{"id":703,"date":"2017-09-18T19:19:18","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T00:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/?p=703"},"modified":"2017-09-18T19:27:13","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T00:27:13","slug":"to-be-where-you-are-by-jan-karon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/to-be-where-you-are-by-jan-karon\/","title":{"rendered":"“To Be Where You Are” by Jan Karon"},"content":{"rendered":"

In To Be Where You Are<\/em>, Jan Karon welcomes readers back to Mitford and Meadowgate in alternating chapters. We\u2019ve gotten so immersed in Jan\u2019s delightful books that it\u2019s like we\u2019re \u201clivin\u2019 in a whole other place,\u201d as Coot Hendrick thinks about his current read.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As always, Father Tim ministers to the people around him, reflecting, \u201cWasn\u2019t his own town a mission field?\u201d Cynthia relishes the joys of being Granny C to four-year-old Jack Tyler, whom Dooley and Lace are in the process of adopting. Married almost four months, Dooley and Lace are facing a financial crisis that turns their home upside down. Each of Dooley\u2019s siblings faces new challenges. Avis Packard and Grace Murphy both have major storylines, and it\u2019s good to get to know both of these characters better.<\/p>\n

The novel covers October 1 through December 25, then jumps to June 2 of the following year, when Cynthia gets the desire of her heart. The specific dates in the chapter titles highlight the daily nature of life, reminding us that Jan writes to \u201capplaud the extraordinary beauty of ordinary lives.\u201d She explores the themes of the importance of community, the meaning of family, and the necessity of forgiveness in powerful ways.<\/p>\n

When Lace is struggling with a major painting project, she ponders: \u201cIt was not to be like a poster that gives fleeting pleasure, or a painting on the side of a barn that fades with time, it was not to be ephemeral. It was to be an actual place to the onlooker, impervious\u00a0to time, with chickens scratching in a dust that never settles.\u201d This is a perfect description of the beautiful world of Mitford that Jan Karon has so lovingly, diligently, and skillfully created. Most of the junk that is published today is as fleeting as a poster, and a few things fade more slowly like a painting on the side of a barn, but Jan\u2019s books are deep and authentic and powerful and true and lasting. Mitford IS an \u201cactual place to the onlooker,\u201d as her legions of devoted readers can testify.<\/p>\n

To Be Where You Are<\/em> is available in several formats:<\/p>\n