Harvesting the Heart

This is one of Picoult’s earlier novels, first published in 1993. It features a young couple from very different backgrounds. Nicholas grew up in a privileged home with two loving parents and all he could want materially. Paige grew up with a father who loved her but never had any money; her mother, whom she adored, walked out when Paige was five, and never returned.

The prologue of the book gets to the heart of the story: Paige has abandoned her husband and young baby Max. She wants to return but Nicholas won’t let her in. The book then takes us back in time, so we see how they met and how their romance blossomed despite parental opposition. There are flashbacks, too, to their childhood and teens - particularly Paige’s as she show more felt the loss of her mother and went through some traumatic experiences.

The writing is powerful, the characterisation very good. I found the continual time changes a little confusing at first; the viewpoint switches between Nicholas and Paige which is fine; but sometimes it all flows so well that it’s difficult to remember what year we’re in and what the circumstances are.

There are some serious issues covered in this book, including post-natal depression, and I found it quite thought-provoking at times. By the time I was about two-thirds through it was almost impossible to put down.

I do have a few minor niggles with the book that stop me from giving it a five-star rating. I didn’t like the detailed medical information, particularly descriptions of what happens when Nicholas is in surgery. It wasn’t necessary to the story and made me feel squeamish. A hint here and there would have been sufficient.

I also found myself cringing at some of the outdated information about babies - I don’t believe that, even in the '90s, a baby of less than six months would be ‘promoted’ to a front-facing car seat. Nor is it likely that he would use even a couple of words as clearly as Max does. But what disturbed me most is that Paige runs away when she has been breastfeeding Max around the clock; yet there’s no mention at all of the painful engorgement that she would have suffered.

They’re minor details, but they jarred. This is, in a sense, a complement to the author because the characters got under my skin so much that I felt they were real.

Overall I thought this an excellent book, one which I won't forget in a hurry, and which I will be recommending widely. show less

Paige is a young girl in trouble. After getting pregnant at eighteen by her first boyfriend, she has an abortion and runs away from home. Washing up in Cambridge she uses her amazing drawing abilities to get herself a job as a waitress. It is in this very diner that she will meet her future husband who gives up everything to be with her.

But Paige is still haunted by the memory of her mother who abandoned her when she was only five. When things get tough at home, Paige runs away again. She has a lot to resolve before she can go back, but will her husband ever be able to forgive her?

This book is not the worst I've ever read, but it's still pretty awful. First of all it just drags. The author keeps packing on meaningless details that only show more distract and pad out the book. Paige's drawing talent is a perfect example. I kept waiting for her ability to draw the secrets of others to become relevant to the plot but it never is. Yet the author sinks pages and pages into describing the pictures Paige is constantly drawing. There is absolutely no pay off. Don't expect one.

The plot had some serious holes in it too. Somehow Paige manages to put her husband through Harvard medical school simply by working two jobs?? The income of a girl who's only been to high school couldn't even pay tuition much less housing and food. Afterwards it just got more confusing. Are they rich? Are they poor? They have a giant house, but can't afford a babysitter?

The characters all seem to have spontaneous, distracting changes of personality. Nicholas was supposedly wildly in love with Paige. But now he's shouting at her if the baby cries in the night and cursing at her every tiny infraction. When she vanishes he doesn't even miss her. He's not worried about her. He's just inconvenienced that now he actually has to spend time with his son. What a drag! And don't get me started about when he discovers her lack of virginity. He flies off the handle like it's the 1600s. He's constantly wanting to strangle her, his child, even his mother. It's seriously disturbing. The author makes him into such a monster so quickly, it becomes laughably surreal. And then, just as suddenly, he loves Paige again. No explanation.

Nicholas's parents, who, at the drop of a hat, cut their son off and don't speak to him for eight years suddenly turn out to be super understanding people. The two crazy wealthy WASPs drop everything to watch their son's child twelve hours a day or more. Even nice people couldn't bear this burden. Rich people would definitely get nannies right away.

Paige is possibly the worst. She doesn't want a child. She thinks she's a terrible mother. She runs away and leaves her baby for three months with only slight anxiety. Then suddenly she's supermom and can't live without her child. Which is it and why? More than that Paige is such a doormat. Her husband treats her like a slave. He is constantly grabbing her, bruising her, screaming at her, saying unforgivable things, and making ludicrous threats. Does she stand up for herself? Never. Does she get a lawyer? God forbid! No, she just loves him all the more and works even harder to win him back. That's just sick. She was too much of a wet blanket to like or care about. I'm so glad this book is over! show less

this was my least favorite Jodi Picoult novel. I didn't like any of the characters and Picoult gave them abilities that were just unnatural. Paige can draw people's inner feelings onto paper. She run off to find her mother who ran away when Paige was five. Their reunion is unrealistic. No anger ? no recrimination? No answers expected from "Why did you leave me? Her mother is a thoughtless, very selfish character who says after 25 years "Maybe I'll go see your father someday.". I also found it unbelievable that Nicholas's parents who cut him off when he said he was going to marry Paige, suddenly take her in after she runs away from her husband and young son. That's hardly credable. And she winds up living with them when Nicholas won't show more take her back. SO , Picoult provides a medical emergency for the baby Max, and this is what will save his parents marriage..... yea, I don't think so. "Harvesting the Heart "was too implausable and careless for me to enjoy. show less

This was the second book by Picoult that I've read. And as with the first one, I was totally disappointed. I had no connection with any of the characters, even as a mother having gone through post-partum depression. I felt no compassion towards them, and couldn't wait to finish the book.

I have a sneaking suspicion, based on the two that I've read, that Picoult just doesn't bring her books to a satisfying ending. They both just suddenly ended, making for sloppy and, quite frankly, lazy resolution.

I was totally unimpressed.

Not the author's usual style of writing but I still really enjoyed 'Harvesting the Heart' and found myself sympathizing with Paige despite the fact she ran away from her husband and baby for three months. Despite her flaws I admired her strength and courage.

This was Jodi Picoult's second novel, and it's missing the shocking twist at the end that marks most of her other novels (at least the ones I have read). Because of this it actually feels more real, more possible than her other novels. I appreciated the unresolved ending, the redemption she offers all of her characters but never insists on. Often when I finish a Picoult novel I feel exhausted. I enjoy the ride, but I feel manipulated and annoyed with myself for giving in to the soap opera. With "Harvesting the Heart" I merely felt as if I had finished a decent escapist novel, not as if I had been put through the wringer. I think that for my next Picoult novel - because as much as it can irritate me, I keep coming back for more - I'll show more try to find her first. show less

This is the first Jodi Picoult that I've picked up but it will not be the last. I grew up wondering why some mothers just leave, so for me this book was very close to home and I felt somehow personally connected to Paige, who thinks that her mother's wrong doings are going to be hereditary. When Paige meets and marries Nicholas and they have their first child, she runs away scared that if she stays she will turn out to be as dysfunctional a mother as she had. The reader follows Paige on the journey that leads her away from and ultimately back to herself; and on this journey with Paige, I for one shared tears.