Title: Heart in the Right Place
Author: Carolyn Jourdan
First published January 1, 2007
304 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781565124875 (ISBN10: 1565124871)
Rating: 3.89
Overview
Heart in the Right Place is a heartwarming memoir by Carolyn Jourdan that will leave you both laughing and crying. After living a life of luxury in Washington D.C., Carolyn’s world is turned upside down when her mother has a heart attack.
She leaves everything behind to help her father with his medical practice in rural Tennessee. Soon, Carolyn finds herself doing everything from cleaning up bodily fluids to deciphering Medicare forms.
But as she immerses herself in her new life, she realizes that making a difference doesn’t always mean changing the world. It’s about being there for the people who need you most, whether they can pay for it or not.
Join Carolyn on her journey as she discovers the true meaning of love, family, and community in the small town of Strawberry Plains.
About the Author
Carolyn Jourdan is an accomplished author whose works have been recognized by USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Her book Out on a Limb was named a Best Kindle Book in 2014, and her Heart in the Right Place earned the #9 spot on the Wall Street Journal Best Seller list in 2017.
Jourdan has also achieved a top-10 ranking for her other books, including some of her most recent works.
One of her latest projects is a collection of stories from over 60 nurses, chronicling their most memorable moments and experiences over the past 70 years. These stories offer valuable insights and wisdom gained from years of hands-on experience, from the most humble tasks to the most skilled.
Jourdan’s radiology books are also a set of companion pieces, one of which follows the most memorable moments of 40 radiologists, while the other chronicles 7 extraordinary nights spent shadowing a single radiologist.
Another book of hers, Bear in the Back Seat, recounts the many interactions with wild animals that take place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Author Kim DeLozier shares stories of his encounters with everything from hormonally-crazed elk to befuddled bears, offering a unique perspective on this extraordinary landscape.
Phoebe McFarland is the protagonist of Jourdan’s novel, Theophilus North. Having returned to her hometown of White Oak, Tennessee, she spends her days caring for a quirky roster of housebound patients as a rural home health care nurse.
Her love life is also a focus of the story, as she navigates the challenges of dating in a small town. When she reunites with her childhood sweetheart, Henry Matthews, they embark on a search for a young woman who disappeared during a gathering of world famous biologists and botanists in the Smoky Mountains.
Jourdan’s works have achieved great success, with several of her books earning recognition from the Wall Street Journal. Her latest projects offer unique perspectives and insights into the lives of nurses, radiologists, and the inhabitants of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Editoral Review
Heart in the Right Place is a moving memoir by Carolyn Jourdan that takes readers on an emotional journey through the highs and lows of her life in rural Tennessee. First published on January 1, 2007, the book is part of the memoir genre and explores themes such as family, community, rural life, and healthcare.
The story revolves around the author’s experience working as a lawyer for the U.S. Senate before returning to her hometown to care for her parents. Jourdan provides readers with a glimpse into her life as a small-town girl turned big-city lawyer and her subsequent return home to care for her aging parents.
The narrative follows her as she navigates the complexities of rural life, getting accustomed to her old community, and confronting her own internal struggles. Jourdan’s writing style is captivating, thought-provoking, and heartfelt, which makes the book an incredibly engaging read.
Her descriptions of the rural Tennessee landscape and the small-town people who inhabit it are rich and vivid, immersing readers in the story’s setting. Furthermore, Jourdan’s focus on healthcare adds a compelling dimension to the book, painting a picture of the challenges that rural hospitals face in meeting their communities’ needs.
Another notable aspect of Heart in the Right Place is Jourdan’s skillful character development. She does an excellent job of portraying the people in her life with empathy and tenderness, making them compelling characters that readers can easily relate to.
Additionally, her pacing and plot structure maintain a perfect balance of highs and lows, keeping readers engaged throughout the book. However, despite its strengths, Heart in the Right Place lacks a bit of depth in its exploration of themes.
While the memoir touches on issues surrounding rural life and healthcare, it does not delve into those topics enough to provide readers with a solid understanding of the complexities involved. Overall, Heart in the Right Place is an engaging memoir that provides readers with a heartwarming look into small-town life.
While it has some limitations, Jourdan’s skillful writing and character development make it a must-read for anyone interested in a memoir that explores the challenges of small-town living. The book is an excellent choice for fans of memoirs like The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls or The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson.
Rating: 8/10
