LaVyrle Spencer
Author of That Camden Summer
About the Author
LaVyrle Spencer was born in Browerville, Minnesota on July 17, 1943. While working as a teacher's aide at Osseo Junior High School, she started writing her first novel, The Fulfillment, which was published in 1979. She has written more than a dozen novels that have hit the New York Times bestseller show more list, and many of her works have been condensed for Reader's Digest and Good Housekeeping. She has won five Romance Writers of America RITA Awards for her novels The Endearment, Hummingbird, Twice Loved, The Gamble, and Morning Glory. In 1988, she was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Many of her novels have been made into television movies including The Fulfillment, Home Song, and Family Blessings and the major motion picture Morning Glory. She retired from writing in 1997. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by LaVyrle Spencer
November of the heart. Book 3 of a 4 volume publication by Reader's Digest Vol. 3 1993 (1993) 3 copies
La fille d'à côté 2 copies
The Humming Bird 1 copy
O triunfo do amor (70) 1 copy
Smak marzeń 1 copy
Powój 1 copy
Megbocsts 1 copy
Separate Beds #, Forsaking all Others #, A Promise to Cherish #, — Author — 1 copy
a braccia aperte 1 copy
The Brethern 1 copy
Přísahy 1 copy
A Fountain Filled with Blood 1 copy
Ein Sommer in Main 1 copy
Associated Works
Reader's Digest Condensed Books 1996 v02: Coming Home / Come to Grief / That Camden Summer / Blaze (1996) — Author — 160 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books 1997 v02: The Third Twin / Small Town Girl / To the Hilt / The Burning Man (1997) — Author — 69 copies
Reader's Digest Select Editions 1998 v03 #237: The Winner / Homeport / Then Came Heaven / Flight of Eagles (1998) — Contributor — 46 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books 1993 v03: Mrs. Washington and Horowitz, Too / Point of Impact / November of the Heart / Shooting Script (1993) — Author — 31 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Straight • Morning Glory • Touching the Void • The Negotiator (1990) — Contributor — 10 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Death Penalties • River God • November of the Heart • No Picnic on Mount Kenya (1993) 7 copies
Livros Condensados: O Sócio | O Céu Na Terra | Jogo Mortífero | Laços De Sangue (1998) — Author — 4 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Come to Grief • Coming Home • Oscar: The True Story of a Husky • That Camden Summer (1996) 4 copies
Kirjavaliot: Pelikaanimuistio, Onnen sirpaleet, Paluu, Kuin kulkisi pimeässä (1994) — Author — 3 copies
Het Beste Boek 161: De koning van het meer / Een tweede kans / De genadeloze nacht / Parels voor Anna — Author — 3 copies, 1 review
Time Life Book Digest: The Burden of Proof / Bitter Sweet / The Longest Tunnel / The Gold Coast (1990) 3 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Tiebreaker, Morning Glory, Her Name Will Be Faith, Johnnie Alone 2 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Night Over Water • Bygones • Search Dog • Doctor on Trial — Contributor — 2 copies
Livros Condensados: Furacão em Nova Iorque | Bracken| O Triunfo do Amor | O Peregrino do Estuário (1992) 2 copies
Het Beste Boek 182: Het alibi / Die zomer in Camden / Het vierkant van de wraak / De vlucht van de valk (1997) — Author — 2 copies, 1 review
Až za hrob; Příslib lásky; Toxin; Měsíční svit Ti sluší — Author — 1 copy
Reader's Digest Select Editions: Cobra Event / Then Came Heaven / Remote Control / The Shadowy Horses (1999) — Contributor — 1 copy
In een sluier gevangen; Thriller voor twee camera's; Haagwinde; De Genève connectie 1 copy, 1 review
Readers Digest Select Editions: The Final Judgement | Icebound | That Camden Summer | Wildfire (1997) — Author — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1943-07-17
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- Teacher's aide
novelist - Relationships
- Spencer, Dan (husband)
Spencer, Amy (daughter)
Spencer, Beth (daughter) - Short biography
- LaVyrle was born on July 17, 1943 in Browerville, Minnesota, USA, where she grew up. Married with her high school sweetheart Dan Spencer, shortly after her graduation, they had two daughters, Amy and Beth (d. 1990).
LaVyrle worked as a teacher's aide at Osseo Junior High School, when in her thirties, she read Kathleen E. Woodwiss's novel "The Flame and Flower", which gave her the idea to become a novelist. She decided to try transferring to paper a recurring dream she was having about a story based on her grandmother's lifestyle on a Minnesota farm. Her story became her first manuscript, The Fulfillment, that she sent to Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. The bestselling author read the novel and promptly mailed it to her own editor at Avon. The editor purchased the novel, which was published in 1979. She was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame in 1988. She wrote 23 sweet historical and contemporary novels. Published around the world, her works included 12 New York Times Bestsellers, and have been won 4 RITA Awards, 3 Golden Medallion Award and a Minnesota Book Awards. LaVyrle said: "the trademark of my books is mending relationships, showing people how to mend relationships."
LaVyrle was a founding member of the Midwest Fiction Writers (MFW), chapter 24 of the Romance Writers of America. Four of LaVyrle's novels were produced as television movies: The Fulfillment in 1989 (She and her husband appear as extras in the film), Morning Glory in 1993, Home Song in 1996 and Family Blessings in 1999.
LaVyrle and her husband are grandparents. Her husband was a retired estimator for a general contractor, and she also decided to retire from writing in 1997, after 18 years of career. They live in a Victorian house in her native Minnesota, where she enjoys gardening, cooking, playing bass guitar and electric piano, and photography. - Nationality
- USA (birth)
- Birthplace
- Browerville, Minnesota, USA
- Places of residence
- Browerville, Minnesota, USA
Stillwater, Minnesota, USA - Map Location
- Minnesota, USA
Members
Discussions
Found: 1940s 'small-town' romance - guy been to prison in Name that Book (May 2025)
Found: Historical romance, old west setting, hero owns a saloon, heroine of story has a limp in Name that Book (March 2022)
Romance in Name that Book (November 2014)
romance novel about a one stand betwwen a rich guy poor girl that ends in pregnancy in Name that Book (December 2013)
Romance-possibly Harlequin-Female photographer falls for male model in Name that Book (August 2012)
Reviews
Another satisfying read from Spencer, this one shines as an example of how this author can take situations that would seem cliché in another HR but makes them seem realistic and dramatic in hers. Whether it’s her characterizations or her writing style, she always seems to make her romances down to earth and extremely heartfelt.
I loved all three of our leads. What could justifiably be termed a love triangle, these two brothers and Mary are so practical and earthy that the melodrama is kept show more to a bare minimum (a refreshing take, I assure you). Each character is unique in and of themselves; they form a tight knit family with undercurrents that every family has. I loved how each character has such a distinctive viewpoint on the world and each obstacle presented to them. I fell in love with all of them.
A plotline that actually made me role my eyes before starting, Spencer actually pulls it off by having such great characters and giving everything an atmosphere of plain country life. The way everything was presented, all out in the open and with much of it fully acknowledged by all parties involved, kept this story from sliding into a soup of dramatic farce, a trap I could see another author falling prey to.
The relationships between Mary and each brother were distinct and as varied as both brothers’ personalities. Jonathan was a dedicated farmer whose first love was to the land but who also had a very deep love for Mary, even if he wasn’t able to express it that well. Aaron was the charming, emotional younger brother who is closer in personality to Mary and more in tuned with her needs. Mary finds herself torn between these two men, both of whom she loves in her own way. It tore at the heart to see her affections swing between the brothers, seeing how her relationship with both could make her happy. It definitely kept the emotional tension up!
The one blip in the book I didn’t enjoy was occasionally the atmosphere would get in the way of the story, if that makes sense. The dogged pace of life on a Midwestern farm and the rigmarole of daily routines sometimes got in the way of the story. Not that the description came in massive spurts of text or paragraphs; far from that. However, I found myself getting bored with the scene setting more than I enjoyed it. Spencer seemed to have a similar problem with another book I read by her, Then Came Heaven .
Despite the over use of scene setting in places, this was a very enjoyable historical romance. The characters are strong, and the relationships emotional as heck. This is another winner from Spencer; I look forward to exploring more from her. Highly recommended for those who love emotional HRs! show less
I loved all three of our leads. What could justifiably be termed a love triangle, these two brothers and Mary are so practical and earthy that the melodrama is kept show more to a bare minimum (a refreshing take, I assure you). Each character is unique in and of themselves; they form a tight knit family with undercurrents that every family has. I loved how each character has such a distinctive viewpoint on the world and each obstacle presented to them. I fell in love with all of them.
A plotline that actually made me role my eyes before starting, Spencer actually pulls it off by having such great characters and giving everything an atmosphere of plain country life. The way everything was presented, all out in the open and with much of it fully acknowledged by all parties involved, kept this story from sliding into a soup of dramatic farce, a trap I could see another author falling prey to.
The relationships between Mary and each brother were distinct and as varied as both brothers’ personalities. Jonathan was a dedicated farmer whose first love was to the land but who also had a very deep love for Mary, even if he wasn’t able to express it that well. Aaron was the charming, emotional younger brother who is closer in personality to Mary and more in tuned with her needs. Mary finds herself torn between these two men, both of whom she loves in her own way. It tore at the heart to see her affections swing between the brothers, seeing how her relationship with both could make her happy. It definitely kept the emotional tension up!
The one blip in the book I didn’t enjoy was occasionally the atmosphere would get in the way of the story, if that makes sense. The dogged pace of life on a Midwestern farm and the rigmarole of daily routines sometimes got in the way of the story. Not that the description came in massive spurts of text or paragraphs; far from that. However, I found myself getting bored with the scene setting more than I enjoyed it. Spencer seemed to have a similar problem with another book I read by her, Then Came Heaven .
Despite the over use of scene setting in places, this was a very enjoyable historical romance. The characters are strong, and the relationships emotional as heck. This is another winner from Spencer; I look forward to exploring more from her. Highly recommended for those who love emotional HRs! show less
I guess I'd call this a literary romance, in that it is primarily a love story (and one with a happy ending that you're never really in any doubt is going to come about), but the novel gets its story on the page and moves more like literary fiction than it does like a romance novel. The story opens with the sudden tragic death of Krystyna Olczak, a young wife and mother, and moves from there to follow her husband Eddie, her daughters, and her daughters' teacher, a nun in the local Catholic show more school, as they deal with the aftermath of her death. Spencer does an excellent job putting on the page the small 1950s Minnesota town where the story is set, and her exploration of Sister Regina's doubt about her vocation is handled very well. At times, the book is more character study and consideration of setting than it is anything else, and that is definitely part of what made it such a good read for me. I felt like I was reading about all my older relatives--almost recognizing people I knew as they might have been thirty years before I was born. My only disappointment was that the last tiny bit of the book (the last fifteen pages maybe?) felt a little less carefully put together. Once Eddie and Jean (Sister Regina) had navigated all their obstacles and were finally together, it felt a little, I dunno, almost creepy? Like Spencer put so much effort into exploring all their feelings and concerns and doubts along the way and then at the very end it was all just: and now here we are and everything is fine. Heh? But the journey up to that point was so satisfying that it almost didn't matter. Mostly recommended. show less
Set in 1854, lonely, 25 year old Swedish immigrant, Karl Lindstrom, decides to arrange a marriage with a mail-order bride from Boston. He believes he is getting a woman his age who knows how to run a farm and help him with his homestead. He's both devastated and surprised when illiterate 17 year-old orphan Anna shows up. She doesn't know the slightest thing about farm work or anything else about making a home. Plus, she arrives with her twelve year old brother whom Karl knew nothing about. show more Karl finds himself in the position of either having to marry Anna or send her and her brother away with no place to go.
Anna is both a young woman who is experienced in some ways but immature in others. She's a flawed character that grows with the story. I liked how much detail Spencer added with Karl’s Swedish background and love of his adopted home. The main character's vastly different backgrounds made for an interesting blend. They both balance each other out and provide something the other needs. Even though the Karl could be a bit overbearing in his judgment at times, I still liked him.
The romance in this book was as sweet and "endearing" as we've come to expect in other LaVyrle Spencer books. The Endearment had great characters, an interesting story, and sweet historical romance. show less
Anna is both a young woman who is experienced in some ways but immature in others. She's a flawed character that grows with the story. I liked how much detail Spencer added with Karl’s Swedish background and love of his adopted home. The main character's vastly different backgrounds made for an interesting blend. They both balance each other out and provide something the other needs. Even though the Karl could be a bit overbearing in his judgment at times, I still liked him.
The romance in this book was as sweet and "endearing" as we've come to expect in other LaVyrle Spencer books. The Endearment had great characters, an interesting story, and sweet historical romance. show less
We begin Vows just outside the territory of Wyoming in the year 1888. Vows is a sweet story peppered with the perfect amount of old west/new territory drama. Victorian decorum mixes with modern day sensibilities about love and intimacy. Emily Walcott, a feisty tomboy and fiercely loyal to her family is engaged to a family friend she has known since childhood. Charles Bliss followed her family from back east to Wyoming so not only is he a family friend, he is the epitome of home. However, the show more sparks don't fly when she is kissing Charles Bliss on the wild western plain (thanks, Natalie, for that phrase). Still she knows he is a good man and her family has loved him forever. Enter Thomas Jeffcoat, a stranger in town. Newly arrived, he is the antithesis of Charles. Rough around the edges, a threat to her family's business, and not afraid to speak his mind. Tom Jeffcoat knows how to make sparks catch fire when it comes to Emily Walcott. And there are sparks from the very beginning of their acquaintance. Who will Emily chose for her beau? Safe and familiar Charles or wild and unpredictable Tom?
As an aside, even though Spencer bucked the stereotypical bodice ripper cover, she kept the cliché of one character vehemently hating another while the attraction silently simmered. Love/hate relationships are the perfect vehicle for smoldering passions. show less
As an aside, even though Spencer bucked the stereotypical bodice ripper cover, she kept the cliché of one character vehemently hating another while the attraction silently simmered. Love/hate relationships are the perfect vehicle for smoldering passions. show less
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- Works
- 95
- Also by
- 29
- Members
- 12,248
- Popularity
- #1,911
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 227
- ISBNs
- 566
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- Favorited
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