Above all things, Heart with Joy is a coming-of-age story relying on themes of family and friendship. Julian, the 15-year-old narrator, must adapt to his mother and father's changing relationship. His mother goes to Florida to help her parents run a motel while his father stays home and takes up running. Julian becomes friends with an elderly neighbor who is obsessed with birds. Julian must learn to cope with changes and then make changes for himself.
I think that a lot of people will be moved by Heart with Joy, but it wasn't the kind of novel that really moves me. By the time I had finished reading the book, I still felt like Julian was a stranger. By the end of the book, I didn't know enough about Julian to care what choice he made. I felt no compelling force to care about Julian or his family. The reader does not get to follow Julian many places (like school) to really get a feel for how he interacts with people when he is not with his parents. I found that Julian lacked a personality.
Steve Cushman obviously has talent. The dialogue was the strongest part of the book for me. I also think he did a good job of capturing Julian's mother's attitude and appearance for the reader. From just a very short amount of time spent on describing her interactions with Julian, I was able to create a strong opinion about her.
I recommend this book to readers who like to read about life lessons, because Julian learns a lot of them.
I received a free review copy of Heart with Joy. This does not affect the honesty of my review!
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