Ah, if we all could age as gracefully as Arthur Moses. Arthur has lost his wife and goes to the cemetery everyday to have lunch with his Nola. This helps give him some structure to his day along with short visits to his neighbor Lucille and conversation with his cat Gordon.
While at the cemetery, he meets Maddy, a seventeen-year-old who hides out there when she wants to ditch school. Bullied by her classmates and alienated from her father, motherless Maddy hangs out in the cemetery a lot. Striking up a conversation with Arthur, Maddy is so impressed by Arthur’s devotion to his wife, she nicknames him Arthur Truluv.
As Arthur and Maddy grow closer, Arthur branches out and deepens his friendship to Lucille, helping her come to terms with the death of her high school sweetheart. When Maddy gets pregnant by her no-good bum of a boyfriend, Arthur steps in and offers Maddy a place to stay and a job as his housekeeper.
Lucille, maybe a little jealous of Maddy and Arthur, decides she wants to move in with them too, so she is in a better position to mother-hen Maddy through her pregnancy.
Maddy, courtesy of Mr. Rogers, has a mantra she has used to get her through the tough times in her life: “Look for the helper.” Thanks to Arthur and Lucille, Maddy has not only helpers but a cobbled together family that give her the attention and affection that has been missing in her life.
Arthur’s big heart make this book a sweet tale about loss and new beginnings. If you need a book to make you smile, Elizabeth Berg’s The Story of Arthur Truluv will fit the bill. Check out a print copy from the Augusta-Richmond County Library today.
