by Billie Letts
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Product 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 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
Amazon.com Review
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
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Go Wal Mart, 2008-08-10
This is the first book I have read from Ms. Letts. I think she has a unique style of writing. Her characters are believable. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and could not put it down. I kept wanting to know what was next. I was only disappointed with the end. I always want to know more. It left me hanging.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Where the Heart Is, 2008-07-31
I caught the movie one afternoon and really got into it so it made the book even more enjoyable because the book actually explained a few things from the movie with more detail. The character that Ashley Judd portrayed was really the only one that did not fit the look of the person in the book but all the personalities came alive. Great read about a young girl destined for failure only to rise above the ashes of despair. Too many people prefer to stay down and she inspires us all to achieve.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Untraditional family values in a traditional southern state, 2008-07-19
Truthfully, I don't even recall how I got this novel in my possession. I'm an avid fantasy reader so one of my friends must have loaned it to me or LEFT it in my library perhaps. Either way, reading this novel was perhaps one of the best things I could have done.
Novalee Nation is a woman you cannot help but love. As a naive pregnant 17 year old, she initially finds herself stranded (left by her A-hole boyfriend) at Walmart with hardly any money except $7.77.
What I enjoyed the most about this novel is how there are NO traditional families in a very "traditional" southern state. Novalee is a single mom raising Americus, Lexie has a series of babies with different men, and yet all of them fit together perfectly together. It is so fascinating to see all the people interacting with Novalee; despite her commenting on how uneducated she is she proves herself over and over again as a survivor.
One of the best scenes in the novel is when she is honored for her photography. I felt so proud of her accepting her award and cementing her career as a photographer.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
I loved this book!, 2008-07-02
This is one of my favorite movies. I usually make a point of reading a book and then watching the movie but I happened to watch the movie several years ago and just recently read the book. It of course went more in-depth with the characters (or else it would be a 5 hour movie!) and brought them even more to life. It really is an excellent story of strength, determination and love.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Awesome, 2008-06-24
This book truly touched me. As soon as I finished reading it I wanted to read it all over again. Novalee Nation reminds me of a young gurl I once knew.......
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