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Summary: I Couldn't find where the heart was...
Review: This is one of the few books that I quit reading half way through. I could not have cared anything for the characters with their silly names. I really could not find "where or who's heart it was! " Oprah let me down on this one, along with The Pilot's Wife. A silly read.
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Summary: Humorous and Entertaining!
Review: I finished this book in couple days it was so good. The main character Novalee gets herself into all sorts of funny and strange predicaments. I grew up in a small town, and this book was right on the money about the social life of a small town. I thought it was a heart-warming and touching story. It was funny and sad in certain parts. It was an all around, good-feeling book. Just a hint, the movie version of the story was good, but I recommend the book anyday over the movie. Spend some extra money and buy the book instead of the movie ticket. You'll be a more satisfied person getting the book. :)
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Summary: Upbeat and Honest
Review: Coming from a small town in Oklahoma myself, I found myself drawn to this book. I fell in love with the characters honesty, nothing was glossed over. Novelee is an example to us all, on how to turn life's lemons into lemonade. I would recommend this book for young and old, small town or big city, we can all learn something from this book and find out a little more on the human spirit.
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Summary: "Where the Heart is" is truly a classic! Highly recomended!
Review: After seeing the movie, the interview with Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd, I decided to buy the book "Where the Heart is." This week at my school was Standard Of Learning tests, so I had plenty of time to read after I was finished. The book is 358 pages, and I was done in 3 days, reading it after the tests, and on the bus. I love this book, it was so hard to put it down! There were a ton of differences from the movie. They added a few seconds here, took away several chunks here and there. Like Benny, Henry and Leona, the Oritz's, and Dixie. But the book is "accurate," they didn't leave it out of the book, they left it out of the movie. I highly suggest this book, the only thing is is that there is quite a bit of cussing. The "F" word, the "D" word, the "S" word, and everything in between. If you can read past all that, it's a truly great book!
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Summary: Miss Ward's Class Book Review
Review: This is a wonderful book by Billie Letts. It deals with many issues that I think many people can enjoy. I recommend this book for almost anyone. This book follows the lives of Novalee Nation and Willy Jack. These two young kids fill this book with many stories and adventures as they grow from kids to adults. For Novalee this means going through many tough issues, pregnancy with out a husband or father figure, she is abandoned twice, her child is kiddnapped, and she almost misses out on the love of her life. But she is not only a woman of bad luck, she also lives in a Wal-Mart for a couple months with out ever getting caught, she also is offered a place to live, and she makes a handful of the most kind adn caring friends anyone could wish for. Willy Jack is sent on his way to grow up after he leaves Novalee seven months pregnant at a Wal-Mart. His road does not come as easy, he must first spend some in prison, where his worst experiences are. Then Willy Jack goes on his way to fulfill his life long dream of singing. By the end of the book his maturity is very obvious. This book is for the most part an up paced one but as with any book it does have its slow parts. But I strongly encourage anybody to read this book!
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Summary: didn't think l was going to like it at first
Review: I was not hooked by the first sentence or chapter. For me it took a little while to get into it. But the characterisation was just beautiful, each person individually real, with their own little quirks. I liked how it wasn't really glossy, that there was tragedy woven in with the good times. Heartwarming story that makes you smile and weep.
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Summary: Charming book!
Review: Letts' characters are colorful, quirky, almost gimmicky. Perhaps that's the one criticism I have of this book. On the other hand, a young woman who would have the wit to reside, undetected in a Wal-Mart for any length of time, is bound to have a rather unusual personality. This book contrasts the almost unbelievable honesty and straightforwardness of those who surround young Novalee Nation after she gives birth in the Wal-Mart with the greed and unabashed dishonesty of the boyfriend who deserts her in a strange town. It seems Miss Nation has stumbled into a den of righteousness where people pray for forgiveness after "fornicating" and where even the incurable alcoholics are lovingly cared for. Is this an unrealistic and simplistic portrayal of life? Undoubtedly. Is it the kind of town most of us would give anything to live in? Probably. Letts' style is energetic. If her treatment of the characters is somewhat idealistic or moralistic, perhaps it is nice to dream a bit about a place where folks don't need to wear white or black hats in order to tell the good guys from the bad. Treat this book as a fantasy, not a depiction of true life, and you will enjoy it as much as I did.
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Summary: I often found myself smiling while reading this book
Review: While I usually love the Oprah picks, my friends hate them."The books are too dark, too dysfunctional." They have apoint. This book is a marked departure from many of the Oprah picks. Its humor and humanity makes it stand out from the pack. If we could have followed Ellen Foster, she might have grown up to be Novalee Nation. At first glance, Novalee has had a lot of tough breaks in her life. But who knew that being abandoned by her boyfriend in Wal-Mart in a strange town, while pregnant, would be the best thing that ever happened to her? Novalee is one of those rare people with a pure and gentle soul. Her inner beauty shines, attracting to her in droves people as honest and gentle as she. The story is populated with beautiful, quirky characters, all of whom add to the folksy wisdom of the book. The love they show Novalee really touched me -- as if they were more than fictional characters. The book makes some very profound points about family and home. It spells them out -- you don't have to search for meaning -- but it's never preachy. Reminiscent of the dual story lines in the classic "Lonesome Dove", the book occasionally jumps to the secondary story concerning Willy Jack, Novalee's no-good ex-boyfriend. Contrary to other reviews, this did not detract from the book. In fact, the gritty trials and tribulations of Willy Jack provided brief, but welcome, respite from the goodness of Novalee's life. And it further punctuated the point of living life from your heart -- and, in return, receiving the life that mirrors your heart. I would have given the book 5 stars, but as Novalee began to grow as a woman, I got a little tired of her spunkiness. But it didn't really detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. It was a quick read, that kept my attention from beginning to end. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would absolutely recommend it.
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Summary: Where The Heart Is
Review: "Where the Heart is," now playing in the movie theaters is based on the book of the same name by Billie Letts. If you haven't seen the movie yet, by all means, read the book first. It is always more enjoyable to compare the movie to the book than the other way around. On the other hand if you have seen the movie, the book is still worth reading. While it is easy reading (makes John Grisham seem downright intellectual) there are many discoveries to be found in the book that are not in the movie. The basic plot is about a pregnant 17 year old girl who is abandoned by her boyfriend (and the baby's father) at a Wal Mart hundreds of miles from her home. Novalee is very naive and often does not make the very brightest of choices in her life. Over the next eight years throughout the course of the book she matures while still holding on to her idealism. At first glance the "sappiness factor" may seem a bit overwhelming, but I like to look at it as a commentary on what our lives have become. Few people are as trusting and open as Novalee. While her luck at meeting so many kind and giving people in one town may seem farfetched, the book seems to send the message that kindness is out there. Often times it is just as great to receive kindness as it is to give it. That's a great lesson for all of us.
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Summary: Where the Heart Is
Review: I thought this book was wonderful! It interested me most, I think, because it involves real life events, things that can really happen. I thought it was a great book about a young girl who made some bad choices in life but turned her life around and learned to love herself and eventually the people around her as well.
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