Where the Heart Is

Brina

Rating: really liked it
I read Billie Letts' story of Novalee and Americus Nation back in high school when it was featured on Oprah's book club. I recently saw this reviewed on a friend's page (thank you, Deanna) and felt like is was time for a reread.
Novalee Nation is 17 and pregnant when she is abandoned by her boyfriend Wily Jack at a Walmart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma. Wily Jack had promised Novalee a house in California but on the spot decided he could not deal with impending fatherhood and left her for nothing. Novalee has nowhere to turn to and makes Walmart her home until the baby is born. On her first day in Sequoyah, she meets three special people who stay with her for the duration of the novel: Sister Hubbard, who becomes her surrogate mother; Moses Whitecotton, an elderly black gentleman and photographer who along with his wife Certain acts as her grandfather; and Benny Goodluck, a boy who for all practical purposes is her younger brother.
The majority of the book focuses on Novalee and Americus and the roots they put down in Sequoyah. Interspersed with their story is that of Wily Jack and how he struggles to make it in the country music industry. Novalee has never gotten over Wily Jack and fears for him the entire book, almost as though she is afraid that he will come and take Americus away from her. After all, her life until moving to Sequoyah had been about neglect and abandonment.
Novalee meets more special friends. First is Lexie Coop, her new best girl friend. The women are there for each other through thick and thin. Then there is Forney Hull, the town librarian who opens up Novalee's eyes to the world of education and who is smitten with her from day one. How their relationship develops becomes a major plot line of the book.
The reason why I give this book 4.5 stars as opposed to 5 is because not all loose ends are tied up and I am a sucker for a perfect ending. Those who know me know that this is usually the reason why I will lower ratings. Aside from that, this is a beautiful book about what is positive about rural America. I was sad to say goodbye to the characters and can only dream that Novalee and Americus lead long and happy lives. I highly recommend this to all fiction aficionados.

Deanna

Rating: really liked it
I loved this book!!! I can't believe I forgot to update and review it here. Sometimes I know I've read a book years ago but can't remember a lot about it. However, that is not the case with this book. I read it in 1999 when I was pregnant with my daughter. It seems like yesterday. It is so well written and such a wonderful book that remains with me all these years later.

The main character Novalee Nation a 17 year old who is abandoned by her boyfriend and who gives birth to a baby girl in a Wal-Mart store. Novalee was such a great character and easy to love and root for. There is also such a great cast of supporting characters in this book that are treasures with a couple that you will love to hate! Characters who open their hearts and home to Novalee and teach her many lessons while helping her raise her daughter Americus.

This was such a unique story that was so hard to put down. Heartwarming, funny and quite intense at times. A page turner with so much heart that I will always recommend it highly.

Tina

Rating: really liked it
This is a Women's fiction. I loved this book so much. I watched the movie years ago, and I love it so much. I wanted to read the book after I learned the movie was basic off the book. I have to say the book is just like the book. I loved both the book and the movie. The characters in this book came to live, and I loved how Novalee made her own family. Novalee is a strong young girl that becomes a woman in this book. This was a heart warming story that will bring so much emotions out of you.

Susan's Reviews

Rating: really liked it
This quirky story of a young girl who lives in a trailer in a Walmart parking lot captured my imagination and my heart.



Nothing could have been further from my own very sheltered (you could even say cloistered in comparison!) youth.



Novalee Nation was young in years, but had lived such a harsh life up until she is taken in by the people of a small town after Novalee gives birth in the local Walmart.

The movie version wasn't bad, either, which is what inspired me to read this excellent book. I love to read stories about every day people, going through all the usual trials and tribulations that beset the human race, who somehow make it to the other side with hope in their hearts.
This was a fabulous read!

Cara

Rating: really liked it
WOW JUST WOW!!!! Where The Heart Is written by Billie Letts was earth shattering amazing!!! Billie Letts has a way of connecting her readers with the story, but let me just say, this story definitely doesn't disappoint. This book was so moving, gut wrenching, but also filled with humorous moments. I was hooked from the very first page, and I couldn't put it down until I knew what the outcome of the story was going to be. Unfortunately, I didn't know Billie Letts passed away until I finished the first book I read by this author, so very sad. I loved all of the characters. This story will make you cry and laugh all throughout the book. I apologize to anyone who reads my sappy reviews. Where The Heart Is was so touching, it hits the core of your heart is so many ways. I will continue to read other books by this author because she just writes amazing and moving stories.

In Where The Heart Is we follow the journey of Novalee Nation with her pregnancy and after she gives birth. Novalee has always been unlucky with sevens. She's seventeen years old, seven months pregnant, thirty seven pounds overweight, and now Novalee finds herself stranded at a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, with just $7.77 in change. Novalee was on her way to Bakersfield, California from Tennessee with her rude and ignorant boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens. Novalee and Willy Jack were traveling in a beat up car with a hole in the middle of the floor, Novalee fell asleep, and when she woke up she realized her only pair of shoes fell out of the car. Novalee doesn't want to say anything to Willy Jack because she knows he'll throw a fit. Novalee sees a Wal-Mart and tells Willy Jack she needs to stop for a pair of shoes. Willy Jack gives Novalee $10, but when she comes back out Willy Jack is gone.

Novalee has no where to stay, so she lives inside this Wal-Mart when the employees leave. While Novalee stays at Wal-Mart she meets so many deeply caring people, among them we have, blue haired Sister Thelma Husband who hands out advice and photocopied books of the Bible. Next we have Moses Whitecotton, who is a wise, soft spoken photographer. Moses learns that Novalee is pregnant and she doesn't have a name picked out for her baby yet, Moses tells Novalee to name her baby something that will always be remembered. Next we have Forney Hull, who is the town librarian who also hides his own secrets. When Novalee and Forney first meet at the library their first connection starts off on the wrong foot, Forney is so sour towards Novalee. Novalee gives birth to her beautiful baby girl, who she named Americus in Wal-Mart. As Novalee is in the hospital recovering, the owner of Wal-Mart comes to the hospital and offers Novalee a job at the Wal-Mart she was staying at.

After Novalee has her baby and she's ready to be discharged from the hospital, Sister Husband comes and takes Novalee to live with her. Sister Husband was such a sweet and caring soul who decided to take Novalee and Americus under her wing and cares for them. Novalee knows she has a long road ahead of her after being known as the girl who gave birth inside of a Wal-Mart, but she's so ready to tackle what she needs to do. Novalee forms a friendship with the nurse at the hospital who brought her breakfast one morning, Lexie Coop. Lexie is a single mom of five children. Lexie and Novalee have a strong connection with each other. I loved reading about these characters and their journey with each other. Where The Heart Is will definitely be one of those books that I will never forget. Just do yourself a favor and pick up this book because you will love it!!!!

Lindsey

Rating: really liked it
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 hard way that not every person is trustworthy. Still, she has a strong soul and seems to prevail despite the hardships that are thrown at her.

Novalee, despite the weird name, is one of the most realistic characters that I've ever read. I don't know what it is about her character, probably the fact that she's so freaking sweet and innocent that you can't help but like her, but she's still a favorite of mine after almost a decade.

Bob (aka Bobby Lee)

Rating: really liked it
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
Published 1998, Grand Central Publishing, Trade Paperback, 376 pages

FIVE STARS ..... NO IFS, ANDS, OR BUTS

Read the following summaries if you need to know what this book is about, or, if you do, skip to my comments.

Publishers Weekly brief summary -
Letts's debut novel concerns a pregnant teenage girl who finds a new life among the quirky inhabitants of a small town in Oklahoma.

Publishers Weekly expanded summary -
For 17-year-old Novalee Nation, seven months pregnant, the phrase ``home is where your history begins'' has a special meaning. Leaving behind a trail of foster homes in Tennessee trailer parks to live in a real house with her boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens, Novalee instead finds herself abandoned in front of a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Okla. With nowhere to turn, she cleverly conceals herself within the store, keeping careful accounts until giving birth to the ``Wal-Mart baby'' turns her into a local celebrity. Happily, the community reaches out to Novalee and baby Americus. Sequoyah's one-woman welcoming committee, Sister Husband, takes them in; cultured librarian Forney Hull takes a shine to them; photographer Moses Whitecotton encourages Novalee's raw talent for photography by teaching her all he knows; Lexie Coop, who has a huge appetite for food, diet fads and the wrong men, befriends her; and legendary Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton gives her a job. Meanwhile, Willy Jack, an aspiring musician, gets a shot at the big time before hitting bottom and realizing what he's left behind. Letts's wacky characters are depicted with humor and hope, as well as an earnestness that rises above the story's uneven conceits, resulting in a heartfelt and gratifying read.

My comments -
This book is not for everyone, but it was solidly meant for me - specifically, that little boy (Bobby Lee) growing up in a small town where my father drove a red 1950 Ford pick-up truck. Where everyone knew who you were and kept an eye out to make sure you were safe and cared for. Where the townspeople would show up with a hot casserole if they found out someone was ill. You get the idea - where people who didn't quite have a pot to p*** in would go to whatever length necessary to take care of their own, or even those winding up there for whatever reason. I've read the reviews and understand the reasons why some just plain hated it, but it hit all the right chords for this septuagenarian.

Emily

Rating: really liked it
What a colassal waste of time...i'm giving this book the finger as we speak.

karla

Rating: really liked it
i loved this book. i have read many reviews by people that don't and the words "white trash" were always in there somewhere... they couldn't enjoy a book about a "white trash" heroine. i think that it's easy to judge, easy to devalue something because of personal prejudice... but if you've ever been in, known someone, or just heard about another human being in any of the situations resting in these pages, you can see the plain truth of it and it's beauty.

Marnie

Rating: really liked it
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 the message that if you get into the situation that Novalee did everyone will love you & embrace you. And one last thing, I thought "Americus" was a really stupid name for the baby.

Erin

Rating: really liked it
Buzzword-A-Thon: Where

Unexpected Read-A-Thon: Read something that's been on your TBR since 2018 or earlier

I'm in the minority on this one, because this book has great reviews and people seem to love it. I think I read a different book then everyone else, because this book was not good.

Where The Heart Is by Billie Letts is about 17 year old Novalee Nation who's seven months pregnant and has just been abandoned at a Wal-Mart by her baby daddy.

The best way to describe Where The Heart Is, is its a Tyler Perry play for white people. Its overly dramatic with dark subject matter like child abuse, poverty and grief being handled in the most child like and ham handed way possible. Everything is tied up in a nice little bow at the end. Novalee was such a simpleton and idiot that I kept rooting for her to get hit by a bus. I get it Forrest Gump made everyone want to write a book about a loveable idiot but Novalee is no Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump is THE BEST and I will fight anyone who disagrees.

I had planned to watch the movie to this book which stars one of my favorite actresses Natalie Portman but I don't think I'll be able to do it. Where The Heart Is was a super fast read so that's why I gave it 2 Stars instead of 1 but I didn't enjoy this book any way. Maybe I waited too long to read it or maybe I was never gonna like it.

I don't recommend Where The Heart Is

Hayley

Rating: really liked it
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.

HeavyReader

Rating: really liked it
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. I read it in airports and on airplanes and in hotel rooms. I left it behind in my hotel room when I checked out. I didn't want to put it in the trash can, but I sure as hell didn't want to tote it home. Maybe the person who cleaned my room found it and her/his life was changed in some positive way. I hope so. All it did for me was keep me from dwelling on the possibility of a plane crash.

This is one of the Opra's book club books, which is kind of surprising because some of the books in her club are actually decent. Not this one.

Kat (Books are Comfort Food)

Rating: really liked it
Enjoying read.

Siobhan Colley

Rating: really liked it
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 this book, and i'm only 15 and i could see the wisdom and advice this book gives you, i could relate to the teenage Novalee Nation, she was knocked down and abandoned so many times and still found the best in people, she never lost hope that the next time would be differnet, the next person would be the right one to trust, some say its a naive belief but doesnt it also show courage, that this teenage girl counld still find it in her heart to trust those who offered help.
I admire that in her, and the others in her life, they all gave chances to people who may not deseve them, its something that sometime i wish i could do, trust those who i should. The book shows that some people are bad and some are good, but sometimes theres a time to trust, time to understand, to forgive. To help someone get home, or let some else help you, to build a home or to go home.
Because after all Home is Where the Heart is.