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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
“Los dulces años” de Lavyrle Spencer, es un libro de género romántico que fue publicado por primera vez en 1986, en el género romántico cualquier libro anterior a 2010 se considera ya viejo, porque 2010 fue el año a partir del cual se consideró que la romántica debía dejar atrás ciertas cosas.
Sin embargo Lavyrle Spencer no cae en esos tópicos. Es cierto que se nota el paso del tiempo en algunos pequeños aspectos, pero aun así este es un libro que ha envejecido bien. Es un enemies to lovers pero no cae en tópicos del género.
“Los dulces años” cuenta una historia de pioneros, de vidas duras dedicadas a una tierra que exige mucho, son gente que vinieron de otro lugar, en este caso Noruega, para buscar una vida mejor y poder darle un futuro a sus hijos y a los hijos de sus hijos. En ellos hace mella el desarraigo que afecta incluso a las generaciones ya nacidas en la tierra de Dakota del Norte. No saben si son del todo americanos y no sienten que hayan dejado de ser noruegos, viven aferrados a las viejas costumbres de su tierra de origen y les cuesta adaptarse a la lengua y las costumbres de la nueva vida.
Linnea es una joven maestra de escuela que se enamora perdidamente de un hombre sencillo, trabajador, inteligente y analfabeto. Theodore es un buen hombre aunque sea cabezota como una mula y esté obsesionado con que le saca 16 años a la joven. Pero ella tiene fe en lo que sienten ambos y está dispuesta a luchar por los dos y por esa familia extensa de noruegos grandes, cabezotas, sencillos y tremendamente entrañables. Linnea se hace hueco entre la fuerte mujer que es la madre de Teddy y el enamoradizo hijo de 16 años, Kristian y reclama un lugar propio en el corazón de un hombre dispuesto a crecer y avanzar con tal de ser digno de ella. Las partes en que Linnea enseña a Teddy a leer son de mis favoritas. Y las partes en que Teddy le pide a su hijo que le ayude con su lectura también.
De fondo, la primera guerra mundial, en tierras lejanas pero presente y cada vez más amenazante en las sencillas vidas de Alamo. Y la dureza del clima, la lucha por la supervivencia, el enorme amor que une a todos los hermanos, los sobrinos, los hijos, las madres. Es un libro que tiene partes muy duras, a Lavyrle Spencer no le tiembla la mano en ese sentido, pero que vale muchísimo la pena. Creo que es un libro que voy a releer mucho y recordar con mucho cariño, por la fuerte, decidida y soñadora Linnea, por el gran corazón de Teddy, por la dulce presencia de John, por la matriarca que siempre tira del carro Nissa, por ese jovenzuelo Kristian que descubre los primeros amores, por esos niños tan increíbles de la escuela, por tantas cosas.
Quiero leer más cosas de Spencer porque además, a pesar de que la traducción tiene algunos fallitos, se ve perfectamente que hacía magia con las palabras. Esta es una historia tan profunda y tan bien llevada, tiene una ambientación tan real, tan vívida que da rabia que tesoros como este tengan esa etiqueta tan despreciada por el gran público. Merece ser leído.
Sin embargo Lavyrle Spencer no cae en esos tópicos. Es cierto que se nota el paso del tiempo en algunos pequeños aspectos, pero aun así este es un libro que ha envejecido bien. Es un enemies to lovers pero no cae en tópicos del género.
“Los dulces años” cuenta una historia de pioneros, de vidas duras dedicadas a una tierra que exige mucho, son gente que vinieron de otro lugar, en este caso Noruega, para buscar una vida mejor y poder darle un futuro a sus hijos y a los hijos de sus hijos. En ellos hace mella el desarraigo que afecta incluso a las generaciones ya nacidas en la tierra de Dakota del Norte. No saben si son del todo americanos y no sienten que hayan dejado de ser noruegos, viven aferrados a las viejas costumbres de su tierra de origen y les cuesta adaptarse a la lengua y las costumbres de la nueva vida.
Linnea es una joven maestra de escuela que se enamora perdidamente de un hombre sencillo, trabajador, inteligente y analfabeto. Theodore es un buen hombre aunque sea cabezota como una mula y esté obsesionado con que le saca 16 años a la joven. Pero ella tiene fe en lo que sienten ambos y está dispuesta a luchar por los dos y por esa familia extensa de noruegos grandes, cabezotas, sencillos y tremendamente entrañables. Linnea se hace hueco entre la fuerte mujer que es la madre de Teddy y el enamoradizo hijo de 16 años, Kristian y reclama un lugar propio en el corazón de un hombre dispuesto a crecer y avanzar con tal de ser digno de ella. Las partes en que Linnea enseña a Teddy a leer son de mis favoritas. Y las partes en que Teddy le pide a su hijo que le ayude con su lectura también.
De fondo, la primera guerra mundial, en tierras lejanas pero presente y cada vez más amenazante en las sencillas vidas de Alamo. Y la dureza del clima, la lucha por la supervivencia, el enorme amor que une a todos los hermanos, los sobrinos, los hijos, las madres. Es un libro que tiene partes muy duras, a Lavyrle Spencer no le tiembla la mano en ese sentido, pero que vale muchísimo la pena. Creo que es un libro que voy a releer mucho y recordar con mucho cariño, por la fuerte, decidida y soñadora Linnea, por el gran corazón de Teddy, por la dulce presencia de John, por la matriarca que siempre tira del carro Nissa, por ese jovenzuelo Kristian que descubre los primeros amores, por esos niños tan increíbles de la escuela, por tantas cosas.
Quiero leer más cosas de Spencer porque además, a pesar de que la traducción tiene algunos fallitos, se ve perfectamente que hacía magia con las palabras. Esta es una historia tan profunda y tan bien llevada, tiene una ambientación tan real, tan vívida que da rabia que tesoros como este tengan esa etiqueta tan despreciada por el gran público. Merece ser leído.
This came up as a recommended read because I love the book Christy by Catherine Marshall. They got the young schoolteacher, away from home, in a romance part right, but what was really missing in this book was a deeper purpose. Christy was more of a coming-of-age tale, with Christy learning about life, love, and God. This one was a straight up love story, and fell a little flat for me.
I liked most of Linnea and Teddy’s relationship but what I couldn’t read in this book was how both of the main characters were with other people. There is no cheating in this book as the main characters weren’t together when Teddy slept with another woman and when Linnea went on dates with other men but I just didn’t want to read about that. Also, Linnea was jealous of Isabelle and instead of reassuring her or something, Teddy just tells her to get over it and that he won’t be changing anything for her. I got that Isabelle was important since she cooked for all the other workers but couldn’t Teddy try to show Linnea that she meant more to him?
I liked the main characters interaction as they had funny arguments but then when they got married that sort of stopped and the book wasn’t as funny anymore.
The children in the school were fun to read about too but I wished there was more about them.
The book ended and while there is a HEA, I wasn’t satisfied as a lot of things changed at the end and there wasn’t time for the main characters to adjust to it and I wanted to see what their lives would be like now.
Some parts of this book were funny and I liked seeing the side characters but other parts were a bit boring and not much happened.
I liked the main characters interaction as they had funny arguments but then when they got married that sort of stopped and the book wasn’t as funny anymore.
The children in the school were fun to read about too but I wished there was more about them.
The book ended and while there is a HEA, I wasn’t satisfied as a lot of things changed at the end and there wasn’t time for the main characters to adjust to it and I wanted to see what their lives would be like now.
Spoiler
John dying was really sad as I liked his character and I felt like he wasn’t shown enough. But after John dies, Kristian goes off to become a soldier and the Spanish flu meant that Nissa, Tony and Rose died. The book ends in when the war ends so Kristian is supposed to come home and the baby is born but I felt like there was so much that needed to be showed. What would life be like when Kristian comes home? Will he keep living with his father or will he move somewhere? How is Linnea going to manage the house and the new baby when it has always been Nissa taking care of the house so while Linnea is trying to figure out what to do at home, she’s going to have a baby to take care of on her own.Some parts of this book were funny and I liked seeing the side characters but other parts were a bit boring and not much happened.
Empiezas pensando que va a ser un romance histórico así normalillo y acabas llorando como una magdalena. Madre mía qué bonito y que triste
Not quite as good as Morning Glory - this was an earlier book of Spencer's. The only qualm I have with her writing style is that she packs so much into her book, she leaves me wondering about little details that she introduces and fails to acknowledge again. I noticed that in both this book and Morning Glory
Taking into consideration the category - chick lit -- from what I remember this was a great read.
Ever since I started to know much about anything about romance books, I had a list of authors that I wasn’t too interested in reading. Over the past few years I’ve slowly been working through that list and giving these authors a fair chance, because really, I was basing this opinion on inklings and feelings and why shouldn’t they get a fair chance?
Anyway, LaVyrle Spencer was one of the authors on my list that I didn’t think would be my kind of writer, so I thought I would give her a try.
I had Years recommended to me as a good place to start with her, so that was the book I choose.
Now, for the first ¾ of this book I was going along okay, it was a bit too much “community-romancey” which I’m not a big fan of and I wasn’t overly taken away by the story, even if I was quite amused by the uniqueness of the setting – 1917 in North Dakota in a Norwegian farming community. Definitely a unique setting for me.
So, yes, I get to 75% through the book, and I know that this isn’t an author I’d read again, but there was nothing too objectionable about the book. Then the hero and heroine proclaim their love and get married – usually that’s the HEA, right?
Well, then we get the last 25% of the book, which was, quite frankly, god damn awful. It was miserable and depressing and horrible, and did not need to have happened.
Serious spoilers ahead, and please, tell me, does this sound remotely romantic? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not expecting all sunshine and roses and lollipops in my romances, but if something bad happens, I do expect it to have a point in the emotional growth of its characters towards their HEA. Keeping in mind, this has already happened in this book.
There was a snow storm, they had to kill and gut their beloved horses so they could climb inside their corpses and still John dies.
Then one of the heroine’s students starts choking and tries to rape a little girl.
Then the mother dies in a Spanish Influenza outbreak while the son trots off to war.
Cheerful stuff right?
Honestly, if I hadn’t been reading on an ereader, this book would have been tossed across the room post-haste. The last quarter of this book made me angry and turned my general ambivalence about this book and this author into a firm vow never to go near one of her books ever again. Awful, awful stuff that didn’t have to be there.
Bah.
Anyway, LaVyrle Spencer was one of the authors on my list that I didn’t think would be my kind of writer, so I thought I would give her a try.
I had Years recommended to me as a good place to start with her, so that was the book I choose.
Now, for the first ¾ of this book I was going along okay, it was a bit too much “community-romancey” which I’m not a big fan of and I wasn’t overly taken away by the story, even if I was quite amused by the uniqueness of the setting – 1917 in North Dakota in a Norwegian farming community. Definitely a unique setting for me.
So, yes, I get to 75% through the book, and I know that this isn’t an author I’d read again, but there was nothing too objectionable about the book. Then the hero and heroine proclaim their love and get married – usually that’s the HEA, right?
Well, then we get the last 25% of the book, which was, quite frankly, god damn awful. It was miserable and depressing and horrible, and did not need to have happened.
Serious spoilers ahead, and please, tell me, does this sound remotely romantic? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not expecting all sunshine and roses and lollipops in my romances, but if something bad happens, I do expect it to have a point in the emotional growth of its characters towards their HEA. Keeping in mind, this has already happened in this book.
There was a snow storm, they had to kill and gut their beloved horses so they could climb inside their corpses and still John dies.
Then one of the heroine’s students starts choking and tries to rape a little girl.
Then the mother dies in a Spanish Influenza outbreak while the son trots off to war.
Cheerful stuff right?
Honestly, if I hadn’t been reading on an ereader, this book would have been tossed across the room post-haste. The last quarter of this book made me angry and turned my general ambivalence about this book and this author into a firm vow never to go near one of her books ever again. Awful, awful stuff that didn’t have to be there.
Bah.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Hacía tantísimo tiempo que un libro romántico no me gustaba tanto, que me parece mal ponerle menos nota, aunque haya algunas cosillas que me hubieran gustado más de otra forma. Los personajes son geniales, y la historia, aunque dulce y romántica, no deja de ser bastante dura.
Five stars when I read it years ago, 4 stars today. Linnea and Teddy were made for each other.