I loved The Story of Arthur Trulov. It was poignant, sweet, humorous. The story is about the deep friendship that develops between a socially unpopular teenage girl whose mother died giving birth and who struggles to connect with her father and an elderly man (Arthur) still grieving the loss of his wife. They meet in the strangest of ways - at the local cemetery where Arthur visits his wife's grave. It is a deeply moving story about growing up and growing old and how much the young and the old have to learn about each other.

What??? I thought I gave a review of this years ago! Just going through my titles and saw that I hadn’t. Well, even though it’s older and been out there for a while I hav3 to say that this is one of my all time favorite books ever. So much love in this story. And lessons to be learned for us all. Love, love, loved it!

Enjoyable. This book is about losing love ones and getting second chances at love. Fun and easy read. Good characters.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but this was great! I have never read a book by this author, and I must say she really knows how to write a character. Arthur was a gem, I expected him to be a sour old man, but he had a heart as big as the moon. Miss Lucille was spot on, she had so many good points about people as they age. Moreover, Maddy, oh Maddy. She just needed a friend, someone to love her. I got really emotional in a good way at the end. It really touched my heart.

Well written and engaging characters. A real life storyline that had you yearning to 'make' your own family.

I truly enjoyed this heartwarming tale. Arthur is the neighbor we all wish we had. I love how he connected with and cared for all of the people who unexpectedly came into his life.

It took me a long time to actually reading this book and I wasn't really sure what to expect. When a book has a lot of hype around it I tend to be let down when I actually read it. This was definitely NOT the case with this book. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a book of friendship and hope in the end and a very good read.

Before I had kids, I worked at a local senior center and I absolutely adored it! I enjoy spending time with senior adults, especially the men, because sometimes they feel forgotten, while I think they have a lot of wisdom to offer. I am always on the hunt for books that captures the heart of the older generation. I had heard of Elizabeth Berg before, but had not read anything by her so when I saw this I wanted to give it a go. It was a joy to read this book! I think so many young people could benefit from looking to senior adults for guidance and direction. I loved seeing the relationship develop between Arthur and Maddy. It was so sweet to see a little "family" grow from these 3 unlikely friends. The book tackled tough issues with a lot of heart, which was a welcome change from some of the heavy books I've been reading.


* I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

I included this book in a blog post called 24 much anticipated titles to add to your Fall TBR on my blog Modern Mrs Darcy

Easily one of the best books I have read in recent memory. It was full of heart and had such loveable characters - I often find myself thinking about this story, and it has been months since I read it!

I love a good, wholesome contemporary novel. This short, beautifully written novel gave me just that in Arthur Moses and Maddy Harris. I totally recommend this for anyone looking for a sweet novel to read any time of the year. It's like a feel good movie, leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside, and tells a story of many forms of familial love.
Going into this novel, I had read the synopsis over a year ago when I requested it from NetGalley, so I had forgotten all information I may have known about the plot. That said, it completely surpassed my expectations. This is not a story of an old widower and a young girl from a dysfunctional family. These characters, though the novel is short, have deep back stories and have to learn to adapt in order to find happiness in their current lives. Maddy never knew her mother, and her relationship with her father is basically non-existent. Arthur lost his wife 6 months prior to the start of the novel, and he's still grieving the loss heavily when he meets a truant Maddy at the cemetery. From there on out, I think this is the most wholesome novel about human friendship and acceptance that I have ever read. I gave it four stars mainly because I wasn't a huge fan of Lucille's. I feel like she got more narrative attention than necessary, though she does become integral to the plot by the end. The middle of the novel was heavy with Lucille scenes and I think that her role would have had just as much impact without some of those moments taking the stage away from Arthur and Maddy. Overall, I can't fault the novel too much, I loved reading this book and you probably will too if you like this kind of feel-good story!

A great feel-good story. I’m not sure why I waited so long after publication to read this book. I suppose I cover just didn’t grab my attention like other ones. Anyway, I’m so glad I picked it up. Arthur touched my heart and left an imprint.

A sweet, heartwarming story about a lonely widower who visits his wife's grave every day, and in the cemetery meets a sad and lonely teenager and forms an unexpected bond with her. If you liked "A Man Called Ove," you would probably like this one - in fact, I thought Ove was a bit overrated and actually thought this book was better. I used to read a lot of Elizabeth Berg back in the 1990s and early 2000s but for some reason even though I enjoyed them, I did not keep up with her books after that. I enjoyed this one and definitely will be returning to reading her books and catching up on those I missed.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. What a heartwarming and touching story about what happens when you choose the family you want and all the love and happiness that comes from that choice.
Arthur Moses lost his wife and his life has turned into a routine of visiting her grave, feeding his cat and tending to his rose garden. Maddy is a shy and troubled girl who finds solace in visiting the same cemetery where Arthur's wife is buried. One day they engage in a conversation and what follows from there is a complete transformation of both their lives. Add in neighbor Lucille and the three lost souls form a bond that none of them ever expected.

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg Book Review
Why in the world did I wait so long to read this wonderful book? If you're thinking the same thing, don't wait any longer. You've got to read it!

We All Need a Champion Like Arthur Truluv
Arthur is just the best. He's a kind, generous soul & thinking of him now makes me smile. Arthur is nursing his broken heart & pining for his deceased wife. Their love is something out of a storybook. He visits her every day & sits & talks with her.

I found this to be incredibly special. When your life partner is gone, their absence is like a deep wound. You have to tend to it very carefully & with love & attention. Arthur does just that as he updates his wife on his day to day life while visiting the cemetery. Their love carries on & my old cynical heart lives for it.

We Should All Look For Our Maddy
The cemetery is where he meets Maddy. She is struggling but she & Arthur are meant to help one another. While Maddy gives him an outlet to focus his kind nature, she begins to accept his love & kindness at the time she needs it most.

I love getting to be a part of their wonderful relationship. We meet kindred spirits all the time. If we look around, there is likely someone that needs us just as much as we need them. Perhaps we could all find our own Maddy & Arthur.

THE VERDICT
I am Really Into This book. As soon as I finished The Story of Arthur Truluv, I wanted to read it again. Luckily for me, part of Arthur's story returns in Night of Miracles. I can't wait to read it!

Special thanks to Elizabeth Berg, Random House & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Such a nice change from my typical thriller, spy, mystery books. This was a beautiful story, well written with very interesting characters.

Why read about a troubled young teenage girl and a elderly widower who meet in a cemetery? What could they have in common that would draw them together for a short time? Arthur missed his wife, who had recently died, so much that he would pack a sandwich, take a bus to the cemetery, and sit by her grave every day. He talked to her as though she were able to answer him and told her about his day and, more importantly, his memories of their life.
Maddie, the teenager, first heard Arthur talking while she was hiding out after cutting classes from high school. Arthur saw her and tried to say hello but Maddie ran. She thought about what Arthur was talking about and wanted to know more, so she returned to the cemetery. They finally did speak to each other and get to know one another cautiously.
Now, you know you want to find out what happened next, right? I highly recommend this book for courses on relationships and communication between generations. And yes, it is a four star story worthy to be read many times over the reader's life. A beautiful story that manages to teach about love.

Loved this book - Heartwarming - Charming - in this day and time, it is a breath of fresh air to meet such caring and warm characters! Arthur Moses (Truluv) is an older man who has lost his forever love, his wife Nola. Arthur walks to the cemetery to have lunch with her every day. It is there one day that he meets Maddy, a young teenage girl who is struggling with life. They form a bond. There is also a neighbor of Arthur, an older women, Lucille, who moves into the mix. The book allows us to believe that there ARE good people out there. We see that good people don't have to be perfect and that you don't have to be born into a family - Families form in many different ways and they can be just as good and sometimes better then the family you were born into! A joy to read - leaves one with a smile and a warm heart!

This was one of the best books I read this year. It is poignant an sweet and restores one's faith in humanity. Tied up a little bit too neatly at the end, but readers won't care. Great for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Perfectly Fine and A Man Called Ove.

A wonderful heart-warming story of some of the most unlikely friends, learning to love one’s self and open up to others. Great characters and story.