What do you think?
Rate this book
True Confessions of a Heartless Girl
In the midst of a heaven-rattling summer storm, a young stranger blows into a small prairie town. On the run after taking her latest boyfriend's truck, with a pocketful of stolen money and a heart full of pain, seventeen-year-old Noreen Stall seems to invite trouble.
And trouble comes soon enough, as Noreen's new mistakes trigger calamities that shake the lives of the residents of Pembina Lake. Acclaimed novelist Martha Brooks has written an unforgettable and award-winning story about a terribly complex heroine and the effects she has on those around her.
And trouble comes soon enough, as Noreen's new mistakes trigger calamities that shake the lives of the residents of Pembina Lake. Acclaimed novelist Martha Brooks has written an unforgettable and award-winning story about a terribly complex heroine and the effects she has on those around her.
216 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2002
22 people are currently reading
723 people want to read
About the author
Martha Brooks
28 books51 followersMartha Brooks is an award-winning novelist, playwright and jazz singer whose books have been published in Spain, Italy, Japan, Denmark, England, Germany and Australia, as well as in Canada and the United States. She is a three-time winner of the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year, as well as the Ruth Schwartz Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, the Governor General’s Award, and the Vicky Metcalf Award for her body of work. Letters to Brian is her first book for adult readers. She lives in Winnipeg.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
January 22, 2010
A little over two years ago I came across this book. At the time I thought it had been published just recently, but I realized later it was originally published in Canada in 2002 and then a little over a year later in the U.S. I can't even remember now how I first heard about TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A HEARTLESS GIRL. But I remember that the fact that it was set in Canada and written by a Canadian was part of the draw. That and the intriguing storyline. I'm mystified as to why we seem to rarely get wind of some of these gems from our northern neighbors. HEARTLESS GIRL was the winner of the 2002 Governor General's Literary Award and if this is any indication of the quality of the winners of that award, I will be paying attention to future winners and nominations. None of our local bookstores had it in, but my library did (bless them) so I picked it up on my way home from work and read it later that night as my husband snored gently beside me. One thing is for sure--I fell irretrievably into Martha Brooks' clear, evocative prose.
Set in present-day Manitoba, the story follows self-proclaimed heartless girl Noreen. World-weary at 17, pregnant and on the run from her boyfriend Wesley (the first kind boy she's ever been with), Noreen steals his truck and his cash and winds up broke and alone in a small farming town not far from Brandon. Against her better judgement, Lynda (the operator of the local cafe) takes Noreen in and gives her a job. And thus she unwittingly unleashes a storm the likes of which the denizens of this small town have never seen. Each of them carry their own burdens. Lynda herself has escaped an abusive relationship and is raising her three-year-old son Seth on her own, while managing to run the cafe. Dolores Harper, the local wise woman, shows up sporting her "Meddling for Jesus" sweatshirt, ready to help the new girl open up. And Del Armstrong, the resident middle-aged bachelor, does his best to help Noreen, all the while unable to forgive himself for the tragedy that occurred the year he was her age. But will any of them be able to see beyond their own personal issues to save each other from their demons?
TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A HEARTLESS GIRL ought to be swallowed in one satisfying session, I think. The writing is spare but weighty. Brooks' words leave a mark on you long after your eyes move past them on the page. We get the story from the perspective of Noreen, Wesley, and several of the inhabitants of Pembina Lake--the small town of Noreen finds herself unable to leave. I loved the characters with their strengths and weaknesses, all of them prominently on display. Noreen isunbearably heartless at times. She is also sensitive and imaginative and capable of love. But where she walks, trouble follows. Everyone she comes into contact with meets with disaster as some point in the tale. But somehow they're unable to just wash their hands of this girl and let her go. Despite their own numerous personal issues, the people there take her in, feed her, give her work, and just try (sometimes against all reason) to help this girl whose life has been seemingly cursed since the day she was born. And then there's Wesley. The Cree construction worker with a sky full of stars and careful hands. I liked that he didn't let Noreen trample him underfoot. I liked that he yelled and stomped and left when he should. I get tired sometimes of the Tireless Good Guy. The one who's always there and comes back even when she doesn't deserve him. On the contrary, these two find their way back to each other only when their eyes can see clearly again. When Noreen learns how to stay still and not run. The vastness of the prairie is in this slim novel. It is exquisite and I love it.
Set in present-day Manitoba, the story follows self-proclaimed heartless girl Noreen. World-weary at 17, pregnant and on the run from her boyfriend Wesley (the first kind boy she's ever been with), Noreen steals his truck and his cash and winds up broke and alone in a small farming town not far from Brandon. Against her better judgement, Lynda (the operator of the local cafe) takes Noreen in and gives her a job. And thus she unwittingly unleashes a storm the likes of which the denizens of this small town have never seen. Each of them carry their own burdens. Lynda herself has escaped an abusive relationship and is raising her three-year-old son Seth on her own, while managing to run the cafe. Dolores Harper, the local wise woman, shows up sporting her "Meddling for Jesus" sweatshirt, ready to help the new girl open up. And Del Armstrong, the resident middle-aged bachelor, does his best to help Noreen, all the while unable to forgive himself for the tragedy that occurred the year he was her age. But will any of them be able to see beyond their own personal issues to save each other from their demons?
TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A HEARTLESS GIRL ought to be swallowed in one satisfying session, I think. The writing is spare but weighty. Brooks' words leave a mark on you long after your eyes move past them on the page. We get the story from the perspective of Noreen, Wesley, and several of the inhabitants of Pembina Lake--the small town of Noreen finds herself unable to leave. I loved the characters with their strengths and weaknesses, all of them prominently on display. Noreen isunbearably heartless at times. She is also sensitive and imaginative and capable of love. But where she walks, trouble follows. Everyone she comes into contact with meets with disaster as some point in the tale. But somehow they're unable to just wash their hands of this girl and let her go. Despite their own numerous personal issues, the people there take her in, feed her, give her work, and just try (sometimes against all reason) to help this girl whose life has been seemingly cursed since the day she was born. And then there's Wesley. The Cree construction worker with a sky full of stars and careful hands. I liked that he didn't let Noreen trample him underfoot. I liked that he yelled and stomped and left when he should. I get tired sometimes of the Tireless Good Guy. The one who's always there and comes back even when she doesn't deserve him. On the contrary, these two find their way back to each other only when their eyes can see clearly again. When Noreen learns how to stay still and not run. The vastness of the prairie is in this slim novel. It is exquisite and I love it.
December 1, 2010
In the little motel-less town of Pembina Lake, Canada a truck pulled into the Molly Thorvaldson Café one night. The proprietor Lynda has just seen the last customer out. Her five-year-old son Seth is upstairs with a chicken leg in his hand and the previously homeless dog Tessie at his feet. As much as Lynda tries to ignore the lone truck out in the rain, its young driver, a girl with badly-cut blond hair walks in, asking for a cup of coffee. Before she knows it, Lynda’s offering the girl, whose name is Noreen, a place to stay for the night. Between the town grandmother Dolores, Del the rangy old cowboy, and Wesley the young, hardworking it’s-complicated boyfriend, Noreen’s story is slowly revealed. 17, pregnant, and a self-named heartless girl, she intentionally and unintentionally wreaks havoc in the lives of all the people she meets. But the residents of Pembina Lake have their own demons to excise and as their lives intersect around Noreen, that just might be what happens.
I’d been in a reading slump recently until I picked up this little contemporary Canadian YA a couple of nights ago. I was surprised to find it would do the trick, but it did. At just under 200 pages it was appealingly slim. It also had an intriguing title and startling cover. Who is this girl with the cropped hair, defiant stance, and the stare that seems to be directed right at me? What makes her heartless and how bad could she really be?
From how that first chapter unfolds in its sparse yet powerful prose I felt such an immediate sense of place and small town character in True Confessions of a Heartless Girl I knew I was settling in for the thick of it. I was sure there would be some drama unfolding that every one of these colorful characters would take part in. Hardworking, educated Lynda, who fled an abusive husband to end up running a coffee shop, barely making ends meet. Reliable, middle-aged Del, who continues to pour time and money into renovating a cottage for a brother who’s long gone. Old, caring town meddler Dolores who proudly wears Jesus sweatshirts and has a way of getting the truth out of anybody before dishing out her sage advice. From first glance you could tell these were real, damaged people beyond their everyday facades and I anxiously awaited for their troubles to be revealed. Rawer than ever, how would they cope – especially Noreen. She really is a messed up, unfeeling girl who’s accepted her tendency to screw up her life and the lives she touches. She has treated many of the people she loves most very badly, boyfriend Wesley feeling the brunt of it. Yet she freely acknowledges her mistakes as she slowly seeks to change with the little bits of advice she collects from everyone at Pembina Lake as her guide. I loved Wesley too and how he had his own set of problems to work through and conditions needing to be met. Neither Lynda, Dolores, Del, Wesley, or Noreen sacrifices their own integrity for the sake of the plot’s resolution and I intently watched their lives come apart and together again. True Confessions of a Heartless Girl is a rare gem in YA contemp and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Thanks to Angie for wisely and thoughtfully adding it to my stack.
I’d been in a reading slump recently until I picked up this little contemporary Canadian YA a couple of nights ago. I was surprised to find it would do the trick, but it did. At just under 200 pages it was appealingly slim. It also had an intriguing title and startling cover. Who is this girl with the cropped hair, defiant stance, and the stare that seems to be directed right at me? What makes her heartless and how bad could she really be?
From how that first chapter unfolds in its sparse yet powerful prose I felt such an immediate sense of place and small town character in True Confessions of a Heartless Girl I knew I was settling in for the thick of it. I was sure there would be some drama unfolding that every one of these colorful characters would take part in. Hardworking, educated Lynda, who fled an abusive husband to end up running a coffee shop, barely making ends meet. Reliable, middle-aged Del, who continues to pour time and money into renovating a cottage for a brother who’s long gone. Old, caring town meddler Dolores who proudly wears Jesus sweatshirts and has a way of getting the truth out of anybody before dishing out her sage advice. From first glance you could tell these were real, damaged people beyond their everyday facades and I anxiously awaited for their troubles to be revealed. Rawer than ever, how would they cope – especially Noreen. She really is a messed up, unfeeling girl who’s accepted her tendency to screw up her life and the lives she touches. She has treated many of the people she loves most very badly, boyfriend Wesley feeling the brunt of it. Yet she freely acknowledges her mistakes as she slowly seeks to change with the little bits of advice she collects from everyone at Pembina Lake as her guide. I loved Wesley too and how he had his own set of problems to work through and conditions needing to be met. Neither Lynda, Dolores, Del, Wesley, or Noreen sacrifices their own integrity for the sake of the plot’s resolution and I intently watched their lives come apart and together again. True Confessions of a Heartless Girl is a rare gem in YA contemp and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Thanks to Angie for wisely and thoughtfully adding it to my stack.
November 1, 2021
The title was a bit offsetting if you are looking for an upbeat book, but don't be fooled. Even though I was nearly in tears several times, I absolutely loved this book; I couldn't put it down.
The teen years are hard, and even harder without a good family to back you, and still harder when you are fighting against yourself. So often, we are harder on ourselves than others, but we are all only human, and all carrying a load from the past.
This book is about that struggle in a small town where the past and the present merge, leaving some healing for the future. The characters are all well developed and I feel as if I had had coffee in the café with each of them. No really bad people among them, just fallible and vulnerable, like all of us are. Especially in our teens.
I highly recommend this book and this excellent writer.
(Oh, and no bad words or sex scenes either.)
The teen years are hard, and even harder without a good family to back you, and still harder when you are fighting against yourself. So often, we are harder on ourselves than others, but we are all only human, and all carrying a load from the past.
This book is about that struggle in a small town where the past and the present merge, leaving some healing for the future. The characters are all well developed and I feel as if I had had coffee in the café with each of them. No really bad people among them, just fallible and vulnerable, like all of us are. Especially in our teens.
I highly recommend this book and this excellent writer.
(Oh, and no bad words or sex scenes either.)
June 15, 2008
Top 10 BBYA / Governor Generals Award winner/ CLA Young Adult Book of the Year winner
A pregnant 17-year-old becomes the catalyst for change in the small town of Pembina Lake. Noreen stole her boyfriend's money and truck, is stranded in the town by a storm, and is taken in by Lynda, the café owner. During 10 days in July, Noreen changes and is changed by her interactions with the town’s denizens.
A pregnant 17-year-old becomes the catalyst for change in the small town of Pembina Lake. Noreen stole her boyfriend's money and truck, is stranded in the town by a storm, and is taken in by Lynda, the café owner. During 10 days in July, Noreen changes and is changed by her interactions with the town’s denizens.
October 10, 2017
The book "True Confessions of a Heartless Girl" by Martha Brooks is a young adult fiction book that combines love, anger, caring, and sadness into one excellent book. Some things you need to know about the book is it's about a girl named Noreen Stall and she starts making to many mistakes for herself to handle, so she runs away from her boyfriend and her family, taking his truck and money, and she ends up in Pembina Lake. Noreen ends up meeting Lynda the owner of a cafe where she lets her stay there for a night where it unleashes a series of events that make people re look at their lives.
I gave this book 5 stars for many reasons. One reason is that the characters you meet in this book are real and unforgettable. Watching them help each other along gave me a satisfying feeling. An example of this is when Delores helps Noreen face her fears and become a strong hearted teenager. Another reason why i gave this book 5 stars is it demonstrates coming of age. Noreen demonstrates this because in the beginning she runs away from married step - sisters house, to her boyfriends, and then she runs away from their, then she comes to Lynda's where she slowly starts to face her fears, and come a totally new person. Another thing that i really liked about the book is the setting and how it changes. First it is in Lynda's cafe as Noreen storms in during a late night, and then it goes back to the beginning before Noreen was a teenager in her house with her family on her sister wedding day. This book also had a lot of description that i liked a lot such as;"Mary set up straight in her chair, fumbled with the buttons on her sweater, undid them all slowly and "The air smelled good and she breathed it in, deeply. The creator after all of us gave us the magic of trees universal skies with their message of stars." Overall this was a great book, while reading it i could feel Noreen's troubles.
"True Confessions of a Heartless Girl" is a book that I would highly recommend to someone who appreciates a blatantly brilliant, yet simple, narrative, rich in life’s love, loss, hate and joy. It is a true novel, personally, to be read by not only teenagers, but adults as well, both male and female. Anyone is sure to enjoy this novel, laughing, crying — maybe both.
I gave this book 5 stars for many reasons. One reason is that the characters you meet in this book are real and unforgettable. Watching them help each other along gave me a satisfying feeling. An example of this is when Delores helps Noreen face her fears and become a strong hearted teenager. Another reason why i gave this book 5 stars is it demonstrates coming of age. Noreen demonstrates this because in the beginning she runs away from married step - sisters house, to her boyfriends, and then she runs away from their, then she comes to Lynda's where she slowly starts to face her fears, and come a totally new person. Another thing that i really liked about the book is the setting and how it changes. First it is in Lynda's cafe as Noreen storms in during a late night, and then it goes back to the beginning before Noreen was a teenager in her house with her family on her sister wedding day. This book also had a lot of description that i liked a lot such as;"Mary set up straight in her chair, fumbled with the buttons on her sweater, undid them all slowly and "The air smelled good and she breathed it in, deeply. The creator after all of us gave us the magic of trees universal skies with their message of stars." Overall this was a great book, while reading it i could feel Noreen's troubles.
"True Confessions of a Heartless Girl" is a book that I would highly recommend to someone who appreciates a blatantly brilliant, yet simple, narrative, rich in life’s love, loss, hate and joy. It is a true novel, personally, to be read by not only teenagers, but adults as well, both male and female. Anyone is sure to enjoy this novel, laughing, crying — maybe both.
October 1, 2014
The confessions of A Heartless girl
This book is about 17 year old Noreen, who to say the least has had a hard life in her short 17 years of life. Her mother wasn’t the real comforting kind of mother, and her mother’s husband was verbally and physically abusive often. One day when it got bad, Noreen had, had enough and so she went to stay with her step sister Gladys. Gladys was married, but she was safer to stay with then with her mom.
One day Noreen had enough with everyone in her family and she was determined to make a new start for herself. Noreen decides to hitchhike out of town and little did she know the person that decides to pick her up with ultimately change her life in more ways than one. The hitchhikers name was Wesley. They soon find solace with each other, and start a relationship.
With a mother that really didn’t care or Notice what Noreen was doing due to her drinking and a father that isn’t in the picture, besides her married sister, Noreen felt alone, and so Wesley gave her a home with love that she was so lacking in her life. Friendship didn’t last long for them and it quickly became physical and before Noreen knew it she was pregnant and Wesley panics and leaves Noreen with a little bit of money and he leaves her alone to fend for herself. Now a pregnant Noreen in a panic with no one to go to because she’s afraid her step sister will only yell at her and send her on her way, packs her things and boards a bus to Pembina Lake.
When Noreen arrives in Pembina Lake during a rain storm. Noreen notices just how small this little town is. She finds a little diner to get out of the rain. The owner Lynda notices just how young Noreen is when she comes in and starts to have a conversation with her. Noreen isn’t very forthcoming with this stranger but she can tell she’s nice. After awhile of talking Lynda knows that this young girl needs some help and offers her place to stay until she can get her life sorted out.
Noreen soon gets to know the people from Pembina Lake. They soon become her family. Lynda has a son named Seth that is 5 years old, that is absolutely fascinated with Noreen, but after first Noreen doesn’t want t to spend time with Seth, she just wants to be left alone, but before long he starts to grow on her.
Del is another person that helps doing odd jobs around the town. Del is single and lives by himself but owns another cabin that doesn’t get used so he offers it to Noreen so she could have some privacy. Unfortunately when Noreen takes Del up on his offer this go bad quickly. Noreen decides the first night to have a fire because the cabin is cold, and because Noreen has never built an indoor fire before she forgets to open the damper, and so things go bad very quickly. The fire starts to spread throughout the cabin. The cabin isn’t completely destroyed but his pictures of his brother that drowned and his family have be destroyed. Noreen is now overwhelmed with guilt and doesn’t even want to face Del for what she had done. When Del finally tracks Noreen down, he has the biggest heart for her and tells her he doesn’t hate her for it. They are just things, her life is what’s important.
This book is about 17 year old Noreen, who to say the least has had a hard life in her short 17 years of life. Her mother wasn’t the real comforting kind of mother, and her mother’s husband was verbally and physically abusive often. One day when it got bad, Noreen had, had enough and so she went to stay with her step sister Gladys. Gladys was married, but she was safer to stay with then with her mom.
One day Noreen had enough with everyone in her family and she was determined to make a new start for herself. Noreen decides to hitchhike out of town and little did she know the person that decides to pick her up with ultimately change her life in more ways than one. The hitchhikers name was Wesley. They soon find solace with each other, and start a relationship.
With a mother that really didn’t care or Notice what Noreen was doing due to her drinking and a father that isn’t in the picture, besides her married sister, Noreen felt alone, and so Wesley gave her a home with love that she was so lacking in her life. Friendship didn’t last long for them and it quickly became physical and before Noreen knew it she was pregnant and Wesley panics and leaves Noreen with a little bit of money and he leaves her alone to fend for herself. Now a pregnant Noreen in a panic with no one to go to because she’s afraid her step sister will only yell at her and send her on her way, packs her things and boards a bus to Pembina Lake.
When Noreen arrives in Pembina Lake during a rain storm. Noreen notices just how small this little town is. She finds a little diner to get out of the rain. The owner Lynda notices just how young Noreen is when she comes in and starts to have a conversation with her. Noreen isn’t very forthcoming with this stranger but she can tell she’s nice. After awhile of talking Lynda knows that this young girl needs some help and offers her place to stay until she can get her life sorted out.
Noreen soon gets to know the people from Pembina Lake. They soon become her family. Lynda has a son named Seth that is 5 years old, that is absolutely fascinated with Noreen, but after first Noreen doesn’t want t to spend time with Seth, she just wants to be left alone, but before long he starts to grow on her.
Del is another person that helps doing odd jobs around the town. Del is single and lives by himself but owns another cabin that doesn’t get used so he offers it to Noreen so she could have some privacy. Unfortunately when Noreen takes Del up on his offer this go bad quickly. Noreen decides the first night to have a fire because the cabin is cold, and because Noreen has never built an indoor fire before she forgets to open the damper, and so things go bad very quickly. The fire starts to spread throughout the cabin. The cabin isn’t completely destroyed but his pictures of his brother that drowned and his family have be destroyed. Noreen is now overwhelmed with guilt and doesn’t even want to face Del for what she had done. When Del finally tracks Noreen down, he has the biggest heart for her and tells her he doesn’t hate her for it. They are just things, her life is what’s important.
February 2, 2016
Personal Response:
I thought this book was pretty good. At first it was really slow and kind of confusing, but after I got into it a little more I enjoyed it. I thought the ending was kind of sad, but for the better. Noreen was not ready to be a mother. I am happy that Noreen and Weasly stayed together. I hoped they would because he is the first person that she ever loved. She always said she would never love anyone, but she was able to after she allowed herself to fall in love.
Plot Summary:
Noreen comes from a messed up home and family. When her step sister got married and moved out Noreen went to live with her and her husband. Noreen and her boyfriend went for a short trip, but Noteen never came home. She started hitchhiking and Met this guy named Weasly. They got very close and decided to move in together. Weasly drove her to her step sister's house to get her things. They moved into his tiny apartment. She stayed for a few months. They got into a fight and she left with $700 of his money and took his truck while he was at work. Noreen ended up lost in a small town. A women named Lynda, who owned a café, let her stay the night with her and her son Seth. When Noreen found out she was pregnant with Weasly's baby she decided to call him. She left him a voicemail that said where she was and that she was pregnant. He was at the café the next day demanding his money and his truck. He gave her $200 because there was a possibility that the baby was his. Before he left he wanted to know if Noreen loved him to way he loved her. She told him she could never love anyone or anything. Weasly left broken-hearted. The people in the town all pitched in taking care of her. Del had a cabin that she stayed in for a while. An old lady would talk to Noreen and try to help her figure out all of her problems. In return for the help, she worked for Lynda at the café. She woke up one morning with blood in her underwear and was afraid something was wrong with the baby. Lynda gladly took her to the hospital. Noreen was able to hear the baby's heartbeat and instantly knew she wante to keep the baby. She also knew that she was in love with Weasly and needed him there. She didn't have the guts to call him. Days later, she found more blood in her underwear and when she when to the bathroom two big clots of blood came out. She knew she lost her baby. The old lady called Weasly for her and he was there as soon as her could get there. In the end, her baby was gone, but she and Weasly were together.
Recommendations:
I would recommend this book to middle to high school aged girls. This book is a litte slow at the beginning, but gets better as you keep reading.
I thought this book was pretty good. At first it was really slow and kind of confusing, but after I got into it a little more I enjoyed it. I thought the ending was kind of sad, but for the better. Noreen was not ready to be a mother. I am happy that Noreen and Weasly stayed together. I hoped they would because he is the first person that she ever loved. She always said she would never love anyone, but she was able to after she allowed herself to fall in love.
Plot Summary:
Noreen comes from a messed up home and family. When her step sister got married and moved out Noreen went to live with her and her husband. Noreen and her boyfriend went for a short trip, but Noteen never came home. She started hitchhiking and Met this guy named Weasly. They got very close and decided to move in together. Weasly drove her to her step sister's house to get her things. They moved into his tiny apartment. She stayed for a few months. They got into a fight and she left with $700 of his money and took his truck while he was at work. Noreen ended up lost in a small town. A women named Lynda, who owned a café, let her stay the night with her and her son Seth. When Noreen found out she was pregnant with Weasly's baby she decided to call him. She left him a voicemail that said where she was and that she was pregnant. He was at the café the next day demanding his money and his truck. He gave her $200 because there was a possibility that the baby was his. Before he left he wanted to know if Noreen loved him to way he loved her. She told him she could never love anyone or anything. Weasly left broken-hearted. The people in the town all pitched in taking care of her. Del had a cabin that she stayed in for a while. An old lady would talk to Noreen and try to help her figure out all of her problems. In return for the help, she worked for Lynda at the café. She woke up one morning with blood in her underwear and was afraid something was wrong with the baby. Lynda gladly took her to the hospital. Noreen was able to hear the baby's heartbeat and instantly knew she wante to keep the baby. She also knew that she was in love with Weasly and needed him there. She didn't have the guts to call him. Days later, she found more blood in her underwear and when she when to the bathroom two big clots of blood came out. She knew she lost her baby. The old lady called Weasly for her and he was there as soon as her could get there. In the end, her baby was gone, but she and Weasly were together.
Recommendations:
I would recommend this book to middle to high school aged girls. This book is a litte slow at the beginning, but gets better as you keep reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2017
When you are a teenager, sometimes the world seems dark, unbearably centered around and focused on you. Martha Brooks returns us to those feelings of trauma and tragedy in True Confessions of a Heartless Girl.
This is a story ostensibly about 17-year-old Noreen and her attempts to find her place in the world. Awkward in the way every teenage girl is, Noreen tumbles from one disaster of her making to another. Profoundly clueless about her own heart because of a mildly-abused and semi-abandoned childhood, Noreen is unable to recognize love and caring when she does encounter it. When she drives into the tiny Manitoban town of Pembina Lake in her ex-boyfriend's stolen truck she is shattered, exhausted and possibly pregnant.
We see the town clearly, even though Noreen does not at first. Lynda, the struggling single mother who owns the town's failing cafe, takes Noreen under her wing. Dolores, grandmother to the entire town, who proudly wears a shirt that says MEDDLER FOR JESUS, feeds her mint tea and some hard advice. Del, who works endlessly on a cottage in which no one lives, offers her the cottage and a chance for redemption in return for a "full accounting". Mary, Dolores' life-long friend, suddenly grown snappish and hurtful; Seth, Lynda's 5-year-old son; even Tessie the dog, all have their own problems. Noreen perceives herself as the cause of all this trouble.
Yet gradually, as Noreen begins to mature under the guidance of so many helpful strangers, we learn that troubles come to all of us, that thirty-year-old heartaches are just as deep as those we feel at 17, and can seem just as unsolvable to those involved. Brooks brings us to the edge of that cold lake of frightened adolescence that still lives in each of us. "What if she says no and laughs?", "What if he doesn't love me after all?"
Then she tosses us in, and laughs at our affronted pride.
This is not a novel about a girl in trouble. It's a story about the ordinary, everyday troubles that we all have, and the way that sharing diminishes them. It's about love in all its manifold dimensions. And it's about the redemption that can come to any of us from making a true confession and rendering a full accounting.
This is a story ostensibly about 17-year-old Noreen and her attempts to find her place in the world. Awkward in the way every teenage girl is, Noreen tumbles from one disaster of her making to another. Profoundly clueless about her own heart because of a mildly-abused and semi-abandoned childhood, Noreen is unable to recognize love and caring when she does encounter it. When she drives into the tiny Manitoban town of Pembina Lake in her ex-boyfriend's stolen truck she is shattered, exhausted and possibly pregnant.
We see the town clearly, even though Noreen does not at first. Lynda, the struggling single mother who owns the town's failing cafe, takes Noreen under her wing. Dolores, grandmother to the entire town, who proudly wears a shirt that says MEDDLER FOR JESUS, feeds her mint tea and some hard advice. Del, who works endlessly on a cottage in which no one lives, offers her the cottage and a chance for redemption in return for a "full accounting". Mary, Dolores' life-long friend, suddenly grown snappish and hurtful; Seth, Lynda's 5-year-old son; even Tessie the dog, all have their own problems. Noreen perceives herself as the cause of all this trouble.
Yet gradually, as Noreen begins to mature under the guidance of so many helpful strangers, we learn that troubles come to all of us, that thirty-year-old heartaches are just as deep as those we feel at 17, and can seem just as unsolvable to those involved. Brooks brings us to the edge of that cold lake of frightened adolescence that still lives in each of us. "What if she says no and laughs?", "What if he doesn't love me after all?"
Then she tosses us in, and laughs at our affronted pride.
This is not a novel about a girl in trouble. It's a story about the ordinary, everyday troubles that we all have, and the way that sharing diminishes them. It's about love in all its manifold dimensions. And it's about the redemption that can come to any of us from making a true confession and rendering a full accounting.
July 1, 2017
“True Confessions Of A Heartless Girl” ends tenderly but coming of age stories aren't my bag. I follow Martha Brooks as a fellow-Manitoban and the first authoress who encouraged my writing. One memorable tip was “Show a story”. How incongruous to subtle novels, that one about a girl getting things wrong was laid on thickly. Giving a dog a bone was feasible and also peeling wallpaper that yields rotten walls. Her other two foibles defied believable behaviour and cliché #1.... our troubled protagonist was pregnant.
We sympathize with Noreen, at the beginning, because we're apprised of a bad stepfather. We understand clinging to a good boyfriend. Stories need a hurdle but I couldn't buy half of them. Fleeing the first time Wesley is critical? At Pembina Lake, two ladies help her out. A middle-aged farmer offers an unused cottage. But can you think of anyone not giving a “do's & don'ts” tour about fireplace safety? Would you not open a flue for a city child? Even if that were believable, did the guy need to lose valued photo albums? One lady lost an adult daughter, two others are too timid to admit being in love. A thirty-seven year-old is written like she is fifty. The array of “life's disappointments” felt made-up for tear-jerkers.
A personal deal-breaker: I loathe any hint of animal disposability. This novel's saint remarks of his cat's family: “I didn't have the heart to get rid of these ones”! Should anyone applaud not murdering kittens? Outrageously, he lives near a veterinarian. Spay your cat! I like that this isn't about a tough chick, as the title suggested and that the outcome of the story it does entail is unexpected. I admire that adults grow-up in concert with Noreen and how gracefully Martha describes Manitoba; never writing superfluously.
We sympathize with Noreen, at the beginning, because we're apprised of a bad stepfather. We understand clinging to a good boyfriend. Stories need a hurdle but I couldn't buy half of them. Fleeing the first time Wesley is critical? At Pembina Lake, two ladies help her out. A middle-aged farmer offers an unused cottage. But can you think of anyone not giving a “do's & don'ts” tour about fireplace safety? Would you not open a flue for a city child? Even if that were believable, did the guy need to lose valued photo albums? One lady lost an adult daughter, two others are too timid to admit being in love. A thirty-seven year-old is written like she is fifty. The array of “life's disappointments” felt made-up for tear-jerkers.
A personal deal-breaker: I loathe any hint of animal disposability. This novel's saint remarks of his cat's family: “I didn't have the heart to get rid of these ones”! Should anyone applaud not murdering kittens? Outrageously, he lives near a veterinarian. Spay your cat! I like that this isn't about a tough chick, as the title suggested and that the outcome of the story it does entail is unexpected. I admire that adults grow-up in concert with Noreen and how gracefully Martha describes Manitoba; never writing superfluously.
October 22, 2008
Noreen, seventeen-years-old, shows up one night during a raging storm in the small town of Pembina Lake. Against her better judgment, cafe owner Lynda lets her in and for some reason lets her spend the night. There's something going on with this girl, but Lynda doesn't have the energy to try and find out what it is. Soon enough a small cast of characters from the town come in the picture and try to figure out what to do with this teenager who makes a disaster out of everything.
Eh. That's all I can really say. Eh. Nothing special. Just okay. A lot of relationship stories, but I didn't find anything that I could really latch on to.
Eh. That's all I can really say. Eh. Nothing special. Just okay. A lot of relationship stories, but I didn't find anything that I could really latch on to.
Currently reading
October 25, 2009Internal Conflict
Noreen feels only and upset and every one she know ends up hating her. Every one she ends up getting close to leaves her, she thinks it her fault. She is always messing up and believes no one will love her.
Now she is pregnant with a man kid who loved her but she took all his money and ended up running away to a small town were no one want to deal with her because she keeps messing up. She doe not know wether she is going to have the baby or not she think she will be a bad mother and is always putting herself down
Noreen feels only and upset and every one she know ends up hating her. Every one she ends up getting close to leaves her, she thinks it her fault. She is always messing up and believes no one will love her.
Now she is pregnant with a man kid who loved her but she took all his money and ended up running away to a small town were no one want to deal with her because she keeps messing up. She doe not know wether she is going to have the baby or not she think she will be a bad mother and is always putting herself down
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2014
I'm sorry, this may be harsh, but this is one of the worst books I've ever read. In my opinion it deserves it's rating of one star. I kept reading in the hopes of it getting better but nothing is resolved. It leaves too many questions like: Does she stay? Does she accept the guys love? The main character had a horrible personality that never changes through the book. It is something I would not recomend putting yourself through. My apologies Brooks. It just didn't make me feel anything and in my opinion the best books do.
February 9, 2019
so here i am walking down the ya shelves looking for another kevin brooks book after 'being'- and come across this one. short. awarded. woman author. i read it and easily recognize the characters in it like the girls who would visit 'ninja' at the coffeehouse- young girls, young girls emotional lives, young girls just ordinary problems, boyfriends, babies, etc. so i read this with a smile. got to care about those girls...
October 28, 2008
Great book. I will look for more titles by Martha Brooks.
January 10, 2009
i tried to read this book, but i stopped because it is not interesting as i thought it would be.
June 29, 2018
True Confessions of a Heartless Girl tells the tragic story of a 17 year old girl, Noreen. Noreen has had a rough life and it seems like she can’t do anything right. Bad thing after bad thing keeps happening to her and she can’t ever catch a break. At 17 years old, she leaves her family to go live with her boyfriend whom she just met. She is heartless and cold towards him and seems to hardly care about anyone around her, even though everyone loves and cares for her. She ends up running away from her boyfriend to a town an hour away where she meets wonderful people from a small town who take care of her and help her get on her feet.
I thought this story was really interesting. It was hard for me to get into at first. I was very confused because it kept switching back and forth between all the characters and I couldn’t keep track of who is who. As I kept reading, I started to really enjoy it. The way it’s written makes you feel really sorry for Noreen, but also angry with her for the stupid decisions she makes throughout her life. It was well written and kept my interest most of the time. However, I was not a huge fan of the ending. It left you hanging and I felt like there was so much more to the story that got left out. It ended really suddenly and abruptly so I wasn’t satisfied because I wanted to know what happens next!
I thought this story was really interesting. It was hard for me to get into at first. I was very confused because it kept switching back and forth between all the characters and I couldn’t keep track of who is who. As I kept reading, I started to really enjoy it. The way it’s written makes you feel really sorry for Noreen, but also angry with her for the stupid decisions she makes throughout her life. It was well written and kept my interest most of the time. However, I was not a huge fan of the ending. It left you hanging and I felt like there was so much more to the story that got left out. It ended really suddenly and abruptly so I wasn’t satisfied because I wanted to know what happens next!
November 28, 2018
At first, the reader is introduced to Noreen, a troubled, struggling, teenager. The reader learns about her abusive stepdad, and how she ran away from her sister. This is when Noreen meets Wesley. She lives with him, but goes into a stage uf depression. One day, she runs away in his truck, with his money to a small Lake side town called Pembina Lake. This is where one night, while it is puring rain, she meets Lynda. Lynd ais going through her own hardships, yet she takes Noreen in. Lynda's friends try to teach Noreen about being more respinsible, and form a small community of their own to help her. Even though she burns down the living room in Del's cabin, tears down a wall in the cafe, dissapears into the night, and shows bad attitude they see potential for her, and show empathy, as she relizes she is pregnant. Eventually, Wesley comes back for Noreen, and she is forgiven.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
May 24, 2019In the book “ True Confessions of a heartless girl ” it explains how a girl named Noreen gets stucked in the small town named Pembina Lake, Canada and she meets a wonderful lady named Lynda. Lynda is a very generous , kind, and loving person and she invites Noreen to stay with her. Noreen has nowhere else to go so she stays with Lynda. Noreen meets Wesly, and she ends up getting pregnant. Wesly leaves her because of how ignorant she is. He said that she is the hardest woman she has ever met. Noreen doesn’t like how she was bieng treated like a little girl so she ends up leaving. She ends up stealing Wesly’s money, and buying things for herself, and things that make her happy. This book is full of differant stories which don’t make that much sense. I don’t recomened this book it has a difficult way of reading it. This book goes from part to a differant, and doesn’t make sense.
March 2, 2019
Remember..I am read this story as an Adult!! I think..perhaps..that if I was a Young Adult (teen??) I would like this book even more. Especially as I do personally know people very much like the people in this book..all ages.
A life story..lessons learned and kept..lessons learned and discarded.
Quote: ...two very close and old friends visiting each other...
"Dolores settled back in her chair to sit with her friend. Later she'd get up and wash Mary's dishes and take out her garbage and make them some tea. Then they'd sit some more-maybe even until night tilted into morning. Just like the old days. A couple of sister stones, watching the warm July sun rise up."
A life story..lessons learned and kept..lessons learned and discarded.
Quote: ...two very close and old friends visiting each other...
"Dolores settled back in her chair to sit with her friend. Later she'd get up and wash Mary's dishes and take out her garbage and make them some tea. Then they'd sit some more-maybe even until night tilted into morning. Just like the old days. A couple of sister stones, watching the warm July sun rise up."
August 27, 2022
Wow … I mean … normally I’m not one for teen-issues books with no other plots (prophecies, powers, quests, etc.) but this was something. It’s powerful and it drew me in: the chapters are very short so you have to keep reading. It’s interesting to see what Noreen’s life is like, because lives like that exist and now I can sympathize more.
Also, FINALLY a book set in Manitoba!! Stories don’t have to be set in New York or London to be good, people! Talking about chokecherries and willows and Winnipeg is just fine, too!
Also, FINALLY a book set in Manitoba!! Stories don’t have to be set in New York or London to be good, people! Talking about chokecherries and willows and Winnipeg is just fine, too!
July 2, 2025
This was unexpectedly sweet. I'll pass it on so others can enjoy it, but it was not a waste of time and was a pleasant afternoon read.
Not totally YA, not an adult novel ---maybe an in-between novella. I wanted to know more about Lynda and kinda wish Noreen had stayed to help her. Loved the rural Canadian landscape and Del and Dolores. Was glad that Noreen had a bit of redemption and did not destroy absolutely everything in her path (though it was close). Was also glad that it ended a bit ambiguously, without any obvious HEA.
Not totally YA, not an adult novel ---maybe an in-between novella. I wanted to know more about Lynda and kinda wish Noreen had stayed to help her. Loved the rural Canadian landscape and Del and Dolores. Was glad that Noreen had a bit of redemption and did not destroy absolutely everything in her path (though it was close). Was also glad that it ended a bit ambiguously, without any obvious HEA.
Read
March 28, 2022This book is about a 17 year old girl named Noreen who faces life on her own after she left her family and then her boyfriend. When living with her boyfriend she found out that she was pregnant. Her boyfriend and her got into a fight where she ended up leaving, taking his hidden money, and truck. In the beginning I thought that Noreen was just a rude teenager but later found out she was just misunderstood and hurt.
November 5, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It's actually for young adults so I'm half way qualified lol. We've seen Martha perform at McNally and knew she'd written books but this is the first one I've read. The prose really flows and she has a wonderful knack for description and creating scenery.
June 28, 2023
Little Free Library find. The Canada Council gave it a Governor Generals Literary Award. Not sure what that means but it made me think it would be good. Says it's for 13-14 year olds but it was sort of heavy.
July 1, 2017
I can't believe I did not remember to add this to my read list. This is one of my favorite novels from my young adult life. So many amazing lessons !
January 21, 2018
An amazing story about struggling with everyday life and confronting your problems head on.
March 10, 2023
Good book, but it could be written better. It has a few weird grammar mistakes, but I like how the story is ending up so far.
September 25, 2024
read it too young, since reread it and enjoyed a lot. must read again soon
January 9, 2019
Great book for teen or young adult readers who are interested in dramatic stories. This story is set in a small town that the main character lands in after a whirlwind of events. Noreen Stall is a new single mother who flees her hometown after making some mistakes and not knowing how to respond to her present situation. She makes her way to Pembina Lake to try and start over with her new child on the way. While there, she stumbles across a small cafe where she connects with some of the townspeople as she starts working at the small cafe as a waitress. I liked how this was based on a true story, and it could be relatable to some people (just not me). I did not like how the main character reacted to some of the events and i felt like some events might have been more exaggerated than the real events that happened. The main character is interesting and I am sure that some people might be looking for a story like this if faced with similar predicaments. The main character felt real and realistic, but overall I just wasn't very interested in it and was unrelatable to me. This book is defiantly for younger readers (16-25) who like a main character who overcomes their own struggles and its trying to find themselves. I give this book a 3 out of 5 because I personally did not relate to it, but to someone who is in different circumstances, might enjoy it more.
October 2, 2011
Story Description:
She turned onto the main street -- the sound of the lake a whisper behind her, the leaves of the tall trees now talking overhead -- she saw his truck parked in front of the café and Wesley sitting inside it....
He didn't seem to notice as she got closer, his eyes closed as if he was concentrating on something. With her hand on her stomach, she steadied herself. The window on the passenger's side was open and she could see the distinct curve of his dark lashes as they rested against his cheek.
"Wesley," she said quietly....
She felt a hot sting of shame. She wanted to hide. But in Pembina Lake, beside a truck, in front of a café, wheat fields and sky flaming pink and orange and gold all around, there was absolutely nowhere to go.
In the midst of a heaven-rattling summer storm a young stranger blows into a small prairie town. On the run after taking her latest boyfriend's truck, with a pocketful of stolen money and a heart full of pain, seventeen-year-old Noreen Stall seems to invite trouble.
And trouble comes soon enough, as Noreen's new mistakes trigger calamities that shake the lives of the residents of Pembina Lake.
My Review:
Seventeen-year-old Noreen Stall is pregnant and frightened and not knowing what to do, steals her boyfriend’s money, truck, and begins driving until she reaches the sleepy-eyed town of Pembina Lake. She soon discovers that everyone in this crazy town has a secret, for her, it’s the perfect place to hide! But Noreen has a knack for stirring up trouble and it follows her wherever she goes drawing unwanted attention to herself.
This wasn’t a novel that rated high on my reading list, cute enough, but not anything even close to serious literature and fiction. Unfortunately, this not the type of book that I would recommend to anyone.
She turned onto the main street -- the sound of the lake a whisper behind her, the leaves of the tall trees now talking overhead -- she saw his truck parked in front of the café and Wesley sitting inside it....
He didn't seem to notice as she got closer, his eyes closed as if he was concentrating on something. With her hand on her stomach, she steadied herself. The window on the passenger's side was open and she could see the distinct curve of his dark lashes as they rested against his cheek.
"Wesley," she said quietly....
She felt a hot sting of shame. She wanted to hide. But in Pembina Lake, beside a truck, in front of a café, wheat fields and sky flaming pink and orange and gold all around, there was absolutely nowhere to go.
In the midst of a heaven-rattling summer storm a young stranger blows into a small prairie town. On the run after taking her latest boyfriend's truck, with a pocketful of stolen money and a heart full of pain, seventeen-year-old Noreen Stall seems to invite trouble.
And trouble comes soon enough, as Noreen's new mistakes trigger calamities that shake the lives of the residents of Pembina Lake.
My Review:
Seventeen-year-old Noreen Stall is pregnant and frightened and not knowing what to do, steals her boyfriend’s money, truck, and begins driving until she reaches the sleepy-eyed town of Pembina Lake. She soon discovers that everyone in this crazy town has a secret, for her, it’s the perfect place to hide! But Noreen has a knack for stirring up trouble and it follows her wherever she goes drawing unwanted attention to herself.
This wasn’t a novel that rated high on my reading list, cute enough, but not anything even close to serious literature and fiction. Unfortunately, this not the type of book that I would recommend to anyone.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews