Out to Canaan

by Karon, Jan

• ISBN13: 9780670874859
• ISBN10: 067087485X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-05-01
• Publisher: Viking Adult

Summary

Father Tim, the Episcopal rector, and his talented and vivacious wife, Cynthia, are pondering the murky uncertainties of retirement. They're also trying to locate the scattered siblings of Dooley Barlowe, the mountain boy they love as their own. A brash new mayoral candidate is calling for aggressive development, and a tough survivor must hunker down for the fight of her life. Worse, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing, and a suspicious real estate agent is trying to turn the beloved house on the hill into a spa. Can change be coming to Mitford? The buzz on Main Street says yes. Change is certainly coming to the tenderest regions of several townspeople's lives. A woman struggles every day to stay on course after years of hard living. A man tries to forgive himself for a tragic mistake. And the town's most eligible bachelor leaves Mitford -- and returns with a stunning surprise.

Author Biography

Jan Karon, born Janice Meredith Wilson in the foothills of North Carolina, was named after the title of a popular novel, Janice Meredith.

Jan wrote her first novel at the age of ten. "The manuscript was written on Blue Horse notebook paper, and was, for good reason, kept hidden from my sister. When she found it, she discovered the one curse word I had, with pounding heart, included in someone's speech. For Pete's sake, hadn't Rhett Butler used that very same word and gotten away with it? After my grandmother's exceedingly focused reproof, I've written books without cussin' ever since."

Several years ago, Karon left a successful career in advertising to move to the mountain village of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and write books. "I stepped out on faith to follow my lifelong dream of being an author," she says. "I made real sacrifices and took big risks. But living, it seems to me, is largely about risk."

Enthusiastic booksellers across the country have introduced readers of all ages to Karon's heartwarming books. At Home in Mitford, Karon's first book in the Mitford series, was nominated for an ABBY by the American Booksellers Association in 1996 and again in 1997. Bookstore owner, Shirley Sprinkle, says, "The Mitford Books have been our all-time fiction bestsellers since we went in business twenty-five years ago. We've sold 10,000 of Jan's books and don't see any end to the Mitford phenomenon."

Table of Contents

ONE: A Tea and a Half	1	(17)
TWO: Step by Step	18	(17)
THREE: Eden	35	(17)
FOUR: A Full House	52	(18)
FIVE: Out to Canaan	70	(19)
SIX: A Small Boom	89	(19)
SEVEN: Housewarming	108	(17)
EIGHT: Political Barbecue	125	(18)
NINE: Life in the Fast Lane	143	(19)
TEN: Those Who Are Able	162	(19)
ELEVEN: Amazing Grace	181	(18)
TWELVE: Waiting	199	(18)
THIRTEEN: The Fields Are White	217	(15)
FOURTEEN: Play Ball	232	(10)
FIFTEEN: Day into Night	242	(14)
SIXTEEN: Bookends	256	(13)
SEVENTEEN: Deep Blue Sea	269	(15)
EIGHTEEN: A Cup of Kindness	284	(18)
NINETEEN: Fernbank	302	(20)
TWENTY: New Every Morning	322	(14)
TWENTY-ONE: Lion and Lamb	336