A Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This endearing story is about unlikely friendships, strength of community, and how even the smallest acts of kindness can change someone's life.

A follow up to the delightful The Story of Arthur Truluv, Berg centralizes this novel around Lucille Howard, Arthur Moses' former neighbour/friend/roommate.  Lucille is an active eighty-eight-year-old former teacher that teaches banking classes out of her home, thanks to the inspiration from her recently departed dear friend, Arthur.  Her baking is groan-worthy and her classes have become so popular that she is forced to hire an assistant.  Iris is the newest resident of Mason, Missouri, and although she knows nothing about baking, she is a quick study and just what Lucille needs.  It also turns out that Lucille is just the distraction Iris needs to keep her mind off the life-altering decision she made that brought her to Mason.

A lovely young couple lives in Lucille's old house which is next door.  When faced with a tragedy, Lucille steps in to help look after the couple's son, Lincoln.  In a small town like Mason, the residents support their own and come together in the spirit of community. 

Night of Miracles is incredibly heartwarming.  Writing from multiple viewpoints, Berg pens characters that are charming despite their flaws.  She captures more of your heart on each page while weaving the plot into a beautiful and touching story.  The book is a quick and easy read that is whimsical and lighthearted, a feel-good book that was just what I needed.       

My only criticism was that Maddy wasn't as integral as she should/could have been.  Perhaps this was deliberate in that Berg was letting her evolve on her own, or maybe she held back a little on her storyline because Maddy will be the basis of another installment?  Wouldn't that be fantastic?! 

I've been asked if you need to read the first book first, or whether this book could function as a standalone book.  My answer is that I do think you should read The Story of Arthur Truluv first, not only because it is equally enjoyable, but it does give you more context so that this story doesn't come off as too simplistic because there is so much more to the recurring characters.

The book is a quick and easy read that is whimsical and lighthearted, a feel-good book that was just what I needed.  

The Story of Arthur Truluv A Novel by Elizabeth Berg

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the same vein as A Man Called Ove, Berg's latest novel doesn't disappoint.  This delightful, easy read is about three people whose lives intersect because of loss.  Arthur is a widow that visits his dead wife's grave every day to have lunch with her; it is here that he meets Maddy, a teenager who hides out in the cemetery to avoid high school.  Although they are an odd pairing, Berg's character development brings their relationships with loss and loneliness to an end and in its place, creates a beautiful friendship.  Lucille is Arthur's neighbour.  She is incredibly forward and the epitome of a nosy neighbour, but totally endearing.  Fresh from a loss of her own, she becomes part of their makeshift family.

My only criticism is that I wanted more from the relationships.  I wanted more Nola and Arthur, and more of Maddy and her father.  If Berg had fleshed out these relationships, the story wouldn't be so saccharin-sweet. 

The Dream Lover: A Novel of George Sand by Elizabeth Berg

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The reviews for this book are all over the map, and my opinion is much of the same. Some of it I really liked, while other parts I skimmed through. Berg writes in first person, alternating between Sand's childhood, and almost present day (the time she decides to leave her husband for a life in Paris). I don't think the alternating between past and present each chapter was effective in that it was confusing at times and I wasn't sure the purpose. Berg could have easily done the story in two separate parts. What was interesting to me was her search for love and acceptance, with remarkable insights into her heart and brilliant mind.