Harvesting the Heart (Picoult)

Harvesting the Heart
Jodi Picoult, 1995
464 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780140230277


Summary
Picoult earned rave notices for her debut novel, Songs of the Humpback Whale. Now this gifted young writer turns her considerable literary talents to the story of a young woman overcome by the demands of having a family. Written with astonishing clarity and evocative detail, convincing in its depiction of emotional pain, love, and vulnerability, Harvesting the Heart recalls the writing of Alice Hoffman and Sue Miller.

Paige has only a few vivid memories of her mother, who left when she was five. 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. But her mother's absence, and shameful memories of her past, make her doubt both her maternal ability and her sense of self worth. Out of Paige's struggle to find wholeness, Jodi Picoult crafts an absorbing novel peopled by richly drawn characters and explores issues and emotions readers can relate to. (From the publisher.)

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Author Bio
• Birth—May 19, 1966
• Where—Nesconset (Long Island), New York, USA
• Education—B.A., Princeton University; M.Ed., Harvard University
• Currently—lives in Hanover, New Hampshire


Jodi Lynn Picoult is an American author. She was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for fiction in 2003. Picoult currently has approximately 14 million copies of her books in print worldwide.

Early life and education
Picoult was born and raised in Nesconset on Long Island in New York State; when she was 13, her family moved to New Hampshire. Even as a child, Picoult had a penchant for writing stories: she wrote her first story— "The Lobster Which Misunderstood"—when she was five.

While still in college—she studied writing at Princeton University—Picoult published two short stories in Seventeen magazine. To pay the bills, after graduation she worked at a variety of jobs, including copy writing and editing textbooks; she even taught eighth-grade English and attained a Masters in Education from Harvard University.

In 1989, Picoult married Timothy Warren Van Leer, whom she met in college, and while pregnant with their first child, wrote her first book. Song of the Humpbacked Whale, her literary debut, came out in 1992. Two more children followed, as did a string of bestseller novels. All told, Picoult has more than 20 books to her name.

Writing
At an earlier time in her life, Picoult believed the tranquility of family life in small-town New England offered little fodder for writing; the truly interesting stuff of fiction happened elsewhere. Ironically, it is small-town life that has ended up providing the settings for Picoult's novels. Within the cozy surroundings of family and friends, Picoult weaves complex webs of relationships that strain, even tear apart, under stress. She excels at portraying ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Disoriented by some accident of chance, they stumble, whirl, and attempt to regain a footing in what was once their calm, ordered world.

Nor has Picoult ever shied from tackling difficult, controversial issues: school shooting, domestic violence, sexual abuse, teen suicide, and racism. She approaches painful topics with sympathy—and her characters with respect—while shining a light on individual struggles. Her legions of readers have loved and rewarded her for that compassion—and her novels have been consistent bestsellers.

Personal life
Picoult and her husband Timothy live in Hanover, New Hampshire. They have three children and a handful of pets. (Adapted from a 2003 Barnes and Noble interview and from Wikipedia. Retrieved 9/28/2016.)

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Book Reviews 
Picoult has become a master—almost a clairvoyant—at targeting hot issues and writing highly readable page-turners about them.... It is impossible not to be held spellbound by the way she forces us to think, hard, about right and wrong.
Washington Post

Picoult writes with a fine touch, a sharp eye for detail, and a firm grasp of the delicacy and complexity of human relationships.
Boston Globe

Picoult brings her considerable talents to this contemporary story of a young woman in search of her identity..... Told in flashbacks, this is a realistic story of childhood and adolescence, the demands of motherhood, the hard paths of personal growth and the generosity of spirit required by love. Picoult's imagery is startling and brilliant; her characters move credibly through this affecting drama
Publishers Weekly

In her second novel, Jodi Picoult recounts with power and grace a young woman's efforts to achieve "grandeur...and the ability to be comfortable in the world."... Picoult considers various forces that can unite or fracture families and examines the complexities of the human heart both literally and figuratively. Highly recommended. — Jane S. Bakerman, Indiana State Univ., Terre Haute
Library Journal

An updated formulaic second novel in which the young heroine not only finds herself but along the way comes to terms with that other contemporary women's issue: motherhood.... Some good writing, but not enough to sustain a concept-driven and rather old-fashioned story, despite its occasional contemporary gloss.
Kirkus Reviews

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Book Club Discussion Questions
1. Paige remembers her father saying over and over again “Life can turn on a dime.” Nicholas remembers his father used to say “Life turns on a dime.” What do they mean by that phrase? Do you agree?

2. Paige’s art is a catalyst for events throughout the novel. Discuss how her pictures help mold her life.

3. When Paige becomes pregnant with Max, she says she doesn’t know how to be a mother because she never had one. Can you be a good mother if you didn’t have a mother?

4 . When Nicholas saves the patient’s life (p. 80), he is a hero. When his father brings his girlfriend to the ballgame (p.120), Nicholas wants his father to be able to save someone so he is a hero. Discuss how we all need heroes? What do we need them to do? How do doctors often attain such a status?

5. At the Halloween Ball, Nicholas tells the others that he met Paige “waiting tables.” Why does she feel so betrayed and hurt? Would you feel that way?

6. How different are Paige’s parents? How different are Nicholas’ parents?

7. Nicholas’ father married wealth. So did Paige. How do they each handle it? How are they alike? How are they different?

8. The novel is divided into three parts: Conception, Growth, and Delivery. How is each part an analogy of birth?

9. Nicholas lies that he has been called to the hospital so he can leave after caring for Max for an hour (p. 186.) He’s feeling the same way Paige is but he gets to leave. Is Paige justified in leaving later?

10. Nicholas doesn’t understand why Paige is upset being with Max all day since he is the one working on his feet, keeping his reputation intact, and saving lives. How common is this thinking in today’s world? In our parents’ generation? Has it changed?

11. When Max falls off the couch, Paige feels terrible and is relieved he’s okay. Nicholas assumes that Paige is not taking good care of Max—possibly causing the fall. How unfair does that seem to strike you?

12. It is obvious that Nicholas and Paige were no way near prepared to be parents. How does that affect their relationship?

13. When tossing Nicholas’ shirts from the car when leaving, Paige is metaphorically tossing off her old life. Have you ever done that or wanted to do that?

14. It is interesting how Nicholas is ready to fall apart trying to deal with Max and asking the Candy Striper for help. Discuss the irony that he didn’t think Paige needed help but now HE needs help.

15. How do we know Paige’s dad has always loved her mother?

16. On page 306, the contradiction of guilt: those mothers who work feel guilty leaving their children yet Paige was able to stay at home with Max and wanted to be anywhere but there. How does the media play into all this today?

17. Paige asks her mother why she left. Her mother’s answer describes both herself and Paige. Discuss. (page 342)

18. How different is it between living the life you are expected to live and the life you want to live? Are they ever the same?

19. What brings Paige and Nicholas back together?

20. Both Paige and Astrid capture the world through their art, whether through charcoal drawings or through a camera lens. They both become famous in their own world. How does this make them alike? How does this make them different?

21. The author always has a double meaning in the titles of her books. What hearts are harvested in the novel, Harvesting the Heart?
(Questions from the author's website.)

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