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judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
Master storyteller Elizabeth Berg rewinds her popular The Story of Arthur Truluv (5 stars) novel (Mason series) for a prequel (Mason .5) —EARTH'S THE RIGHT PLACE FOR LOVE. Readers get a look at Arthur Moses in his younger years for a charming, heartfelt, and emotional coming-of-age tale.
Set in the forties to early 1950s in Missouri, we get the backstory of Arthur Moses, otherwise known as Arthur Truluv. Arthur is sixteen years old with an older brother Frank who is an inspiring writer.
Arthur and Frank are very close and spend much time at night in their twin beds talking about their passions, love, and life.
Their father is a war veteran with PTSD and a drinking problem. He is abusive, especially with Frank, and violent. The dad has problems since he lost his job and cannot find work.
The loving mom just tries to maintain peace. The boys cannot understand why she stays with him. The boys have to walk on eggshells when they are home. They love their mother but fear their dad, and his violet rages.
Arthur is a quiet, sweet, thoughtful boy—an old soul and wise beyond his years. He is different from the popular, good-looking boys like his brother Frank. He is smitten with a girl named Nola.
They are friends, but she does not like him in a boyfriend-girlfriend way. However, she does have a crush on Frank, but he is having a secret affair with his English teacher, Mary.
Arthur is such a loveable boy, a hard worker, runs errands for the neighbors, and tends flowers and gardening with a widowed lady, and she enjoys talking with him.
Taking advice from Frank, Arthur works up the nerve to ask Nola to the movies, only to have their date called off when a tornado rips through town and other issues. However, he does not give up, even when she leaves town and he walks her to the bus stop.
Mary is pregnant, and Frank's plans for them to move to New York change when there is an accident. A tragedy occurs, and Arthur is grieving. His dad finds a job and raises his spirits, and Arthur's luck finally changes for a happy ending with Nola and his neighbor's house with the rose garden.
What a nostalgic, beautiful story of love, loss, and joy. Fans of Berg and the Mason series will enjoy this one, as well as fans of author Catherine Ryan Hyde and Fredrik Backman.
A big fan of Elizabeth Berg, I enjoy her writing and heart-warming characters blended with humor and insights. I loved the close relationship between the two brothers and fell in love with Arthur and his love of nature and trees.
Thank you to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review. #RandomHouseInfuencers
Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: March 21, 2023
March 2023 Must-Read Books
Set in the forties to early 1950s in Missouri, we get the backstory of Arthur Moses, otherwise known as Arthur Truluv. Arthur is sixteen years old with an older brother Frank who is an inspiring writer.
Arthur and Frank are very close and spend much time at night in their twin beds talking about their passions, love, and life.
Their father is a war veteran with PTSD and a drinking problem. He is abusive, especially with Frank, and violent. The dad has problems since he lost his job and cannot find work.
The loving mom just tries to maintain peace. The boys cannot understand why she stays with him. The boys have to walk on eggshells when they are home. They love their mother but fear their dad, and his violet rages.
Arthur is a quiet, sweet, thoughtful boy—an old soul and wise beyond his years. He is different from the popular, good-looking boys like his brother Frank. He is smitten with a girl named Nola.
They are friends, but she does not like him in a boyfriend-girlfriend way. However, she does have a crush on Frank, but he is having a secret affair with his English teacher, Mary.
Arthur is such a loveable boy, a hard worker, runs errands for the neighbors, and tends flowers and gardening with a widowed lady, and she enjoys talking with him.
Taking advice from Frank, Arthur works up the nerve to ask Nola to the movies, only to have their date called off when a tornado rips through town and other issues. However, he does not give up, even when she leaves town and he walks her to the bus stop.
Mary is pregnant, and Frank's plans for them to move to New York change when there is an accident. A tragedy occurs, and Arthur is grieving. His dad finds a job and raises his spirits, and Arthur's luck finally changes for a happy ending with Nola and his neighbor's house with the rose garden.
What a nostalgic, beautiful story of love, loss, and joy. Fans of Berg and the Mason series will enjoy this one, as well as fans of author Catherine Ryan Hyde and Fredrik Backman.
A big fan of Elizabeth Berg, I enjoy her writing and heart-warming characters blended with humor and insights. I loved the close relationship between the two brothers and fell in love with Arthur and his love of nature and trees.
Thank you to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review. #RandomHouseInfuencers
Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: March 21, 2023
March 2023 Must-Read Books
danubooks's review against another edition
5.0
Love doesn’t always make much sense, and it is as likely to bring pain as it is joy….in the end, though, it’s generally well worth the struggle.
A quiet young boy named Arthur is growing up in a small Missouri town in the 1950’s. He isn’t at all like his athletic, popular big brother Frank, whom he idolizes. He is happiest when he is learning about or looking at the natural world, where no one expects him to know the right thing to say or do. His dad is quick to anger, and generally takes his frustrations out on Frank. His mother tries her best to keep everything on an even keel, but isn’t always successful. Arthur does odd jobs for people in town to make money for himself and his family….helping a widow do work around the house, helping a young wife tend to her rose garden, even sweeping up in a beauty salon. But, as boys often do, Arthur falls in love. Nola is the most beautiful and most popular girl in the glass, and Arthur has given her his heart completely. When he finally summons up the courage to speak to her, he finds out that she too has a crush….on his brother, Frank, whose own heart is already taken by another. Nola and Arthur become friends, and he sets out to make her see that he is the one she should look to for love.
Reading an Elizabeth Berg novel is, for me, like sitting down and chatting with strangers who quickly become new friends. More than once, I’ve suspected that she somehow found a copy of my adolescent diary and used its entries as a template for a character. (In Earth’s the Right Place for Love, I guess it could have been my younger brother’s diary into which she peeked,). However Ms Berg does it, she manages to create wonderful, realistic snapshots of time peopled by characters who you either feel you have met before or are delighted to have finally made their acquaintance, and that is again the case in this novel . Berg fans may recognize young Arthur, who grows up to be a character in a previous novel, The Story of Arthur Truluv, but it is by no means necessary to have read that earlier novel to enjoy this one. I strongly suspect that if you haven’t, though, by the time you finish this new book you will be racing to grab a copy of the earlier one!
If by some chance you have yet to read one of Elizabeth Berg’s novels, I wholeheartedly suggest that you do so . Those who appreciate gifted storytelling, are in for a real treat with any of her novels. Fans of Elizabeth Strout, Adriana Trigiani, Anne Tyler, or Sue Miller, you will certainly enjoy Ms Berg as well. Grab a cup of tea of a mug of hot chocolate, find a comfortable perch, and give yourself the gift of a few hours in Arthur Moses’ world.
A quiet young boy named Arthur is growing up in a small Missouri town in the 1950’s. He isn’t at all like his athletic, popular big brother Frank, whom he idolizes. He is happiest when he is learning about or looking at the natural world, where no one expects him to know the right thing to say or do. His dad is quick to anger, and generally takes his frustrations out on Frank. His mother tries her best to keep everything on an even keel, but isn’t always successful. Arthur does odd jobs for people in town to make money for himself and his family….helping a widow do work around the house, helping a young wife tend to her rose garden, even sweeping up in a beauty salon. But, as boys often do, Arthur falls in love. Nola is the most beautiful and most popular girl in the glass, and Arthur has given her his heart completely. When he finally summons up the courage to speak to her, he finds out that she too has a crush….on his brother, Frank, whose own heart is already taken by another. Nola and Arthur become friends, and he sets out to make her see that he is the one she should look to for love.
Reading an Elizabeth Berg novel is, for me, like sitting down and chatting with strangers who quickly become new friends. More than once, I’ve suspected that she somehow found a copy of my adolescent diary and used its entries as a template for a character. (In Earth’s the Right Place for Love, I guess it could have been my younger brother’s diary into which she peeked,). However Ms Berg does it, she manages to create wonderful, realistic snapshots of time peopled by characters who you either feel you have met before or are delighted to have finally made their acquaintance, and that is again the case in this novel . Berg fans may recognize young Arthur, who grows up to be a character in a previous novel, The Story of Arthur Truluv, but it is by no means necessary to have read that earlier novel to enjoy this one. I strongly suspect that if you haven’t, though, by the time you finish this new book you will be racing to grab a copy of the earlier one!
If by some chance you have yet to read one of Elizabeth Berg’s novels, I wholeheartedly suggest that you do so . Those who appreciate gifted storytelling, are in for a real treat with any of her novels. Fans of Elizabeth Strout, Adriana Trigiani, Anne Tyler, or Sue Miller, you will certainly enjoy Ms Berg as well. Grab a cup of tea of a mug of hot chocolate, find a comfortable perch, and give yourself the gift of a few hours in Arthur Moses’ world.
ilovestory's review against another edition
5.0
I love the heartwarming stories of Elizabeth Berg. She made Arthur and his brother, Frank, come alive. I'm a big city more than a small-town girl myself, but nonetheless she had me feeling all the feels for this town and its residents.
margaretmechinus's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve read every Berg book. This one did not disappoint. It’s more like a fairy tale. I’m not sure there are teenage boys like Arthur Truluv, but that name tells you all you need to know.
hatrireads's review against another edition
2.0
Sweet story about a kind young man in Missouri who falls in love with a girl that is out of his reach. Or so it seems…
bpelle0207's review against another edition
5.0
I devoured this, I loved it, I felt it in my happy little soul and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
booklovingmom_'s review against another edition
4.0
Earth’s the Right Place for Love is part of the Mason series and a prequel of sorts to The Story of Arthur Truluv. In this story, we follow Arthur Moses through his childhood as he grows up, falls in love and suffers loss.
This is the first book I have read in the series, so I am not sure what goes on for Arthur passed his childhood, but I found this to be a good read and loved learning about Arthur. Arthur strikes me as the sweetest type of young man who knows what he wants, but isn’t sure how to get it. I typically read cozy mysteries or contemporary romances, so this book was outside of my typical scope of reading, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I enjoyed the characters development and seeing how everything tied together. The loss in Arthur’s life allowed him to find what he really was looking for and as sad as parts of this story were, there were enough sweet parts to balance them out. Overall I enjoyed this read and am glad I got the chance to meet Arthur Moses!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!
This is the first book I have read in the series, so I am not sure what goes on for Arthur passed his childhood, but I found this to be a good read and loved learning about Arthur. Arthur strikes me as the sweetest type of young man who knows what he wants, but isn’t sure how to get it. I typically read cozy mysteries or contemporary romances, so this book was outside of my typical scope of reading, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I enjoyed the characters development and seeing how everything tied together. The loss in Arthur’s life allowed him to find what he really was looking for and as sad as parts of this story were, there were enough sweet parts to balance them out. Overall I enjoyed this read and am glad I got the chance to meet Arthur Moses!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!
kategci's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Emani Glee, Random House and NetGalley for the chance to read this forthcoming novel. Arthur Moses in his teens and this is his coming of age story. He loves the beautiful Nola, but Nola only has eyes for his older brother, Frank. Set in the small town of Mason, Missouri, Elizabeth Berg writes beautifully with detail of life growing up in a small town where everyone knows your name and parents. The teenage years are hard and Arthur faces tragedy, not always with grace, but realistically. This is a story of second chances, showing that people can change and sometimes it is all about walking a mile in someone else's shoes.
meghan_readsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I have to admit, I haven't read much of this author but yes I will now! What a wonderful book, Earth's the Right Place for Love is just the kind of engaging character driven story I want to wrap myself in and is filled with writing that is lyrical and powerful at the same time. I know this author has her fans and now please count me as one (runs off to find the other Truluv books).
wls1122's review against another edition
3.0
Think if I had started out this series with this book probably would have rated it 4 like the rest. Instead it was ok but I did skim through some of the story line I felt dragged cus I knew some from the other books!