February '08 discussion thread: Heart in the Right Place

[Caryl]

Here is our discussion thread for Heart in the Right Place, our February group read. As always, be cautious of reading the posts below if you haven't finished, as they may contain spoilers.

[Caryl]

Did anyone else read this book?

I thought this was a lovely memoir. As I got into the book, I laughed at the lazy country-chic picture on the cover; Carolyn Jourdan's story definitely did not include much hanging out on a country porch! Although I found the title a bit cheesey when I started, by the end of the book I could see why she chose it, as it really does describe what this memoir is about.

I loved meeting the people in her hometown, and enjoyed her descriptions of the situations that came up in the doctor's office. I admired her father -- we need more people in the world like him! -- and her, for the good work they did and their patience and skill with people. I loved learning about Carolyn: her humor, her determination, her openmindedness and her caring heart.

I wonder what she's doing now. I wonder what the people in her community will do when her father needs to retire. I think I'll check out her website right now.

ETA: You can hear Carolyn read parts of the book here:
http://www.carolynjourdan.com/05d_hearcarolyn.htm

And you can read about her writing process here:
http://www.carolynjourdan.com/blog/?cat=12

And this entry begins to answer my questions:
http://www.carolynjourdan.com/blog/?page_id=2

[Ruby]

I finished it last week - I thought it was good, but not great.

I don't know if I read it too fast or what, but I had a hard time keeping track of all of the patients - it seems like she never described them much beyond their ailments and I just didn't follow.