Jan Karon Come Rain or Come Shine

Mitford fans...rejoice!
Dooley and Lace are tying the knot...#13 has arrived.

Come Rain or Shine

Jan Karon

September 2015

About the Book:

Over the course of twelve Mitford novels, fans have kept a special place in their hearts for Dooley Kavanagh, first seen in At Home in Mitford as a barefoot, freckle-faced boy in filthy overalls.

Now, Father Tim Kavanagh's adopted son has graduated from vet school and opened his own animal clinic. Since money will be tight for a while, maybe he and Lace Harper, his once and future soul mate, should keep their wedding simple.

So the plan is to eliminate the cost of catering and do potluck. Ought to be fun. An old friend offers to bring his well-known country band. Gratis. And once mucked out, the barn works as a perfect venue for seating family and friends. Piece of cake, right?

In Come Rain or Come Shine, Jan Karon delivers the wedding that millions of Mitford fans have waited for. It's a June day in the mountains, with more than a few creatures great and small, and you're invited--because you're family.

By the way, it's a pretty casual affair, so come as you are and remember to bring a tissue or two. After all, what's a good wedding without a good cry?

Buy on Amazon

My Review:

For Mitford fans, Come Rain or Come Shine is one of those family conversations where you can come in the middle of and know who’s talking about what. The cousins and the neighbors are an open book, and all the advice is free and full of good intent regarding matters of love and the wedding. For that’s what this story is about—Dooley and Lace’s long-awaited marriage.

There are a few lovely little twists and surprises, some grief, a lot of joy, some wondering and bewilderment, a lot of pride. This, number thirteen in the series, would not be the best introduction to those new to Karon’s writing style. Folksy and familiar, the reader has always to feel as though stepping into the middle of someone’s thought, or to pick up a thread of conversation, or listen to the inkling of a great plan only to pick it up later, and to learn of an expected event, such as Dooley’s graduation from veterinarian school, but then come in after it’s done and feel slightly miffed that you missed the ceremony. Readers never quite know exactly where they are, but it’s the people of Mitford gathered not exactly in town but nearby, and you’re safe. You feel as though you’ve stepped into a 1930 scenario set in modern contemporary times and the breeze of a slight time warp as you adjust your shawls for a rock on the porch swing.

Full of layers of imagery and decision-making, revelations, hiding or being in the open, angst, finding the right dress, creating the right atmosphere, Come Rain or Come Shine is a lovely story of being oneself.

It’s good, it’s poignant, it’s humbling, and it’s home.