the month before and the day of The Big Knot. Dooley and Lace want a small, intimate ceremony at Meadowgate Farm. Karon enjoys poking fun at the myth of a simple country wedding. There are obstacles and annoyances. There are secrets and surprises. There is the unrelenting pressure of diminishing time to get the place wedding-ready.

The main character is Lace Harper. Her journals reveal her heart, her hopes, her fears, her loves. She wants to find a wedding dress for under $100; she is thankful for the callouses which document her hard work. She wants to get itthis whole starting a new familyright. I appreciated the ways Dooley and Lace honor the memory of Sadie Baxter (benefactor) and Russell Jacks (Dooleys grandpa) in their wedding.

Jan Karon and Wendell Berry are both skilled at portraying a community where giving, helping, and reciprocating are the norm. In their novels they dont cover up the hurts, the anger, the tensions, the troubles. Weddings can be awkward with family drama. Karon handles the presence of Dooleys birth mom, Pauline Leeper, in the same room as his siblings with utmost care. There is no easy resolution, no instant reconciliation, just baby steps, tiny beginnings towards the on-ramp to healing.

This book and Somewhere Safe are Karon’s two best novels. A fitting benediction on the entire Mitford series. But if she wanted to write another Mitford novel, I’d be eager to read it. Perhaps this is the first of the Meadowgate novels. Please, Lord!

have been a fan of Jan Karon and the Father Tim/Mitford books for years, so I eagerly awaited the newest one “Come Rain or Shine”. If you haven’t read her books, the main character is Father Tim, a middle-aged single Episcopalian priest in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina, who suddenly finds himself the owner of a dog as big as a Volkswagen, father of an adopted teenage son, and husband of a charming children’s books author. Karon’s books are full of well-developed characters who may be funny, lovable, quirky, cantankerous, self-righteous, or annoying, like all small towns.
“Come Rain or Shine” is about the wedding of Father Tim’s son Dooley and his long time girlfriend, Lace. It was disappointing. Rather than being told from the point of view of Father Tim, like most of her books, it is told from the viewpoint of many characters, in short snippets. Many times the speaker is not identified and sometimes I wasn’t sure who was speaking. A new character is introduced by name only early in the book, in such a way that I wasn’t sure if it was a new character or a character I had forgotten. When that character is finally brought into the action, it was implausible, and the dialogue attributed to that character wasn’t realistic (I don’t want to give away too much in case anyone is planning to read it).
I think I read somewhere that Karon plans to make this the last of the Father Tim/Mitford books. If so, the series is going out with a whimper, not a bang.

I have read all these books. It’s been great fun following all the characters through the series.

Perfect in every way! Such a joy from start to finish. Includes a great surprise, too. I could do with a new Mitford book every month!

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