One where you finish and just think awwwwww, in joy and sadness. One of those books that we all sometimes need. This is one of those feel good books, their is no great depth of characterization because there isn't meant to be, this is just centered on a certain spate of time and how it changed everything and those involved. Underneath though are some important themes, the loneliness of the elderly, the importance of family, the one you make, and the one you were born into, the desperation of those who feel that they do not fit in anywhere, and friendship, how extending friendship even those with a huge generation gap, can make a huge difference. This is a sentimental read, a sweet and simply told story. These three people will come to play important roles in each others lives. Lillian, is Arthur's elderly next door neighbor, she bakes the most amazing things, but is lonely. This is where he meets Maddy, 17, doesn't seem to fit in anywhere, not at home where it is just her and her father and certainly not at school. He misses his wife terribly, she passed on the year before ands everyday he goes to the cemetery, taking his lunch and lawn chair, to spend time by her grave.

My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.ģ.5 It is hard not to absolutely adore Arthur, an 82 year old gentlemen.

In the acknowledgements, Berg quotes her editor as saying she needs an Arthur in her life and Berg responds, me, too. It’s all about how we can find our families through happenstance, luck or just next door. I think if you liked any of them, you will also enjoy this book. The book has elements in common with Our Souls at Night, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine or A Man Called Ove. “She wonders what her funeral would be like.what would her father say? If he were honest, he’d say just four words: I never knew her.”

Lucille is Arthur’s elderly neighbor who has never been married.īerg does a wonderful job capturing the pain of bullying. There, he meets Maddy, a 17 year old who is unpopular and doesn’t have much of a family life. Arthur is an 85 year old widow who visits his wife’s cemetery plot every day for lunch. Every now and then I need to take a break from the mysteries and find something that reminds me how sweet life can be.

The life of arthur truluv