“I dare you to read this novel and not fall in love with Arthur Truluv. His story will make you laugh and cry, and will show you a love that never ends, and what it means to be truly human.”—Fannie FlaggAn emotionally powerful novel about three people who each lose the one they love most, only to find second chances where they least expect them“Fans of Meg Wolitzer, Emma Straub, or [Elizabeth] … Wolitzer, Emma Straub, or [Elizabeth] Berg’s previous novels will appreciate the richly complex characters and clear prose. Redemptive without being maudlin, this story of two misfits lucky to have found one another will tug at readers’ heartstrings.”—Booklist
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.
Praise for The Story of Arthur Truluv
“For several days after [finishing The Story of Arthur Truluv], I felt lifted by it, and I found myself telling friends, also feeling overwhelmed by 2017, about the book. Read this, I said, it will offer some balance to all that has happened, and it is a welcome reminder we’re all neighbors here.”—Chicago Tribune
“Not since Paul Zindel’s classic The Pigman have we seen such a unique bond between people who might not look twice at each other in real life. This small, mighty novel offers proof that they should.”—People, Book of the Week
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Elizabeth Berg’s characters jump right off the page and into your heart. I dare you to read this novel and not fall in love with Arthur Truluv. His story will make you laugh and cry, and will show you a love that never ends, and what it means to be truly human.
I don’t know if I’ve ever read a more affecting book about the natural affinity between the young and the elderly than Elizabeth Berg’s The Story of Arthur Truluv. It makes the rest of us — strivers and preeners and malcontents — seem almost irrelevant.
This book was a sweet story of a lonely widower and young, unhappy, unloved teenager. They meet and are wary of each other but soon they see traits in each other that draw them together.
I loved the humanity of the book. I had a good feeling about the world when I finished the book.
My book club also loved the boos.
For fans of A Man Called Ove and uplifting fiction.
The real mystery in life is the human heart. This love story between two octogenarians and an eighteen-year-old girl reveals the heart with so much depth and compassion and wry wit that one reading doesn’t suffice. Imagine a world in which an 85-year-old widower who visits his wife’s grave daily opens his heart and his home to a pregnant girl unsure she was ever loved by her own wounded father. Enter Lucille, bossy, facing a life of being alone after the sudden death of her fiance. How the three of them learn to live, grow, and love together is a testament to the human spirit. The title is a reveal of the entire, memorable book. If you’re looking to read only one book this year, read Arthur Truluv.
The story begins with a lonely old widower at his wife’s grave. He’s kind and you like him. So you follow him through his bereavement and loneliness to a delightful life of very different people who normally wouldn’t end up together. I loved it!
I just fell in love with the characters in this book. It was not at all what I expected in a novel but it tugged at my heart strings. Kudos to the author, Elizabeth Berg. She really knows how to tell a story.
A sweet and sentimental story of three misfits who come together to form a unique family. A family that sustains them and completes them.
hanky worthy
I found this gem in a Little Free Library. I had heard it was pretty good so I picked it up.
I instantly loved Arthur and his kind and caring ways. I was touched by his visits to his wife’s grave and how openly he welcomed Maddy into his life and heart.
Lucille took a bit longer for me to connect with. She is one of those characters that can be a bit much to take and I think that’s made obvious by how Maddy first relates to her. But like Maddy, I grew to love Lucille too.
I’m not a fan of Maddy’s dad…I know that he had a hard time or whatever, but I just see no excuse for his treatment of Maddy. I wanted to cry at several times reading about their relationship.
Arthur is my favorite, so I must go back to him. The way he just lets people into his life, the way he cares so openly and honestly about other people and is so accepting is just beautiful. I think his story will touch those of many ages.
I was given an advance reader copy from Netgalley.com to read for an honest review. I want to thank the publisher, Random House LLC and NetGalley for giving me this wonderful gift.
I was drawn to the story from the synopsis I read while searching through the books available to request. 1. I have always loved “old people”. I believe they should be cherished as the treasures they are. 2. I have had enormous loss of close loved ones and I believe in a presents of them in my life even though they are not here anymore. 3. I believe your family are the people that care about you in your life, not the ones that have a blood tie to you. 4. I find peace in cemeteries. I immediately thought of my grandfather visiting my grandmother’s grave site with a birthday cake for her.
So, I came to the story with high expectations. I wanted it to be a story to warm my heart and soul and maybe heal me a little bit too. I can say that it did all that and more. I feel like I added four more people (and a cat) to my family, or at least wish I could add them to my family.
The synopsis is readily available, so I don’t usually add that to my review. I write about how I felt about the writing of the story and the impact it had on me.
This story was like a warm cozy blanket to wrap in on a cold day. That feeling of security and love. Although each character has pain in their lives when we meet them and it does not go away completely, they find each other and are open to change the course of their lives. It shows that if you are hurting, “to look for helpers”. There are people out in the world that will embrace and support you to carry on. Second chances can be wonderful.
This was the first book I read by Elizabeth Berg. I loved her writing style. I loved so many specific lines she wrote. I loved the images she made in my mind, which continue to be popping up now for days. I loved the world she created with this book. I was so engrossed reading, anxious to know the entire story of Arthur Truluv and I was sad to leave this world when I finished the book.
I want to count Arthur, Nola, Lucille, Maddy and Gordon as part of my family now. I also want to thank Elizabeth Berg for making this world for me to experience.
A very real look at the sadness of aging and the joy of Children. A delightfuf mix of the two. While the book started off rather slowly, but turned into a rather unforgettable story. In a honest and unvarnished way, it deals with issues of aging, loneliness, and loss but does so in a way that shows us we are never quite as alone as we may think we are. Highly recommended.
After reading two books in a row that underwhelmed me (yes that’s a word) I picked up this book. Elizabeth Berg is one of my favourite authors and this book was an exemplary example of why. She has a way with words and characters. She makes them real, poignant and interesting. She weaves a story that pulls you into a world you never want to leave. My only complaint about this book was that it was too short. I wanted to spend more time with Arthur, Maddy and Lucille. But Elizabeth, with her deft touch, knows exactly when to end this story and how. Read this book to smile, cry a little and just feel like life is wonderful.
I loved this book, an easy read with a happy ending. Who could want anything more?
Bittersweet & tender with delightful characters you wish you could meet in person.
Elizabeth Ber writes about characters you want to know. A joy
I loved this book. Great character and story. Didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend.
This book made me happy
The most heart warming story I have read in a long time. The most beautiful of love stories.
The unusual characters are a delight! I wanted to be entwined in their story!
I loved this book. It is about how people–even broken people–can help heal each other with nothing more than kindness. We need more people like Arthur in the world!