USA TODAY BESTSELLER • An uplifting novel about friendship, surprising revelations, and a second chance at love, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv. When a group of friends in Mason, Missouri, decide to start a monthly supper club, they get more than they bargained for. The plan for congenial evenings—talking, laughing, and sharing recipes, homemade food, and … and sharing recipes, homemade food, and wine—abruptly changes course one night when one of the women reveals something startlingly intimate. The supper club then becomes Confession Club, and the women gather weekly to share not only dinners but embarrassing misdeeds, deep insecurities, and long-held regrets.
They invite Iris Winters and Maddy Harris to join, and their timing couldn’t be better. Iris is conflicted about her feelings for a charming but troubled man, and Maddy has come back home from New York to escape a problem too big to handle alone. The club offers exactly the kind of support they need to help them make some difficult decisions.
The Confession Club is charming, heartwarming, and inspiring. And as in the previous books that take place in Mason, readers will find friendship, community, and kindness on full display.
Advance praise for The Confession Club
“[A] feel-good testament to taking risks, falling love, and reinvention . . . Berg effortlessly wraps her arms around this busy universe of quirky characters with heartbreaking secrets and unflagging faith. . . . Readers new to Berg’s Mason will be dazzled by this bright and fascinating story, and fans will be cheering for the next volume.”—Publishers Weekly
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O, Elizabeth Berg, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…:)
Yet again, her charm and wit and grace notes demonstrate the beauty of small, quiet books that fill the mind and heart. The inhabitants of Mason, Missouri never cease to make me smile, make me hurt for them, make me laugh out loud at the saucy reality of them, never more than in this book about a group of women who meet weekly to confess: regrets, fears, misbehaviors large and small. Beloved characters from previous Mason books appear, and new ones grab the heart.
Berg has been making magic for the heart and mind for years, and I for one would share any discoveries of secrets to longevity with her immediately, so that I can look forward to many more of the jewels she creates.
One of my favorite authors! Always enjoy reading her books.
A wide range of believable characters dealing with challenges, supporting each other and forging their way.
I loved the way the author fleshed out the characters. I kept hoping about the ending, and was very satisfied. The characters were not always someone you would like, but the way you came to understand them was remarkable. I heartily recommend this book.
I love the characters in this series and the new characters that were introduced. Mason is the ideal small town where neighbors help neighbors and they help strangers too. In this installment we meet several other town residents who are members of the confession club. These ladies support each other and help each other with problems and they allow Maddy and Iris to join when they have a few openings. The women are all different ages and have been through different things and are able to provide different perspectives on problems. Although this is the last book in the trilogy, any of the books can be read as a stand alone, but they are all so good that I would recommend reading all three.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Mason books and all the people of the town I got to know. These stories focus on love, friendship, acceptance, community, and second chances. They are such a needed respite from the ugliness in the world today.
In this book the women find a safe place to share their feelings and fears and concerns. The “club” members offer listening ears and true support for one another. Oh, that we would all have a group of friends like that.
I am so glad I read this set of books.
I love this series!
Entertaining series!
Book #3 returns to the small town of Mason where Iris has taken over the baking classes, Maddy has returned from New York, and there’s a new ladies group called The Confession Club.
The writing style, and pace of the previous novels, is maintained as new characters are intermingled into the original storyline.
There is a little drama and a few minor twists, but the plot is mostly lighthearted.
Warm and endearing with a big helping of sweetness, this book is comfort food for your mind.
Light enjoyable read. Wish she had dealt a little more into the characters. It wasn’t so much of a confession club as a continuation of her second book.
I prepared a cheat sheet from the very beginning of the names of the characters and a little of their history. Or I would have been lost as the story line jumps back and forth.
Elizabeth Bern is back!!! Loved her early work. Will never forget TALK BEFORE SLEEP, THE PULL OF THE MOON, This is a lovely book.
The third book of a wonderful trilogy. Excellent writing. Would love to read more books about these characters
I didn’t think this book was up to Elizabeth Berg’s usual high standards.
The Confession Club was such a good read! It is a touching story about friends trusting other friends and finding help rather than judgement when sharing their “confessions” with their friends.
The caring among these characters and the help they offered was wonderful. I think everyone wishes they had a group of friends like these ladies.
Pick up The Confession Club and prepare to wish these ladies were in your life!
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC at my request. All thoughts in this review are my own.
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I received a free electronic copy of this contemporary novel from Netgalley, Elizabeth Berg, and Random House Publishers. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Confession Club of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I urge friends and family to read this book. It will have you laughing, crying, and seeing your own life through a happiness filter.
I received an ARC for Elizabeth Berg’s ‘Talk Before Sleep’ in 1993 and fell in love with her prose. And then there was ‘Range of Motion’! What heartbreaking tales featuring the warmth and caring of humankind! The ‘Confession Club’ is another excellent example of this. Elizabeth Berg can play your heartstrings with just a sentence or two. In this latest Berg novel, we have women ranging in age from their thirties to their seventies in this little insular town of Mason, Missouri who years ago started the Third Sunday Supper Club, alternating meetings at members kitchens. Membership was ideally limited to eight as that is all that can be seated at their kitchen tables.
As the ladies became more comfortable with one another they began sharing secrets, then meeting more often, and they eventually became the weekly Wednesday Night Confession Club. Because you always feel better when your secrets, recent or in the deep dark past, aren’t just yours any longer. And you trust they won’t go beyond these club members. The ladies take turns hosting each week, sharing a sin, big or little, after supper and dessert. They discuss thoroughly this sin and share ideas or shared common sins and then end the meeting by everyone saying ‘Go in peace’. This also eventually evolved into ‘Go in Peach’ (thanks to Leah) and was accompanied by this week’s confessor wearing home the club forgiveness symbol, a delicate peach scarf.
Joanie Benson is a divorcee and 65, the town’s recently retired librarian with severe arthritis. She is a ‘native’ Masonite along with 69-year-old Gretchen Buckwalter, owner of the local grocery store. Rosemary Doleman is 58, more ‘glamorous’ than the others, the wife of the local Chevrolet dealer who is a bit spoiled and is turning 60 in 18 months. She has to get used to saying ‘almost sixty’, and it will take time. Dodie Hicks is ‘north of seventy’, though she won’t say how far north, dyes her hair deep black and wears alarming makeup. Anne McCrae is 74 and she and Leah Short live in the local retirement home. Leah is their senior member at 77. Toots Stout is 47 and the newly elected president of the town council. She does her best to keep order among club members whether they like it, or not. Karen Lungren, 35, is the minister’s wife and the youngest member of the Confession Club. She often has to remind the ladies that her husband is the pastor – she is just the wife and not necessarily bound by the same rules. Together, these ladies are hilarious and very, very touching. They offer each other joy and forgiveness and lots of humor and goodwill – but change is in the wind. Will it be the same when Anne and Leah move to a retirement home in sunny Arizona next month?
Iris Winters is a relative newcomer to Mason, a Boston transplant pushing 50, also divorced, who teaches a baking class for local women in the kitchen of her rented home once a week. Club member Joanie is a student of Iris’ weekly baking class and gets Iris involved with the club when Joanie needs a Black Cake (Thank you, ‘The Belle of Amherst’ and Emily Dickinson) as promised for her turn hosting the club meeting -but winds up not having time to bake the complicated cake and the already baking stew for their supper as well.
Raised by her father after her mother’s death when she was a baby, Maddy Harris is in her twenties and previously a resident of Mason but now a New York professional photographer and has inherited the house Iris is renting. Maddy along with her seven-year-old daughter Nola is visiting Iris, perhaps for the summer, but with the thought of returning to Mason to live. Maddy accompanies Iris as she delivers the famous Black Cake dessert to the meeting already in progress, and is recognized and welcomed by the older members. within minutes, Maddy is opening up to these ladies, the only mother figures she had as a child, anxious to see if they can help her with her complicated relationship with her much-loved husband Matthew, left behind in New York.
Then we have John Loney, a Vietnam vet needing to be homeless who, while hitchhiking cross country from Chicago to California, spies a deserted farmhouse set back off the road in the Missouri woods that speaks to him. He has the trucker providing his latest ride let him off and with his small backpack virtually moves into the old abandoned farm for a spell, planning to move on in a few days. Or maybe weeks. Or, you know, when his newly planted tomatoes ripen. And then he meets Iris.
This is my first book of Elizabeth Berg’s that I have read. I did not realize it was the third book in a series. After receiving it, I looked it up and took the advice that it could be a stand alone book. After the first two chapters, I was not sure that I wanted to continue. I rolled my eyes as I read that a woman’s supper group turned into a group of women meeting weekly as a Confession Club and the women took turns making a confession. I read on as I received an ARC from NetGalley and Random House.
I am so glad that I did. This is really the story of Iris, Maddy, Nola and John. The main lesson of this book is that we are all interconnected on this planet, and we all have insecurities, problems, and the ability to help each other. This book touched my heart. I am certainly going to read the first two books in this series. Thank you Elizabeth Berg for this delightful, although frustrating at times, the laughs and the tears that this book evoked for this reader.
We are again invited back to the small town of Mason, Missouri (once home to the now deceased Arthur Truluv), and the welcoming, interesting, and ever-helpful people who live there. I for one thoroughly enjoy my visits there!
The Confession Club, originally started as a monthly supper club by eight women who had met in Iris Winters baking classes, has transformed into a weekly Confession Club. The women are a variety of ages, occupations and at various points in their lives. Each hostess provides supper, and on rotating turns, one of the women confesses something bad she did, while the others give her their full attention. After the woman reveals her secret, the others discuss it with her. While this may seem rather odd, the relief of unburdening oneself of something held secret which has chafed at your sense of self, followed by being accepted as you are, flaws, misdeeds and all, bring a sense of healing and deeper friendship to each member of the club. We are brought closer to one another by our weaknesses and vulnerability. I loved the camaraderie, the openness, honesty and support of the club members. Anyone who has ever been part of a group like this knows what a treasure it is!
Berg sets scenes beautifully, and once again excels at capturing a wider range of emotions realistically. She expounds on the virtues of living in a small town where you are know by most, if not all, offered help when needed (without needing to ask for help and no matter the situation), where people take care of one another and do the right thing. Spending time with a book written by Elizabeth Berg is like curling on the couch with a cup of tea and a dear friend. You may not know what the topic will be, but you know it will be handled openly, honestly and with utmost care.
Take a trip to Mason, Missouri with The Confession Club. I know you’ll enjoy it!!
So grateful to NetGalley, the author and Random House for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exhange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
This is book #3 in the Mason, Missouri series by this author who really knows how to tell a great story. Although this is third in the series, this book can definitely be read as a standalone. I did enjoy cameo referrals to Arthur Truluv and to Lucille. The story is basically one of a group of women, ages 20-80 who meet weekly to have a meal or dessert and to confess to each other what they think that they have done wrong that week. The Confession Club, although it is the title of the book, is not the real story of the book. There is nothing scintillating or salacious at the Confession Club. It’s part of the story, but not the whole one. The real tale is that of the women who are lonely or seeking love or running away from someone. The characters were not totally well-developed, but the main characters certainly were. Maddy and Iris took center stage and were extremely lovable and made me want to just reach out to hug them. The fact that they ladies all had a swear jar and used the money to donate books to the library just touched my heart. My favorite character was John, a Vietnam war veteran who is suffering from PTSD and whom Iris befriends. Fans of Berg will not want to miss this one; it is women’s literature at its best!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Wow! How do I review this without spoilers? Positively NAILS life as a single woman after 60. I received a paperback ARC and polished it off in a week. This voluntary review is my own opinion.
I received this digital ARC from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an unbiased review.
With characters gathered from the prior two novels, a group of women from Iris’s cooking class organize a group for “confessions”. They rotate their meetings and serve a dinner appropriate for the occasion. Each night to dedicated to a particular member who can share a secret or concern to unburden herself. The group’s goal is offer confidential support and advice to their fellow members.
The story continues as Maddy Harris returns from New York where she needs a respite from her busy life. She moves in with Iris Winters who has since begun to care for the house in her absence. Iris has continued with the cooking lessons started by her friend and mentor Lucille. The group decides to allow Maddy and Iris into their exclusive group where support and understanding are the ingredients for their recipe of friendship.