That would have been a nice touch – although terribly bittersweet! I loved Arthur’s “channeling” of the deceased. He says the stories are imagined, but they feel very real. I think they were real, a foreshadowing that Arthur is close to joining them, and his soon-to-be friend group is beginning to introduce itself.
And then he has to laugh at himself, at the realness of his imagination. Still, he looks over his shoulder as he walks away, and there is something (p. 188).
I also enjoyed the story but agree that it wasn’t lighthearted.
Yes, I wanted more with Maddy and her father also, but I’m glad there was a start. I would have loved to see Arthur connect with Maddy’s mom.
The other relationship that didn’t feel final at the end was Anderson’s relationship with Maddy. He certainly came across as someone who would be interfering in Maddy and Nola’s life whenever he needed attention.
I also wish the character of Maddy’s dad had been fleshed out a bit more. With the little we knew of him, I could only sadly think, “What a waste of a life.” An eternal paralysis of grief is certainly not what his wife would have wanted for him or their daughter. I’m sure it was presented as a contrast to Arthur, who also grieved daily, but used what Nola had given him to continuing spreading that love rather than bottling it up.
Sadly, I’m to be the grump of this group. I found the book to be okay at best, formulaic/predictable. In many ways, it seemed more fantasy than many fantasies I read. Truly, who among us would let an annoying next-door neighbor move in the next day, setting up her possessions in our house and taking over.
To be fair, I understand why those who like it do.
On the other hand, I opened the book expecting “light-hearted” as did @Mary13 and got something other. The author wanted to tug on heart-strings and worked the narrative with that in mind.
@ignatius, you couldn’t be a grump if you tried. 
You’re right – it’s a formulaic fairy tale. Occasionally, I’ll watch a movie with my sister and complain that it’s the same old formula and she always says, “The formula exists because it works!”
I read an article that called the predictable steps of a formula “established plot beats.” I like that wording because it reminds me of music. There’s often something satisfying about listening to a song you already know really well.
Once the story got going, I knew where it was headed, but there were two things that I was fuzzy about in the beginning. I don’t know if the writing was off or if Berg was creating a red herring on purpose:
One was that I thought Lucille’s love interest was going to turn out to be a con-man, there to woo her and and wipe out her bank account. As @momofboiler1 noted, that romance fell flat.
The second is that I initially thought that Maddy was going to turn out to not be pregnant – like she was lying about the test or was having a hysterical pregnancy. Otherwise, why the plot point of giving her an…ahem…unconventional way of getting pregnant? (keeping it G-rated here)
Based on the title Arthur “Truelove” , and it was this month’s selection as an “ uplifting “ choice, I knew it would have a happy ending, feel good book. So I expected the formula.
But, was thrown early in the book, with the, shall we say in Mary13 terms, a very non G rated sexual act occured. Mmmmmmm I realized this was going to be a more complicated novel.
My heart broke for Mandy, so needing love and attention, her abject loneliness and extreme desperation.
And, then so many grieving and dysfunctional relationships, I doubted if the ride was worth the feel good - uplifting parts.
It was worth it, because their lives fit together like puzzle pieces, ( as Ignatius points out “ fantasy like” moments) but, with a title like “ Truluv,I expected wonderful acts of kindness.
Lucille, her high school boyfriend, sexual awakening and his sudden death, was a weakness. As Mary13 mentioned it would have been more interesting had he been a con man, living different lives, maybe with a couple other wives tucked away, but alas, I guess his role was to make Lucille more vulnerable ? Relatable as another grieving character ?
I read the book in two day, two weeks ago,and much has faded.It was a page turner, I needed to know what happened, but I doubt I would read the sequel.
@momofboiler1 I , too, cried needing many tissues!
I just zipped through Elizabeth Strouts,Tell me Everything, and admit her writing, her character are now coloring my memory of Truluv, and not in the best way.
I was surprised as I thought we would have a happier book in contrast to the prior book which had so many violent deaths. In some ways, this was a bittersweet book but it had its happy parts.
All in all, it was OK but definitely not a book I would have chosen on my own. Arthur was a very sweet soul who couldn’t really get over the loss of Nola, until he finally joined her. It was great he helped rescue Maddy and helped her reconcile with her dad. It’s not a book I felt up to re-reading.
I really did love this book. It was uplifting, bittersweet melancholic, and joyous at the same time. As another poster mentioned, I did find glimpses of "A Man Called Ove"in the book, although the characters are very different.
I love how the book bridges the generation gap. How unique is the bond between Arthur and Maddy --through a chance meeting at a cemetery no less!
Although to a passerby, it may look like Lucille does nothing but sit on her porch watching the world go by, and Arthur has nothing to look forward to but tending his garden — they have rich lives with unique skills, deep love, complex thoughts and extraordinary perceptions. And they turned a suicidal teenager’s life into something glorious!
I didn’t hate it but didn’t love it either. Like the book, I’ve got nothing particularly to add to the conversation.
(That came out snarkier than intended!)
I was discomforted by Maddy’s father. I can certainly understand his grief over the loss of his wife and how Maddy felt responsible because she knew she reminded him of her mother. But I can’t fathom that the father was completely withdrawn from Maddy during her first few years of life. Babies are especially designed to bring out nurturing behavior in their caretakers. If the father was as withdrawn from her as a baby the way he was withdrawn from her as a teen, I don’t think she would have turned out as “normal” as she did.
But overall I was enchanted by the book. And it definitely reminded me of A Man Called Ove.
I’ll go sit with @ignatius. I found the book overly sentimental. The characters not really believable. Who would invite a neighbor they didn’t really like to live with them. I got really tired of all the imaging stuff at gravestones. And don’t even get me started on teenage pregnancy can be a good thing!
I finished the book more than a month ago, so I just read through the comments to refresh my mind. I had completely forgotten about Lucille’s rekindled romance (but vividly recalled her sad wig worn askew). Isn’t it interesting how memory works!
It was a bit too sweet for me; my critiques pretty much line up with @mathmom’s. Do you know how sometimes when you read a great book, the characters feel so authentic that they live in your mind long afterward? That never happened for me here. I always sensed the author’s presence, manipulating her characters like chess pieces toward a satisfying ending.
Even so … with war in the Middle East, devastating floods after Hurricane Helene*, and a vice presidential debate to gnash over tonight, I am not unhappy to have a touch of sweetness in my life, and as always, this great group to discuss with!
(*not directly affecting me, I should add, but definitely affecting some people I love)
@jollymama, I hope all the people you love are safe and well!
I think those who liked the book and those who didn’t actually observed the same characteristics, but soaked them up differently. A too-sweet fairy tale can be cloying or refreshing, depending on your current mood, your last read, your next read, and your tolerance for suspension of disbelief.
I enjoyed The Story of Arthur Truluv and while it wouldn’t be a re-read for me, I will definitely tuck Arthur himself into that corner of my brain where favorite characters like to congregate.
I thought the book was fine, but I wasn’t terribly impressed. It did remind me of A Man Called Ove, but it didn’t measure up to that book.
I’m a sentimentalist, so I love happy endings, and I enjoy a bit of magic or mystery. But in this book, I was disappointed with what I saw as poorly drawn characters. None of them seemed real to me.
Arthur is at one moment presented as being maybe a little dull intellectually, and at the next, very wise, but it didn’t gel. As for Maddy, we’re told that she is bullied at school, but we really don’t see why. Not that bullying is justifiable, but we should have seen some behaviors that the other students reacted poorly to (beyond grief). I could go on.
I’m not sorry I read it, but this volume wouldn’t compel me to seek out more books by Berg.
I think she’s hit or miss. I read Range of Motion many years ago and remember liking it; then I read Dream When You’re Feeling Blue and thought it was pretty awful. She’s prolific – 30 novels.
The truth is that my books are like children to me, and I really do love them all. However, I have a special affection for The Story of Arthur Truluv. Books – Elizabeth Berg
I think I was the one who asked for an upbeat cheerful happy ending book - oops! I feel like several others - well enough but not memorable. The fact that conversation tapered off so quickly suggests there wasn’t much depth to explore, or connections to uncover.
Based on the suggestions from last time, I not only read Abbi Waxman’s The Garden of Small Beginnings, but five other of her books and enjoyed them all. There is character crossover so it’s like a group of friends, each with their own story. Lots of humor and cheerfulness and yes, happy endings.
But as with this book, not sure there was a lot of depth for discussion.
Well, I’m in the “I really enjoyed this book” group. (Or is there even a group?) Sometimes I just read a book and enjoy it for what it is, without a lot of analysis. Is the storyline oversimplified and somewhat unrealistic? Sure. IMO, though, that’s true for a lot of books. And I’m often a sucker for happy endings. I can list a number of the same criticisms of the book others have already made, but sometimes I just don’t care to go there!
I’m aware we selected a feel good book this time, but there are two aspects of the book, I found very troubling.
Maddy’s alienation, and loneliness, her horrible experiences being bullied in school, made me think of the type of kids who end up as mass shooters. I never thought Maddy would become a school shooter, but her life reminded me of the profiles of the troubled angry white males who do seek revenge on classmates and even teachers. Berg published this book in 2017, and these were my thoughts in 2024 reading about Maddy’s life.
Another disturbing aspect of this book, the glorification of teenage pregnancy, as mentioned by Mathmom.
It seems like having a baby was Maddy’s solution to her loveless life.
How many troubled, abused teen girls may think like this ?
Magically, Arthur and Lucille provide the loving home for Maddy, so very different from the experiences in the real world of teenage pregnancies.
I read this book long before the book club selection. I’m in the “really enjoyed the book” club.
Some teen pregnancies DO have happy endings. And for some women DO fill a hole or provide a purpose in an otherwise unsatisfying life. It’s a tough road for sure for many. But I didn’t find this plot unbelievable (I also worked for years with teen moms so maybe my viewpoint is/can be different).
I remember feeling like the story was painted so vividly of the neighborhood “family”. Sort of like the way in Lessons In Chemistry did with Elizabeth and Harriet Sloane. I liked that aspect of the book.
I could have written @CBBBlinker’s post; that’s exactly how I feel.
When everything started coming up roses for Maddy, I first thought “I hope no troubled teen uses this as a guidebook – pregnancy isn’t the answer.” And JSMC’s post went even darker – it’s a sad commentary on our times when a feel-good book with too-good-to-be true characters can still stir up the deep-seated fears we all have about school shooters.
But I get it. As I started thinking about all the realistic outcomes of Maddy’s childhood neglect and teen pregnancy, I had to stop, give myself a mental shake and say – “Just read the story, enjoy it for what it is, and categorize it in the fairy tale department. There’s nothing wrong with a fairy tale.”
That said, the book isn’t entirely fairy tale – meaning that we probably each have a personal story of something serendipitous we experienced; a moment where a knotty problem was suddenly and joyfully solved; or an encounter with a person who left an impact we never expected. It’s just that in real life, those experiences are usually brief moments to savor, not our story’s entire trajectory.