Everyone has had an imaginary friend at some point in their life, right? It’s that one special person who knows all your secrets, your hopes and dreams. Your imaginary friend that only you can see and only you know exists.
In Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet, Jane Margaux grew up pretty much on her own. Her mother, Vivienne, was always busy with her Broadway theatre company in New York to pay any attention to her little Jane. But, one secret that she had from her mother was the fact that she was never truly alone. Jane always had Michael.
Michael was Jane’s imaginary friend. He was always there for her, and she could count on him for absolutely anything. Every Sunday Vivienne would take her daughter, and a friend, to the St. Regis, so she could discuss her work and watch over Jane without having to actually be with Jane.
But Michael was always there. Michael always ordered melon balls and lemon sherbet, while Jane had coffee iced cream with hot fudge and smooth whipped cream on top. That’s what they always ate together at the St. Regis while they listened to Vivienne mom rant and rave about the theatre gossip before marching off to see mammoth-sized diamonds at Tiffany’s.
When Jane’s ninth birthday comes around, she discovers that her best friend in the whole world has to leave her. Michael says that imaginary friends are only there to guide their children for a little while until they are on their way to finding their place in the world. Despite Jane’s crying and protesting, Michael has to leave, and she’s once again left alone.
Twenty-three years later, Jane is working with her mother at the production company. She’s very successful at what she does and she even has a modelesque boyfriend now. Jane had created her own play, Thank Heaven, which managed to become a smash hit and win a Tony Award.
Although Michael was no longer in her life, she had Hugh McGrath, who played the role of Michael in Thank Heaven. Jane’s play was based on her long-ago relationship with Michael. Even though she was dating the incredibly handsome Hugh McGrath, it was never the same as what she shared with her imaginary friend, once upon a time.
One day after visiting Tiffany’s, Jane decided to head to the St. Regis and order her coffee ice cream for old times’ sake. What she saw inside gave her the shock of her life. It was Michael. The one person she had been longing to see. He looked exactly the same as she remembered him. She thought it must have been her imagination.
No. It really was Michael. With shaking hands and knees, she built up her courage to go talk to him. Then as quick as that, Michael was back in her life.
They spent more and more time together, just like when Jane was a little girl, only this time she was all grown up and Michael wasn’t imaginary any more. They were both adults and they were together, free to make their own grown-up choices, including choices of love. And the more time they spent together, the more that choice of love grew inside both of them.
There was just one question Michael had to ask himself: If imaginary friends are just for children, why was he suddenly back in Jane’s life?
Sundays at Tiffany’s is a unique look at love almost through a child’s eyes. While James Patterson, the usual thriller writer, took a chance with Gabrielle Charbonnet to write a romance novel, an imaginary friend that turns into a soul mate is definitely an atypical plot. Its uniqueness makes it a great read full of friendship, hope, and the power of love.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a baby in a Wal-Mart store? Neither did Novalee, but that’s exactly what happened to her.
In Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts, seventeen-year-old Novalee Nation and her boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens, head off to California to find fame and fortune for themselves and their future baby. When Novalee loses her only pair of sandals through a hole in the bottom of their car, Willy Jack reluctantly pulls into a Wal-Mart so she can relieve her bladder and buy a new pair of shoes.
While Novalee did manage to find a cheap pair of rubber thongs, her change came out to $7.17. Being terrified of the unlucky number seven, she threw the change back at the cashier and ran into the parking lot to find Willy Jack. He was already long gone.
Abandoned at Wal-Mart, she runs into Sister Husband who mistakes Novalee for someone else. Although Novalee has never met Sister Husband before she was very kind to her by giving her a gift basket and an invitation to her house.
Later, she met the photographer, Moses Whitecotton, on a bench inside the Wal-Mart store. Moses gave Novalee some important advice on the value of names, and he told her to give her baby a good name. He even offered to take her baby’s pictures for free if Novalee came back in the future with her newborn.
A little after seven, Novalee met Benny Goodluck, who offered her his lucky buckeye nut for her to make a wish on. Before leaving, he gave her one of his family’s buckeye trees for free.
After a long day at Wal-Mart and meeting many new people, Novalee realized that the store would be closing soon and she had nowhere to go. Before she knew it, the customers and employees were exiting and the lights were going off. She was left completely alone in the Wal-Mart store in Sequoyah, Oklahoma.
With no other choices, Novalee just decides to actually live in Wal-Mart.
For two months, she ate Wal-Mart food, made herself a bed in the middle of the store, and hid every morning so she wouldn’t be seen by the first shift employees. It wasn’t perfect, but living in Wal-Mart actually worked well enough for her.
During her time in Sequoyah she stopped by at the local library where she met Forney Hull who gave her a book about trees. Novalee spent more time at the library with Forney and even visited Sister Husband at her house.
Novalee knew her baby was coming. She should have planned better for her child, but before she knew it, her water broke in Wal-Mart. After all those baby books she read, the time had come and she didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t handle the pain and blacked out.
When Novalee woke up, she was in the hospital with tons of people waiting to see her and her famous Wal-Mart baby. She had been saved, but by who? And now that everyone knew she had lived in Wal-Mart for two months, would she be in trouble? Where was she going to live now?
Where the Heart Is is a down-to-earth, southern comfort novel that is sure to entertain its readers. This book was featured in Oprah’s book club for its wonderful heroine and her remarkable journey. Also turned into a movie, the plot and characters are surprisingly similar. The message in the novel and the movie remain the same and both portray an unforgettable journey with Novalee Nation. 
