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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780140230277
ISBN number: 0140230270
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 464
Printing Date: April 01, 1995
Publishing house: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Sale Popularity Level: 1160
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
The author of Picture Perfect 'explores the fragile ground of ambivalent motherhood' (New York Times Book Review). Paige's mother left when she was five. When Paige becomes a mother herself, she is overwhelmed by the demands. Unable to forget her past, Paige struggles with the difficulties of marriage and motherhood.
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Rated by buyers 
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I've been a big fan of many of Jodi Picoult's books, especially "Change of Heart" and "My Sister's Keeper," but this book was a huge disappointment. The storyline, like the main character, can't seem to figure out where it wants to go. My biggest problem with the book, however, is the main male character. Nicholas is such a complete jerk, arrogant, angry, selfish and self-absorbed . . . I was honestly hoping that he'd be hit by a truck so that Paige and her son could put their lives together and move on. I would not have been surprised if he had turned out to be a physically abusive husband--he has all of the psychological characteristics of an abuser. I could not believe that he could change, and so I did not want the lovers to reunite. I wanted Paige to take her son and run away and never be found. A frustrating read, to say the least!
Rated by buyers -
Before I begin, I have to say that I'm very biased when it comes to Ms. Picoult. I very first saw her at a book signing for Nineteen Minutes and instantly liked her. Since that book signing, I've read nine of her books, with the intention of reading her entire collection. Having said that, I have to say the very first part of Harvesting the Heart was extremely difficult for me to get into. I never thought of putting it down or reading another book. At times I had to force myself to read and looking back, I'm glad that I did.
I don't want to say too much about the storyline and when things began to pick up for me, (may be a spoiler for some) but after a certain event happened, I couldn't stop reading. After I finished reading the book, I thought about my feelings regarding the very first chapters. When Paige and Nicholas very first meet, they are from different worlds. He has had everything handed to him and she has given up a dream that she feels she doesn't deserve. Despite their differences, they fall in love and decide to marry. During the early years of their marriage, I consider Nicholas to be extremely selfish and Paige to be very passive. Even for them, it was hard for both of them to be with the other. So, I'm wondering, as the reader, was it hard for me to be with them as well.
As I mentioned earlier, Paige comes to a crossroad in the marriage where she has to choose to move ahead or finally deal with the past she left behind. She makes a decision, that will set in motion events that will determine the fate of her marriage. Harvesting the Heart, for me, was typical Jodi Picoult. I finished the book with many questions and could not stop thinking about the characters. Actually, what was missing was a trial scene. Having read most of her recent books first, it was nice to go back and read one of her earlier works. Ms. Picoult has grown as a writer, however even then she knew how to tell a story.
Rated by buyers -
Ever hear one of those recordings by some female singer who whines about what seems to be a perfectly nice life, then in the subsequent song whines about how she didn't realize what a nice life she had until she lost it? That's this book. You can almost taste the unwashed beatnik hair you swallowed down in your triple decaf sugar free soy latte just thinking about it. So here's this dumb self-important artsy chick (you know the type) simpering around feeling incompetent, waitressing and watching TV, though she theoretically has the gift to see into people's souls in her drawings (the undeveloped hook that probably got the publisher to agree to this piece of schlock). Finally, three months after giving birth, she decides to "find herself" (yes, really) by searching for the mother who had abandoned her, whom she finds, and proceeds to go riding around for several months on some stupid horse metaphor. Bawltagonist claims she feels guilty to have abandoned her three-month-old child, but, well, maybe not that guilty, giddyup. Perhaps the abandoned child-turned-mother finding her own long lost mother is supposed to be poignant, but fails. I really like Picoult's work, I hoped for a while that she was just really deftly writing sniveltagonist this way on purpose to point out that babies do better with mothers that don't sit around watching TV and shaking in their house slippers at the notion of motherhood, but alas, she never got there. A couple of Gymboree classes and maybe a Mommy and Me series would have fixed everything right up for the boobtagonist in this story. But I guess artsy chick tragictagonists in artsy chick touchy feely novels don't do Gymboree. Certainly not. Picoult makes out that the dumbtagonist is strictly neeto, and if you look at her picture, she didn't even bother to do much to change the appearance of the twitagonist from an idealized version of herself. Maybe the book is little more than a long excuse for herself. It certainly has that air. Even the husband's mother celebrates puletagonist's 'bravery' in abandoning her child because (according to Picoult's undertext) of course all mothers secretly want to abandon their infant children, and even the father has the same secret wish. Oh and here's another nice cliche, the grandparents find fulfillment when having a three-month-old child sprung on them by their irresponsible adult children. Sure. It all just really creeps me out. Picoult must have needed some fast cash or something, because this is such a lame book, poorly thought-out, brimming with cliches such as this stupid epiphany: "I laugh out loud at my own discovery...I ran for miles and miles and miles just to realize what I really wanted was right here." Come on, now, publishers - let's put a morontorium on the "my own backyard" epiphany, can we? I'm begging you. It's just too dumb. Anyway, this book is little more than a literati's version of General Hospital minus the humour and charisma and everybody being somebody's secret love child. Go read Nineteen Minutes if you want to read Picoult, that's a brilliant book.
Rated by buyers 
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Book arrived within the time stated and was in GREAT shape. Very pleased with this purchase.
Rated by buyers 
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I have read all of Picoult's books, and I've found that only some of them have the good writing and interesting storylines that she's known for. Harvesting the Heart is an example of one of her really crummy books. The narrator is incredibly unlikable, the scenario is unrealistic, and I've tried to read it through more than once and always failed. I wish I had not purchased this book.
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