Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cozy, feel good book. It's not demanding and is designed to give you lots of warm fuzzies. And it succeeds in that - everyone is nice and wise and wonderful, with the exception of the father, who has a bad temper and has trouble keeping a job. But, once they properly understand him, he improves.

For me, this was just a little too saccharine. Arthur is a paragon of virtue, who loves nothing more than chatting with the neighbors he does odd jobs for, and who is always happy to listen to and take their good advice. While he loves Nola, who sees him only as a friend, he never gets upset with her and just patiently waits for her to come around to appreciating him. It's the book equivalent of the old Mayberry tv show - aw shucks, ma'am.

If life is feeling stressful, this is certainly an undemanding and sweet read, and could be the antidote that you're looking for.

Earth’s the Right Place for Love gives us the backstory of Arthur Moses, otherwise known as Arthur Truluv. The book takes place in 1947, when Arthur is sixteen. He’s got an older brother, Frank who wants to be a writer. His father is a war veteran with a drinking problem and a habit of using his fists when he’s angry. Poor Arthur has a bad crush on the lovely Nola, but she only thinks of him as a friend.
This moving story engaged me from the beginning. It’s funny how sometimes a book doesn’t need a lot of action to capture your attention. I just wanted to see how things would work out for these folks. There are several sad moments but to be honest I found I was crying more for the happy ones. “You didn’t have to be a guy chucking a football to another guy to have a friend. You could have an odd boy and a crazy old lady and a beautiful young woman for friends. You could have a brother, the guy you could say anything to and ask any question of.”
The story is sweet and perfectly evokes the after war years.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

4.5 reminiscent stars (rounded up for tears)

I’ve read many Elizabeth Berg novels, but it’s been too long! I was reminded of all the reasons why I love her writing with this one.

This one is really a prequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv, which I read back in 2018. We meet Arthur as a teen as he is growing up in Mason, Missouri. He has a wonderful relationship with his older brother Frank, although all the girls seem to swoon for Frank.

We experience all of Arthur’s angst at being the good friend to the girl he’s in love with, Nola. She’s beautiful and has lots of attention from boys but she just sees Arthur as a best friend.

There are some great experiences where Arthur helps lonely people in his town and becomes a better person as a result. The book is lighthearted but explores some tougher issues like grief. The characters are so well-developed. I loved the way that Arthur knew that he loved his hometown and never wanted to leave.
This one left me with such a contented feeling and a few tears sprang up at the end.

This is a sweet romance but it was not my favorite book. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the story was very slow moving. I ended up skimming some. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I really wanted to like this book, but I had a hard time getting into the story. I read two of the previous Mason books and loved them. I would rate this book 2.5 stars. I hate to admit it, but I wasn't a fan of Nola. Not sure what Arthur saw in her, besides her looks. He really didn't know much about her, but instantly loved her. She definitely didn't have a winning personality and was so self centered. There fist big interaction was because Nola wanted Arthur to give Frank her phone number. On their "dates" all Nola talked about were the other boys she liked. I really enjoyed the supporting characters, especially the women who hired Arthur for odd jobs. The story was more sad than happy, especially concerning the Moses Family. The family survived so much abuse over the years at the hands of Arthur's father. The way he treated Frank was horrible. I don't believe he would suddenly change.

Definitely recommend giving the book a try, especially if you read the previous books in the Mason series. I enjoyed the writing style and look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Random House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Such a lovely and touching story about sixteen year old Arthur. He is a gentle, thoughtful, and caring teen traversing through love, family problems, and learning about life. Guided by his philosophical brother, Frank, Arthur delves into ways to win the girl. A family tragedy derails everyone. Arthur finds compassion and healing from the women he does random chores for.
There is so much more to the story and it will bring tears and joy to you.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a beautiful, heartwarming, and compelling reason to always believe in LOVE!!!
The Earth is always in constant rotation, the seasons always change, the birds always fly, the air always moves and glides around us.
What changes is how we process these emotions, how we see our lives, how we receive and accept the love we've given and received.
It's a question as old as the dawning of time- In fact, the song, "Will you still love me, tomorrow?....by the Shirrelles way back in '61, still rings true today.
Because, thankfully I grew up with a father that instilled "The Oldies" while driving during our road trips to Florida on vacation every year. I wasn't even born till over 10 years later yet, I this song came to mind after reading this beautifully moving work from the Great-Elizabeth Berg.
You see if you're empathetic like some of us -this world will make you hard.
However, the key is to hold your value close to your sleeve and not let the world make you hard.
Society is also constantly altering what's or is not allowable.
In this novel we have touched upon many of those society norms for the ages. Pregnancy, death, child abuse, parental neglect, and so much more.
Is it ok to have relationships with those much older then ourselves? When is age a factor in love?
Will there be a tomorrow if you can't get through the heartache and pain of today?
Never deny love even when facing the storm...because the tornado may be barreling upon you but the sun always shines in the morn.
These characters, this plot, the setting, the emotional appeal was off the charts.
I love the fact that we have varying degrees of soceital norms while processing so many important topics on every horizon.
The fact that you can become grounded through nature is apparent and a nice welcome from the hustle of daily living.
Surely, one must not lose sight of what's most important in each of our lives. In the end, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks so long as you're happy.
I fell in love with this story because as I type this we have a snowstorm on the way. Schools closed. The wind is whipping. The bitter cold is brutal. We look for the birds of spring to soon fly over us.
Yet, two of my three kids are in college with one in latter years of high school. My eldest son I thought would always be connected to the hip - until he found his own relationship with a lovely young lady. He's spent the past few months (winter break) with her and I couldn't be more proud of their relationship and each other.
As a parent our job is to raise our kids with the knowledge, love, support, and guidance we can give them. Mine are now adults making their own life choices and while scary it's also gratifying to witness from the outside looking inward.
As this story progressed I couldn't help to have flashbacks from my owns trials and tribulations as single parent in poverty from divorcing an abusive spouse. So much so that I always wondered if I did right by leaving and filing for support to begin the process of leaving for good.
Today, I believe I have that answer with the help of this book.
My son was born med disabled (vater syndrome) for life. My life was spent breathing life into him literally while lying on the floor to make sure he breathed every single night.
I wondered if he'd find someone to love him the way his own mother loved him,protected him, and valued his worth. He fought so hard to live, 2 months in NICU, years of medical complications to simply be present.
In closing, this one line in this book is how I'd like to leave this review: "If you have someone in your life like that, someone you know you will always want to tell everything to, you are awfully lucky, and a fool to ask for more."
Don't be that fool....open your heart and soul to the world around and soak it up like a sponge.
Life is short! Embarce it!
Thank you to Elizabeth Berg for the clarity, insight, voice of reason. Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
This new work of fiction is due out : March 21st 2023

Such a beautiful story of Arthur and his family. It was both sweet and heartbreaking reading as Arthur navigated all the changes of his life. His love for Nola was so cute and of course I was rooting for him the entire time. I loved this story and will check out other books by this author thanks to this story. I’d suggest others read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC

A decent read, but the ending was abrupt and I feel a little underwhelmed for some reason. I loved the innocent feel of the book.

I just reviewed Earth's the Right Place for Love by Elizabeth Berg. #EarthstheRightPlaceforLove
#NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published March 21, 2023.

This is a sweet book about two teenage brothers and the girls they love. You will laugh out loud and you will cry. iI’s a quick and cute book about first love in a small town.

Elizabeth Berg has penned a beautifully written coming of age story. The imagery gives a clear picture of the small town of Mason, Missouri and Arthur's family life. He wrestles with first love, abuse in the family, struggles with algebra, working for people in the town and building friendships, a tragedy, grief and loss. Arthur's romantic interst is Nola, but she's not ready to settle down with just one guy - she's in that experimental stage where she's dating and trying to find her own way. Arthur had a strong bond with his brother. He showed characteristics of thoughtfulness, compassion, and a readiness to help others. Everyone liked him - and so did I; very much.

I truly enjoyed the time spent with this book. Elizabeth Berg is a talented author and I've liked most of what I've read by her. If you have read [book:The Story of Arthur Truluv|32918898] you will enjoy reading about the young Arthur.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy of this beautiful book. The book will be published on March 21, 2023.

When Arthur becomes friends with the prettiest girl in class, he’s over the moon. The only problem is: He wants to be more than just friends. As the “prequel” to Elizabeth Berg’s other Arthur Truluv books, we get to learn how Arthur’s life growing up in Mason shapes the perspectives that will stay with him his whole life. Although I always enjoy Berg’s books, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to read this one…I mean, come on! Another book about this town and these people? But I was wrong. It caught me hook, line, and sinker and I very much enjoyed it. Not a very long book, but one that left me with a smile on my face for sure.
*Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The fourth entry in the “Mason” series by Elizabeth Berg, featuring the folksy folks living in a small Midwestern town. Simple, feel-good novels, meant to pack an emotional punch but sometimes trying a little too hard. This one tells the story of Arthur Moses as a shy teenage boy and young man in the years just after the Second World War and his quest to win the heart of the beautiful, popular and seemingly unattainable Nola. Readers familiar with the series will be pleased to re-encounter the Arthur they met as an elderly man in the first book, The Story of Arthur Truluv.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for an advance reading copy.

Thank you NetGalley, Elizabeth Berg and Random House for the ARC of
Earth's the Right Place for Love. This is my personal review.
This is the first book I have read a book by Elizabeth Berg. I was hoping I had found a new author to read. I am unsure now if I have.
This was a book I read quickly but was never truly vested in the characters in the story.
I think I will go and read other books by this author to get a better idea of her writing style.

4.5 Stars

’I'd like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back to it and begin over.
May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth’s the right place for love:
I don’t know where it's likely to go better.’
From “Birches’ by Robert Frost

I love it when an author includes a quote that sets a tone for the journey that I’m about to take, and this was the perfect one for this book. While the story is not about trees, they frequently grace the pages in this story.

Set in Mason, Missouri this begins in 2016, as Arthur Moses is looking back on the years. It stays there briefly - not even quite a full page, and then he shares the story of his life, beginning in 1947, as spring has arrived, and Arthur Moses is 16-years-old. His life at home isn’t exactly happy or unhappy, but there is a sense of tension that revolves around his father. Life is changing and the ‘old ways’ are close to the brink of extinction, including his father’s job, a milk-man, which creates some tense moments in their home as he has few skills that could get him a job. Arthur’s older brother, Frank, is who Arthur turns to for advice about the girl he is in love with, Nola. He’s sure she’s the one, but she only has eyes for Frank. Frank shares a little advice, and then shares that he, himself, is in love - but not with Nola. He encourages Arthur to not give up, and offers the best advice he has with Arthur, and shares his own story of love. As brothers that share a room, they often talk late into the night, careful not to disturb their parents - especially their father who rarely chastises Arthur, but is abusive with Frank. The abuse affects them both, regardless.

Arthur is a gentle soul, if not quite as wise in the world of romance, but with his brother’s advice, he tries to navigate a way for Nola to see him as more than just a friend. His love of trees, his love of this place and the people who live there, his willingness to help others share the beauty of him as a person, but will Nola ever see him as someone she could love?

There is more to this story, a tragedy that affects the town, as well as a personal tragedy which also affects this small town in a different way, but there is also much kindness, and a path to love.

A story of grief, loss, love and finding the strength to carry on. A story of life.


Pub Date: 21 Mar 2023


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors! I read all of her early books, and then life got in the way (babies) and I had a few years of no reading. I was so excited to see this ARC come up, and within the first few pages I remembered the magic of Elizabeth Berg's writing. Earth's the Right Place for Love follows Arthur Moses, high school student and hopeful romantic. Arthur has a major crush on Nola, and seeks advice from his brother as well as some neighbors on how to navigate his first love. While Arthur's "relationship" with Nola is the main plot point, it's his relationship with his brother, Frank', that makes this book shine.

I have been a huge Berg fan for decades, even met her once. I have loved all the books in the Arthur Trukuv series. This one was good but not phenomenal. It was a bit slower than Berg's other works. I did enjoy getting the "backstory" to Truluv's life. Just not my favorite of the series.
Side note--the teacher/student affair....I am a teacher and that story thread was quite disturbing.
But I am a die-hard Berg fan and will stay that way.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much Random House Publishing and NetGalley!

I was so thrilled to read another Arthur Truluv book. I loved the last one I read. Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. I can't quite put my finger on why. It's possible that I've been reading books that have moved a bit faster and didn't want a slower paced book. I will try again because I really like Truluv and Berg.

A charming title, inspired by Robert Frost's poem "Birches", and front cover to match a delightful, light read. 

The brothers Arthur and Frank Moses have a wonderful partnership and their nighttime conversations at bedtime offer a youth's perspective on many interesting topics. Subjects like why you choose a particular partner, family relationships and connections, your reputation and life choices are gently explored from a teenager's perspective as Arthur looks to his older brother for advice.

The novel opens in 2016 with Arthur Moses,  85 years old, who is dying but awaits his time with a calm demeanour and embraces the small details and sounds of his human existence like doors opening and closing, snow falling, the stars and the whistle of a train.

From here the reader is welcomed to join a younger Arthur in 1947 in Mason, Missouri, as he follows Nola McCullum and falls in love with her. Their friendship, mislabelled as companionship but so clearly a shared love for one another is cute to follow, especially since it starts with Nora giving her phone number to Arthur to be given to his brother, Frank.

The boys tell us of their vulnerability at the hands of their unhappy maladjusted father's sporadic angry outbursts. Some of the brothers' observations about their flawed father's actions are sad to read and in places it is heartbreaking to hear of their pity and lack of respect for their father. 

Yet, the characters grow throughout the novel in their thoughts about love and how to orientate the layers of emotion with which they will be faced in their lives. Some lovely moments in the novel are when Arthur and Frank vow to never deny love and another when Arthur sees his father in a different light, understanding more from his mother's adult point of view.

About halfway through the novel, the narrative continues dropping new and different incidents and plot shifts into the story, like a tornado and the shift in Frank's life plans, but if you've enjoyed the development of the love theme up to this point, you'll see how it works well to drive you towards the decorative and what I can probably describe best as a 'floral' but sad and heartwarming, ending. Not a literary masterpiece, but adorable nonetheless.

review by Christina Francis-Gilbert
@francisgilbert_bookclub
www.francisgilbert.com/book-reviews

#randomhouse #arcreview #elizabethberg #randomhousebooks #earthstherightplaceforlove #readingjourneys #netgalley

Arthur Truluv and Mason, Missouri is back in Elizabeth Berg’s latest novel, “Earth’s the Right Place for Love.”

If I were to create a symbol to describe my feelings for this novel, it would be a big heart made up of a rainbow of colors. Here, we meet Arthur as a teenager, growing up in the fifties with his older brother, Frank, and father who drinks too much, cannot hold a job, and takes it out on his older son.

Frank wants to become a writer and move to New York, but Arthur, enamored with nature and what makes the heart tick, is more than content to live out his life in Mason. He wants to spend that life with classmate, Nola, who houses her own crush on Frank (who is in a relationship with his teacher).

Elizabeth Berg understands the fragility of coming of age and unrequited love. Her writing is almost poetic in places; it’s like a rich piece of chocolate, overly sweet but oh so enjoyable. What I love about her stories is how each one opens your heart in ways you never thought possible. What makes her stories exceptional is how the characters, while not especially remarkable, cope and persevere despite their ordinariness. Expect to laugh and cry—sometimes simultaneously—while reading this book. Whether this is the first novel you have read by this author or you are a devout fan, I guarantee that you will grow attached to these characters quickly. You will finish this book unable to stop thinking of the characters for a long time.

Four and a half stars.

Thanks to Elizabeth Berg, the publisher, and Net Galley for my advanced copy.