Readers Find Simple Faith in Karons Books Essay -- Jan Karons Mitfor

Readers Find Simple organized religion in Karons BooksSince 1994 Jan Karons Mitford series of novels has sold more than three million copies, with the latest, A untested Song, occupying the number one position on Amazon.coms list during the give way week of April this year (Jones 71). The Mitford books focus on inspirational stories, spiritual themes, and pure town humor. Readers identify with the realistic characters in the stories. Rogene Kellar, 83, in a Newsweek oblige said she has read each book four times. Kellar further remarked, I think you feel better having read them, entirely its not goody-goody. Kellars daughter, carol Montgomery 57, said, It gives you peace. The Mitford books enjoy a following of devoted readers and have in addition become marketable in another way. Hallmark plans to release the Mitford appeal of greeting cards and collectible knick-knacks soon. Penguin Books publishes a quarterly Mitford reading pigeonholing discussion guide and the newsletter, More from Mitford. Additionally, respected womens magazines such as capital of Seychelles have retained Karon as Writer in Residence publishing pieces of short fiction about Mitford. However, despite all of the attention, some readers pauperization more of Karon. Lauren Winner in a recent article, Karons Agenda, published in Christianity now finds The Mitford books ar strikingly bereft of anything controversial--no women priests or church service wardens, for example, are ever mentioned, nor is the issue that is currently threatening to divide the Episcopal church in America--homosexuality. . . .I believe Karon would only do her readers a service by tackling these admittedly explosive questions head-on. (Winner 65)Winner asserts Karon avoids such issues in the books presumably because they... ..., but they remain the issues that most, common, citizens face in their communities. So perhaps a simple, day-after-day faith is sufficient after all. Works CitedJones, Malcolm. Touch ed by Angels. Newsweek may 3, 1999 71-72. Karon, Jan. At Home in Mitford. New York Penguin Books, 1994. Karon, Jan. A Light in the Window. New York Penguin Books, 1995. Kaorn, Jan. These High, Green Hills. New York Penguin Books, 1996. Karon, Jan. Out to Canaan. New York Penguin Books, 1997. Karon, Jan. A New Song. New York Viking Books, 1999. The Student give-and-take New International Version. Grand Rapids Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1986. Tompkins, Jane. Sensational Designs The Cultural Work of American Fiction 1790- 1860. New York Oxford University Press, 1985. Winner, Lauren. Karons Agenda. Christianity Today July 12, 1999 64-65.