Dakota Born (Dakota Series #1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Debbie Macomber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007

Buffalo Valley is the place of my heart. My parents came from towns a lot like this in the Dakotas, so Buffalo Valley has special meaning for me. I hope that in reading Dakota Born you'll share my love for the prairie and for its proud, hardworking people.
Debbie Macomber

Buffalo Valley, North Dakota. Like so many small Midwest towns, it's dying. Stores are boarded up, sidewalks cracked, houses need a coat of paint. But despite all that,there's a spirit of hope here, of defiance. The people still living in Buffalo Valley are fighting for their town.

Lyndsay Snyder is a newcomer. She's an outsider, even though she spent childhood vacations here. Now she returns to see the family house again, to explore family secrets and reevaluate her life.

To her own astonishment, she decides to stay, to accept the vacant position of teacher. Her decision marks a new beginning for Buffalo Valley and for Lyndsay, who discovers in this broken little town the love and purpose she's been seeking.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: Buffalo Valley, North Dakota
Sensuality Rating: 3

In Dakota Born, veteran author Debbie Macomber introduces readers to the town of Buffalo Valley, North Dakota, a struggling farming community. Buffalo Valley is dying. But its citizens won't give up on the town where generations have lived, loved, raised families, worked hard, and died. When Savannah-born Lindsay Snyder decides to accept the teaching position in Buffalo Valley, she brings a breath of fresh air with her. Lindsay is trying to escape a stalled romance and learn more about her family, especially her grandmother Gina, who lived her entire life in the tiny town. Buffalo Valley has its share of characters, including Hassie Knight, the matriarch of this small community; Buffalo Bob Carr, the ex-biker who won the local watering hole in a poker game; and Gage Sinclair, the handsome farmer whose roots are deeply planted in the fertile soil of this North Dakota village. But Gage refuses to believe that Lindsay will find any reason to stay so far from the bright lights of the big city she recently called home. And Lindsay despairs that Gage will never comprehend that she has the best reason to remain--love, for him. With its many story lines, Dakota Born is more novel than romance, but Macomber's loyal enthusiasts and those new to Macomber's magic touch will be rooting for the little town that won't say die. --Alison Trinkle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Readers are "certain to take to the Dakota series as they would to cotton candy at a state fair." -- Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Mira (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778325113
• ISBN-13: 978-0778325116
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With more than 100 million copies of her books sold worldwide, Debbie Macomber is one of today's most popular authors.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author is best known for her ability to create compelling characters and bring their stories to life in her books. Drawing on her own experiences and observations, Debbie writes heartwarming tales about small-town life, home and family and enduring friendships. Every book features the delightful sense of humor that readers around the world clamor for.

Debbie is a regular resident on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times (55 times and counting), USA TODAY (currently 63 times) and Publishers Weekly (23 times to date). She is the first-ever recipient of the "readers' choice" Quill Award for Romance Fiction, for 44 Cranberry Point, the fourth book in her highly popular Cedar Cove series. Debbie has also been honored with a RITA® Award, a Romantic Times BOOKreviews Career Achievement Award and is a multiple winner of both the Holt Medallion and the B. Dalton Award.

Her recent books include 92 Pacific Boulevard, 8 Sandpiper Way, 74 Seaside Avenue and Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook, as well as Twenty Wishes, A Cedar Cove Christmas, Summer on Blossom Street and The Perfect Christmas.

For more information on Debbie and her books, visit her Web site: www.DebbieMacomber.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dakota Born, April 8, 2000

By 

Betsy Lord (Castle Creek, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dakota Born (Dakota Series #1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I received Ms. Macomer's latest book "Dakota Born" in the mail yesterday and finished reading it this morning. I thoughly enjoyed it. Having spent most of my life in a small town I can relate to this story. The characters of Lindsay, Gage, Brandon, Joanie, Rachael, Heath, Buffalo Bob, Merrily, and Hattie are all appealing and well developed. Their lives all entwine with each other for a very entertaining story. I was especially glad to see Lindsey and Gage finally get together and Gage's half brother Kevin get to live his dream. Was disappointed that the problems Brandon and Joanie are having did not get resolved in this book. Also, the storylines of Rachael and Heath, Sarah and Dennis, Buffalo Bob and Merrily left me wondering. Hopefully there will be more of their storylines in "Dakota Home". Cannot wait until September 2000 to see what happens in Buffalo Valley. Great book which I couldn't put down - ENJOY....

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant romance, April 6, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dakota Born (Dakota Series #1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Buffalo Valley, North Dakota appears to be a town doomed to die in spite the courage and desire of the locals to preserve their lifestyle. Adding to the townsfolk's worries is the recent death of the schoolteacher with no replacement prospect imminently on the horizon.

Needing to escape her troubled relationship with no future, Savannah resident Lindsay Snyder flees to Buffalo Valley. She remembers spending many happy summers in the hometown of her grandparents and hopes to recapture some of those feelings rather than remain in a fruitless relationship. Lindsay signs a contract to teach at the high school for one year. Instead of the anticipated boredom, Lindsay loves the job almost as much as she loves local rancher Gabe Sinclair. However, though she tries very hard to belong, the townsfolk make her feel like an outsider and Gabe refuses to open up his heart because he expects the outsider to return to Georgia.

DAKOTA BORN is more than just a regional contemporary romance. The tale centers on the residents' reverence to the spirit of small town living even when the future seems very bleak. The lead couple is a wonderful pair and the support cast brings North Dakota to life more so than the movie, Fargo. It is the local residents who turn New York Times best-selling author Debbie Macomber's latest work into a triumph of the human spirit leaving fans wanting an earlier release to the remaining two novels.

Harriet Klausner

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mom Couldn't Put it Down!, April 20, 2000

By 

Beachreader "BeachReader" (Port Townsend, WA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dakota Born (Dakota Series #1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Although I haven't yet read this book, I wanted to give an outstanding recommendation via my 80-year-old mother who was born and raised in North Dakota and was a schoolteacher there in the 1940s. She grabbed the book from me while we were traveling in the South Dakota together earlier this month and despite her complaint of "small print" (she has vision difficulties) she couldn't put it down. She couldn't stop remarking on how much she was loving DAKOTA BORN. For a person who reads only one or two books a month, this is outstanding praise.