Born Janice Meredith Wilson in 1937, Jan Karon was raised on a farm near Lenoir, North Carolina. Karon knew at a very early age that she wanted to be a writer. She penned her first novel when she was 10 years old, the same year she won a short-story contest organized by the local high school. Karon married as a teenager and had a daughter, Candace. The constant threat of exposure that Marguerite faces enables the author to accurately evoke what the Jewish people endured in both Nazi Germany and occupied France. The role of French resistance fighters is also highlighted, along with many other historical phenomena that give the book an aura of authenticity. An unscrupulous woman who, while did not paint herself as some pioneering hero in this book, was as much a part of this vile regime as any of those about whom she complains so heartily. This is the true account of nurse June Goulding who took a position as a newly qualified midwife for a year between 1951-1952 in an Irish “home for unmarried mothers”. Karon has also published two Christmas-themed books based on the Mitford series, The Mitford Snowmen and Esther's Gift, as well as Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. Other Mitford books include Patches of Godlight: Father Tim's Favorite Quotes, a compilation of wit and wisdom, and A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim. In addition, Karon has written two children's books, Miss Fannie's Hat and Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny, and an illustrated book for all ages, The Trellis and the Seed.

This is the pontiff who made it possible, in 1947, for nursing nuns to train as midwives. "In my honest opinion," she says, "that was one of the greatest mistakes he ever made. I just don't think nuns and midwifery mix at all."

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This is another reread, and relisten. The audio performances of this series are terrific. The narrator becomes the characters. He changes voices convincingly for each one, and it was a joy to listen. Minor characters are an important part of the Mitford books. Can you name four minor characters? What does one minor character contribute to the fabric of village life in Mitford?

Jan Karon says there are Mitfords all over the country. Do you live in one? If so, why do you think your community is like Mitford? Is Mitford necessarily a small town? Discuss whether it might also be a close neighborhood in a large city. I felt incredibly angry reading this book. As a health care professional I can’t countenance this sort of treatment of anyone, but especially pregnant women, who were alone and scared.This is a true account of June Gouldings work as a midwife in a home for pregnant, unmarried mother's. This home was set in Ireland in the 1950's, and it was owned by the Catholic church, and ran by nuns. This book is presented as a memoir, and the names and place is not mentioned.

It is fair to say that there would be few in her position who would have the stones to stand against the might of the Catholic Church in Ireland, in the fifties, but one would hope that there would be fewer still who would witness the abhorrent treatment of these women by a nun, and then allow that nun to slather her in tanning lotion before she tripped off out to a "dress dance".Wilhelm has his goal of getting his inheritance at the forefront of his mind and as news of Annegret begins to emerge he delves that little bit deeper and discovers the truth behind what Margarete has done. To be honest I found this aspect of the story became implausible and quite far fetched at times. What German officer would do what Wilhelm did given their stance on Jews and the war in general? Would his plan really work? To mention specific details as to what unfolds would give away the main points of the story and this is where things did become a bit confusing but it didn’t always sit right with me that Wilhelm would be so accommodating. He was also placing himself in the firing line given the consequences if what was going on had been discovered. It didn’t bare thinking about if Reiner figured out what was going on but I suppose Wilhelm had his own clear long term goal in mind and was determined to achieve it but I guess he didn’t take into account his human emotions taking over at times. As for her husband's part in this? Also a medically trained man, whose protests against this institution went as far as a few cross words, tuts, eye rolls, and slight indignation at the sight of pregnant women doing manual labour...by tarring the hot road round the corner from the home. June does very little to paint him in a good light in this respect, but he must have been worth it as she managed to buy him gold cufflinks on Christmas, while buying nothing at all for any of own family, instead guiltlessly swanning past the working mothers in the greenhouse to collect dozen chrysanthemums with the Sister to take for her mammy. Many people don’t like to talk about their faith. Why? Why do you think it is socially permissible to discuss sexual behavior, income, politics, and other highly personal matters, yet discussing one’s faith is often discouraged?

His plan seems impossible, and Margarete is terrified they might be found out, not to mention worried about what Wilhelm might want in return. But as the Nazis start rounding up Jews in Paris and the Résistance steps up its activities, putting everyone who opposes the regime in peril, she realizes staying hidden in plain sight may be her only chance of survival…Páči sa mi, ako sa zmenil charakter Wilhelma. Na začiatku bol rozmaznaný syn dôležitej rodiny, ale keď sa jeho okolnosti zmenili a on si musel prispôsobiť svoj život, videli sme ho, ako sa pýta, čo robí, a začína mať pocit, že chce Margarete chrániť aj keď okolie ma na židov iný pohľad. Margaretin neustály strach, jej morálne dilemy, ktorým čelila, sa nečítali ľahko a boli srdcervúce. As June Goulding tells it, things were even worse for those in the hospital where no assistance apart from that of the midwife was allowed - no pain-relief, no episiotomies, no sutures, no healing baths, a doctor who only came to take Wassermann tests or, once, to provide anaesthesia. I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Marion Kummerow's heartbreaking A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW. Jan knew that she wanted to be a writer, and even wrote a novel at the age of ten. Her first real opportunity as a writer came at age eighteen when she took a job as a receptionist at an ad agency. She kept leaving her writing on her boss’s desk until he noticed her ability. Soon she was launched on a forty-year career in advertising. She won assignments in New York and San Francisco, numerous awards, and finally an executive position with a national agency.