Years [Paperback]

LaVyrle Spencer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2003

As World War I threatens to take those she holds dear, a lovely schoolteacher grows to womanhood in the arms of a man who'd given up on love.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Linnea Bradenborg expects to find culture and excitement in Alamo, North Dakota, where she's recently been hired as the new schoolteacher. Instead, she finds a sparse little town in the middle of nowhere. Better yet, her train is met by a cantankerous wheat farmer named Theodore Westgaard who doesn't bother to hide his displeasure when he discovers that L.I. Brandenborg is a woman and not the man he was expecting. Westgaard thinks twice about bringing Linnea home to live with him, but he soon realizes that he has no choice. All of the town's past schoolteachers have lived with the Westgaard family--made up of Theodore, his mother, and his teenaged son--due to their farm being located very near the schoolhouse, and so Theodore allows Linnea into his home. But who could have guessed that this young, independent woman would soon find her way into the handsome farmer's heart? A compelling classic to be read again and again, Years is a fitting tribute to the pioneer schoolteachers who braved many hardships to share the gift of knowledge with countless children. --Maudeen Wachsmith --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In September 1917, 18-year-old Linnea Brandonberg steps off the train in Alamo, North Dakota, eager to begin her first teaching job. A town girl, she is not prepared for the dour reception of the Westgaard family, with whom she is boarding. But rather than let people and circumstances master her, she singlehandedly changes them, including Theodore Westgaard, a bitter widower of 35 who never thought he would fall in love again. Spencer has done a splendid job here in making this more than a story of two people enamored of each other. She describes the growth of Teddy and Linnea's love with sensitivity and refreshing candor and brings all the residents of Alamo to life in a way that makes the reader care about their satisfactions and heartaches.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425195783
• ISBN-13: 978-0425195789
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,116,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heartwarming, romantic, value oriented, life story., August 28, 1999

By 

Katie LeGere (Georgetown, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Years (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read this book over and over and will continue to do so for a lifetime! The story is not only a love story, but it also teaches values that seemed to have been lost in this day and age. The author describes the landscape in breathtaking detail. You feel as if you are there! The characters are full and rich. The heroine is young, gutsy and what every woman could wish to be. The hero is not typical, cranky, shy, strong and honorable. This couple actually waits until they are married to make love!! I laughed, yearned for them and cried with them. It is a book that will leave a warm feeling in your heart. You will never want to see it end.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I fall in love every time I read it :-)!!, October 4, 2004

By 

E. Barnhart (Tampa, Fl USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Years (Mass Market Paperback)

About once a year or two I read Years and I fall in love with Teddy all over again. I never have to skip over parts because I've read the book so many times, and I always find myself awake late into the night finishing the story. I just can't put it down. Linnea is also an endearing character. She doesn't irritate me with non-stop defiance, and she doesn't make me sick with her beauty and perfection. I love these two characters and all the others surrounding their story. You will NOT be disappointed when you buy this book.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of heartache, growing up, and love., August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Years (Mass Market Paperback)

I just recently started reading Lavyrle Spencer's books, and so far this is one of my favorites. Spencer's novels are more then a romance novel, they are an excellent and breathtakingt story! She makes you feel at home with the characters and makes you feel what they are feeling. This particular nove talkes place in 1918--Alamo, North Dakota. Its about an 18 year old girl who just received her teaching certificate and has gotten her first job away from home. She is very excited about her new experience and despartley wants to grow up. As the story continues, Linnea learns about the hardships of farming, war, and love. She struggles to keep herself from falling in love with an older man, but can't get him out of her mind. Read the story to find out what happens between Linnea and Theodore!!!