I was mostly struck that they were an odd combination. No one actually reads Pope anymore. And I think of Our Town is pretty old fashioned too. Just asked my 30 yo kid and he had never heard of it. I think my highschool put it on. Any way I think it was all part of the nostalgic air of the book and particularly of Arthur.
PS I really disliked the nickname Truluv.
Didn’t everyone’s high school do a production of “Our Town” – or at least the high school that those of us “of a certain age” attended, LOL? And @Mary13, it’s funny you mentioned the “Tom Lake” connection. I read that a couple of months ago for my RL Book Club, so also thought of that when I read the epigraph.
I love Our Town. I think it’s timeless. I first saw it as a teenager–at a professional production in Chicago–and had trouble keeping it together during the third act.
Our Town is still very much alive on the theatre circuit. Jim Parsons plays the Stage Manager in the current sold-out Broadway production. I saw him discuss it recently on Colbert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxnLI-U6Lgc
@CBBBlinker, my high school alma mater is putting on the play for their spring production – the more things change, the more they stay the same!
Oh, me too !!!
@Mary13 and @CBBBlinker: I also thought of Tom Lake when I saw the Our Town quote.
I very much liked the Alexander Pope quote.
Since nicknames are mostly spoken, not written down, how do we know it was Truluv not Truelove?
(Literal minds want to know) 
Obviously meant to be TrueLove but I felt Elizabeth Berg behind the scenes manipulating the spelling and Truluv it is.
Admittedly The Story of Arthur Truelove as the book title looks weird, imho.
Who knows maybe Maddie wrote it down numerous times, notes etc, while living in the house?
Yes, I absolutely believe it was Maddy’s doing, whether just in her head or on paper. No way is a teenager going to give some adult a hip (in her mind) nickname and spell it out properly.
Something I particularly liked: Maddie taking to heart Mr. Rogers’ “Look for the helpers.” It helped her through rough times and also helped her to recognize Arthur as a helper (and her teacher.)
I was thinking that even the publisher for Arthur Truluv was having a hard time coming up with discussion questions, considering this is one:
That’s sort of a “What color is Washington’s white horse?” question. Of course, Maddy would name the baby Nola – as a parting gift to her Arthur: her benefactor, mentor and best friend.
We can start selecting our next book (for December) at any time! Maybe something a little meatier…is it time for a classic?
The only classics that are on my to-read list are the newest translation of The Iliad and Wuthering Heights. I just reread Persuasion and could be persuaded to reread Sense and Sensibility.
Meatier, yes.
In my opinion: Time for a classic, no. We usually chose a classic to discuss in February. That way we settle down with something meatier without the holidays interfering. Life settles after Christmas and Jan. weather is conducive to something that takes some thought and time.
I’ll do whatever you guys want, however.
I am also not really up for a classic. For me, considering everything else going on, I would love an escapism book. But that’s what I always like anyways and I know we’ve read some fantasy types lately…
I wouldn’t mind a science fiction classic like Asimov or Clark! (Admittedly many of them are relatively sexist.)
I’ve never read Robinson Crusoe…
Just popping in to say I finished the book, really liked it (even though it is a bit fantasy-ish). Part of the appeal was that I listened to the audio version, read by the author… with all her intendeded dialog intonations etc.
I’m open to any genre / title for December choice. This group has interesting comments regardless of what we read.
I would really appreciate a book without death as a theme or subtheme. I stopped reading the TruLuv book due to too much time spent in the cemetery.
Same! I’m happy to wait until February for a classic, as we’ve done before (Anna Karenina is one I’d like to re-read someday. Also, not romantic, but I’ve never read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I don’t know why that popped into my head. 
)
We can also choose a contemporary (i.e., 20th century) classic at some point. @Marilyn, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Asimov or Clarke.
@MMRose, yes, let’s try to stay out of the cemetery!
Frankenstein is a fascinating book, and it’s so much more than the popular idea of it! Mary Shelley started writing it when she was just a teenager, as her part in a competition among friends (including Lord Byron and her future husband Percy Shelley) as to who could write the best horror story.
Anyhow, it’s in the public domain (Project Gutenberg), and there are probably a zillion copies in libraries. I’d love to reread it with this group.
So I guess Frankenstein would be dealing with undead instead of dead?
I’m tired of death, so please prefer no death, violent or otherwise for next book. Thanks!
Okay, we can push off the undead option until February, when we’ll consider a classic. If we want a romantic movie-tie in, we could watch “Bride of Frankenstein”. 
So that means we need suggestions for December! @HImom, I can’t promise no death because I usually haven’t read our choices in advance and it’s hard to avoid it in … well, in almost any book (to varying degrees).
Here are books that have been recommended to me lately that might fit the bill:
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
You Are Here by David Nicholls
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
James by Percival Everett
God of the Woods by Liz Moore (a mystery, so death could very well be a plot point, but I’m throwing it in because I hear it’s a page-turner)
Thoughts? Vetoes? Other titles?
By the way, if You Are Here is appealing to anyone (not necessarily as a book club choice, just in general), it’s a Kindle special today for $2.99.
I just read The Ministry of Time and really enjoyed it, but there a number of deaths.
If there’s interest in a sci fi classic, there’s I, Robot by Isaac Asimov.