Elizabeth Berg's new book, The Story of Arthur Truluv, examines emotional loss and new found hope through the lens of different generations, seniors and young adults. Arthur lost his beloved wife Nola and goes to her grave site every day. He and his neighbor Lucille, both in the senior category, strike up an unlikely friendship with Maddy, a troubled teen with an indifferent father and a bad-boy boyfriend. The three reach out to each other, consciously and unconsciously to establish a community of caring. The book sweetly explores the human desire to be useful as one ages. For that reason the book should appeal to the retirement crowd. More importantly, the story demonstrates our desire to know at all times that there is a family, biological or not, that will help turn time, as the book says, from a time of waiting to a time of adventure.

Having said that the book should appeal to a retirement crowd, it should equally appeal to late teens and adults who may someday remember the wisdom the book contains.

I could not put this book down. "If We Were Villains" is a gripping examination of the roles that individuals adopt as part of a group that is as close as, or closer than family. In this book, the individuals are college students studying theater, specifically Shakespeare, in an intense environment. As with any group, the dynamics among the individuals morph as the pressure accelerate. Love, hate, envy, desire, all ebb and swell day to day leading to an horrific event.

This beautifully written book raises questions of loyalty, sacrifice and selfishness. And the question remains, do we adopt the role of hero or villain, or is the role assigned to us? Highly recommended.

I obtained this book from Bookbrowse to review, and I am happy I did. The Imperial Wife, by Irina Reyn is the second book I've read this summer relating to the market for Russian art and artifacts. It is by far the better one and a good choice for a book club.

The book views life from the perspective of a current day Russian art specialist, an immigrant to the US, and a 1700s Sophia Frederika Augusta, immigrating to Russia to become part of the royal family. The parallels are fascinating. The book deals with marriage and family, and the irresistible impulse to acquire what we desire, be it money, people or art works. The book explores the life of immigrants, a very hot topic in the country right now. The writing is crisp and literary. It was a pleasure to read..

The Widow, by Fiona Barton, raises a question that is sure to make the reader uncomfortable: how well do you really know the person with whom you live? Is your spouse really the ideal husband, or is he a twisted soul fighting to maintain a veneer of the socially accepted? That question alone will keep the reader engaged in the book.

Jean's husband was accused of the unspeakable crime with the disappearance of a little two year old girl. Evidence based on the presence of his blue delivery van in the area is all, at first that ties him to the crime. Jean can't even entertain the thought that he may be involved.

But....when her husband dies, Jean changes from the biggest advocate and protector to something else. It turns out that Jean has been hiding secrets as well. She has developed a spooking interest in little children herself. And she finds an affiliation with the police charged with finding the little girl.

In the end, one ponders the cause and effect of the actions that the couple takes, individually and collectively.

This psychological thriller is well written. I don't think that the plot was as intricate, or as nuanced, as the Girl on the Train. The subject is intriguing and worthy of thought.

I enjoyed reading this book as it is well written. The chapters are a study of a few families in a small town on the eastern shore. Each chapter could stand on its own as a short story.

The chapters are not linear. The timeline or lack of time line, troubled me somewhat in keeping track of the relationships. The final version, it seems,will contain a family tree that may make it easier to follow.

As the book jumps from decade to decade and to different points of view, the stories highlight how decisions of the past help to dictate the future. I did think that the two episodes taking place in the future could have been a separate book of science fiction. The two did reveal the themes of isolation as both a good and bad attribute of the little town, and that people will "cook" whatever is necessary to survive, be it meth or moonshine.

I live near the eastern shore and love the area. One disappointment for me was that the bounty and beauty of the area rarely surfaced in the storytelling. Only in the last chapter would someone not familiar with the area understand its value.

None of the concerns above, however, would prevent me from reading the next book by this first time author. She has a lot to offer and I look forward to enjoying her work again.