I loved this book!!! I can't believe I forgot to update and review it here. Sometimes I know I've read a book years ago but can't remember a lot about it. However, that is not the case with this book. I read it in 1999 when I was pregnant with my daughter. It seems like yesterday. It is so well written and such a wonderful book that remains with me all these years later.

The main character Novalee Nation a 17 year old who is abandoned by her boyfriend and who gives birth to a baby girl in a Wal-Mart store. Novalee was such a great character and easy to love and root for. There is also such a great cast of supporting characters in this book that are treasures with a couple that you will love to hate! Characters who open their hearts and home to Novalee and teach her many lessons while helping her raise her daughter Americus.

This was such a unique story that was so hard to put down. Heartwarming, funny and quite intense at times. A page turner with so much heart that I will always recommend it highly.

"Feel right there." Her voice was soft, no more than a whisper. "That's where the heart is."

A heartwarming story full of endearing characters. Novalee endured so many hardships at only seventeen.. She was abandoned by the people she trusted most; but she still believed in the kindness of strangers and that was rewarded threefold.

4,25 stars - English hardcover ( libarybook ) - I have dyslexia - review follows later

This could possibly be one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I’ve read a lot of horrible books in my day, but boy – this one takes the cake. The book is about a seventeen year old girl named Novalee, who is pregnant at the beginning of the novel. The main plot line for the first part of the story is Novalee’s life in the Wal-Mart that her ex-boyfriend Willy Jack had left her at, in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma. The story of her living in the Wal-Mart for two months was the first part that I found truly ridiculous, because security cameras exist. I mean, someone should have seen her. But that has happened before so I let it slide. The next part that made me angry was the birthing scene. Forney is her stalker, okay, but how does he know how to deliver a baby? Why didn’t they just call 911? The situation was so dangerous, and the fact that she got out of it okay was luck. This dumb luck continues in the novel. It starts off in the beginning when she is situated outside of the Wal-Mart. She is approached by three people, one person who mistakes her for someone else, a photographer who told her to name her baby wisely, and a young boy who gave her a tree. It was odd enough that these three people all visited her in a matter of 3-4 pages, but the fact that they carry her throughout the novel is amazing to me. Sister Husband mistook her for someone else, yet she still allowed her into her home and financially supported her. Southern hospitality is the theme that the author probably meant to play through this occurrence, but it just seemed weird and unrealistic. The dumb luck continues, when the owner of Wal-Mart, instead of arresting her or at least telling her to stay away from Wal-Mart, offers her a job, which she accepts. Alright, now you’re financially supporting your kid, sort of. Okay. Next spring of dumb luck that made me really mad, is that when the Tornado hits the small town she lives in and Sister Husband dies, instead of leaving her entire life’s savings to her living husband, she instead writes it to Novalee. Oh right, because how is Novalee going to live without some kind of financial support from Sister Husband. It’s just so ridiculous. Aside from those and several other occurrences of dumb luck, what else bothered me is that all the people around Novalee (Lexie, Benny, Sister Husband, Forney, and the Whtiecottons) were only in the novel to be self-esteem boosters for Novalee. They were only there as bricks, existing solely to make sure Novalee is supported. The Whitecotton’s had such an interesting background, with the loss of their child. Sister Husband was wild and different from other religious people, why was that? Why is it that we know Benny has a Native background but we know nothing about his actual life? Lexie’s children experienced a TRAUMATIC event and that plot line was forgotten, what happened to Brummet? Pauline? You can’t send someone to a camp for troubled boys and expect them to get over an extremely traumatic event just like that. Forney was just weird so I don’t care much for his story and why he’s interested in 17 year old girls when he’s 28 years old himself. The worst was how there were 4 or 5 conflicts that arrived and were solved in a matter of two or three chapters. There were several other very big issues but overall this book was horrible, I really can’t find anything nice to say about it.

Such a good book about love, knowledge, friendship, happiness, and the meaning of home ❤️

i loved this book. i have read many reviews by people that don't and the words "white trash" were always in there somewhere... they couldn't enjoy a book about a "white trash" heroine. i think that it's easy to judge, easy to devalue something because of personal prejudice... but if you've ever been in, known someone, or just heard about another human being in any of the situations resting in these pages, you can see the plain truth of it and it's beauty.

Such a great story. Sad and then heartwarming and hopeful ! Will stay with me forever. Enjoyed what was done with the movie too !

What may appear as fluff and cheap chick lit is a masterful account of the ebb and tide of love, while there are saccharine notes there are some hard hitting truths exposed within the pages. What would happen if Romeo and Juliet survived? A young ingénue is abandoned by her paramour to face the teenage pregnancy which has become a tell of their union. Set amidst a trailer park and a Walmart in the heartland of America these motifs are indictments of the truth of the American dream and offer a stark reality that does not shimmer with the glitz and glamor of New York, Los Angeles, or Hollywood. In a land that has championed the rugged individualist and masculine patriarchy of industry - we see the struggles of motherhood and the intense isolation, passion, and friendship that rescue this community. Home is where the heart is; but this novel contains one of the most shocking accounts of domestic violence and sexual abuse I have found in print. As an adolescent my childhood home was robbed - the feeling of security and trust the environment fostered were forever shattered by the knowledge that our security had been violated. This pales in comparison to the aggression experienced by a lonely housewife who is brutally beaten within an inch of her life before her children are molested by a blind internet date. The feeling of betrayal felt by this mother, her desperation to be loved, and her guilt by allowing the wolf in sheep's clothing to enter the pasture of her keep are palpable.

Excellent!

I enjoyed the book over all, but I was expecting a lot more from it. The characters were really cool but I did not like the protagonist. I thought she was too complacent and lacked the strength that most chic-lit protagonists have. She was naive, and extremely hard on herself which made her slightly annoying to read about. However, I liked the way they show her development from someone who needs constant support to someone who is a source of comfort to her friends in time of need.

The cast of characters was amazing, especially Forney. He became her knight in shinning armor since he was always there to take care of her and provide support. Moses Whitecotton and Sister Husband were very interesting as well because they were very eccentric and provided a contrast to Novalee's character.

The developments in the plot bout Willy Jack were interesting and they gave a nice break from Novalee's life, the parts of his story kept me on my toes and provided supense to the story.

I liked the book, but I think if it were written in first-person then it would have seemed more expressive and less cheesy.

This is a heartwarming story. I would have liked a more well-rounded conclusion but that's my only criticism. The book is easy to read and comprehend with characters who are easy to love.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, cute, easy read. It seems that this is a love/hate book. Don't read it expecting some great piece of high-minded literature. Take it for what it is - a feel good story about growing and changing.

Novalee Nation matures throughout the book because of the people she meets in her new home. Where the Heart is is a book about the journey that you take as you grow up.