Customer Reviews

Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart: A Novel

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Alice Walker has done it again. She has created a deeply rich world full of amazing characters that you hate to leave when the book is finished. Unlike most of her other works, this book has an extremely modern feel to it. It takes place in the present, and although it happens mostly in the jungles, it still feels like home.

Kate, the main character inspired by Walker's grandmother, channels a lot of Walkers feelings about the world today, and growing older. In the past, I've always felt the ancestors in Walker's work, but never much of herself. This book combines the two elements beautifully.

Do yourself a favor and big pick up this remarkable book, by one of the greatest voices of our time.

When Alice Walker, the earthy literary wordsmith, releases a new book, I feel
an unmistakable pull that compels me to not only buy the book but to read it.
So, when NOW IS THE TIME TO OPEN YOUR HEART was released
I did as the unforeseen forces commanded, I bought and read the book
and I haven't regretted one solitary reflective moment since I did.

In NOW IS THE TIME TO OPEN YOUR HEART, we meet Kate, a successful author who
is pondering her life. She seems to have reached a crossroads of sorts where
she is trying to unearth the meaning of her existence. This search leads her
on a number of soul-searching journeys that ultimately leads Kate to a truer
understanding of herself and others around her.

In true Walker style, this novel is filled with wonderful symbolism and
experiences which draw the reader in and makes him/her a part of the main
character's quest. Walker's characters deal with a myriad of issues including
aging, sexuality, religion, abuse, and defining oneself. I found myself
disappointed when I read the final words. I wanted the journey to continue
and somehow, after reading NOW IS THE TIME TO OPEN YOUR HEART, I think Walker
wants it to as well.

Reviewed by Diane Marbury
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Despite enjoying previous works by this author, I actually stayed awake last night contemplating whether this novel was in my top three worst novels of all time. Why? It is meandering, cliched, downright offensive in terms of stereotypes and the main characters Kate and Yolo generally bear no resemblance to real people. To compound the problem, the other characters who play supporting roles are hollow shells used merely to make didactic points about oppression and abuse. Being black is depicted in terms of such simplistic stereotypes as "being more tolerant than anyone else", being native American is "being in touch with the land" and being white has nothing positive to say for it at all.
For example, the author seems unaware that if Kate actually lived in Africa as I do, her sexuality would be enough to get her thrown into jail by virtually every African government of the day and would result in her being an outcast by local communities. That's the level of tolerance here in the Motherland.
My point ultimately is that this novel is ahistorical, ill-informed and in terms of simple entertainment value - particularly tedious if you have any interest in wit, irony, insightfulness or relevance. Don't waste your money.

I fully enjoyed following the journeys of Kate and Yolo while they were figuring out their place in this world, as we all are. This is the first book I have read by Alice Walker, and she is to be commended for writing an inspiring novel. This is a wonderful book for those of us who are "soul searching." I would recommend it to anyone who is contemplating or starting out on their own spiritual journey.

I frequently found myself remembering how I felt years back reading Walker's "Temple of My Familiar" -- a compelling plotline that encourages the reader to learn about new places and peoples while questioning his/her own beliefs. That being said, "Open Your Heart" may be more treasured by readers who have already opened up to broad spiritual concepts (ex. the feminine divine) as opposed to traditional formalized & Western religion. For those readers, I would also highly recommend "Dance of the Dissident Daughter" by Sue Monk Kidd. As for me, I got "Open Your Heart" from the library & plan to buy my own copy to re-read again & again as I predict I will get more from it each time. I don't see Walker attempting to promote any "philosophy" except a willingness to accept those who find God outside of church or temple walls.

Now Is The Time To Open Your Heart works on several levels. Its a great book to take on vacation. It would be a great treasure on a cruise or retreat. It is quite digestible in a weekend, although I would encourage a somewhat slower reading so that the juiciness of Walker's prose and perspectives can seep through various levels of consciousness.

Obviously, Now Is The Time considers the personal and emotional journeys of Kate, a somewhat famous writer and her lover Yolo, a working artist. When their relationship reaches the usual inevitable point of where do we go next, both lovers, separately embark on planned and unplanned journeys of self-discovery. The two people who return from a trip to Hawaii and a vision questing experience in a tropical rainforest have interesting souvenirs. While Kate travels the farthest in terms of distance, like Yolo, what she really discovers is what she shares with others.

Notably, Kate and Yolo, are members of the civil rights generation and have survived the sexual revolution and womens' liberation and all of the other significant social and political signifiers of the past fifty years. Walker uses these and other characters to suggest that after the revolution, after the foolishness and foibles of youth, the real work of self-mastery is the one true human vocation.

I found the dual storyline a bit distracting. Still it is one of Walker's stronger and more compelling works. Its well worth reading, sharing with a friend or two and discussing at length.

I love Alice Walker's philosophies, but I really found myself loathing the protagonist of this book. Kate was very self-satisfied and arrogant, I thought. I definitely preferred her lover's story/journey to Kate's. The new age aspect to it was a turnoff and though I do embrace some 'new age' practices, I just thought it was too much. Also, the book meandered too much, going from character to character without cohesion. All in all, I found myself forced to get through this since I just couldn't stand Kate. I would not suggest this book to others.

Alice Walker's Now is the Time to Open Your Heart is a must read for all of you out there searching for a new view of life. This book is so on target, so filled with wisom, so evocative, so fair minded that I plan to re-read it immediately because I'm sure I missed things the first time around. In order to transform the world we need to transform our imaginations, get out of the stale mental processes that have led us to our impasse. Alice Walker has fulfilled this beautifully in this wonderful truthful novel.

Kate Nelson is a writer with many books under her belt. She feels that she can no longer find a purpose in life, she feels she has lost direction and she is not sure if it is the end for her and her lover Yolo.
Plagued with dreams about rivers Kate sets off on a journey rafting down the Colorado River and then to a retreat in the Amazon RainForest. Her lover Yolo sets out on his own journey to Haawii where he runs into an old lover and Yolo too is unsure if it is the end for him and Kate. As a fan of Alice Walker I was pleased with this latest novel. I enjoyed the spiritual journey with Kate, the people she met and the whole walking with the ancestors feel. This spiritual journey to one's self discovery is a classic by Walker. Kate was named after Walker's paternal Grandmother, who was killed when her father was a young boy.
reviewed by:
Dawn
Mahogany Albany, N.Y. 2004

This book was one of the most engaging, life altering books I have ever read. I connected to the characters of Yolo and Kate like they were a part of me I had forgotten about yet been searching for. Though it doesnt flow like a typical fiction novel - its more of a character study - this book gives ideas and experiences everyone needs to connect to. Highly recommend.