Review: Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts

Synopsis: Talk about unlucky sevens. An hour ago, seventeen-year-old, seven months pregnant Novalee Nation was heading for California with her boyfriend. Now she finds herself stranded at a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, with just $7.77 in change. But Novalee is about to discover hidden treasures in this small Southwest town--a group of down-to-earth, deeply caring people willing to help a homeless, jobless girl living secretly in a Wal-Mart. From Bible-thumping blue-haired Sister Thelma Husband to eccentric librarian Forney Hull who loves Novalee more than she loves herself, they are about to take her--and you, too--on a moving, funny, and unforgettable journey to . . . Where the Heart Is. (from the back of the book)

Review: I watched the movie adaption of this many years ago, and despite the horrid reviews, enjoyed it. It’s a sappy, sentimental, sometimes gritty, story rife with warm-fuzzies and heartbreak. There is an edge of intelligence to it, as the characters, particular Forney Hull, quote authors well-known and not. And the overarching idea that some lies changes the entire course of our life. Billed as a Young Adults novel, it must be stated that it contains subjects, like rape and death, which must be considered before choosing to read this. These things have a place in the story, and aren’t gratuitous or for shock value, thankfully, and do enhance the story in some ways, if only to give the story a bite and a dose of reality that prevents it from just being sappy. While it won’t win any literary awards, it a pleasant read, saccharine, and yet, just gritty enough that one doesn’t toss it aside for sugar shock.  Worth reading. 

Bookmarks: 4 of 5

Awards: Does Oprah's Book Club count?

ISBN: 0-446-67221-1

Year Published: 1995

Date Finished: 1-11-2016

Pages: 376