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Where the Heart Is: A Book Review

© Mary Alward

When I first adopted this topic, I was very pleasantly surprised to hear from Mary Alward, editor of the Canadian Tourism, Travel, and Culture topic here at Suite 101.

She is a fan of Kathy's topic, and she very generously offered a guest article, a review of Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. It looks like a great book, and one that you may have missed!

I am happy to share that review with you, and to encourage you to visit Mary's topic for other wonderful articles.

Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts

Review:

Novalee Nation is superstitious about sevens. At the moment, she is seventeen, seven month pregnant and twenty-seven pounds overweight.

Novalee and her boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens leave Tennessee and head for Bakersfield, California to start a new life. Willy Jack becomes angry when Novalee has to make frequent bathroom stops. (You know what it's like when you're pregnant.) When they stop at Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, Willy Jack abandons Novalee. She has only $7.77 in change in her pocket and knows no one in the small town of Sequoyah. She waits, hoping Willy Jack will change his mind and come back for her. He doesn't.

Novalee is looking at baby clothes in Wal-Mart when they announce the store is closing. Feeling ill, she runs to the washroom. When she returns to the store, she finds that everyone is gone and the store is closed. She spends the night and decided to make Wal-Mart her home.

Then, the magic begins. She meets Sister Husband, who gives her a Welcome Wagon basket and invites her to visit her home. Moses Cottonwhite, a black photographer, gives her a complimentary baby's photo album and tells her how to choose a good name for her baby. Finally, twelve-year-old Benny Goodluck, gives her a buckeye tree for good luck.

This book is a light read, humorous and a lot of fun. It is a great book for single mothers and shows us that set-backs in life are always temporary. We must always have hope, let go of the bad experiences and cling to the good.

Book Excerpt:

The single stall in the bathroom was taken. Novalee pressed her legs together and tried to hold her breath. When she heard the toilet flush, she was sure she was going to make it, but when the door didn't open, she was sure she wasn't.

"I'm sorry," she said, as she tapped on the door, "but I've got to get in there now."

The copyright of the article Where the Heart Is: A Book Review in Book Picks is owned by Mary Alward. Permission to republish Where the Heart Is: A Book Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.