Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - November of the Heart

November of the Heart
November of the Heart
Author: LaVyrle Spencer
Set at the turn of the century, November of the Heart tells of Lorna Barnett, a young woman from a wealthy Saint Paul family, and Jens Harken, the ambitious dreamer who works in the kitchen of her family's summer estate. Lorna's father, Gideon, an avid sailor, is determined to claim victory for his own White Bear Yacht Club in t...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780399138010
ISBN-10: 0399138013
Publication Date: 2/24/1993
Pages: 381
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 51

3.9 stars, based on 51 ratings
Publisher: Putnam Pub Group (T)
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed November of the Heart on + 588 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Set at the turn of the century, NOVEMBER OF THE HEART tells of Lorna Barnett--a young woman from a wealthy St. Paul family..and Jens Harken--the ambitious dreamer who works in the kitchen of her family's summer estate. Trapped in a rigid social caste system yet drawn inexorably together, Lorna and Jens begin a clandestine affair as fresh and innocent as the summer itself. But the repercussions of that passionate idyll soon separate them against their wills, forcing them through buried scandal and shame to endure a loneliness where it is always the "November of the heart." Does love have the power to reunite themn--when the world wills them apart?
reviewed November of the Heart on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
1895 in Minnesota a rich girl falls for a mere laborer. The girls parents do anything and everything to keep them apart.
reviewed November of the Heart on + 552 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Annotation
The splendid New York Times bestseller by the author of Bygones, Separate Beds and Hummingbird. Includes a special preview of Spencer's newest hardcover, Family Blessings. LG Alternate.

From the Publisher
Set at the turn of the century, November of the Heart tells of Lorna Barnett, from a wealthy St. Paul family, and Jens Harken, the ambitious dreamer who works in the kitchen of her family's summer estate. Trapped in a rigid social caste system, yet drawn irresistibly together, Lorna and Jens begin a clandestine affair as fresh and innocent as the summer itself. But the repercussions of that passionate idyll soon separate them against their wills, forcing them through buried scandal and shame to endure a loneliness where it is always the "November of the heart." Does love have the power to reunite them - when the world tears them apart?

From The Critics
BookList
Much to Gideon Barnett's dismay, his daughter, Lorna, has inherited his forceful personality and his passion for sailing. The overbearing millionaire who is captain of the local yacht club would prefer that his beautiful daughter spend her time in more ladylike pursuits, such as snaring a husband. When an impetuous member of the kitchen staff tells Gideon, after a disastrous race, that he can build a revolutionary sailboat that will restore the fame of the White Bear Yacht Club, Lorna is intrigued. And it is not only the boat designs that capture her interest. The love affair between the immigrant Norse boat builder and the society girl trades upon an old story, but one that's ably told by this author with a sharp sense of period detail and the vagaries of human nature.
Read All 27 Book Reviews of "November of the Heart"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed November of the Heart on + 247 more book reviews
Good reading. Shows what women had to go thru in the old days romantically. What a difference between then and now! My daughter is now finding out how difficult life can be when you marry someone you don't truely love.
mellyjoy avatar reviewed November of the Heart on + 3 more book reviews
i love this book. i think this might be the first romance novel i ever read about 15 years ago, and i still can pick up this book and just be transported.
reviewed November of the Heart on + 7 more book reviews
Takes me back to my youth!
reviewed November of the Heart on + 36 more book reviews
Another wonderful book from LaVyrle Spencer--I loved it so much I read it twice!
toni avatar reviewed November of the Heart on + 351 more book reviews
When handsome kitchen hand and boat builder Jens Harken audaciously offers to build his employer a regatta-winning yacht, he draws the attention of the master's daughter. Budding beauty Lorna Barnett, disturbingly attracted to Jens despite the restrictions of 19th-century Minnesota's high society, helps him get his chance by breaking down her father's arrogant resistance to new ideas. As the boat takes shape, Jens and Lorna give in to an ill-advised, impossible love that nearly results in a scandal and ultimately requires Lorna to risk the only life she has ever known for the life she really wants.
reviewed November of the Heart on + 331 more book reviews
Spell-binding story of true love and devotion.


Genres: