Member Reviews
Absolutely charming - I fully enjoyed the characters and Elizabeth Berg's writing - I'll definitely be reading more of her work.
Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg is a sequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv. I highly recommend reading The Story of Arthur Truluv prior to reading Night of Miracles, because you will be introduced to many of the characters who are a big part of Night of Miracles. Despite reading the second book first, I enjoyed this novel. Elizabeth Berg develops her interesting characters skillfully and you really care about what happens to them. I intend to read The Story of Arthur Truluv to get the back story of the characters.
#nightofmiracles#elizabethberg#smalltownlife
Always excited for a new Elizabeth Berg book!
The feel-good book of the year: a delightful novel of friendship, community, and the way small acts of kindness can change your life, by the bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv
“Lucille Howard is getting on in years, but she stays busy. Thanks to the inspiration of her dearly departed friend Arthur Truluv, she has begun to teach baking classes, sharing the secrets to her delicious classic Southern yellow cake, the perfect pinwheel cookies, and other sweet essentials. Her classes have become so popular that she’s hired Iris, a new resident of Mason, Missouri, as an assistant. Iris doesn’t know how to bake but she needs to keep her mind off a big decision she sorely regrets.
When a new family moves in next door and tragedy strikes, Lucille begins to look out for Lincoln, their son. Lincoln’s parents aren’t the only ones in town facing hard choices and uncertain futures. In these difficult times, the residents of Mason come together and find the true power of community—just when they need it the most.”
A feel good, heartwarming easy read. This was an excellent choice for a light read. Friendships and community power through with characters that are familiar and yet new. Great read.
Thank you Netgalley for this copy of Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg.
I have read this series COMPLETELY out of order, but it's okay! They work well as stand alones and each of them is as delightful as the next.
This is the sequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv, which I remember to be just charming. It's about a handful of women who are linked together by unique circumstances, and how they are able to bless each other's life. It reads a lot like a Fanny Flagg novel. It will have you smiling and weeping and feeling all the homey-good feels.
What a beautifully written book. Elizabeth Berg's books truly feel like you are cozied up under a soft blanket, drinking a hot cup of your favorite hot beverage on a rainy day. Her writing style is so descriptive and lyrical. I always feel a connection to her wonderfully detailed characters. Another fantastic book.
Beautiful. Elizabeth Berg's books are like drinking a hot cup of cocoa while snuggling under a blanket on a rainy day. She is so descriptive and lyrical, and I always feel so close to her characters. Another wonderful book.
I’m embarrassed to say this, but I found this one very boring. I’ve loved Berg’s novels in the past but I couldn’t finish this one.
This is the second book in a series about the town of Mason; however, you do not have to read the first book (The Story of Arthur Truluv) to enjoy this one. I have read most of Elizabeth Berg’s books,, and I think this is one of her most engaging. . Each person becomes like a new friend. - she paints pictures of the town, the shops, the people in a very delicate yet enjoyable way. . I couldn’t wait to see what happens to each of her characters. There is so much love and friendship in the way their lives intersect and intertwine.
Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg
Brief Summary: The sequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv focuses on Lucille, Maddy, and Nola. We also meet a whole new cast of characters in Mason, Missouri including Lucille’s new neighbors, the wait staff at the local Henhouse restaurant, and Iris, the newcomer to town. Various storylines focus on finding love, forgiveness, starting over, and facing health issues in small town Missouri.
Highlights: I liked this cast of characters and storylines better than Arthur Truluv, though I couldn’t help but think how Arthur would have fir into this mix. I enjoyed seeing where Maddy and Nola are at; though they have a smaller role in this book. This is an easy feel good read to escape real life. Lucille’s baked goods are mouthwatering; especially the caramel cake.
Explanation of Rating: 3.5/5; Heartwarming quick read with real characters; this one just didn’t suck me in.
Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review
I loved the continuation of the story. However I felt like there were too many characters and I wanted more of each of them. As a whole a wonderful quick read.
I was so anxious to read this one, as a long time fan of Elizabeth Berg's, but for some reason it just didn't do it for me. It could have been the timing, some books just don't show up when they should. Maybe I'll give this one a try at a later date because Elizabeth has never let me down.
If you liked The Story of Arthur Truluv, you need to read this follow up. It's like going back to visit old friends and catch up on their lives. I hope this isn't the last book she writes with these characters!
Special thanks to Random House for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.
After loving Arthur Truluv, I really am excited about Night of Miracles. I did enjoy Lucille, but I didn't connect with her as much as I did with Arthur. That being said, this is still a hopeful & uplifting read that I will definitely recommend.
Elizabeth Berg addresses the very difficult topic of death and aging with pathos and grace along with a comforting overlay of magical realism in her book Night of Miracles. In all of her novels, Berg has a way of taking on love, loss, and other milestones of human existence, creating memorable and believable characters, and placing them in very challenging situations. Night of Miracles has all of that as well as a hint at the afterlife which is comforting, sad, satisfying and ultimately very beautiful.
Her love for her characters shines through here as she takes them through these difficult journeys and clearly roots for them all along the way. We cheer, laugh and cry alongside her as we read.
If you love Berg's other work, Night of Miracles should be given a place in your bookshelf alongside the rest. If you haven't experienced it yet and are yearning for a beautifully-written emotional exploration of life, love, death and legacy, Night of Miracles won't disappoint.
As I am able to sit down and read a bit more than usual, I peeked through my NetGalley backlog books and found this one. I remember reading the first in the series, The Story of Arthur Truluv and enjoying it fairly well. I don’t think I loved it, but I liked it fine. Not sure if it’s because I’ve been away from this story for a while, but I liked this one a bit better than its previous one, which was a nice surprise.
Though told in several different perspectives, it was mostly easy to keep track of the protagonists and their storylines. Everyone’s personality was fairly distinct, with the exception of the two characters that I kept confusing one with the other (Maddy and Monica). Eventually, I was able to keep them straight, but it took some time.
For the most part, the plot flowed very well and was easy to follow. I especially enjoyed the baking classes that Lucille held because I feel these would be classes that I would enjoy, especially with a somewhat sassy older woman as the instructor. As part of Lucille’s storyline, she interacts with two young children, who were mostly secondary characters here, but what was surprising was that the two kids never really interacted with each other. The love that have for Lucille alone would have brought them together, so I found it an interesting choice Nola and Lincoln, the two children, never met.
The sense of community was nice to read and brought a sweetness to the book. I really like seeing neighbors help each other, especially in time of need. Also, I enjoy it when people who at first was reluctant to accept aid from someone, then eventually do accept the help and it turns out for the better. With that, a friendship and neighborly love form. It’s all very sweet and heartwarming.
At some points in the book, there are scenes of slight mysticism where the afterlife is spoken about and slightly touched upon. These scenes aren’t very long and mainly consist of speaking with an angel of sorts, but it could be a surprise for those who aren’t expecting these moments.
Lastly, there were some odd sentence choices that made me pause a few times. For instance, on location 2052, I had to read this line a couple of times: “…and Lucille shows the boy how to make pinwheels, and doesn’t he think those are fun.” I believe the last part of that line is meant to be a question to the boy, in this instance. However, it’s worded awkwardly since it’s unclear if it’s actually directed to the boy, and it isn’t in the form of a question. This style of sentence structure happens a few times throughout the read and could benefit from tweaking.
Overall, I enjoyed this quick read even with its moments of character confusion and awkward sentence choices. I would recommend this book to those who would like to read a simple, sweet book that is told in multiple perspectives.
This is such a great series that leaves you feeling so wonderfully whole after reading it. Sometimes you just want a sweet read and this is it.
I like books written by this author. This one does not disappoint. I will recommend it to the ladies in my book club.
I loved The Story of Arthur Truluv and was happy to find out that Elizabeth Berg wrote a second book, Night of Miracles. The story takes place in the town of Mason. We met Lucille in Berg’s first book. She is an eighty-eight-year-old woman who conducts baking classes. This book is about friendships and helping each other through life’s problems. The book was a quick read, and I felt at home.
Night of Miracles is the follow up to Elizabeth Berg's The Story of Arthur Truluv. It is a sequel in the sense that it is the same place and some of the same characters. However, reading the first book is not essential to following or understanding this story. What resonated about The Story of Arthur Truluv also resonates about this book. It is a book about recognizable, ordinary people living ordinary lives. This one just does not strike the chord quite as strongly as the first one did.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2019/10/night-of-miracles.html
Reviewed for #NetGalley.
I went into Night of Miracles not knowing it was a sequel to an already published book The Story of Arthur Truluv.
Thinking it was a standalone I fairly enjoyed it, but as the story progressed I realized I should already be familiar with the characters or things that happened to them before.
Therefore, even though this book does work as a solid standalone, I think I would appreciate it more have I read it’s predecessor before giving it a try.
At the beginning of the book we read about our main character Lucille who is 88 years old.
If I’m being completely honest, I had no idea about her age before picking up this book, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to connect with the character who is so much older them me (we talk about 50+ years gap here).
In some way my feeling was right, but thanks to other characters that are part of the story I still enjoyed the novel.
This is pretty short book and it can easily be read in one sitting.
It is written in third person and it follows multiple characters.
I liked the positive atmosphere through the entire book.
If you need a story that will come as a chicken soup for your soul, this book is a perfect choice.
Small town setting contributes to this feel-good vibe too.
Out of all the stories, my favorite was one centred around Tiny and his love interest.
I think it is because those characters were the closest to my age.
The magical aspect of the story really took the book to another level, and I enjoyed it very much, because it gave the magic to this solid novel and made it whole.
I would recommend Night of Miracles to readers who enjoy feel-good books that follow many characters and perspectives.