Over the years of the Victoria Classics Book Club, our group has grown to encompass thousands of members connected by a love of reading. Below, find discussion questions for past volumes, which can be explored further on our Book Selections page. We also invite you to join the ongoing conversation on our Facebook page, where you will meet a delightful coterie of devoted readers.
Come Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon
You are cordially invited to join us in celebrating a long-awaited wedding in Come Rain or Come Shine from New York Times Best-Selling Author and former Writer-in-Residence Jan Karon.
Come Rain or Come Shine opens as Dooley and Lace are planning their long-awaited wedding—which old-timer Harley Welch refers to as “The Big Knot.” The couple has spent years dreaming of the life they want to create at Meadowgate Farm. What is something you dreamed of for a long time that finally came to fruition?
Dooley and Lace are sprucing up Meadowgate Farm, where they will live and work. They are joined by a host of helpers, including Father Tim and Cynthia, who share the house, making for very crowded quarters. Despite this unorthodox “commune” of characters, living under one roof and sacrificing any pretense of privacy, it is a richly rewarding experience for all. Have you ever had a similar situation?
In Come Rain or Come Shine, noted artist Irene McGraw wanted to buy one of Lace’s paintings and asked her to name the price. A surprised Lace blurted out the first amount that came to mind—a humble $400. Being familiar with the art world, Irene immediately upped the price to $1200. If you create art, crafts, handstitched items, or food to sell, have you ever found it difficult to place a value on your own work? Conversely, have you supported the talents of a new or struggling artist?
In the opening chapter, characters Dooley and Lace are planning their nuptials. The young couple wants a simple gathering at their own beloved Meadowgate Farm, and rather than a catered affair, family and friends bringing sides to share. Here are some of our favorite dishes, just perfect for a casually elegant celebration.
Lace’s parents, Hoppy and Olivia Harper, want to give their daughter and Dooley a grand wedding plus an exotic honeymoon destination. The couple have a very different vision for the event and worry about hurt feelings when they turn down the gift. Fortunately, Hoppy and Olivia laugh it off, declaring a small country wedding would be “the best thing in the whole world.” Have you ever been part of planning a wedding? What made the event unique to the bride and groom?
We get a peek into Lace Turner’s journal, which she calls the “Dooley book,” where she records her thoughts, concerns, and dreams. Sometimes she reads back through the entries to see just how far she’s come. Do you keep a journal? What does it mean to you to do so?
Lace muses that even when she had been away at school in Virginia, she had never been out of the sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Jan Karon writes, “It was real estate privately owned in her soul.” Is there a special place with which you feel a kinship, a place “privately owned” in your soul?
Weddings definitely come in all forms, from small gatherings to big affairs. To celebrate Lace and Dooley’s wedding in Come Rain or Come Shine, the couple invited friends and family to bring their favorite potluck dishes to share at the reception. If you had been invited to this very happy occasion, what dish would you have brought?
The gifts a bride and groom give to each other are special to be sure, but Lace and Dooley’s presents are truly from the heart. He presented her with a Golden Retriever puppy, and she painted him a touching portrait: Dooley in his farm truck, with “Kavanagh Animal Wellness Clinic” painted on the side and five dogs in the back, and a Carolina blue sky stretched above it all. What is the most memorable gift you’ve ever given or the most memorable one you’ve received?
Lace and Dooley’s wedding together so many of the characters that had been central to the plots of previous books in the Mitford series. Which person had changed the most? Who were you happiest to see again?
“Jeans and a cotton sweater!” said Katherine. “Nobody wears jeans to a Southern wedding.” Lace and Dooley’s nuptials were a bit unconventional. Can you describe the most memorable or unusual wedding you’ve ever attended?
Dooley’s mother, Pauline, has a heart-wrenching history of bad choices with tragic consequences, well-known by readers of the Mitford series books. In Come Rain or Come Shine, Pauline has finally pulled herself together and taken the first steps to atone for her past mistakes. What are your thoughts on her redemption story and the way her family’s acceptance helped them all begin to heal?
The happy secret involving young Jack Tyler was a really hard one for Lace and Dooley to keep from their parents. As we close out our discussion on this title, can you remember a secret so wonderful you had a difficult time keeping it to yourself?
Find Victoria Classics Book Club resources—including discussion questions, companion materials, and a reader forum—at Victorimag.com!