Night of Miracles

Night of Miracles: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg. New York: Random House, 2018. 288 pages. To be published November 2018. *****

Night of Miracles is the sequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv. It can be read as a standalone, however, I highly recommend you read Arthur Truluv first. The main characters are introduced by means of alternating voices in the opening chapters of the novel. Lucille Howard, eighty-eight years old, is living in the house that Arthur left to Maddy and is missing her friends. Lucille is feeling her age and realizing that she may have lived past her time of importance and relevance. Falling in love with Frank in high school and reconnecting at the age of eighty-three, only to have him die of a heart attack before they marry, reinforces the feeling of "here, then gone again." Lucille dreams of Frank, intense dreams, she smells Old Spice and "hears his voice as plain as day." When an angel appears to summon her, Lucille resists and shows why she has to stay.

Iris, Abby, and Monica have their own issues with men, independence, and loneliness.

Berg has a gift for weaving mundane life events together to show how relevant we are in ways that we cannot see and how love can find us when we least expect it. She gives us hope, love, and acceptance in a heartwarming tale of friendship that captivates and amuses. I wish that I had reread Arthur Truluv prior to reading this one, I loved that story and am so glad that Berg wrote the sequel. Not all sequels reflect the craftsmanship of the original story, but Berg does not disappoint her readers. The spirit of Arthur lives on in this heartwarming tale. To be published in November, I will be giving both novels as holiday presents.

I received an ecopy for a review.

My review of The Story of Arthur Truluv.

Elizabeth Berg is the author of many best novels, including Open House, Talk Before Sleep, and the Year of the Pleasures, as well as the short story collectionThe Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted. Durable Goods and Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year.

For more on Elizabeth Berg, check out her website http://www.elizabeth-berg.net and her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bergbooks/.