Customer Reviews

Dakota Printer

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4 star:		(1)
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You know, I really shouldn't have liked this book. After all, it had two strikes against it from the start: I don't usually like historical fiction, and this book was set in the Dakota Territories, a part of the U.S. that's almost as foreign to this Alabama Southern Belle as ancient Egypt. However, this book also had one overwhelming credit in its favor, and that is the talent of its author, Janet Elaine Smith.

The characters in this book are so well-drawn and likable that they soon felt like old friends, and the story is peppered with so much humor that you can't help smiling as you read it. I also learned--without feeling as if I'd been lectured to--about the origins of newspaper printing, Red River Valley pioneers, Indian relations, and Christian values and tenets that were present in the characters' everyday lives.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I enjoyed this book so much. I've read other JES novels and knew how engaging her writing and storytelling ability are. The next time I begin reading one of her books, I'll have to remember not to go in with any preconceived notions because--as her character Beulah Hegdahl would say--"Ju know, ju can never tell!"

Aw...How good does it get? Not much better than Dakota Printer. The characters are genuine, honest-to-goodness folks. You'll love them all, especially Papa Joseph Levine and Beulah and Mary Yane. That's what Beulah calls Mary Jane. Beulah is Scandinavian and a trip to behold. She is one of those secondary characters that takes the stage and steals the show. The romance between Mary Jane and Jonathan Bohner is tempered yet hot in the heart. It's one of those affairs you'd be happy for your daughter to encounter. The beginning, middle and end flows together like milk and honey. I could go on forever about this unique story, but you'll just have to purchase a copy to get the full benefit of it. One more word to the wise. Don't be surprised if Janet Elaine Smith doesn't grace us with a sequel starring crazy Beulah right up front.

S.K. Hamilton-- author of The Kahills of Willow Walk. Or as Beulah would say, The Kahills of Villow Valk.

A Compelling Family Drama
THE KAHILLS OF WILLOW WALK
www.skhamilton.com --
WATCH THE TRAILER: www.skhamilton.com/video.html
My Blog - www.whispersatwillowwalk.blogspot.com

Janet Elaine Smith has done it again. This not-so-keen-on- historicals reader positively craves to see history as written by the funny and talented multi-published author. God, romance, and an old west pioneer spirit wrap their arms around this part western, part historical romance novel set in the Dakotas in the late 1800's. Scandinavians will appreciate a look back into the roots of their American past. Native Americans will appreciate the beautiful way their culture is shown-with respect for life and customs. There are passages that make you laugh, and passages that constrict your throat so much that your eyes water with real emotion. There were a number of times that I wasn't sure that I could keep reading. But I did, and my reward was a well rounded story of characters so real that I wished it wasn't a novel, but a blueprint for churches, schools, and communities everywhere. The theme of "Dakota Printer" is unity and love-a man for a woman, business to business, the white man for the native Americans and (vice versa), a child for his parent, and society for each of its citizens. This is an exquisite book with a superb message, and I adored it!

Reading Janet Elaine Smith's Dakota Printer is like taking a train ride back in time to witness the events of the era unfold in an exciting drama. She mixes romance with the tough spirit of our forefathers to develop an enchanting novel. Smith is a master of weaving historical events and characters into a bold and remarkable story of life on the Dakota frontier. It is marvelous book that should be read by all walks of like.



L Lee Parmeter Author

"War Stories and Little White Lies"

Mary Jane Levine came to Fargo, North Dakota not long ago, but that nevertheless makes her a "pioneer" because the business she and her grandfather run is one of the only three in a not yet organized town. There's a general mercantile, the Wells Fargo office from which the settlement takes its unofficial name, and the Prairie Pioneer weekly newspaper. The Levines have lived in many other, less remote, places over the years; and in each location Joseph Levine has found his firm stand against the sale of alcohol so unpopular that he's eventually been forced to move on. That doesn't stop him from taking the same stand in Fargo, though. The Pioneer will accept no advertising from anyone who sells alcohol, and that means no advertising. Not just none for the product that "Papa" Levine holds responsible for much of the white man's evil effects on Native Americans.

Papa's health has been worn down, and Mary Jane has found herself pressed into service for tasks she finds physically challenging, since the rest of the family - Papa's son and daughter-in-law (Mary Jane's parents), and his beloved wife - died on the trail to Fargo. Papa has been praying for someone to help them now, and when a young man named Jonathan Bohner arrives unannounced Papa declares that he's the answer to those prayers. Mary Jane, though, isn't so sure. She's not eager to have her close partnership with Papa intruded upon, and something about Jonathan - well - annoys her.

I've wondered how inspirational fiction by Janet Elaine Smith would read, since she has such a sure touch when writing mainstream and genre fiction aimed at a general audience. In those works her characters rely upon their Christian faith without flaunting it or preaching about it, and the result is always a book anyone might enjoy. Dakota Printer's overtly Christian message works beautifully because Smith has given Papa Levine a cause that fits the novel's time and place. The Temperance Movement of the 19th Century, and the evangelizing of Native Americans (the book's other plot driver), are both part of the Dakota Territory's history. Dakota Printer is the sort of sweet inspirational romance my older sister would love, but it also worked for me - a far more hard boiled sort of reader! - because that solid grounding kept it from reading like a sermon instead of a story. It also boasts some of Smith's best show-stealing secondary characters, with Beulah Hegdahl ("Mary Yane! Mary Yane!") leading the pack. Loads of fun!

Dakota Printer takes place in the 1800's in Fargo. It is a wonderfully touching story. The characters are warm and make you want to go back in time and live there. There is a delightful sense of community amongst the characters.
I enjoyed reading it very much.