Debbie Macomber
Buffalo Valley (2001)
Author: Debbie Macomber
Genre: Romance (Gentle)
Plot Summary:
In this follow-up to Macomber's Dakota series the people of Buffalo Valley again take center stage. Vaughn Kyle is in North Dakota to see his family and check out the town of Buffalo Valley for his new employer, Value X. Value X has plans to build a super store in this small town and Vaughn is there to get a feeling for the people and the community. While visiting he gets much more though - he meets a cast of characters who he soon feels affection for and he begins to understand and respect the struggles the town has faced. While the rest of the town begins to stage a fight against Value X (without knowing Vaughn works for them), Vaughn begins to see the trouble the company would bring. Part of this enlightenment comes from his growing relationship with a local townsperson, Carrie Hendrickson. Carrie has had her share of tough times, but holds her family and her town dear and will do what she can to protect them. While Carrie and Vaughn de
velop feelings for one another they both struggle to come to terms with their feelings about the impending Value X expansion. SPOILER: Vaughn confesses his connection to Value X to Carrie (as well as the fact that he is in a relationship with another woman) and ends both immediately. He then promises to do what he can to save Buffalo Valley and begins plans to move to town and open a store. Meanwhile, the women of Buffalo Valley come together and purchase the land Value X had plans to buy, thus stopping the company from ruining the town. Carrie forgives Vaughn and the two of them begin a new life in Buffalo Valley.
Geographical Setting: Buffalo Valley, North Dakota
Time Period: Present Day
Series: 4th (and final) book in the Dakota Series
Appeal Characteristics:
The pacing of the story is quite unhurried, the author takes her time discussing characters' pasts and their relationships with one another. This leads to some detailed characterization for despite the fact that these characters have mostly appeared in the other books in the series. the author still provides enough of a background for new readers to understand. The secondary characters are both interesting and important to the story in small ways and though the narration is from a third person perspective, it follows the activities and thoughts of more than just the two main characters. This character-driven plot allows for a folksy and gentle story line that emphasizes the values of small town America. The setting of the book acts as another character as the town takes on a life of its own through the author's detailed description. Buffalo Valley is a semi-fictional town (based on an area in North Dakota, but not an actual town) that readers will immediately feel at-home in. The town and its citizens lend a nostalgic tone to the novel, as does the Christmas time setting, making it a timeless story. Finally, Macomber's writing style is simple and unpretentious as she describes both the rural, small town setting and the people who live here.
Read-alikes: Aside from the other books in the Dakota series (and the plethora of other books written by Debbie Macomber), there are quite a few read-alike suggestions that should please fans of Buffalo Valley. The first suggestion I would make would be Jan Karon's Mitford series, starting with the first book At Home in Mitford. This book follows the life of a small town preacher and the members of his congregation. Like Buffalo Valley, this book and the others in the series have a quaint, small town setting to frame the story and a cast of interesting and quirky characters. For fans who enjoyed the rural Dakota setting of Buffalo Valley as well as the story line involving the small town's fight against corporate expansion, High Plains Tango, by Robert James Waller will be an appropriate suggestion. In this novel, a wanderer named Carlisle lands in a small town in South Dakota to get away from "economic progress" only to find that the town is at risk due to plans for a new highway. Another read-alike suggestion for those who enjoyed Macomber's Buffalo Valley is Linda Lael Miller's Springwater Wedding. Like Macomber, Miller uses the same setting for many of her books and this one is a small ranching town in Montana where two high school sweethearts both return after leading very different lives and they are once again drawn to one another and their home. Readers who enjoyed Macomber's measured pace and detailed characterizations of people and places will surely enjoy Springwater Wedding. For those who liked the frame and characters of Buffalo Valley, but might want a bit more suspense Deep in the Valley,by Robyn Carr would be an excellent suggestions. In Carr's novel a small town doctor named Jane Hudson serves a variety of people in the small town of Grace Valley, but when a stranger who can reveal the town's dark secrets comes to town Jane must do what she can to put their world back in order. The most similar appeal element to Buffalo Valley is probably the writing style as Carr (like Macomber) tells the story of the town and its people, not just one person. Readers who enjoy this element will also appreciate the detailed characterization of the people who live in Grace Valley. Finally, fans of Buffalo Valley will likely enjoy Amazing Gracie, by Sherryl Woods. In this story, an independent career woman (Gracie MacDougal) returns to a small coastal town she loved as a child with the intention of opening a Bed and Breakfast but her plans are placed on hold when the man who owns the building proves to be a challenge. With its gentle story line and unhurried pacing, readers will soon become fans of Woods' characters and setting.
Red Flags:None
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