The Story of Arthur Truluv - Review

The Story of Arthur Truluv   🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

by Elizabeth Berg
Published August 2017 by Random House
Read 6.24.2017

Some of my greatest reading pleasures have come from Elizabeth Berg, so I was very happy to receive an uncorrected proof on Kindle of her latest offering from NetGalley and Random House.  Now that I've  finished, I  wish I  had the actual  book so I  could give it a big bear hug.  I've  never hugged my tablet before, but I guess I could start now....

No, it's  just not the same but will suffice for now.

There seems to be a trend, as the population ages, for books about old folks, and I found myself comparing Arthur to A Man Called Ove, and Lucille's situation to that in Our Souls at Night.  But let me be clear -- this book is not a knock off.   Ms. Berg's characters and story are not only original, but unique, loving, and expertly crafted from her heart and soul.  I loved Ove, but Arthur is not the cantankerous geezer Ove was. Arthur is his own person, a man grieving and remembering his deceased wife by visiting her grave  every day, but also a man who still loves living.  He honors Nora and their memories, and has no one now but his neighbor, Lucille.  At the cemetery, he meets a troubled teen named Maddy and their friendship transforms both of their lives. 

This book has charm, warmth, and will bring back all the good memories of parents and grandparents now passed.  Home cooking, rose gardens, and family -- the one you were born to or the one you make.  It will tug at your heartstrings.