I started The Story of Arthur Truvluv thinking, ‘How many more Charming Old Men stories do we need?’ (Ove, Harold Frye, A.J. Fikry) The answer is clearly one more! I love you, Arthur. Cloning you would make a better world. You can teach classes on how to age gracefully. “Arthur thinks that, above all, aging means the abandonment of criticism and the taking on of compassionate acceptance.” I aspire to be more accepting and generous, like you.

Arthur has lunch with his wife every day, “but seeing that daffodil with Nola gone is not the same, it’s like he’s seeing only part of it.” He meets a young girl in the cemetery. “Maddy writes poems and takes pictures. Lately, she takes pictures of little things and blows them up big so that she can really see them. In poems, she does the opposite; big things get made small so that she can see them.”

Arthur’s wisdom is for ‘grown-ups’ of all ages. “He supposes a great many ills of adults might be cured by a nap or a good meal or a bit of timely reassurance… But adults complicate everything. They learned to make things harder than they need to be and they earned to talk way too much.” We rarely visit our neighbors nowadays. Arthur “liked it better when he was a kid and he and his friends ran into and out of each other’s houses as though they lived in all of them.” Lucky us who remember such a time. Lucky us if we have friends or family who drop in casually and are welcomed.

Berg’s characters are deeply drawn. Both angst-ful teen, Maddy, and Lucille, Arthur’s, dowdy, sometimes pushy neighbor, get their own drama filled moments. They grow in unexpected ways. While the book is ultimately about Love, (and Arthur Truluv,) love is never without some pain and frustrations. Berg does not sugar coat the challenges, like many authors.

It’s beautiful the way Arthur finds purpose in his life. “It is my great pleasure and honor to go to the resting place of the finest woman I ever knew and think about the boundless glory of my life with her.” He describes himself as the audience, the witness. He worked for lots of years. Now he sits in his rocking chair. “I don’t feel useless. I feel lucky.”

I’ll close with a story about Arthurs wife, who liked to have flowers in winter. One day Arthur cleaned up the ring of petals that had fallen. Nola asked what he was doing. ‘They’re dying,’ Arthur responded. “’They’re still beautiful, she said, ‘the petal, loose like that…the falling… it’s just part of it. I bring buds home, the blossoms open up, the petals fall, and I like all of it.’”

I feel lucky to be able to read such a delightful book. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for granting access to an arc of this book for an honest review. I liked all of it, the opening up the book, the blossoming, the falling, “Its strong scent will last and last. Truluv taught her that.”

The Story of Arthur Truluv is a wonderful title on many levels. It is an entertaining story with a happy ending. It explores the nature of love - friend to friend, older to younger, parent to child, spouse to spouse. It provides glimpses of ways to experience aging, of making connections to others, and the small actions that have big results. I will be purchasing this title, and will recommend it to our book club.

I was charmed by 'The Story of Arthur Truluv'. Arthur is a delightful character and I would love to have been Arthur's friend. His love and loyalty to his wife and friends Is beautiful. Maddy is a girl who needs love and care and a gentle friendship blossoms between Arthur and Maddy.

The book is well written and I definitely recommend it.

Nov 20 2017 5:00
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Best Bets

5 Women’s Fiction Best Bets for November 2017

Scarlettleigh



Life is about making an impact, not making an income
—Kevin Kruse

Most of us will never be rich and famous but that doesn’t diminish our worth. We’re all had people in our lives that made a positive impact. And that is one of the heartwarming themes in this month’s selection of women’s fiction books. One of the most genuine gifts you can give is your time and your caring as these books show. While not holiday stories they're the perfect introduction to the holiday season.



The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

(Amazon | Barnes & Noble)


An emotionally powerful novel about three people who each lose the one they love most, only to find second chances where they least expect them

For the past six months, Arthur Moses’s days have looked the same: He tends to his rose garden and to Gordon, his cat, then rides the bus to the cemetery to visit his beloved late wife for lunch. The last thing Arthur would imagine is for one unlikely encounter to utterly transform his life.

Eighteen-year-old Maddy Harris is an introspective girl who visits the cemetery to escape the other kids at school. One afternoon she joins Arthur—a gesture that begins a surprising friendship between two lonely souls. Moved by Arthur’s kindness and devotion, Maddy gives him the nickname “Truluv.” As Arthur’s neighbor Lucille moves into their orbit, the unlikely trio band together and, through heartache and hardships, help one another rediscover their own potential to start anew.

Wonderfully written and full of profound observations about life, The Story of Arthur Truluv is a beautiful and moving novel of compassion in the face of loss, of the small acts that turn friends into family, and of the possibilities to achieve happiness at any age.

Strengths: Multi-generational characters; Beautiful theme of chosen family; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Dash
Mood: Poignant and lighthearted
Why You Should Read this: What a truly wonderful story. The little bit of magical realism is a nice touch, but the heart of the story is the about lonely people coming together and forming a family. Heartwarming and touching.

Little Broken Things by Nicole Baart

(Amazon | Barnes & Noble)


An engrossing and suspenseful novel for fans of Liane Moriarty and Amy Hatvany about an affluent suburban family whose carefully constructed facade starts to come apart with the unexpected arrival of an endangered young girl.


I have something for you. When Quinn Cruz receives that cryptic text message from her older sister Nora, she doesn’t think much of it. They haven’t seen each other in nearly a year and thanks to Nora’s fierce aloofness, their relationship consists mostly of infrequent phone calls and an occasional email or text. But when a haunted Nora shows up at the lake near Quinn's house just hours later, a chain reaction is set into motion that will change both of their lives forever.

Nora’s “something” is more shocking than Quinn could have ever imagined: a little girl, cowering, wide-eyed, and tight-lipped. Nora hands her over to Quinn with instructions to keep her safe, and not to utter a word about the child to anyone, especially not their buttoned-up mother who seems determined to pretend everything is perfect. But before Quinn can ask even one of the million questions swirling around her head, Nora disappears, and Quinn finds herself the unlikely caretaker of a girl introduced simply as Lucy.

While Quinn struggles to honor her sister’s desperate request and care for the lost, scared Lucy, she fears that Nora may have gotten involved in something way over her head—something that will threaten them all. But Quinn’s worries are nothing compared to the firestorm that Nora is facing. It’s a matter of life and death, of family and freedom, and ultimately, about the lengths a woman will go to protect the ones she loves.

Strengths: Great balance between mystery and interpersonal relationships; Intriguing characters: Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Dash
Mood: Poignant and lighthearted
Why You Should Read this: Perfect for readers who want a more intense story!


Left to Chance by Amy Sue Nathan

(Amazon | Barnes & Noble)


No one knows why Teddi Lerner left her hometown, but everyone knows why she’s back.

Twelve-year-old Shayna— talented, persistent, and adorable—persuaded “Aunt Tee” to return to Chance, Ohio, to photograph her father’s wedding. Even though it's been six years since Shay's mother, Celia, died, Teddi can hardly bear the thought of her best friend's husband marrying someone else. But Teddi’s bond with Shay is stronger than the hurt.

Teddi knows it’s time to face the consequences of her hasty retreat from family, friends, and, her old flame, but when she looks through her viewfinder, nothing in her small town looks the same. That’s when she truly sees the hurt she's caused and—maybe—how to fix it.

After the man she once loved accuses Teddi of forgetting Celia, Teddi finally admits why she ran away, and the guilt she’s carried with her. As Teddi relinquishes the distance that kept her safe, she’ll discover surprising truths about the people she left behind, and herself. And she'll finally see what she overlooked all along.

Strengths: Exploration of complex feelings of grief; Unique situations; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Dash
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: Insightful look at how a daughter, brother, husband and best friend grieve the death of their love one.

Perennials by Julie Cantrell

(Amazon | Barnes & Noble)


Eva Sutherland—known to all as Lovey—grew up safe and secure in Oxford, Mississippi, surrounded by a rich literary history and her mother’s stunning flower gardens. But a shed fire, and the injuries it caused, changed everything. Her older sister, Bitsy, blamed Lovey for the irreparable damage. Bitsy became the homecoming queen and the perfect Southern belle who could do no wrong. All the while, Lovey served as the family scapegoat, always bearing the brunt when Bitsy threw blame her way.

At eighteen, suffocating in her sister’s shadow, Lovey turned down a marriage proposal and fled to Arizona. Free from Bitsy’s vicious lies, she became a successful advertising executive and a weekend yoga instructor, carving a satisfying life for herself. But at forty-five, Lovey is feeling more alone than ever and questioning the choices that led her here.

When her father calls insisting she come home three weeks early for her parents’ 50th anniversary, Lovey is at her wits’ end. She’s about to close the biggest contract of her career, and there’s a lot on the line. But despite the risks, her father’s words, “Family First,” draw her back to the red-dirt roads of Mississippi.

Lovey is drawn in to a secret project—a memory garden her father has planned as an anniversary surprise. As she helps create this sacred space, Lovey begins to rediscover her roots, learning how to live perennially in spite of life’s many trials and tragedies.


Years ago, Lovey chose to leave her family and the South far behind. But now that she’s returned, she’s realizing things at home were not always what they seemed.

Strengths: Exploration of sister bond; gratifying spirituality, uplifting ending Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: Wonderful resolution of sibling conflicts, second chance at love, and letting go of old hurts.

A Hundred Small Lessons by Ashley Hay

(Amazon | Barnes & Noble)


From the author of the highly acclaimed The Railwayman’s Wife, called a “literary and literate gem” by Psychology Today, comes an emotionally resonant and profound new novel of two families, interconnected through the house that bears witness to their lives.

When Elsie Gormley leaves the Brisbane house in which she has lived for more than sixty years, Lucy Kiss and her family move in, eager to establish their new life. As they settle in, Lucy and her husband Ben struggle to navigate their transformation from adventurous lovers to new parents, taking comfort in memories of their vibrant past as they begin to unearth who their future selves might be. But the house has secrets of its own, and the rooms seem to share recollections of Elsie’s life with Lucy.

In her nearby nursing home, Elsie traces the span of her life—the moments she can’t bear to let go and the places to which she dreams of returning. Her beloved former house is at the heart of her memories of marriage, motherhood, love, and death, and the boundary between present and past becomes increasingly porous for both her and Lucy.

Over the course of one hot Brisbane summer, two families’ stories intersect in sudden and unexpected ways. Through the richly intertwined narratives of two ordinary, extraordinary women, Ashley Hay uses her “lyrical prose, poetic dialogue, and stunning imagery” (RT magazine) to weave an intricate, bighearted story of what it is to be human.

Strengths: Great juxtaposition of beginnings and endings; Realistic exploration of family dynamics; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Dash
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: Insightful, authentic look at family.

THE STORY OF ARTHUR TRULUV Written by Elizabeth Berg
Fall 2017; 240 Pages (Random House Canada)
Genre: fiction, literary, humour
Listened to on audio

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)

I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Berg. Even when I don't love one of her books I still think it is worth the read. She is a great writer that takes you into the novel and the characters become friends. This book has a lot of heart. At first I wasn't sure if I would like this one as the "old man still in love with his wife" seems to be a big genre. It's not that I don't like the premise, but sometimes when there is a flood of similar books I tend to get sick of it pretty quick. I get judgemental and put high expectations on the next book. In this one, we had two other characters that added to the story line. A young girl, Maddy wants to find someone to love her and see that she exists. Living with her widowed father she may as well not be there. She finds herself pregnant, wanting to keep the baby, but alone. Arthur, has lost the love of his life. They weren't blessed with children so they had extra love for one another. With his beloved wife gone, he still has love to give. Arthur's next door neighbour, Lucille has loved one man and has never married. When the man comes back into her life and still wants her, she is ecstatic until he suddenly passes away. After having love again, she feels more alone. These three people, extremely different, find themselves being a family for one another. Instead of tears and sadness, Berg was able to give it humour and heart. It reminded me of another book starring an Arthur, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. I highly recommend this one, and enjoyed the audio.

The Story Of Arthur Truluv by prolific author Elizabeth Berg is a look at humanity at its best and at its worst. It is about being a good neighbor to others and being selfish and unkind to others. It is uplifting to read and painful to read. It is short, gripping and well-characterized. Arthur Moses is 85-years-old and he misses his deceased wife Nola, so he goes to the cemetery every day to eat lunch with her. To quote the novel: “He rides the bus a bit subdued, but his heart lifts once he walks through the cemetery gates. It’s a beautiful day, puffy white clouds seeming to ride the blue sky. Blue is the right color for a sky, and white is the right color for clouds. His pace picks up. He’s brought peanut butter and grape jelly for lunch today, and one of those little fruit cups, and a thermos of milk on account of the peanut butter and jelly. When the day comes when he can no longer enjoy peanut butter and jelly, well, he will be ready to reside in heaven with Nola. He hopes there really is a heaven. He hopes there’s a way he can see her again. How he would love to see her again right now! If only he could, he wouldn’t tell anyone, it would be his and God’s little secret, but, oh, what he wouldn’t give to see that face alive again just for an instant, those eyes looking right into his. It would sustain him for the rest of his days. Ah well. He starts walking down a row. Annette McAllister. Dead at eighty. A long life, one might say, though if you asked Annette, she might disagree. Arthur bends slightly over her grave. Forget-me-nots, he gets. Must have been her favorite flower. A bad case of arthritis, knuckles all knobby. A knitter, nonetheless. Peanut brittle in a yellow bowl by her recliner. Irritated by small children. Arthur straightens. Irritated! Well, you always want to give the benefit of the doubt to those buried and gone, but Arthur cannot abide those who don’t like small children. Oh, maybe little kids are trouble, sometimes, but only for a good reason: They are tired. They are hungry. They are afraid. He supposes a great many ills of adults might be cured by a nap or a good meal or a bit of timely reassurance. But adults complicate everything. They are by nature complicators. They learned to make things harder than they need to be and they learned to talk way too much. Not that he isn’t guilty of his own sins, as an adult. His loss of enthusiasm for spontaneity, for one. Nola used to complain about that. “Let’s go for a drive!” she’d say, and he’d say, “When?” and she’d say “Now!” “Where?” he’d ask, and she’d say “Anywhere!” And he’d say, oh, he couldn’t right then. Finally, she stopped asking, because he always said he couldn’t do it right then. But he could have! He could have and should have. You ask kids if they want to go for a drive, what do they say? Yes! Want to catch minnows? Yes! Want to bury treasure? Yes! Want to spin around and get dizzy? Yes! The truth is that, apart from Nola, Arthur always has favored being with kids over adults.“. As you gathered from the passage above, Arthur, is one of the uplifting, loveable characters in this novel, and, yes, he is psychic in that he seems to get visions of others buried in his wife’s graveyard. That graveyard has a comfortable, welcoming air to him. It also has a comfortable, welcoming air to 18-year-old Maddy Harris who is a high school senior with a caring but emotionally distant father (still grieving the loss of Maddy’s mother when she was only two weeks old) and a self-centered adult boyfriend who treats her in an abusive manner (warning: this section has graphic hurtful sex scenes in it). Maddy is also bullied at school by the other students which is why she escapes to the graveyard as a haven. To quote the novel when a new boy and she hopes potential friend has enrolled in her school: ““She sat there. Sat there some more, a black ache expanding inside her. So he knew. Already, he’d been enlisted on the side of the Others. He had been told what everyone but her seems to know about her.” Maddy develops a friendship with Arthur, who gallantly offers to let her move in with him when she discovers she is pregnant and wants to keep the baby despite being dumped by her boyfriend and told by her father that it is best she get an abortion. Arthur shows her nothing but unconditional kindness and ends up with a caregiver when his health dwindles. A third character enters the mix when Arthur’s nosy neighbor, Lucille, an elderly retired old maid schoolteacher sells her home and moves into the other spare room at Arthur’s house. If I had to sum up a theme for this novel, it would be: kindness. And I think that quite an important theme in our world today. Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book and for allowing me to review it.

Simple, charming story will make you smile
By SANDY MAHAFFEY FOR THE FREE LANCE–STAR Nov 25, 2017
When I finished reading Elizabeth Berg’s “The Story of Arthur Truluv,” I could not stop smiling, nor could I keep a sigh of contentment from escaping my lips. It’s just that kind of book. It is a quite simple story. But Berg’s gift of language makes it soar with charm, love and humanity. It filled my heart with joy.

Arthur Moses takes his lunch to the local cemetery every day. He feels a real connection to many of those buried there and reveals what they tell him about themselves as he makes his way to the grave of his beloved wife, Nola, where he eats his lunch and chats with her. I can’t imagine any reader not falling immediately in love with him.

He befriends a troubled teen he has frequently seen there. Maddy’s mother died when she was born and it appears her father has never recovered and seems to hold Maddy responsible. An outcast at school in spite of her creative abilities, Maddy escapes at lunchtime to the cemetery near the school. She seeks the peace and quiet she finds there as she struggles to find her place in life.

Lucille has led a solitary life in the house next to Arthur’s, especially since retiring from teaching. Somehow her dream life has always seemed to elude her. She loves to cook and keeps trying to fatten up Arthur. She desperately needs to be needed.


These three lost souls find one another and create a wonderful synergy. Maddy loves all things old—movies, books, phrases and Arthur. Her youth provides both Lucille and Arthur with a new zest for life and a wonderful reason to get up every day.

No matter what stage of life we are in, there is more to learn and more love to give and to receive. Berg portrays that masterfully in “The Story of Arthur Truluv.”

Sandy Mahaffey is former Book editor of The Free Lance–Star.
THE STORY OF ARTHUR TRULUV

By Elizabeth Berg

(Random House, $26, 220 pp.)

Publication: Nov. 21

This book falls into that recently born category of elderly hope fest. An old man finds a new zest for life in a next door neighbor and a depressed young lady who finds herself in a desperate situation. We could all use a little bit of Truluv in life for moral support and to guide us to our identity again. Life is hard; why live it alone? Truluv teaches us that we don’t have to. And whether we lose sight of our happiness through death or some other type of lose, it can be found again.

This was a quick read. I finished it in just a few hours. Berg did a fine job of grabbing and keeping my interest in these characters. And again I adored Truluv in an Ove sorta way. I would recommend this book to fans of that book.

A family isn't always made through blood. Bring together three lonely strangers in a story, and you will see how love can truly form a family. I wish I could meet Arthur, the widow in his 80's, who longs for his lost wife. Then there's Maddie, who is the 17-year-old girl who I see in so many of my students, who doesn't have a wonderful home life. Pair them with Lucille, a lonely neighbor who was never married, and you have a wonderful story. Although the story is a little sad, it does make you stop to appreciate the good things in your life. I would recommend this book to 8th graders and up because of some of the issues that Maddie deals with in her life.

I was given this book for my honest review.

Just the sweet cover of Elizabeth Berg's The Story of Arthur Truluv makes me want to read it. Once I got started, I didn't want to stop. In this book Arthur is an octogenarian grieving the loss of his beloved wife, whom he refers to as Nola Corrine, the Beauty Queen. Each day, he takes the bus to the cemetery to have lunch with her. He talks to her headstone, telling her all about his days and the weather. He misses her so much and just wants to feel like she can still hear him. One day, he notices a teenage girl sitting under a tree in within the cemetery walls. Then he notices that she comes back day after day, too. Wondering what she could be doing out of school and never seeming to visit any grave in particular, he waves to her, then introduces himself. Soon a friendship between Arthur and the girl, Maddy, develops and it is utterly sweet. Maddy has her own troubles, and a nose ring that Arthur can't understand, but she is able to talk to him in a way she can't talk to anyone else. Also chief among the cast of characters is Lucille, Arthur's long-time next door neighbor. Bossy and nosey, she nevertheless becomes an important part of his life.

This book is darling. I really loved the characters and Arthur's sweet, sage advice is as good for eighteen-year-old lost girls as it is for eighty-year-old wandering spinsters. When Arthur visits the cemetery each day, he pauses at other random graves, reads the headstones and then "gets" things about those buried there. He knows (or imagines he knows) things like how they met their spouses, their favorite flowers, the things they liked to eat. He even "gets" a story about one man's red robe, a Christmas gift that caught on fire after bumping a candle the first time he tried it on. These little stories are sprinkled throughout the book and add so much texture and love and it then occurs to the reader that we are "getting" Arthur's whole story, or at least more than the snippet we get of the others. Quick! Someone hug me!

One bit that really spoke to me is when Lucille feels she is old and useless, that she has nothing left to do in this world.

"It's so embarrassing to be useless."
Arthur refuses to believe anyone is useless.
"Did you ever hear anyone say they wanted to be a writer? ... Everybody wants to be a writer...but what we need are readers. Right? Where would writers be without readers. Who are they going to write for? And actors, what are they without an audience? Actors, painters, dancers, comedians, even just ordinary people doing ordinary things, what are they without an audience of some sort?
See, that's what I do. I'm the audience. I am the witness. I am the great appreciator."

I think it can be tempting in this world to think that if we aren't the writers or the actors or the painters that we have no value, but I kind of like the idea of being the great appreciator.

There are so many good lines in this book.

"Are you hungry?'' Lucille asks. Her favorite thing is asking that and having you say yes.

"Sometimes I wonder what the world would sound like if everybody stopped complaining. It sure would be a quiet place."

And my favorite:

Love is never foolish. Or unnecessary.

I may not be an octogenarian, but one small part in this book made me feel a bit old. It happens when Maddy talks about owning her mother's Tori Amos CD collection. She talks about it like I might have thought about my parents' Eagles albums. I suppose the passing of time sneaks up on all of us.
Can I get another hug?

This book is wonderful and sweet and lovely. I really enjoyed reading it and I hope you will, too.
Hugs for everyone!

It’s time to reflect on the books I read this past year that stayed with me the most, a list I call the Most Compelling Books of 2017.
Delia Ephron’s Siracusa takes readers to the island off the coast of Italy, where two families are vacationing. Both couples have troubled marriages, and a frightening incident unravels them all. Ephron gives you a real sense of place here.

Siracusa

Caroline Angell’s debut novel, All The Time In The World, tells the story of a nanny who becomes entangled in a tragedy of the family she works for. The main character is so relatable, and I felt such a kinship with her, this book broke my heart.

All the Time In The World

Another debut novel that caught my attention is Julie Buntin’s Marlena, a coming-of-age story about the friendship between two teenage girls. Cat moves with her recently divorced mom and brother to rural Michigan and meets Marlena, a troubled teen dealing with a mom who left her with a drug dealing father and a young brother to care for. Buntin nails that time of life for young women, and her characters are unforgettable.

Marlena

Angie Thomas’ debut The Hate U Give has been on the YA best-seller list from day one and it deserves to be. Teenage Starr sees her friend killed by a policeman and it changes her whole life. Each character here is so well drawn, this is a book everyone should read.

The Hate U Give

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is for fans of Turner Classic Movies. When a famous reclusive former movie star (think Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor) plucks an unknown magazine writer to write her biography, it makes for a captivating, and surprisingly deep, tale.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

There are two books here with Irish protagonists. J. Courtney Sullivan’s Saints For All Occasions tells the story of two sisters who emigrate from Ireland to the United States; one marries and raises a family, the other becomes a nun, and a secret they share comes to light years later.

Saints for All Occasions

Alice McDermott has written many novels on the Irish-American experience, and her The Ninth Hour focuses on an order of nuns who care for the people in their Brooklyn neighborhood in the early 20th century. They take in a young widow with a baby, and their compassion and dedication to caring for the sick and poor is life-affirming.

The Ninth Hour

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Another life-affirming novel is Elizabeth Berg’s The Story of Arthur Truluv about an elderly widower, his widow neighbor and the teenage girl they befriend. It’s a lovely story about the connections we make. And in today's world when we hear of men behaving badly, Arthur is one of the good guys.

The Story of Arthur Truluv

On the nonfiction side, “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah’s memoir Born A Crime relates his upbringing as a half-South African, half-white boy in post-aparteid South Africa. It’s funny and touching, and it gives the reader a peek into a world we know little about. I've also heard that the audiobook is fantastic.

Born A Crime

Alyssa Mastromonaco’s Who Thought This Was A Good Idea? is about her life working in the Obama White House as a deputy chief of staff. It immerses you in the breakneck pace of life at the White House and about what it takes to do a job like this and what you give up to do it.

Who Thought This Was A Good Idea?

+2
Nomadland
Nomadland
Jessica Bruder is a journalist who turned a magazine article into a book called Nomadland — Surviving America in the 21st Century. She traveled the country with transient older Americans who have lost their jobs and homes (many during the recession of 2008). They live in campers, RVs, vans and even cars and travel to work at campgrounds, beet fields, spring training baseball stadiums and carnivals to make ends meet.
The most fascinating chapter focuses on their work at an Amazon warehouse and you’ll never order from Amazon again without thinking about these workers. Nomadland is the best nonfiction book of the year, on a topic that is current, and it’s one that I’ll be talking about for a long time.
The best book I read this year is Stay With Me a debut novel by Nigerian author Ayobami Adebayo. It tells the story of a young married couple in Nigeria who are having trouble conceiving a baby. When the husband’s family insists on bringing in a second wife, it begins a downward spiral. I cried throughout this stunning novel, and when someone asks me what to read, Stay With Me is it.

Stay With Me

I hope you had a year filled with great reading, and I’d love to hear what you thought was the best book of the year.
Diane La Rue is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and blogs about books athttp://bookchickdi.blogspot.com. You can follow her on Twitter @bookchickdi, and she can be emailed at laruediane2000@yahoo.com.

What a wonderful story! Thank you Ms. Berg for writing such a tale of family and love.

At times you had to suspend your belief and just go with the story and when you do you will be rewarded! This is a story of Arthur, a man who loved his wife and even after her death, continued to visit her grave and include her in his daily rituals. It is also a story about Arthur, Maddy and Lucille and what family and love mean.

If you loved A Man Called Ove, then you will love this book too.

Read this. Especially when in a mood to welcome wonder at friendships that can happily cross generations!

This is my first Elizabeth Berg's book. I requested it because I'd heard she is a great writer and I was very pleased to see that she is indeed! However, I couldn't connect with the story at all and couldn't finish the book

Six months after the death of his beloved wife, 85-year old Arthur is still grieving. Every day he visits his wife's grave and eats lunch by her tombstone. He often "talks" to the people buried around her, too. Well, they seem to talk to him, anyway---sharing their stories, their lives, their deaths.

Arthur is usually alone during these visits, but one day 17-year old Maddy shows up (she's ditched school to avoid interacting with her bullying classmates). Over time, the two form a friendship:  Arthur helps Maddy resolve boyfriend issues and family drama, and Maddy provides Arthur with practical day-to-day care and simple companionship. In the end, they both discover that it's never too late to find love and connection, even after tremendous loss.

This book has such crazy high ratings on Goodreads, and even though I did enjoy it, I'm not sure I loved it as much as everyone else. There have been a lot of books lately featuring grumpy yet endearing seniors, and I'm just kinda over it. It's become gimmicky. Arthur is lovable, and his relationship with Maddy is sweet, but the story is predictable and too often cheesy. Yes, I was emotionally invested---I'll admit that I cried a bunch---but it almost felt cheap, you know? Like overwhelm me with stories about how people were loved and then how they died and, yeah, you're going to get an emotional response from me. Because loss is sad, and consecutive losses are even sadder. But that's no substitute for layered, less stereotypical characters and a creative, surprising storyline.

So yeah, the book is entertaining, and I liked reading it well enough, but I wish it had more depth and nuance. Still, if you're looking for a quick, (mostly) feel-good read, I'm guessing, like most people, you'll probably enjoy The Story of Arthur Truluv just fine.

One of my top picks from 2017! The Story of Arthur Truluv is such a beautiful moving novel that it should be on all of our "to read" lists.

The Story of Arthur Truluv is more than just the story of one person. Through the course of the novel, we meet Arthur Moses who spends lunch every day visiting his wife's grave at the cemetery. There he meets 18 year old Maddy and the two develop an unlikely friendship. It is Maddy that gives him the nickname Truluv because of his feelings about love and life. We also get the opportunity to meet Lucille, Arthur's neighbor, and watch the relationships grow and change between the three of them as they form an unlikely bond.

This novel touches on so many topics close to my heart and I really love the meaning behind the story. One of my favorite sections in the book is when Arthur realizes that his relationship with Maddy is filling a loneliness that he never even knew existed. I also appreciate how the author develops the characters of Maddy and Lucille over the course of the book. Both characters undergo transitions that are amazing to witness. For me, one of the main messages I took away from the story is that there is so much hurt and loneliness in the world and some of that can be changed just by letting people into your life.

While I inevitably shed a few tears during my reading, it is a ultimately a very uplifting and powerful novel about love and life. A five star read for me.

I received this book courtesy of Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Berg has a hit on her hands with this novel! I fell in love with Arthur Truluv within the first few pages. Who couldn't help but love a man who visits his wife's grave every day where he feels still connected to her spirit - and a few of those around him. His visits don't go unnoticed, through. A teenager sitting alone beneath a tree finds herself drawn to this elderly man who has so much to offer in terms of friendship, care and life lessons. This novel is a feel-good novel from beginning to end. Don't be surprised, though, if you shed a few tears. It's that good!

I am a big fan of Elizabeth Berg’s novels. She has a way of telling such honest stories and really touching the reader. This story was no exception.
Arthur was an incredible character who really cared about people in such a different and outstanding way. He befriends Maddy when she needs it the most and their relationship is beautiful.
This is a quick read but it is so heart- warming. I highly recommend it.
I gave this book 5 crowns.

Very cute and heartwarming book, but unfortunately did not have a lot to make it stand out from others in this genre.