Book Review: Where the Heart Is

Book Review: Where the Heart Is

Chelsea Goldsmith

Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts is a book about a young lady named Novalee Nation. The protagonist is a 17 year old girl who is pregnant with her first child, traveling to California with her boyfriend. 

Along the way to California, Novalee’s boyfriend leaves her stranded at a Walmart in Oklahoma. She begins to live in this Walmart without anyone having a clue that she is there. While living there, Novalee gives birth to her daughter, Americus, on the Walmart floor. This makes Novalee a small town celebrity.  

While Novalee is living in this Walmart, she comes to a realization: she might be homeless and unemployed, but the  future has something in store for her. Novalee struggles a lot with raising her child and having mental health issues, but she tries. She tries for her child. She tries for herself. Along with the mental health issues, she has to learn to trust people after being deceived by her boyfriend and her own mother. 

Where the Heart Is shows that someone is able to overcome hard times. It teaches us not to judge a book by its cover as many did to Novalee after they found her living in a Walmart and giving birth there, too. I give this book 3/5 stars while goodreads gives it a 4/5. I give this book a 3/5 because this isn’t the type of book I usually go for. This book is more of realistic fiction, which I find boring.