Get personalized recommendations and earn points toward a free book!
Before you go...
Check Out
The Bestselling Books of All Time
See the List
Heartwood by Belva Plain
Read An Excerpt

Look Inside

Read An Excerpt
Read An Excerpt

Heartwood

A Novel

A Novel

A Novel

By Belva Plain

By Belva Plain

By Belva Plain

By Belva Plain

By Belva Plain
Read by Karen White

By Belva Plain
Read by Karen White

Best Seller

Part of Werner Family Saga

Part of Werner Family Saga

Part of Werner Family Saga

Mass Market Paperback $7.99

May 29, 2012 | 384 Pages *This format is not eligible to earn points towards the Reader Rewards program

Ebook $7.99

Feb 08, 2011 | 320 Pages

Audiobook Download $20.00

Feb 08, 2011 | 540 Minutes

All Formats
+
    Heartwood by Belva Plain
    Mass Market Paperback
    May 29, 2012 | 384 Pages
    *This format is not eligible to earn points towards the Reader Rewards program
    See All Formats (2) +

    Paperback
    –

    • Mass Market Paperback $7.99

      May 29, 2012 | 384 Pages

      *This format is not eligible to earn points towards the Reader Rewards program

    Ebook
    +

    • Ebook $7.99

      Feb 08, 2011 | 320 Pages

    Audio
    +

    Buy the Audiobook Download:

    About Heartwood

    Few authors have understood the tender intricacies of relationships better than the incomparable Belva Plain. In Heartwood, her final novel, she comes full circle with the themes she took up in her very first work, Evergreen, bringing us an unforgettable story of family and friendship, love and marriage, the challenges of life and the true secret of happiness.
     
    Though Iris Stern considers herself a modern woman, with a successful career and a happy marriage, she still holds steadfast to her old-fashioned sensibilities. However, she often finds those sensibilities challenged by her children and the choices they have made. For Iris’s daughter, Laura, a fresh start in New York City may be the last chance to save her troubled marriage, but as Laura copes with an impending separation and its effect on Iris’s young granddaughter, Iris herself must come to grips with a long-held family secret. An emotional parting of another kind looms most prominently on Iris’s horizon—as neither her beloved husband nor her marriage is immune to the ravages of time. But like the inmost rings of a tree that abide through the generations, Iris will be as strong as heartwood.

    About Heartwood

    Few authors have understood the tender intricacies of relationships better than the incomparable Belva Plain. For three decades her deeply moving epics have captivated the hearts and imaginations of readers everywhere. Now, in her final novel, she comes full circle with the themes she took up in her very first work, Evergreen, bringing us this unforgettable story of family and friendship, love and marriage, the challenges of life and the true secret of happiness.

    Though Iris Stern considers herself a modern woman, with a successful academic career and a happy marriage, she still holds steadfast to her old-fashioned sensibilities. But as the mother of three adult children, each with their own lives and burdens to bear, she often finds those sensibilities called into question when confronted with the choices her children have made.

    For one of Iris’s daughters, it’s the choice of a fresh start in New York City—and a last chance to save her troubled marriage. While Laura and Robbie cope with an impending separation and its effect on Iris’s young granddaughter, Iris herself must come to grips with the discovery of a long-held family secret. But it’s an emotional parting of another kind that looms most prominently on Iris’s horizon—as neither her beloved husband, nor the solidity of her own marriage, is immune to the ravages of time.

    Through separations and reunions, the changes we cannot avoid and the love that sustains, Iris will weather whatever lies ahead with a faith that cannot be shaken. Like the inmost rings of a tree that abide through the generations, she will be as strong as heartwood.

    About Heartwood

    Few authors have understood the tender intricacies of relationships better than the incomparable Belva Plain. For three decades her deeply moving epics have captivated the hearts and imaginations of readers everywhere. Now, in her final novel, she comes full circle with the themes she took up in her very first work, Evergreen, bringing us this unforgettable story of family and friendship, love and marriage, the challenges of life and the true secret of happiness.

    Though Iris Stern considers herself a modern woman, with a successful academic career and a happy marriage, she still holds steadfast to her old-fashioned sensibilities. But as the mother of three adult children, each with their own lives and burdens to bear, she often finds those sensibilities called into question when confronted with the choices her children have made.

    For one of Iris’s daughters, it’s the choice of a fresh start in New York City—and a last chance to save her troubled marriage. While Laura and Robbie cope with an impending separation and its effect on Iris’s young granddaughter, Iris herself must come to grips with the discovery of a long-held family secret. But it’s an emotional parting of another kind that looms most prominently on Iris’s horizon—as neither her beloved husband, nor the solidity of her own marriage, is immune to the ravages of time.

    Through separations and reunions, the changes we cannot avoid and the love that sustains, Iris will weather whatever lies ahead with a faith that cannot be shaken. Like the inmost rings of a tree that abide through the generations, she will be as strong as heartwood.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Also by Belva Plain

    Crossroads
    The Sight of the Stars
    Her Father's House
    Looking Back
    After the Fire
    See all books by Belva Plain

    Also by Belva Plain

    Crossroads
    The Sight of the Stars
    Her Father's House
    Looking Back
    After the Fire
    See all books by Belva Plain

    Also by Belva Plain

    Crossroads
    The Sight of the Stars
    Her Father's House
    Looking Back
    After the Fire
    See all books by Belva Plain

    About Belva Plain

    Belva Plain is the New York Times bestselling author of Evergreen, Random Winds, Eden Burning, Crescent City, The Golden Cup, Tapestry, Blessings, Harvest, Treasures, Whispers, Daybreak, The Carousel, Promises, Secrecy, Homecoming, Legacy of Silence, Fortune’s Hand, After the Fire, Looking… More about Belva Plain

    About Belva Plain

    Belva Plain is the New York Times bestselling author of Evergreen, Random Winds, Eden Burning, Crescent City, The Golden Cup, Tapestry, Blessings, Harvest, Treasures, Whispers, Daybreak, The Carousel, Promises, Secrecy, Homecoming, Legacy of Silence, Fortune’s Hand, After the Fire, Looking… More about Belva Plain

    About Belva Plain

    Belva Plain is the New York Times bestselling author of Evergreen, Random Winds, Eden Burning, Crescent City, The Golden Cup, Tapestry, Blessings, Harvest, Treasures, Whispers, Daybreak, The Carousel, Promises, Secrecy, Homecoming, Legacy of Silence, Fortune’s Hand, After the Fire, Looking… More about Belva Plain

    Product Details

    Category: Women’s Fiction | Contemporary Romance

    Mass Market Paperback | $7.99
    Published by Bantam
    May 29, 2012 | 384 Pages | 4-3/16 x 6-7/8 | ISBN 9780440246039

    Category: Women’s Fiction | Contemporary Romance

    Ebook | $7.99
    Published by Bantam
    Feb 08, 2011 | 320 Pages | ISBN 9780440339939

    Category: Women’s Fiction | Contemporary Romance | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $20.00
    Published by Random House Audio
    Feb 08, 2011 | 540 Minutes | ISBN 9780307876188

    Inspired by Your Browsing History

    Also in Women’s Fiction

    ‹ ›
    Those People
    Those People
    Louise Candlish
    Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune
    Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune
    Roselle Lim
    The Good Sister
    The Good Sister
    Gillian McAllister
    Waiting for Tom Hanks
    Waiting for Tom Hanks
    Kerry Winfrey
    The Quiet Side of Passion
    The Quiet Side of Passion
    Alexander McCall Smith
    Hang Tough
    Hang Tough
    Lorelei James
    City of Girls
    City of Girls
    Elizabeth Gilbert
    The Favorite Daughter
    The Favorite Daughter
    Patti Callahan Henry
    The Friends We Keep
    The Friends We Keep
    Jane Green
    A Stranger in the House
    A Stranger in the House
    Shari Lapena
    When Katie Met Cassidy
    When Katie Met Cassidy
    Camille Perri
    Lady Be Good
    Lady Be Good
    Amber Brock
    Dual Citizens
    Dual Citizens
    Alix Ohlin
    The Spies of Shilling Lane
    The Spies of Shilling Lane
    Jennifer Ryan
    Ayesha At Last
    Ayesha At Last
    Uzma Jalaluddin
    The Learning Curve
    The Learning Curve
    Mandy Berman
    In His Father's Footsteps
    In His Father’s Footsteps
    Danielle Steel
    The Wedding Date
    The Wedding Date
    Jasmine Guillory
    The Real Michael Swann
    The Real Michael Swann
    Bryan Reardon
    Ghosted
    Ghosted
    Rosie Walsh
    Unsuitable
    Unsuitable
    Lavinia Kent
    How Not to Die Alone
    How Not to Die Alone
    Richard Roper
    The Female Persuasion
    The Female Persuasion
    Meg Wolitzer
    Florida
    Florida
    Lauren Groff
    Before We Were Yours
    Before We Were Yours
    Lisa Wingate
    Cliff's Edge
    Cliff’s Edge
    Meg Tilly
    Star-Crossed
    Star-Crossed
    Minnie Darke
    Happening
    Happening
    Annie Ernaux
    Strangers and Cousins
    Strangers and Cousins
    Leah Hager Cohen
    The High Season
    The High Season
    Judy Blundell
    Disappearing Earth
    Disappearing Earth
    Julia Phillips
    An Unwanted Guest
    An Unwanted Guest
    Shari Lapena
    Rules for Visiting
    Rules for Visiting
    Jessica Francis Kane
    My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding
    My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding
    Wendy Wax
    The Den
    The Den
    Abi Maxwell
    Paper Ghosts
    Paper Ghosts
    Julia Heaberlin
    Blue Shoe
    Blue Shoe
    Anne Lamott
    Hot to the Touch
    Hot to the Touch
    Jaci Burton
    Blessing in Disguise
    Blessing in Disguise
    Danielle Steel
    Cottage by the Sea
    Cottage by the Sea
    Debbie Macomber
    Something in the Water
    Something in the Water
    Catherine Steadman
    The Bride Test
    The Bride Test
    Helen Hoang
    The House Swap
    The House Swap
    Rebecca Fleet
    The Colors of All the Cattle
    The Colors of All the Cattle
    Alexander McCall Smith
    The Farm
    The Farm
    Joanne Ramos

    Praise

    “Vintage Plain, as she again affectingly celebrates a family’s resilience and love.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
     
    “A fitting last tribute to a beloved writer who touched so many readers. Plain will be dearly missed, but her books will allow her memory to live on forever.”—Ventura County Star

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    Download our Spring Fiction Sampler Now
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Brightly

    Raise kids who love to read
    TASTE img

    TASTE

    An online magazine for today’s home cook

    LitFlash

    The eBooks you want at the lowest prices

    Read it Forward

    Read it first. Pass it on!