LETTER- Karon's Mitford eerie similar

I read with interest your correction about the reference to Jan Karon's Mitford series ["Karon's Mitford's a town" August 23]. I read her series after a friend recommended it.

I bought the entire series and started reading, when to my astonishment, I felt like I had just read the same series.

The month before, I finished reading Thrush Green by Miss Read. English village, fire, marriages, characters– almost all alike, even the replacement of material for a kneeling bench.

I did some research and discovered Miss Read is Dora Jessie Saint. 

Can you just copy someone's stories like that? I didn't think you could! If you can, boy, I can become a best selling author. I'll just change some names, locations, and I'll be rich and well known before you know it.

Miss Read was about 91 when these stories by Karon were written. I know because I wrote to her. She lives in Ipswich, England.

Can I copy a cookbook and change a few of the recipes? If so, I'm going to start my career right away.

Perhaps someone at the Hook can look into this.

Marjorie Grewe
Staunton

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