Written by New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Berg, The Story of Arthur Truluv is heartwarming and sweet. Main characters Arthur, Maddie, and Lucille each search for a place to belong and their quest brings them together in a most unusual way. Berg creates likeable characters with multi-dimensional personalities, all while exploring themes of love, loss, and family. The narrative is well-paced and moves rather quickly. Berg utilizes lots of figurative language to tell this story, as well as scattering wry bits of humor throughout each chapter. The Story of Arthur Truluv is not a long book, and it really hits its stride during the last fifty pages. It was especially sad to bid goodbye to these charming characters and see their story end. With a satisfying and touching ending, The Story of Arthur Truluv is recommended for those who love poignant and touching fiction. 

Review of an Advance Reader Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Random House

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  16 religious exclamations; 8 mild obscenities; 1 religious profanity; 1 derogatory name; 6 scatological words; 3 anatomical terms; 13 f-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  A few secondhand reports of violence regarding causes of death.

Sex/Nudity:  A few incidents of kissing; a few brief sexual references; a reported incident of sexual activity between an adult and a minor; a brief incident of touching areas normally covered by a bathing suit; a brief incident of nudity with sexual innuendo; a discussion regarding sex; a brief scene with sexual activity without explicit detail between an adult and a minor; a brief yet explicit description of sex with nudity. 

Mature Subject Matter:

Death of family members, teenage pregnancy, attempted suicide, thoughts of suicide, bullying, talk of abortion, mention of homosexuality.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Characters drink in several scenes.