To Be Where You Are

What a real pleasure to return to the world of Mitford! While the series must be considered a little bit escapist, who doesn’t need an escape from the America that is right now to the America that could be if we all made an effort to care about and connect with each other a little more every day? The main characters are richly drawn and draw the reader into the small town world of Mitford. The supporting cast provides some interesting twists and turns as Father Tim again proves service to God is not just about wearing a collar. He again makes a huge impact on the life of the Barlowe family. Father Brad, the new Cleric in town, also plays a role in leading a troubled Barlowe to belief in herself. Without giving too much away, if you have enjoyed past visits to Mitford with the author, you will enjoy this take. My only remote gripe with this novel is that she is unable to spend as much time as I would have liked in some of the subplots contained in this volume, without it being too long. The focus continues to shift a bit more towards Dooley and Lace, while still keeping a large role for Father Tim, Cynthia, and the various other denizens of Mitford, and those connected to Mitford via family or various other means. There is ample foreshadowing of at least 1 more volume ahead, and as with all of the others in this wonderful series, I will be looking forward to it, and will relish it when it arrives. There just isn’t enough literature that presents ordinary life with such glory, hope, and joy!

I have read all the Midford books from the beginning of the series and have grown to love reading about the characters and following their lives. However, this book really let me down. I read about Dooley’s wedding in the last book and found that somewhat disappointing but this one was actually sort of irritating as well as boring. As some others pointed out, not stating who is talking can be confusing. I listen to these books on CD and wanted to go back and hear again the letter from Father Tim’s brother as I didn’t know who wrote the letter til the end of it. I found some new characters unnecessary and boring. I would rather have heard more about old friends from MIdford and Father Tim and Cynthia. In the end I have grown to “know” the folks in these books and always like to keep up but maybe it is time for the series to end.

Did someone else write this book? As cited by others, the writing is choppy and hard to follow. I am still reading but it is a struggle. Not one of my favorites but I will remain loyal to the town of Mitford and its wonderful people.

Jan Karon has been a tears producting inspiration on my path with God. I am deeply grateful for her talent, heart and soul. The Mitford series is a classic that enriches the lives of those of us who read it. To Be Where You Are, however (love the title) is a disappointment. The story for me, never had traction as the previous books did and for me it felt “all over the place”. It felt as if Ms. Kareon wrote it in starts and stops and there was not the grace and flow of the previous books nor did it has the depth of previous character development.

The one line that Dooley says to Lacey “Love you deep” is something I now say to my children and think that inspired sentence is the crown jewel of the entire book. Having just just re-read one of the the earlier books, this installment is not up to the excellence of her previous offerings.

I am so disappointed with this book. As someone else asked, did someone else write this book? What in the world? The manuscript is like an outline that was never fleshed out. Its very confusing and hard to follow. It constantly says he but jumps from character to character so you never know whose perspective it is. This is simply terrible writing. Im so disappointed! I read her earlier books and found them very nice and soothing, albeit a lot of characters. This book is saturated with characters and is overflowing with a choppy storyline that is extremely difficult to follow. I cannot picture the characters or their homes. The dialogue is extremely hard to follow. And what is up with the half quotation marks? I really think someone else wrote this book. A huge disappointment. I loved the title, but inside the cover… not so much.

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