Lucille is getting older but she still has a lot to do. She enjoys baking ang teaching other how to make wonderful desserts.
Iris is divorced and ready for a change. Her move puts her in touch with Lucille and a lot interesting folks in her new town.
The characters have some kind of interesting miracle in their lives.
Elizabeth Berg has written a fun feel good book. I would definitely recommend this book.

I was hooked as soon as the author described the view from an airplane window, as I have often looked down and had similar musings of the beautiful patchwork of our American landscapes and it's inhabitants. It is so well written I had no idea it was a sequel book until I looked for a list of the author's other books. However, it was the third chapter before I caught on that all the characters were intertwined in the little town of Mason. Wonderful study of human character and relationships if you look a little below the surface. It makes you feel that you want go there and meet these people and never want to leave. I rarely give 5 stars, but this one wins! A great read.
I received this book as an advanced copy from Random House via NetGalley for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thank you Random House and NetGalley.

It had been a while since I read The Story of Arthur Truluv and I had to go back and revisit it so I could remember who was who and their relationships in this novel. While I do feel you could read Night of Miracles as a stand-alone novel, you would miss out on the nuances of the relationships that build from the first novel to this one. While I did enjoy this novel, especially getting caught up with old friends, I enjoyed The Story of Arthur Truluv more. Even more today than when I first read it. It was one of those novels that continue to pop up in the corners of your mind and make you think about where you read "that". I do recommend the Night of Miracles, but only after reading The Story of Arthur Truluv.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to read this cute and cozy story about friendship and community, set in a small town in Missouri. I loved each and every character, especially Lucille Howard, a feisty 80-something who hosts weekly baking classes from her home. There was so much yummy food referenced in the book, it definitely put me in the mood for some holiday baking!

It’s a quick and short read at under 300 pages.

Apparently this is the second book in a series, which I didn’t realize until I was about 90% in 🤦‍♀️. Based on my enjoyment of this book, it’s safe to say you don’t need to read the first book, The Story of Arthur Truluv (although it’s probably worth checking out - I’ve promptly added to my TBR).

Her characters are so warm and likable. The book creates a community with all the character involved with each other. Love this book!

Elizabeth Berg’s “Night of Miracles” (Random House) shares the story of Lucille Howard, who is getting older, but is teaching baking classes, with the help of Iris, her assistant, who has recently moved to Mason, a little town in Missouri. A new family moves in next door, and Lucille finds herself volunteering to watch after their son, Lincoln, as his mother is having treatments for cancer. All are facing difficult times, and the story of how a little town comes together to help makes this story a winner.

The Night of Miracles is a sequel to Berg’s novel, of The Story Arthur Truluv, which I did not read. Nonetheless, the sequel can and does stand alone as a quick and glorious read. Berg celebrates the virtues of small-town living, where people are connected through proximity and small accumulated interactions that grow into friendship and affection. The characters are so richly drawn and the situations so real that I felt drawn to each of them. Although not a holiday book by design, it is a story that will stay with you and warm your heart. If you ever need an antidote to harsh news or the aggravations of daily life, this is the book to turn to!

I’m looking forward to catching the characters again The Story of Arthur Truluv. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Berg has developed a wonderful and diverse cast of characters who will steal your heart. Each character is unique and Berg weaves together their lives in an intimate way that gives you faith in mankind.

A delicious book, in so many ways. A beautiful follow-up to "The Story of Arthur Truluv." Highly recommended.

Lovely story, Sometimes bittersweet, sometimes hopeful, romantic and joyful. I especially enjoyed Monica and Tiny's story. More than my ideal number of characters to follow but still a nice read. This is not my first book by this author and hopefully not my last! I loved the baking references.

I received an advanced reviewer copy from Random House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of Elizabeth Berg’s Night of Miracles. Before you pick this book up or read further, I would very much encourage you to read the first book The Story of Arthur Truluv. While you can enjoy Night of Miracles without the background, I think it will be more meaningful with it.

What It’s About: A small town in Missouri and the characters that make it up. There’s Lucille, who is 88 years old and running her baking school from her house. Next door to Lucille, is a young family facing their own crisis. There’s Iris, a woman who is still broken from her divorce and seeking refuge in the small town lifestyle. Tiny, the cab driver, who everyone loves because he’s a big softie and really important part of the community. Then there’s Monica, the waitress who Tiny loves and who loves him back but are stuck not knowing what to say.

What I loved: This story is so sweet, it’s all about the little town of Mason, Missouri and the interactions between the residents. The characters are likeable and believable, and you can’t help but cheer for each of them. It is the perfect little book for the holidays to remind you what is important in life. It feels like coming home (also those descriptions of baked goods will make you hungry for home baking!)

What I didn’t like so much: I miss characters from the first book, namely I miss Arthur. While I wish I got a bit more time with old characters, I was thrilled to meet a new batch. So I would say this is really just a ‘Aww I miss you’ than a full blown complaint.

Who Should Read It: People who love feel good stories. People who love stories about small-towns. People who read The Story of Arthur Truluv.

General Summary: A sweet story that leaves you feeling happy.

I miss Arthur so much this book focuses on what happened after Arthur died. In this story you get to meet a whole new cast of characters and some from the 1st book of course Lucille, Nola and Maddy and new ones to like Iris and some other eccentric group of characters.
Charming book with kindness and a whole lot of friendship.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg comes along at a time when we are approaching the holiday season. This is a follow-up to The Story of Arthur Truluv but is easily read as a standalone novel. It is the story of the importance of community in the small town of Mason, Missouri. The author has assembled a disparate cast of characters who cross paths and positively influence each other's lives. Small gifts of time and friendship bring joy and hope to the members of this small community. This little gem tells a beautiful story without being corny. It is the season of kindness and charity and Night of Miracles is the perfect book at this time. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I started Night of Miracles, the sequel to last year’s The Story of Arthur Truluv (you can read my review here), I was more than a little disappointed that Elizabeth Berg had chosen Lucille Howard as the main character rather than Maddy Harris, since I loved Maddy and wanted to see what had happened in her life in the intervening years. However, I should known that Berg had a plan because the resulting novel is beautiful as well as a beautifully written novel that makes the reader wish the story never had to end.

One of the threads that made The Story of Arthur Truluv such a wonderful novel was the appreciation of ages, Arthur, the old man, could befriend Maddy, the floundering teenager, and they with, Lucille, became a family. The same happens in Night of Miracles to a different degree. The young boy next door, Lincoln, finds a friend in Lucille who introduces him to new games like building a house from cards and new foods, delicious desserts that contain sugar.

Many truths abound in Night of Miracles:

Kindness is an attractive quality. Women are attracted to overweight Tiny because they see that he is a good person while his petty friend doesn’t understand that kindness, niceness, is important.

Failed relationships are almost always a 50/50 deal, it just takes both people being big enough to admit it.

Just because you can do things in a new and quicker way, doesn’t mean you have to.

Love and friendship can be found anywhere.

“Funny how important those birds have become to her. But people need something to depend on. They need something to love.”

And, marriage, like all relationships, takes work.

“Marriage is like weather, Maddy. You take it day by day. You rejoice in the good days and get through the bad ones . . .”

Much of the writing in Night of Miracles is like a meditation, the words flowing so beautifully that you are transported to a gentler, softer realm where kindness does win.

I suppose that you can read Night of Miracles without reading The Story of Arthur Truluv, but a lot of the heart of Night of Miracles begins in the first novel. If you are in need of a two feel-good stories, I highly recommend reading both of these.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Random House and Elizabeth Berg for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advanced copy.

I have always felt that if I could come back and live another life, I would choose to live that life in a small southern town. You know. The kind where everyone knows each other’s names and are up into each other’s business, where you find good people, salt of the earth and neighbours help each other out. The kind of town you can wander into, plunk down roots and watch the most beautiful sunset from your porch and later, on that porch, your friends will gather and someone will pull out a guitar, someone else the spoons and you’ll make music into the night. The Saturday afternoon movie version of what life would be like. Night of Miracles is set in that sort of town. As a quasi-sequel to Berg’s “The Story of Arthur Truluv”, this one can be read as a stand-alone, however, after you read it, you will want to pick up every one of her other books.

Berg writes beautifully, simple, clean. This isn’t the kind of literary fiction with language so flowery it can give you a headache. But she can make you feel as if you are right there, walking down main street or smelling Lucille’s cherry pie right out of the oven (check out the recipe!). I wanted to don one of Lucille’s aprons, bake in a class with people who will become my friends, or stop in the diner for the usual, or teach with kids like Lincoln in my class. With a small cast of characters that you come to care about, life, with its ups and downs, is just a little better because you have people around to help you.

If you read Arthur Truluv, you will know most of the characters. The story centers around Lucille Howard, the elderly woman Arthur lived with, who is renting the house that Arthur left to Maddy. Maddy and her daughter Nola, are not central to the story, but we do get to follow up with her and see how she is doing. Lucille, a retired teacher, has been teaching baking classes from her home and they are becoming quite popular. She has been watching Lincoln, the next door neighbour’s kid , because Abby, the mother has just been diagnosed with leukaemia. Lucille is also trying to grow her baking classes and hires Iris to help her out. Iris has left her husband and was on her way to San Francisco, when she stopped in Mason and decided to stay. She becomes friends with Tiny, a big lug of a guy who taxi’s everyone around town. Tiny is in love with Monica, the waitress at the diner, but is too shy to make a move. Monica, who is also in love with Tiny, tried to make the first move and ask him out, but poor Tiny got so flustered he said no and now the two of them don’t know what to do with each other.

Trying to convey what this book is about by listing the characters and their sub-plot, is not doing any justice to the story. That is not what the book is really about. It is about people, who are quirky, odd, with strengths and flaws, who are just trying to get by, with every day’s challenge. How opening your heart to let people in, to lean on those around you, to be grateful for who you have in your life is what makes life worth living. It is about second chances, and how you have agency in how you live your life. It is about hope and how we all get a miracle. You’ll need tissues.

It is a great read, one of my favourites. The characters are ones you will want to spend time with. Her writing is seamless as she weaves the stories together. It is authentic and real.

-If you are interested, I have posted three of Lucille’s recipes on my blog. I will update my blog after I test out the recipes. If they are half as good as the book claims her baking to be - I’m in!

I received an ARC of this book. I couldn't put it down. It's a compelling story of love and faith. The characters are well-developed and likeable. By the end of the book, I didn't want the story to be over.

This Lucille still has her baking classescontinues The Story of Arthur Truluv, the characters from that book are continued in this one. Dear at her home. Maddy and Nola are visiting. But we have new characters as well that intertwine with Lucille. And once again we have relationships that become more like close family than just friends.
I loved this one as much as I loved the other one. Elizabeth Berg has a wonderful way of making you see into the characters lives.

Special thanks to Elizabeth Berg for writing this wonderful novel and to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of NIGHT OF MIRACLES, enabling me to write this unbiased review.

NIGHT OF MIRACLES is Book 2 in the ARTHUR TRULUV Series, and although it is a standalone book, I would recommend reading THE STORY OF ARTHUR TRULUV first to get to know Arthur, the background story and connections between Lucille, Maddy and Nola.

NIGHT OF MIRACLES takes place in Mason, Missouri and tells of community, family, friendship and hope. Elizabeth Berg's characters seem to step off the page and into my world. I care for Lucille, Maddy, Nola,
Tiny, Monica, Iris, Abby and Jason Summers and their ten-year-old son Lincoln and want them to have happy and trouble-free lives.

88-year-old Lucille Howard enjoys making delicious desserts and gives baking lessons in her home. Lucille's classes are so popular that she needs an assistant. Who can she hire that will be perfect for the job?

When tragedy hits the Summers family, who recently moved to the small town of Mason, how will they cope? Who can they get to help?

Iris Winters has moved here from Boston and wants to make a new start on life. Can she get used to living in a small town? Can she forgive herself for her past mistakes? Will she be able to make new friends?

Tiny Dawson, who is 39 years old, has a huge crush on a friendly waitress at Polly's Henhouse, a local restaurant. Monica Mayhew has long black hair, dimples, gorgeous skin, and a beautiful smile and longs for Tiny to ask her for a date. Her Mother taught her that only "fast" women ask a man for a date. Tiny's shyness towards her leads to complications and misunderstanding. Will they ever have that first date?

These two quotes from NIGHT OF MIRACLES touched me and I feel compelled to share them.
"That is the gift of love, not only that you have somebody but that you are changed by somebody."

"Abby was saying that all her illness had done was to make her love Link and Daddy more. And appreciate everything more. And to understand, in a way she never had before, that death was a natural part of life, just like the seasons in nature. And everybody's job was to love life while you had it and never to take anything for granted. It was hard to remember to do that, but it was worth it to try..."

This novel should appeal to everyone, especially to readers who enjoyed BRITT-MARIE WAS HERE by Fredrik Backman and THE STORY OF ARTHUR TRULUV by Elizabeth Berg. I liked NIGHT OF MIRACLES best!

I posted this review on Goodreads November 26/18 and will try to post it on Amazon.

Exactly The Kind of Book We All Need Right Now.

Everywhere we look, we're bombarded by ugliness and cruelty during these divisive times. What better way to escape the vitriol than to immerse oneself into the lives of Elizabeth Berg's new novel, Night Of Miracles? I've long been a fan of Berg, and have read nearly every single one of her books. Her characters feel like your neighbors, your friends, your family, and perhaps a few of your nemeses. Night of Miracles is no exception. I'd already fallen in love with Arthur Truluv and was excited to learn that we'd get another peek into the lives of Lucille and Maddy. What I couldn't know is that I'd also fall in love with Iris and Monica and Abby and young Lincoln along with a supporting cast of small-town residents with lives and challenges that mirror real life, maybe yours, maybe mine. Do yourself a favor and lose yourself in this lovely story. Because who among us couldn't use a miracle right now?

NIGHT OF MIRACLES by Elizabeth Berg is a LibraryReads selection for November and a sequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv. Typical of Berg's writing, this is another gentle read with appealing characters. This story focuses on Lucille (Arthur's elderly neighbor and baker extraordinaire) and Iris (a new arrival in town, dealing with her own losses), plus a budding romance between the diner's waitress and the taxi driver, and also a young family coping with a terrible diagnosis. The small town inhabitants band together and Berg exudes optimism: "Never think winter will last when spring is equally inevitable." I particularly like the Library Journal review: "Warm and satisfying as Lucille's cookies."

Link in live post: https://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-story-of-arthur-truluv-by-elizabeth.html