A sentimental story with unique characters.
This is not the usual type of book I read, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Arthur meets Maddy when he's visiting his dead wife in the cemetery; he eats a lunch sandwich there every day. Maddy is a high school senior who's got a hopeless crush on a jerk.Warm-hearted Arthur reaches out to Maddy in a totally open way. Maddy's parents seem uninvolved at best. When Maddy's dad meets Arthur, he's mainly concerned about whether Maddy has enough money.The Story of Arthur Truluv is one of those rare coming-of-age novels that are just as much about the end of life as they are about growing up.

Three people. Each with a feeling of loss. Each with an emptiness that seems that it can't be filled. This book will make you cry then make you happy. The characters are realistic and true to life. It's good to know that there's happiness after such loss and loneliness.

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg is a novel that touches your heart and gives you hope. Arthur Moses is a man made of compassion and sincerity.  He has no pretense, no judgement of others. Everyone wants an Arthur Truluv in their lives.  Elizabeth Bergs writing flows so well it is like gulping water and you just can't get enough, fast enough. Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read this book early.

“We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars—everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings.”
Thorton Wilder, Our Town

It was six months ago, in November, the month when Arthur’s beloved wife Nola was buried, and he’s had a lunch date with her every day since. He heads to the cemetery on the bus, strolls his way through the headstones before he sits by her, sometimes he talks to her, sometimes he just listens. Either way, he’s in no hurry, she will be there.

This day, he stops in front of another headstone that seems to be calling out to him. A woman, born in 1897, died in 1929. He adds this in his head, she was thirty-two, but he does it again because he it would be disrespectful of him to stand there thinking about her, and getting such an important and intimate detail wrong. He pictures her in his mind, her hair, the colour, how she wore it, her life story pulling him in further. The colour of her eyes, her jewelry. Holding her little ones. And then the vision of it all fades. He heads over to sit with Nola.

He looks around at the signs of spring everywhere, a new beginning in the buds everywhere, the softening of the earth, and he wishes that his wife could return like that, again and again. A new beginning for her, surrounded by life, by renewal. Where she belongs.

He sees the girl sitting on the ground off in the distance, her back against a tree. He has seen her here before, he waves in her direction, she reacts as though she is frightened, and so he turns and goes to wait for the bus to return home. The girl, Maddy, feels badly, she hadn’t meant to scare him off.

Arthur is eighty-five years old. His doctor says he’ll live to be one hundred.

Maddy is seventeen years old, in high school where she feels like an outcast. She likes to take pictures and she writes poems, and she likes to read. Her mother died shortly after she was born, but sometimes Maddy feels as though she’s watching her, senses her presence in the eyes of a doe.

Lillian is Arthur’s next door neighbor, an older, lonely woman he talks to now and then, helps her out with her yard, puts the star on her Christmas tree. She loves to bake, and she is very good at it.

These three lonely people, whose lives have been tossed about, left with the invisible bruises of heartache, and yet life somehow manages to gather these three together, binding them collectively as one. A family, of sorts, each lending their strength, their talent, some compassion, an ear, love, and, most of all – love. We all have gifts to share, it just takes the one soul to share them and another to appreciate them.

Elizabeth Berg has written a simple story, simply told, about everyday people, who together, allow love in so they can, for the first time, or maybe even once again, become real.

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
--Margery Williams Bianco, “The Velveteen Rabbit”


Pub Date: 21 Nov 2017

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group / Random House

What a wonderful feel-good book! I absolutely loved every minute of this story about three lonely, hurting people who find each other and slowly become the family each of them needs so much. Elizabeth Berg is a master storyteller who uses simple sentences and ordinary people to draw the reader into her character's world so deeply, we know Maddy, Arthur, and Lucille. We not only know them, we love them, and mourn the loss of their company when the novel comes to a totally satisfying end. Elizabeth Berg is one of my very favorite authors.

"What is it that makes a family? Certainly no document does, no legal pronouncement or accident of birth. No, real families come from choices we make about who we want to be bound to, and the ties to such families lie in our hearts."

This is a book about three individuals who have relatively little in common but find themselves bound together in an unconventional but loving family. Arthur Moses a.k.a. Truluv, is an 85 year old man who goes to the cemetery each day to have lunch with his deceased wife. Arthur is a little lost since losing his wife. He is a kind and loving man who stops at various tombstones and wonders about the person's life. Maddy is a 17 year old girl who does not fit in. She often skips school and goes to the cemetery to take pictures and sit under a tree. She is a lost teenager whose Mother died two weeks after she was born. She has always felt like a burden to her father and gets into an unhealthy relationship looking for love. Lucille is Arthur's next door neighbor who makes Arthur cookies and is excited about a chance to be with her first love after so many years apart.

"I'll love you forever in darkness and sun, I'll love you past when my whole sweet life is done."

Arthur meets Maddy at the cemetery where they have both been quietly observing each other. When Arthur waves at Maddy she decides to wave back and the two strike up a friendship. Maddy calls Arthur "Truluv" for his devotion to his wife and daily "lunches" with her at the cemetery. Arthur likes having someone to look after and Maddy feels accepted and safe with Arthur. She has always felt like an outsider at home and school but not with Arthur. After a heated argument with her father, Maddy runs away and eventually finds herself living at Arthur's home until College begins. While Maddy and Arthur are forming a friendship, Lucile has re-kindled her romance with her first love after having been contacted with him. She dreams of a future with him when tragedy strikes.

Arthur, Maddy and Lucile have all known loss. Each one has his/her cross to bear but they are able to forge a bond and become an unlikely family. Arthur is my favorite character and he steals the show in this book. He is generous and kind and maybe a little reckless - who would invite a virtually unknown person into their home to live? It reminds me of the quote " I always depended on the kindness of strangers." from A streetcar named Desire. I found this book to be an extremely fast sweet read. It's a sweet book - but not syrupy sweet. I found the story to be uplifting and light even though it dealt with loss. and I enjoyed the story. I especially enjoyed how the unlikely trio formed a family and provided something each one needed: acceptance, a sense of belonging, a sense of being needed, love, friendship, community, and hope.

I received a copy of this book from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a charming, well-written book. While it has some hard truths, it is an uplifting story. Oh, that we all knew someone like Arthur to simply make our lives better!

A very sweet story. Three lonely hearts who find love and solace through friendship. As always, Elizabeth Berg delivers. It's a short, simple read but filled with sly humor and heartwarming food for thought. Everybody needs an Arthur in their lives. Thank you Random House and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book by one of my favorite authors.

This book is such a refreshing, enjoyable & uplifting story I didn't want it to end. The characters are so loveable you'll feel like you're wrapped up in a warm blanket reading about them. LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

This was a quick read. It is also a heartwarming story that reminds us that family isn't necessarily flesh and blood, it is who we decide to surround ourselves with.

I loved this gentle, kind, caring book. It's all about love and family. Not your regular love and not your regular family, but deep abiding love none the same. It shows us love that survives death and how each of us grieve differently. It tells of creating families in ways that are completely different than the Mom, Dad and kids manner but family none the same. It tells of the strong bonds of love in the created family and how that love, too, survives death. Humor and pathos radiate through this book of love and family. If you, too, find yourself in need of a book to calm a troubled soul, this is the book. If I could give it six stars, I would.

I just fell in love with Arthur Truluv! What a sweet sweet character. Loved the love he had for his wife, fellow man and life! Arthur is the kind of person I wish the world had more of. I am going to share Arthur with everyone I know. Beautiful story with beautiful characters. I wish I had neighbors like Lucille and Arthur. I wouldn't mind some baked goods either!

"The Story of Arthur Truluv" is a story of friendship, purpose and combatting loneliness in a world that is so easy to shut out the elderly. 82 year old Arthur visits his dead wife daily at the cemetery where he runs into 18 year old Maddy who cuts class on a daily basis to be at peace in the cemetery. There is also Lucille the next door neighbor who still have a lot of life to live. These three characters all come together to form a unique bond.  

I try not to compare books, but as soon as I read this title I thought "A Man Called Ove". They have basically the same premise- Elderly Man,  misses his dead wife, set in his way, lonely, inquisitive neighbor... you get it.... same premise. This is basically another version of "A Man Called Ove" but it doesn't leave you with the tingly heartwarming feeling. 

While I liked this book, I just felt like I didn't need to read it because I read a book exactly like it before. I felt the characters could be further developed and a lot of the storyline wasn't fully explored and even made sense, namely Maddy's relationship with her father, Lucille and her high school crush. Those two storylines just felt haphazard and not fully thought out or was just a means to an end.

Thanks Netgally for the ARC!

I looked back at my Goodreads account and realized I have been an Elizabeth Berg fan for a long time, but The Story of Arthur Truluv is by far my favorite. I would give it 10 stars if I could. Last night I got in bed to just give myself a taste of this story, and didn't come up for air til I finished at 3 in the morning. This grand story about the real meaning of family is a wonderful escape from the anxiety of the world of today. In this story we meet a troubled teen alienated from her father and schoolmates who finds respite by escaping from school at lunchtime to a nearby cemetery for peace and quiet. It is the same cemetery where Arthur, 83 years old and recently widowed goes to share lunch each day with his wife. The story of the connection of these two lonely people and Arthur's neighbor Lucille makes an uplifting tale filled with humor and deep insights. I also cheer for the inclusion of a teacher who is understanding and supportive. If you like the books of Anne Tyler and stories of thoroughly decent people trying to make meaning of life, you will love this book.

Random House and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Story of Arthur Truluv.  I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Arthur Moses buried his wife Nola six months before, yet he lunches with her almost daily.  He visits other graves as well, imagine the once living people who reside in spaces near his beloved.

Maddy Harris feels more at home in the cemetery that she does in the rest of her life.  When her separate world intersects with Arthur's, an unlikely friendship with born.  Along with Arthur's next door neighbor Lucille, will the trio be able to make life a little less lonely for them all?

I am usually a fan of Elizabeth Berg's characterization, so I was surprised that it took me a while to warm up to Arthur and Maddy.  My interest changed gradually and I found myself wanting to read just one more page.  For a relatively short novel, The Story of Arthur Truluv makes quite an impact by the ending.  The love and respect by the characters for each other is clearly felt and, although the plot is a little lacking, the book is well balanced overall.  Arthur reminds me of a kinder, gentler version of Ove, which means that he also does not have the spark that the aforementioned character does.  Regardless, I enjoyed reading The Story of Arthur Truluv and would recommend it to readers who like realistic and contemporary fiction.

What a wonderfully warm story about looking at life outside the realm of what is normally done. Three lives are deeply impacted in this novel in a very unconventional manner, yet each gains so much. Lovely novel, where Ms Beth has done it again for her readers. We are captivated by the characters and the plot is delightful. This is worth the read.

Enormously charming character driven novel about three lost souls who find their way when they least expect it. Ms. Berg's best yet.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! This was a quick summer read--charming characters and a sweet story.

A stunning and beautiful novel. Been a fan of Ms Berg for many years and she does to disappoint. Actually read "The Story of Arthur Truluv" in one sitting as it was impossible to put down. A story about how we can make our family rather than be born to one will resonate with all readers. And the senior citizen love story cannot be missed.