I just love and adore Elizabeth Berg. Her books are always a balm for my soul and I love her characters. I love how you can almost feel them viscerally and I love how when I am weary and tired, I can pick a Berg novel and I know it will give me the comfort I need without feeling like too light a book. I will grow to love her characters.

This book is no exception. OF course it couldn't be as it's Arthur's story and we already know what a gem he is. This is the story of how he and Nola end up together and it's a real nod to patience and deep friendship and loving and caring for someone anyway.

I loved this book. I love Berg and will continue to read her books for as long as she's generous enough to give us her stories.

with gratitude to netgalley and random house for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is sort of a prequel to the Arthur Truluv series. It’s a beautifully written book that tells the story of 85 year old Arthur remembering and reflecting on when he met his beloved soulmate Nola when he was 16 years old, and what it was like growing up in his family of origin in the small town where he spent his life. I absolutely loved it, so touching and heartfelt.


Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Elizabeth Berg’s latest book is a prequel of sorts to “The Story of Arthur Truluv.” Quick facts for fans of Berg: It is set in Mason, Missouri and gives us the backstory of Arthur Moses and his childhood sweetheart, Nola McCallum. The title comes from the Robert Frost’s, “Birches” – a poem loved by Arthur’s older brother, Frank.

The story is gently told, filled with nostalgia and teenage antics of a bygone era. Arthur, age 16, looks to Frank for advice on how to attract Nola. Meanwhile, Nola strikes up conversations with Arthur in hopes of meeting Frank, whom she has a crush on. Despite the love triangle, the brothers maintain a close relationship and remain true to each other. We also see Arthur’s homelife and the neighbors he does odd jobs for. We learn about the formative events that shape Arthur into his future nickname, Truluv.

The tender observations of daily life and Arthur’s common sense, spot-on wisdom hold the reader’s attention. In our shrill and tumultuous world, this book is a breath of fresh air.

First, I did not realize that this was a prequel to “The Story of Arthur Truluv” as one could read this without the other and enjoy it just as much. It is a coming of age story of young Arthur Moses, growing up in the 40’s. it is the story of a young man, kind and thoughtful, who is patient and realizes the epitome of the phrase, ‘good things come to those who wait”. A bit slow paced at first, this story is of a dysfunctional family whose father struggles to hold a job and thus from the pressures is disgruntled at home, bordering on abuse to his two children. Arthur idolizes he older brother Frank who serves as his confidant as Frank guides him through his teen years and his crush with a popular girl, Nola. After a tragic event, Arthur’s life shifts but he always holds onto the teachings of Frank, a poet and writer whose pearls of wisdom imprinted on Arthur’s life. I love that Berg incorporated “Birches” by Robert Frost as a backstory for second chances at love and being a swinger of birches in life. “Earth’s the right place for love.” With beautiful writing and prose, as always, Berg brings her characters to life and stirs the memories of those who grew up in small towns or wished they had that old-fashioned upbringing when worries were innocent. Showing that through kindness to others, listening and validating others, Berg shows how Arthur deals with young love, brotherly love, family strife, friendship, and second chances. Again, although slow to start, it is a page turner as we see the characters develop and patiently wait for what will happen next. Some parts, I did not see coming which caught me unaware and I cried. But this is a book of hope and is a warm feel-good book in the end.
Many thanks to #netgalley #elizabethberg #earthstherightplaceforlove #randomhouse for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Elizabeth Berg writes with such pictures that spring to mind with each page. I seem to fall into the world she paints. Oh to read of Arthur’s early years! From the beginning, his soul is rich and deep. Arthur’s perceptions and experiences match many of my own though I’ve I lacked the words to express them. He is tentative but thoughtful, observant and offering a sincerity that makes a safe space which even if only found in a book makes the world a better place.
I’ve enjoyed reading of Arthur’s teenage days in Mason and I’m compelled
to re-read the tales of his later years. Thank you for the true pleasure of reading “Earth is the Right Place For Love”

Arthur Truluv is my favorite Elizabeth Berg character. I was thrilled to see Arthur return with the story of his early life in the forties. Sitting down with a new EB novel feels good on December's chilly days. Early in the story, Arthur talks about the significant loss in his life, his brother. Frank is woven throughout Arthur's young life, and he carries Frank right through to his old age. He never stops missing Frank. Arthur struggled socially, whereas Frank made friends and plowed through life from a very early age. Frank helped the brothers deal with the misery of a nasty father. Arthur's inherent goodness won the war, and his never-ending love for Frank and his wife carried him through to the present day.

This prequel novel fits perfectly into EB's books. I don't mind that the books are written without the contemporary verbal edge of today's societal ills of violence and divisiveness. The personal, private life of a man who struggled in his youth but never gave up on what (she was the what) he wanted is uplifting at its core.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Beautifully written coming of age story set in small town in Missouri . The main character, Arthur, experiences both high and lows during his teenage years, From a first love to a tragedy that will affect he and his family, this is a very good read. The writing and the character development are wonderful. The book brings back memories for me growing up in a small town in the 1950's, a time that seemed so calm and unremarkable.. This can be a good recommendation for a book club.

I had read Arthur Truluv a few years ago, so before I started this prequel I read my review as well as the synopsis of that book.

This novel definitely has a vibe, and that vibe is reminiscent of older Ron Howard TV shows (The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days). Being a younger member of Generation X, I’m not sure how accurate those shows were in representing that time: “Gosh willies, that would be swell!” So when I tell you that this novel has that vibe, I’m not sure it is an actual 1946 vibe or a caricature of 1946.

This book tells the backstory of Arthur mainly when he was 16 and toward the end going into his 20s. Arthur was a saint even at 16. I’m not sure how realistic it is that a 16 year old would be this “good.” He’s patient with old people, conscientious, strikes the right balance with girls (with one notable exception) and upstanding. His father, in particular, is not conveyed in the way that indicates he would be an excellent role model in how to behave, so I’m unclear how Arthur is so “perfect.” The father has a problem with anger; it’s a deep-seeded problem. However, he talks with Arthur, and the father’s anger problem seems to resolve itself within a chapter. Again, I’m not sure how realistic this is. In my experience, angry people have deep-seeded issues, and it takes more than a few weeks/months and a lot of therapy to interact with the world in a more positive way.
Then there’s older brother Frank. Something big happens 2/3 of the way through the novel, and it’s completely out of line with the character. I want to ask the author WHAT happened. It’s totally not in line with how the character is portrayed. Is there subtext that I missed??? The parents also DON’T do something that I think is very odd not to do. It’s after that 2/3 point.

I struggled with this book – the character motivations specifically. I think it has a very strong place in time, and if you’re curious about Arthur’s younger life, I think this would be a good one to pick up. I do recommend reading Arthur Truluv before this one and not letting too much time lag between the books.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet coming of age story of Arthur Moses and Nola from Elizabeth Bergs “The Story of Arthur Truluv”. It can easily be read as a stand alone novel and does not need to be read with the other 3 books of the series.

The story takes place in the late 1940’s, early 1950’s and gave me strong Andy Griffith show vibes. Arthur is very sweet and understanding of all the neighborhood ladies he does odd jobs for, and he is remarkably understanding of his fathers anger issues. The story includes subject matters of physical abuse, brotherly love, forgiveness, second chances, friendship and love. It is very character driven with very little action beyond one tragic event.

If you are looking for a sweet old fashioned character driven story set in that time frame you will find this enjoyable. If you are looking for a page turner, you may want to look for another option.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the chance to read this forthcoming novel

Sweet story of love.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

An easy-to-read, feel good story about a teen coming into his own. Arthur is the type of character you would want as your own friend--a good brother, son and example to others. It was an accurate representation of life in the late 40s and I found myself wanting to experience small town life in Mason. Not a whole lot of drama or plot development, this is the perfect beach read that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors and this book reminds me why. The tenderness with which she presents her characters and the way she communicates the wonders of everyday living keep me gripped to the story.. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a beautiful coming of age story. Our main character is Arthur and we follow him as he deals with falling for a local girl. His relationship with older brother Frank and Arthur's love of his town and neighbors are all so moving and relatable. Just a lovely story.

This is the story of Arthur Trulov, when he was a child. It was really a beautiful, if somewhat sad story at times.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. Elizabeth Berg has long been an author whose work I look forward to. Earth's the Right Place for Love is another story of one of her best characters, Arthur Truluv. The other books are The Story of Arthur Truluv, Night of Miracles and The Confession Club. Arthur is a part of each story. There is a time jump in each book, not necessarily in age order. Earth's story is of Arthur as a high schooler and young man. Its a time of love and loss for him. The beginnings of his love for Nola are in this story. What's great at Ms. Berg's books is that they are sweet and gentle but not cloying. I compare her work to a softer version of Elizabeth Strout, who is also excellent at writing characters who are real and grounded. It was truly a treat to read another story of Arthur, his family and the love of his life.

This was a "nice" story set in the 1950s about a boy struggling with fitting in. His brother tries to give him advice, but it doesn't really seem to help too much. There wasn't a lot that happened in this story. It was just what you would expect for a story set in the 50s.

Every once in a while, Elizabeth Berg writes a novel that reminds me why I love reading. This is one of them It's an old-fashioned sentimental coming of age in a small town. It's about a 16 year old boy living in Mason, Mo who lives with his parents and older brother. Arthur Moses (If Berg explained where or when he became Arthur Trulov, I can't recall and it's not in this novel.)

Arthur is not popular; he's not interested in sports; he's not particularly smart. But he is sensitive, caring and polite, He learns from his older brother and from every adult he does small jobs for and is fascinated by nature, particularly trees.

He falls in love with a pretty and popular girl in his high school class who regards him as only a close friend. She, Nola, is really interested in his brother Frank, who is involved in an affair with his high school teacher.Frank is Arthur's mentor and the boys' relationship is fraught with strife involving Frank and his father.

A tragedy and the grief that follows affects the entire Moses family and the pain that leads to healing is very touching and real. You may cry.

I loved every minute of this book and thank Random House and NetGalley for the chance to read and review it prior to publication.

Earth's the Right Place for Love tells the story of the young Arthur Truluv growing up in a small town with small but seemingly large characters: his larger-than-life older brother, his alcoholic father and beleaguered mother, his assortment of oddball friends, and his undying love for Nola, the girl next door who never seems to love him back. As Arthur tries to win over Nola with the help of his brother Frank, he faces a tragedy he never foresaw and realizes that the road to love is longer than he ever expected.

This book is full of trite clichés and truisms that Arthur relies on and adages that his friends and mentors provides for him as he navigates life and love. I often found these grating and commonplace, especially since the story was such a sweet, everyday one that it was heartwarming by itself. It didn't need all these "lessons" and banalities to explain the actual plot, which was its strength. I loved Arthur's actual story, a coming of age story of a boy falling love and growing up and facing tragedy and surviving over a span of years. I also loved the cast of characters, so typical of a small town, people I could have met in my own small town. Adding in the cliches weakened it, in my opinion. This brought a story that could have been a solid 4 or 4.25 to a 3.5 for me.

This poignant and endearing coming-of-age novel is the origin story of Arthur Moses, the wise and wonderful octogenarian from Elizabeth Berg’s marvelous book “The Story of Arthur Truluv” (one of my all-time favorite books!). Here we meet Arthur as a shy and awkward teenager in the late 1940s. We get to know the people and small-town experiences that shaped him. I especially loved the wit and wisdom of the close-knit relationship with his brother Frank. Best of all, we get to watch Arthur fall in love with his lifelong sweetheart, Nola McCollum. The development of Arthur’s unforgettable character is brilliant. Even readers who are meeting Arthur for the first time will enjoy this tender and heartfelt novel, and the gentle way it delivers insightful observations about life and human nature.

Fans of Berg’s “The Story of Arthur Truluv” should run (not walk) to pick up this “prequel” to her Mason, Missouri series! Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the copy of this book to read. This is the first book I’ve read about Arthur and will now read the others. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. The storyline about Frank’s romance was a bit uncomfortable but the rest of the story made up for that for me. Definitely check this book out when it comes out next year. Book number 114 of the year for me was four stars!!