Where the Heart Is

published	June 1st 1998 by Warner Books
binding	Paperback
isbn	0446672211 (isbn13: 9780446672214)
pages	384
description	Oprah Book Club® Selection, December 1998: A funny thing happens to Novalee Nation on her way to Bakersfield, California. Her ne'er-do-well bo...more [close] Oprah Book Club® Selection, December 1998: A funny thing happens to Novalee Nation on her way to Bakersfield, California. Her ne'er-do-well boyfriend, Willie Jack Pickens, abandons her in an Oklahoma Wal-Mart and takes off on his own, leaving her with just 10 dollars and the clothes on her back. Not that hard luck is anything new to Novalee, who is "seventeen, seven months pregnant, thirty-seven pounds overweight--and superstitious about sevens.... For most people, sevens were lucky. But not for her," Billie Letts writes. "She'd had a bad history with them, starting with her seventh birthday, the day Momma Nell ran away with a baseball umpire named Fred..." Still, finding herself alone and penniless in Sequoyah, Oklahoma is enough to make even someone as inured to ill fortune as Novalee want to give up and die. Fortunately, the Wal-Mart parking lot is the Sequoyah equivalent of a town square, and within hours Novalee has met three people who will change her life: Sister Thelma Husband, a kindly eccentric; Benny Goodluck, a young Native American boy; and Moses Whitecotton, an elderly African American photographer. For the next two months, Novalee surreptitiously makes her home in the Wal-Mart, sleeping there at night, exploring the town by day. When she goes into labor and delivers her baby there, however, Novalee learns that sometimes it's not so bad to depend on the kindness of strangers--especially if one of them happens to be Sam Walton, the superchain's founder. Where the Heart Is oddly mixes heart-warming vignettes and surprising, brutal violence. Novalee's story is juxtaposed with occasional chapters chronicling Willy Jack's downward spiral into prison, disappointment, and degradation. And even in Sequoyah, sudden storms, domestic violence, kidnapping, and deadly fires punctuate Novalee's progress from homeless, unwed teen mom to successful, happy member of the community. This is not a subtle book; there's never any doubt that our heroine will make a home for herself and her baby or that Willy Jack will get what he deserves for abandoning them. Still, Billie Letts has created several memorable characters, and there's always room for another novel that celebrates the life-affirming qualities of reading, the importance of education, and the power of love to change lives. --Alix Wilber [close]
date added	12-07-06 edit book

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Nitrorockets rated it:

01/11/08

bookshelves: spare-yourself

Read in August, 2002

I had a difficult time liking this book. It had many unhappy topics: domestic violence, kidnapping, deadly fires, homelessness, an unwed teen mom. It almost was too much.

A terrible thing happens to the main character Novalee Nation, a 17 year-old pregnant un-wed girl from Tennessee. On her way to California with her loser abusive boyfriend, Willie Jack, she is abandoned in an Oklahoma Wal-Mart parking lot. She is left alone 7 months pregnant, penniless with just the clothes on her back. At fir...more I had a difficult time liking this book. It had many unhappy topics: domestic violence, kidnapping, deadly fires, homelessness, an unwed teen mom. It almost was too much.

A terrible thing happens to the main character Novalee Nation, a 17 year-old pregnant un-wed girl from Tennessee. On her way to California with her loser abusive boyfriend, Willie Jack, she is abandoned in an Oklahoma Wal-Mart parking lot. She is left alone 7 months pregnant, penniless with just the clothes on her back. At first she was optimistic that Willie Jack would return, thinking that he may be joking with her, but soon she realized that he indeed abandoned her. Abandon being the key word. He left Novalee with the responsibility of raising the child on her own.

Fortunately for Novalee, the Wal-Mart in this small city is the town square, and within hours she has met three people who will change her life: Sister Thelma Husband, a kind, eccentric, one-woman welcome-wagon; Benny Goodluck, a young boy who gives her a buckeye tree for good luck; and Moses Whitecotton, an elderly photographer who discuss with her the importance of a name for her unborn child.

Finding herself alone and homeless in Oklahoma she decides to make the best of her situation. For the next two months, Novalee makes herself at home in the Wal-Mart. She would hide in the store right before closing and wait until everyone left, once the coast was clear she would spend her night walking around the store. She used a sleeping bag and "borrowed" multiple items such maternity clothing, alarm clock, flashlight and toiletries. During the day she explored the town, mostly spending her time at the public library.

On the day she goes into labor and delivers her baby right at the Wal-Mart, soon after Sam Walton offers her a job. Her housing dilemma is solved when she moves in with a woman with a heart-of-gold. The rest of the book covers the next five years of her and her daughter's lives.

I found this book to be sad rather than uplifting. Probably because I began to wonder how often young girls just like Novalee have been in a similar situation, stranded all alone by the person they thought they could trust. However not nearly as many young women have the good luck Novalee had, a friendly community and people willing to help.

Skip reading it a just watch the movie....less

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Where the Heart Is

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