Elizabeth Berg writes with such pictures that spring to mind with each page. I seem to fall into the world she paints. Oh to read of Arthur’s early years! From the beginning, his soul is rich and deep. Arthur’s perceptions and experiences match many of my own though I’ve I lacked the words to express them. He is tentative but thoughtful, observant and offering a sincerity that makes a safe space which even if only found in a book makes the world a better place.
I’ve enjoyed reading of Arthur’s teenage days in Mason and I’m compelled
to re-read the tales of his later years. Thank you for the true pleasure of reading “Earth is the Right Place For Love”

Arthur Truluv is my favorite Elizabeth Berg character. I was thrilled to see Arthur return with the story of his early life in the forties. Sitting down with a new EB novel feels good on December's chilly days. Early in the story, Arthur talks about the significant loss in his life, his brother. Frank is woven throughout Arthur's young life, and he carries Frank right through to his old age. He never stops missing Frank. Arthur struggled socially, whereas Frank made friends and plowed through life from a very early age. Frank helped the brothers deal with the misery of a nasty father. Arthur's inherent goodness won the war, and his never-ending love for Frank and his wife carried him through to the present day.

This prequel novel fits perfectly into EB's books. I don't mind that the books are written without the contemporary verbal edge of today's societal ills of violence and divisiveness. The personal, private life of a man who struggled in his youth but never gave up on what (she was the what) he wanted is uplifting at its core.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Beautifully written coming of age story set in small town in Missouri . The main character, Arthur, experiences both high and lows during his teenage years, From a first love to a tragedy that will affect he and his family, this is a very good read. The writing and the character development are wonderful. The book brings back memories for me growing up in a small town in the 1950's, a time that seemed so calm and unremarkable.. This can be a good recommendation for a book club.

I had read Arthur Truluv a few years ago, so before I started this prequel I read my review as well as the synopsis of that book.

This novel definitely has a vibe, and that vibe is reminiscent of older Ron Howard TV shows (The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days). Being a younger member of Generation X, I’m not sure how accurate those shows were in representing that time: “Gosh willies, that would be swell!” So when I tell you that this novel has that vibe, I’m not sure it is an actual 1946 vibe or a caricature of 1946.

This book tells the backstory of Arthur mainly when he was 16 and toward the end going into his 20s. Arthur was a saint even at 16. I’m not sure how realistic it is that a 16 year old would be this “good.” He’s patient with old people, conscientious, strikes the right balance with girls (with one notable exception) and upstanding. His father, in particular, is not conveyed in the way that indicates he would be an excellent role model in how to behave, so I’m unclear how Arthur is so “perfect.” The father has a problem with anger; it’s a deep-seeded problem. However, he talks with Arthur, and the father’s anger problem seems to resolve itself within a chapter. Again, I’m not sure how realistic this is. In my experience, angry people have deep-seeded issues, and it takes more than a few weeks/months and a lot of therapy to interact with the world in a more positive way.
Then there’s older brother Frank. Something big happens 2/3 of the way through the novel, and it’s completely out of line with the character. I want to ask the author WHAT happened. It’s totally not in line with how the character is portrayed. Is there subtext that I missed??? The parents also DON’T do something that I think is very odd not to do. It’s after that 2/3 point.

I struggled with this book – the character motivations specifically. I think it has a very strong place in time, and if you’re curious about Arthur’s younger life, I think this would be a good one to pick up. I do recommend reading Arthur Truluv before this one and not letting too much time lag between the books.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet coming of age story of Arthur Moses and Nola from Elizabeth Bergs “The Story of Arthur Truluv”. It can easily be read as a stand alone novel and does not need to be read with the other 3 books of the series.

The story takes place in the late 1940’s, early 1950’s and gave me strong Andy Griffith show vibes. Arthur is very sweet and understanding of all the neighborhood ladies he does odd jobs for, and he is remarkably understanding of his fathers anger issues. The story includes subject matters of physical abuse, brotherly love, forgiveness, second chances, friendship and love. It is very character driven with very little action beyond one tragic event.

If you are looking for a sweet old fashioned character driven story set in that time frame you will find this enjoyable. If you are looking for a page turner, you may want to look for another option.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the chance to read this forthcoming novel

Sweet story of love.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

An easy-to-read, feel good story about a teen coming into his own. Arthur is the type of character you would want as your own friend--a good brother, son and example to others. It was an accurate representation of life in the late 40s and I found myself wanting to experience small town life in Mason. Not a whole lot of drama or plot development, this is the perfect beach read that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors and this book reminds me why. The tenderness with which she presents her characters and the way she communicates the wonders of everyday living keep me gripped to the story.. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a beautiful coming of age story. Our main character is Arthur and we follow him as he deals with falling for a local girl. His relationship with older brother Frank and Arthur's love of his town and neighbors are all so moving and relatable. Just a lovely story.

This is the story of Arthur Trulov, when he was a child. It was really a beautiful, if somewhat sad story at times.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. Elizabeth Berg has long been an author whose work I look forward to. Earth's the Right Place for Love is another story of one of her best characters, Arthur Truluv. The other books are The Story of Arthur Truluv, Night of Miracles and The Confession Club. Arthur is a part of each story. There is a time jump in each book, not necessarily in age order. Earth's story is of Arthur as a high schooler and young man. Its a time of love and loss for him. The beginnings of his love for Nola are in this story. What's great at Ms. Berg's books is that they are sweet and gentle but not cloying. I compare her work to a softer version of Elizabeth Strout, who is also excellent at writing characters who are real and grounded. It was truly a treat to read another story of Arthur, his family and the love of his life.

This was a "nice" story set in the 1950s about a boy struggling with fitting in. His brother tries to give him advice, but it doesn't really seem to help too much. There wasn't a lot that happened in this story. It was just what you would expect for a story set in the 50s.

Every once in a while, Elizabeth Berg writes a novel that reminds me why I love reading. This is one of them It's an old-fashioned sentimental coming of age in a small town. It's about a 16 year old boy living in Mason, Mo who lives with his parents and older brother. Arthur Moses (If Berg explained where or when he became Arthur Trulov, I can't recall and it's not in this novel.)

Arthur is not popular; he's not interested in sports; he's not particularly smart. But he is sensitive, caring and polite, He learns from his older brother and from every adult he does small jobs for and is fascinated by nature, particularly trees.

He falls in love with a pretty and popular girl in his high school class who regards him as only a close friend. She, Nola, is really interested in his brother Frank, who is involved in an affair with his high school teacher.Frank is Arthur's mentor and the boys' relationship is fraught with strife involving Frank and his father.

A tragedy and the grief that follows affects the entire Moses family and the pain that leads to healing is very touching and real. You may cry.

I loved every minute of this book and thank Random House and NetGalley for the chance to read and review it prior to publication.

Earth's the Right Place for Love tells the story of the young Arthur Truluv growing up in a small town with small but seemingly large characters: his larger-than-life older brother, his alcoholic father and beleaguered mother, his assortment of oddball friends, and his undying love for Nola, the girl next door who never seems to love him back. As Arthur tries to win over Nola with the help of his brother Frank, he faces a tragedy he never foresaw and realizes that the road to love is longer than he ever expected.

This book is full of trite clichés and truisms that Arthur relies on and adages that his friends and mentors provides for him as he navigates life and love. I often found these grating and commonplace, especially since the story was such a sweet, everyday one that it was heartwarming by itself. It didn't need all these "lessons" and banalities to explain the actual plot, which was its strength. I loved Arthur's actual story, a coming of age story of a boy falling love and growing up and facing tragedy and surviving over a span of years. I also loved the cast of characters, so typical of a small town, people I could have met in my own small town. Adding in the cliches weakened it, in my opinion. This brought a story that could have been a solid 4 or 4.25 to a 3.5 for me.

This poignant and endearing coming-of-age novel is the origin story of Arthur Moses, the wise and wonderful octogenarian from Elizabeth Berg’s marvelous book “The Story of Arthur Truluv” (one of my all-time favorite books!). Here we meet Arthur as a shy and awkward teenager in the late 1940s. We get to know the people and small-town experiences that shaped him. I especially loved the wit and wisdom of the close-knit relationship with his brother Frank. Best of all, we get to watch Arthur fall in love with his lifelong sweetheart, Nola McCollum. The development of Arthur’s unforgettable character is brilliant. Even readers who are meeting Arthur for the first time will enjoy this tender and heartfelt novel, and the gentle way it delivers insightful observations about life and human nature.

Fans of Berg’s “The Story of Arthur Truluv” should run (not walk) to pick up this “prequel” to her Mason, Missouri series! Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the copy of this book to read. This is the first book I’ve read about Arthur and will now read the others. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. The storyline about Frank’s romance was a bit uncomfortable but the rest of the story made up for that for me. Definitely check this book out when it comes out next year. Book number 114 of the year for me was four stars!!

I have not enough words to express how much I loved Arthur Moses: that one of a kind, honest, quirky, smart, sensitive, gentle, introvert sixteen year old boy stole my heart! Each time NolaMcCollum breaks tiny pieces of his heart, I ache and hurt for him!

This is amazing historical fiction, a heartfelt family story! It also questions true nature of love, tight bond of brotherhood, self growth, finding your own space and purpose in life!

Character development was perfect! I loved Arthur and Frank’s relationship even more than Arthur and Nola’s friendship- unrequited love story!

Frank is a looker, aspiring future writer, bold, straightforward, doer as his brother Arthur is observer, empathic, looking at the world from his unique perspective, having encyclopedic knowledge about trees.

Arthur is mostly lonely boy and his best friend is his brother. When the lights go out, they lie in their beds at the room they share and talk about secrets. His brother tells him his dreams to move to NYC to become a writer, his secret relationship with his school teacher, his plans to marry with her in the near future as Arthur tells him he has a big crush on Nola McCollum by omitting the fact that she approached him to give her phone number to Frank for finding out a chance if Frank gets interested to go out with her.

Their father suffer from anger management issues, barely making ends meet and reflecting his anger to Frank! Their dysfunctional relationship affects the family dynamics. The boys sometimes question their mother’s choice to marry with their own father!

Then one day an uneventful tragedy changes everything about their daily peaceful lives!

The book made me so much cry! It hurt me more than I expected! Each character story touched my heart. They were so real and well crafted.

I also loved the conclusion which made me scream: “finally “! I’m dabbing my eyes and getting more thankful to read this brilliant book that healed my soul!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts .

I never forget Arthur Moses who will become future Arthur Truluv!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read Earth's the Right Place for Love by Elizabeth Berg

Elizabeth Berg is a wonderful writer and her series featuring Arthur is my favorite of all she's done. I am so happy for the opportunity to spend time with him again. He is a wise and gentle soul who we could all learn many lessons from.

If you're looking for an easy, feel-good, comfort read, "Earth's the Right Place for Love" will fit the bill. But overall, the characters were just too perfect. It was just all a bit too sweet for me.

A precious, endearing, engaging book of a boy’s first love. The writing is so descriptive I felt I was an observer in the bedroom as Arthur and Frank shared their deepest secrets.


Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this sweet ARC.