Harvesting the Heart

by Jodi Picoult

Book Overview

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name, a novel exploring the story of a young woman overcome by the demands of having a family.

Paige has only a few vivid memories of her mother, who abandoned her at five years old. Now, having left her father behind in Chicago for dreams of art school and marriage to an ambitious young doctor, she finds herself with a child of her own...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140230270
• ISBN13: 9780140230277
• Release Date: April 1995
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.3" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Mother & Self

Jodi Picoult created a novel so rich and so true. She has magically woven a story of sorrow, happiness, and the search for our own truths.'Harvesting the Heart' focuses on the life of Paige and her new marriage to Nicholas. Paige becomes a mother and soon memories of her own mother and an unspeakable past have her doubting herself and her ability to parent her child.Jodi captures the feelings of most new mothers. She details the feelings of being overwhelmed and emotionally spent. Sleepless nights and showerless days are what fills Paige's life. Slowly, Paige is reaching her breaking point. When Paige breaks and can no longer endure, she sets out on a journey to find herself and reawaken her true passions. This is a life changing event for all. Through this journey, Paige is able to rekindle and revisit relationships and reconcile her past.This early novel of Picoult's is definately one of her best. I would highly recommended it.

Picoult's best work yet

This is the fourth book that I've read by Jodi Picoult and it is my favorite so far. This is a beautifully written story about self-doubt, the chance to find yourself, and the bond that exists between a mother and child.The novel begins in the present with Paige locked out of her own house pleading with her husband Nicholas to see their child,Max. The story continues from there, shifting from Paige's perspective to Nicholas'. We learn that Paige has been abandoned by her mother, then flees from her hometown after dealing with a traumatic incident at a young age. She soon falls in love with Nicholas, a soon to be doctor who's own star is on the rise. Paige is an artist at heart but abandons her own dream to help support the career of her husband. She soon becomes a mother herself and tries to be a loving one but doubts her ability to do so. She carries the burden of her mother's desertion. In order to stand on her own she has to go back to her past, to the mother who left her. From there she has to learn how to love.This book differs from her others in that there is no mystery to be solved here, there is no court room scenes. There is just the tender story of two people, two souls that are meant to be together, and the journey that their lives take them on. Jodi has an incredible way with words and her storytelling here is absolutely superb. It is a book to be savoured.

A brilliant novel by Picoult

This is my absolute favorite novel by Jodi Picoult. The way she portrays each character in such an objective light whether or not they deserve it is absolute brilliance. Her writing is style is, as usual, perfect. And this story is one that I'll be thinking of for a long time to come.Eighteen year old Paige, having left home after high school graduation, waits tables in Massachusetts and falls in love with Nicholas, a doctor headed up the surgical career ladder and the son of extremely wealthy parents. They marry, despite his parents' disapproval, and begin a new life together.Nicholas is too busy at the hospital to pay much attention to Paige, who has worked multiple jobs at a time to pay for his medical school. A fabulous sketch artist with no means to get any training, her skills fall by the wayside. When she discovers that she's pregnant, she is forced to deal with the abandonment by her mother and the termination of her first pregnancy all at once.The book is a tremendous page-turner, and with the narratives switching between Paige in first-person and Nicholas in third-person, there won't be a chance of losing interest. This book is well worth your investment of time and money!

Another triumph for Picoult...

I had initially read "The Pact", given to me by a friend, and absolutely loved the work of Jodi Picoult. I ordered "Harvesting the Heart", and read in less than two days. Another "could-not- put-it-down-until-I-knew-the- ending" type of book. The characters are real and believable, and you could picture them living next door to you. I, personally, am not a mother (yet!), but reading this book gave me insight into motherhood, marriage and love...and what they truly entail. The story of Paige and Nicholas is truth in fiction. And as with "The Pact", I did not want this book to end, but to continue on to see exactly what happens in the lives of these people who are dealing with emotions that many readers can connect with. A moving story of, simply, life...and definitely worth reading.