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Where The Heart Is

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 116,756 ratings · 2,083 reviews

Novalee Nation is seventeen, seven months pregnant, and on her way to California with her no-good boyfriend when he abandons her at a shopping mall in Oklahoma. In this contemporary fairy tale with no fairy godmother in sight, Novalee depends on herself to build a new life.
Living inside a Wal-Mart at night and on the streets during the day, Novalee patches together a fami...more

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Published October 4th 1998 by Brilliance Audio (first published August 17th 1995)

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Nov 24, 2011 Needleroozer rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This book was pretty much a worthless piece of fluff. Anything this book does, any Barbara Kingsolver book will do about 2000 times better. This book is right on the border of dreadful.

I must have gotten this book out of the trash. I hope I didn't pay even 20 cents for it at the Social Services League. Maybe I got it on $5 bag day at the Friends of the Library book sale. All I can say is that any amount I paid for this book was TOO MUCH!

I read it when I was on a trip to visit Cassidy. I read it...more

8 likes · like · see review

Jan 12, 2009 Lindsey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ya'll, this is the sweetest book in the history of books! I read this one in high school, right before the movie with Natalie Portman came out. That turned out to be a bad idea, because the whole time I was in the theater I was analyzing how the book and the movie differed.

Where the Heart Is tells the story of Novalee Nation, a pregnant teenager who's abandoned by her skank boyfriend in an unfamiliar Walmart. Novalee seems to charm everyone she meets, but she is naive at times and learns the ha...more

12 likes · like · see review

Oct 06, 2007 Hayley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book in high school and it sparked an interest in reading that was pretty much non-existent until then. Thanks Miss Illingworth! I also saw this movie, and although it was cute, I am much more connected to Letts's fabulous characters as they were described on paper. She has a true gift of making you connect with the people in her stories. Their "real-ness" is something to be applauded.

7 likes · like · see review

Dec 02, 2012 Becca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: high-expectations, owned, second-hand, made-me-cry, strong-female-protagonist, loved-the-movie, favourites

A great book - great characters, great writing, great story. The only thing that I didn't like was the occasional chapters about Willy Jack. I really disliked him and thought the book would have been better off without these chapters. I found them dull and skimmed through most of them. Other than that, a worthwhile read.

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 08, 2008 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The upbeat side of tragedy comes through at every turn and the reader is pleasantly left with the optimism that good will prevail. A joy to read and emotionally satisfing along the way.

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 05, 2008 Emily rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a colassal waste of time...i'm giving this book the finger as we speak.

12 likes · like · see review

Oct 08, 2010 Kring rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 04, 2008 ♥♥ hattie♥♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone!!!!!

Recommended to ♥♥ hattie♥♥ by: My Motherrrrrr

this book is about a girl who is 17 years old and her name is Novalee Nation. Novalee and her boyfriend Willy-Jack Pickett are moving to Las Vegas so Willy-Jack can get a job uop there with his uncle in the manufacturing business. Novalee is 7 months pregnant and as we all know when women are prganant they have to pee...a lot. Novalee asks Willy-Jack to stop at Walmart so she may use the restroom and get some house shoes because the car that Willy-Jack bought for $50 has a hole in the floorboard...more

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Jul 27, 2008 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an Oprah recommended book which is why I began it. I didn't finish it --- a rare thing for me, but really, I couldn't spend any more time with the naive, starry-eyed, po' white trash heroine. She's 17, pregnant, and has been abandoned at a Walmart by her do-wrong boyfriend. When she gets her hands on some money the first thing she does is turn it over to her mother who abandoned her when she was nine (or something). Loser Mom read about her daughter in the paper because daughter had her...more

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 14, 2008 Marnie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one

This book was horrible, if I could give it half a star I would. It's really unrealistic, if someone was living in a Wal Mart in real life, they'd be arrested, not given a job. And I thought Forney was a complete loser & Novalee was dumb to be so attracted to him, & I think the author had way too much fun thinking of ways that God could punish Willy Jack, the loser father of the baby, because all these horrible things happen to him. It makes teenage motherhood look glamorous & sends t...more

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 03, 2009 Anel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Have you ever witness a girl getting pregnant in their teens? If you have Where the heart is, is a book that relates to a situation like that. The book is a book about a pregnant seventeen year old girl named, Novalee Nations. She is left in a place she didn’t even know by her boyfriend, Willy Jack. They are on their way to California but stopped to a Wal-Mart so she could get some sandals because she had a swollen foot. Her boyfriend who is really mean to her leaves Novalee there without any di...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Sabrina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Sabrina by: teacher and friend

This book is so great to read if you like action. I would recommend this book to men and women and also young adults. This book is about a girl who is 17, 7 months pregnant and has hardly any money. One day her and her boyfriend are going somewhere. She realizes that she has lost her shoes and she has had to pee for a long time. He takes her to Walmart and he leaves her. She has to stay at Walmart for a while because she has no where else to go. she meets this man named Forney and he works at th...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 03, 2009 Leah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-12

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Plot summary

Novalee Nation, seventeen years old and seven months pregnant, has never been part of a real home. The closest thing to family for Novalee is her self-centered, would-be musician boyfriend, Willy Jack. They are traveling from Tennessee to California in a Plymouth. When Novalee’s shoes fall through a hole in the car, they stop at a Wal-Mart so Novalee can get new shoes. She goes inside. Willy Jack abandons her at the Wal-Mart. Alone and broke, Novalee sneakily moves into the Wal-Mar...more

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Feb 01, 2009 Christina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-reads, library-book

This shameless promotion for Wal-Mart, I mean, novel is filled with clumsy writing, a jumpy plot, and a God awful names. The name Novalee isn’t so grating, but she names her daughter Americus. Americus Nation. Novalee is your stereotypical heroine - innocent, unsuspecting, perfect. The only two characters I did like were Sister Husband because she’s the comedic relief in Where the Heart Is and Moses Whitecotten, an older gentleman who teaches Novalee about photography and life in general.

The oth...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2013 Sylvia Ragland rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The novel, Where the Heart Is, is the kind of book where judging it by it’s cover is absolutely not allowed. If you give it the chance, it will find something to grab onto and pull you in. Hard to put down, the books plot is amazing as you read about a pregnant teen fighting to survive from abandonment and a broken heart.
Novalee Nation had a personality most others could and would connect to; she was the main character after all. Always trying to make the best of things and keeping an upbeat at...more The novel, Where the Heart Is, is the kind of book where judging it by it’s cover is absolutely not allowed. If you give it the chance, it will find something to grab onto and pull you in. Hard to put down, the books plot is amazing as you read about a pregnant teen fighting to survive from abandonment and a broken heart.
Novalee Nation had a personality most others could and would connect to; she was the main character after all. Always trying to make the best of things and keeping an upbeat attitude, Novalee finds herself abandoned by her boyfriend, Willy Jack, at a Wal-mart in Oklahoma with only a camera, a pair of house shoes, and seven dollars and seventy seven cents. she is also seven months pregnant. Obviously, the number seven brings bad luck to her. As she sits on a bench right outside of Wal-mart, she tries to come up with a reason why Willy had left her as Willy is trying to go to California to become a singer. As you can tell, he only cares for himself and nothing else. Later on, Novalee has the baby, and names her Americus Nation. This is because Novalee wants her to grow up to be strong and independent. To have a name she can be proud of.
The story starts on a highway near Steinbeck, Oklahoma, but because Novalee loses her shoes to the whole through the floor in Willy’s car. He has to stop at a Wal-mart and get her new shoe. Willy leaves her in Wal-mart, though, so she stays there and lives inside the store until she has the baby. From there, she moves in with Sister Husband, random woman that she had met three months earlier. When Sister Husband dies Novalee inherits her money, so Novalee builds a house where Sister’s old home used to stand. “No matter what life throws at you, everything will be ok”, is most differentially one of the main themes. In Novalee’s life she works her way around being an abandoned, pregnant teenager. She is able to find love though she’s a single parent. She is able to get through her child's kidnapping without going too crazy. Eventually, Novalee forgives Willy Jack of all the horrible things he had done to her. Throughout her life, she knew everything would be ok, eventually.
As sometimes called “five minutes of fame”, Novalee’s situation was almost the same only longer. After she had the baby, she was rushed to the hospital. News reporters were like pests, trying to get information on the Wal-mart born baby. Americus was the baby of the year. What other child could say she was born in the middle of the night at a grocery store? However, the fame lasted for several months as people would take pictures of were Novalee was staying at, as T. V. talk show hosts gossiped about how Wal-mart would deal with all the publicity.
. Reading that last page of the book, you begin to realize. All the things Novalee went through, the crying, the laughing, and the curiosity. Step by step, you felt like you were there, rooting for her the whole time. (less)

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Jan 19, 2013 t.A rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: home-library, finding-yourself

I've always wanted to read more by this author, but as most of my books are second-hand and I rarely get to buy new, it's been hard finding anything by her.

This is a book I first read way back in grade 11 when we had to do a book report. We got to choose our own books, from a pile of pre-approved books, of course. This is the one I picked from that pile. The sad part is that without that class assignment, I never would have even known about this book.

And this is by far one of the best books I've...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Chelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the book “Where the heart is” by Billie Letts Novalee Nation will not disappoint you as she leads you on a never to be forgotten journey.
Novalee Nation wasn’t like every other 17 year old girl. She has an unlucky number which is 7 and she happens to be 7 months pregnant. While she and her boyfriend head to California she finds herself stranded in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Sequoyah, Oklahoma. Novalee has to try and adapt to this small town folk and along the way she meets some down to earth...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Christine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First, let me start off by saying this book was made into a movie (starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd) in 2000. It is one of those feel good flicks (you know the type, the kind that plays on Lifetime) and I saw it a few years ago. I'm one of those people who prefers to read a book prior to watching the movie adaptation, because I like to visualize the characters and scenes myself. There is a certain thrill of a story unfolding on a page vs. a movie screen (and the book is almost always mor...more First, let me start off by saying this book was made into a movie (starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd) in 2000. It is one of those feel good flicks (you know the type, the kind that plays on Lifetime) and I saw it a few years ago. I'm one of those people who prefers to read a book prior to watching the movie adaptation, because I like to visualize the characters and scenes myself. There is a certain thrill of a story unfolding on a page vs. a movie screen (and the book is almost always more rewarding). Since I already knew the basic plot, I found myself comparing the book to the movie. That being said:

This book was an Oprah book club selection and alternate selection of the Literary Guild. As such, I had high hopes and was greatly disappointed. I did not dislike this book-it was "okay." A poor, uneducated, pregnant teenager is abandoned by her boyfriend. She is taken in by a woman who becomes her surrogate mother, gets a job, finds a best friend, goes to school and eventually falls in love. Of course-she is beautiful, has a heart of gold and everyone loves her and her baby. Overall, it is a story of love, hope and survival. I appreciate 'feel good' stories like the next person but parts of this book were so unbelievable it was infuriating. For instance:
-After Novalee (the main character) is abandoned by her boyfriend, she becomes homeless and secretly moves into Wal-Mart. She does not look for a job or suitable housing. Although it is never explicitly explained, I don't think she ever had any prenatal care throughout the entire pregnancy either. However, once the baby is born, she immediately becomes a super responsible mother, it just didn't jive.
- Novalee was abandoned by her mother at age 7. She sees her again TEN years later and believes her mother when she says she wants to help Novalee get an apartment and help with the baby. Even if you didn't see the movie beforehand, anyone could see that her mother would disappear after Novalee handed over her entire savings. Novalee is someone who (after her mother left) was raised in foster homes-she should have more street smarts. I understand Letts was showing how naive she was, but come on!
-Novalee goes on birth control after the birth of her daughter (good decision) but fails to read the instruction booklet or listen to the doctor about how it works. This seems completely unrealistic to me. She is portrayed as someone who loves to read and is a responsible mother, it just doesn't fit with the character.

Additionaly-the book contains chapters discussing Willy Jack (the boyfriend who abandoned Novalee). Although Letts tied their stories together at the conclusion of the book, I felt she could have wrapped up the book differently (while maintaining the happy ending) and eliminated his story completely. There was also a section involving child rape that could have been left out.

Overall, this book was 'eh.'(less)

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Dec 13, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: emotional-thriller, psyco-spiritual

I really liked this book in part because I lived in Atlanta between 1992 and 1996 (about the time the story takes place). We were big fans of wal-mart where we practically went every weekend.

At times, I felt I was "reading a movie". The book is very visual. The characters are symplistic. All around good guys hang around together and once in a while are unfortunate enough to cross the path of all around bad guys. The good guys are really charming though and Letts directly puts you into their int...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Belkis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of my favorite stories of ALL TIME! Own the book and Loved it! Own the movie and Loved it! This is one of those stories that just guts you open. Rips your heart out of your chest and squeezes it gently ever just so. You know the gentle squeeze. The one that makes you silently. gasp. Yes, like that. Just enough to bring you to your senses where you can glimpse with clarity which things are the ones worth living for. Fighting for. Dying for. Marvelous storytelling and a moving story about the...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Ms. B rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Synopsis:
Novalee Nation has always been unlucky with sevens. She's seventeen, seven months pregnant, thirty-seven pounds overweight -- and now she finds herself stranded at a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, holding just $7. 77 in change. An hour ago, she was on her way from Tennessee to a new life in Bakersfield, California. Suddenly, with all those sevens staring her in the face, she is forced to accept the scary truth: her no-good boyfriend Willy Jack Pickens has left her with empty pockets a...more

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May 12, 2012 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Where the Heart Is is a story about a 17-year old pregnant girl called Novallee on a road trip to California from her home in Tennessee with her boyfriend, hoping to find a happy home with her boyfriend working on the railroads. Never has Novallee ever lived in a house and she wants to make sure that her baby grows up in the best environment that she can create. Novallee keeps a journal full of magazine pictures of houses and she looks through them, imagining her dream house in her head. But get...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Ezm rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read "Where the heart is" because I love the movie. The book proved to be a lot like the movie. It also focused more on Willy Jack. He had whole chapters dedicated to him. It was an interesting switch. There were some differences of course but that is to be expected. Most of it, however, was very similar. There were lots of "scarred" people and people who were missing teeth which really made the characters all the more realistic and not glamorous. This is where they differed from the movie in...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Stacey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I admit my review is a little skewed as I had seen the movie several times before ever reading this book. I think that made the book a little less exciting, hence the 3 stars. I did however enjoy reading it and noting all the differences between the book and the movie. I think that I like the book better, as usual. I still found it satisfactory enough that I read it quite quickly, by my standards. It only took me about a week to complete. I was disappointed that the book seemed like it would be...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Angela Wong rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I started reading this book, I thought that it would be very interesting. The first chapter alone was about Willy Jack abandoning his pregnant seventeen-year-old girlfriend at a random Wal-Mart in Oklahoma. I was interested to find out what would happen to Novalee and her baby right from the beginning of the book.
My favorite character is Lexie Coop because I found that she had some of the more comical stories out of all of the characters. I love how close she is to all five of her children,...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Hannah-Linn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, made-me-cry

I read this book in...hhhhhmmmm....sixth grade, maybe seventh. I don't know why I'm just writing a review for it now.

It is, my favorite book of all time. Plain and simple.
This may sound bad, but it started with the movie. It's my mom's favorite movie, and the first time I saw it I was maybe eight years old.
It's my favorite movie, along with Gone With The Wind and Pretty in Pink.

I know I read the book after I saw the movie, but nonetheless it's my favorite book and movie. I love it with all my...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Hollandemily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am giving this story four stars with reservations. I would have only given it three stars because of the violence against Brummett. I loath shock value that authors add to their stories especially against children. The description of what happens to Lexie is horrifying enough to garner my attention, to shock me. An "attempt" against a child is enough of a horror for me to read about. With all the real violence in the world, the last thing I want to read about is violence against children.
I'm n...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Mckenna Foulger is currently reading it · review of another edition

Book: Where The Heart Is, by: Billie Letts
Time: 2hrs & 30min
When: Nov 10-17
Page: 1-52

This book is about a seventeen-year-old, seven months pregnant girl. Her name is Novalee. Her boyfirend, Willy Jack leaves her in a Wal-Mart while she is going to the bathroom. He leaves her with only $7.77 in her pocket. She uses some of it to buy popcorn, root-bear, and three paydays. While she was sitting on a bench in front of Wal-Mart, wondering what to do, a blue haired lady, called Sister Husband, c...more

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Mar 17, 2011 Siobhan Colley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was introduced to this book since i watched the film first, and thought it was beautiful. This book didn't dissapoint me, it had beauty and love. Some may say its unbelivable or incourages teenage pregancy, since all ends well. But i don't believe thats true this book is about the good and bad in life, how sometimes a bad situation that looks like it will never get better, can be the begginning. A start to someones history, a start to someones life, a chance to become someone new. I related to...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Denise rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About Billie Letts

Billie Letts (born in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American author. Earlier she worked as a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She was married to Dennis Letts until his death in 2008, and is the mother of playwright and actor Tracy Letts and jazz musician and composer Shawn Letts.

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Quotes from Where the Heart Is

“...tell them that we have some good in us, too. And the only thing worth living for is the good. That’s why we’ve got to make sure we pass it on.” — 61 people liked it

“Then tell them we've all got meanness in us...But tell them we have some good in us too. And the only thing worth living for is the good. That's why we've got to make sure we pass it on.” — 36 people liked it

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