"It is easier to fall into the pit of fear than to climb the mountain called Love" —Journey to the Heart ". . . an offbeat novel many a reader will enjoy." —Midwest Book Review Authentic, close to her feelings, honest, true to self . . . this is what makes Nora Caron’s work so compelling. Journey to the Heart carries an eternal, universal message that many a lost-soul will turn to as the years unfold. Nora Caron has been blessed with the ability to see through social, cultural, political, and religious illusions, and has built a large readership based on her foresight and unique storytelling abilities. Nora well understands that we evolve as human beings, and that often it’s important to not be fully understood. There’s charm in not having all the answers, in being the student as well as the teacher, and this comes through in Lucina and Señora Labotta, fictional characters in Journey to the Heart, yet without a doubt also living aspects of this writer’s soul. Burned out, depressed, and let down by life and others, 25 year-old Lucina finally makes a break, leaving behind a neurotic mother, shallow friendships and her `pull yourself up by the bootstraps’ psychologist, and courageously sets off into the unknown. Only then does Lucina ‘by chance’ meet her real guide, Señora Labotta, who with the mysterious spirit of many great teachers, seduces the curious Lucina away from her linear scientific and technological way of seeing and believing and into a life of adventure, spirit and reward. With the wise assistance of Señora Labotta, Lucina and her spirited willingness to suffer through lost love and not escape her experience is what gives her the edge. In other words, Lucina doesn’t try to escape her joy and pain or whatever else comes her way. Instead, courageously, she feels it, lives through it and doesn’t remain life’s victim. As opposed to a large group of people who turn to drugs, chemicals, false religions and other abusive dependencies and escapes, Lucina’s suffering is not in vain. A great deal of the world’s population continues to suffer in vain; yet, this type of suffering is meaningless. One never finds redemption in neurotic suffering—one may find false comfort, but not redemption! This is where Nora Caron shines, in leading her readers away from false comforts and into the unknown where one can obtain a renewed and authentic life. This refreshing novel is sure to quench the thirst of many people, young and old, longing to find deeper meaning and greater fulfillment in life.
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