Book of the Week:Where the Heart Is By: Billie Letts
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.
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.
posted by Wild Librarian | 10:34 PM
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