Night of Miracles

September 1, 2018
Berg's sequel to TheStory of Arthur Truluv (2017) checks in with Arthur's friends, neighbors, and beneficiaries.When the saintly Arthur Moses, dubbed "Truluv" by his de facto ward, Maddy, dies, he leaves behind a legacy of kindness. Maddy inherited Arthur's Mason, Missouri, home, now occupied rent-free by Lucille, his elderly former neighbor. Lucille is the central figure of this installment, although, judging from her dream visitations by the angel of death, it won't be long before she follows Arthur and her own late beloved, Frank, into the afterlife. For the nonce, however, Lucille's baking talent has led to a popular class hosted in her kitchen, and her cakes are hotly sought after by Polly's Henhouse, a local diner. The Henhouse is the site of one major subplot: Iris, a well-off resale maven from Boston, notices that Monica, a waitress, and Tiny, a regular, appear to have a crush on each other but are each too shy to act. Iris and Lucille share a longing for the children each, for different reasons, never had. Iris' decision was compelled by her ex-husband, Ed, now remarried--with child!--whence her flight to a small town. Seeking distraction, Iris answers Lucille's call for an assistant. The deepest dives are into Lucille's sugar- and fat-laden creations--no diabetes fears here. Link, short for Lincoln, Lucille's neighbor, is raised by vegetarians and must be disabused of such scruples by Lucille, who babysits for him while his mother, Abby, receives treatment for leukemia. We long for more substance as Berg touches on, but does not really engage, topics like aging, mortality, and America's obsession with appearance. She never acknowledges the contradictions--or the opportunities--presented by Iris' strange compulsion to forgive Ed, Lucille's devil-may-care attitude toward buttercream, the weight issues Tiny and Monica share, and the fact that the person with the healthiest diet gets cancer. In this small town, truisms prevail over truth every time.Psychological realism sacrificed on the altar of niceness.

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September 10, 2018
Mason, Mo., is the enchanting setting for a series of small but life-changing events in Berg’s winning novel (following The Story of Arthur Truluv). Lucille Howard teaches a baking class out of her home, filling some of her days now that her friend Arthur has passed away. Maddy and Nola, Arthur’s “adopted” daughter and granddaughter, often stop by, dotting the days with brief visits that bring back fond memories. Other characters in the ensemble cast include Iris Winters, new in town and still trying to move on from her divorce; Abby Summers, whose recent cancer diagnosis is challenging for her as well as for her husband, Jason, and their son, Lincoln; and Tiny Dawson, who can’t stop going to the local diner but also can’t find the courage to ask out waitress Monica Mayhew—who in turn can’t stop wishing he would. The story’s center, however, is Lucille, who doles out companionship to the friends and acquaintances who come and go through her kitchen. The language is smooth and the story moves along at a comfortable pace to a fitting, albeit easy, ending. This pleasant novel highlights the joys that can come from the little things in life.

September 1, 2018
Mason, Missouri, is a small town, and that's exactly what the residents like about it. The regulars at Polly's Henhouse don't need menus, Tiny Dawson's taxi business keeps him abreast of all the best gossip, and Lucille Howard's baking classes double as social hours. When Abby and Jason Summers, Mason's newest arrivals, find out that Abby has acute myelogenous leukemia, the town bands together to support their family. Though she's getting on in years, Lucille takes the Summers' son, Lincoln, under her wing. Lucille's been pretty set in her ways, but a new perspective on the difficulties facing the Summers family forces her to rethink her own challenges. Berg brings back many of the characters first introduced in The Story of Arthur Truluv (2017), though new readers won't be lost. Berg is a master of the ensemble cast, twining character arcs together, teasing knots apart, and tying the entire plot together beautifully. This will delight and inspire fans of Anna Quindlen and Amy Bloom and anyone who's ever imagined living in Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

June 15, 2018

Familiar to fans of best-selling/Oprah Pick author Berg's The Story of Arthur Truluv, Lucille Howard is enjoying her waning years by giving baking classes. She's also reaching out by hiring a new resident as her assistant and helping the folks next door with their son. Warm and satisfying as Lucille's cookies.

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