Life: A Love Story by Elizabeth Berg

LIFE: A LOVE STORY by Elizabeth Berg (The Story of Arthur Truluv and others) has a beautiful cover and expresses some truly wonderful and universal sentiments. Berg introduces readers to Flo, a widow in her nineties. Flo has received a terminal diagnosis and in an effort to wrap up her affairs she crafts a lengthy letter to Ruthie, the now grown woman who, as a young child, was her neighbor and almost a daughter. Flo tells Ruthie “You can do with my things whatever you like but I just think you should know why they are not just objects, but pieces of my life that point to something bigger than my life. I'll tell you what, a rubber band is not just a rubber band, as you will come to see.” Filled with wisdom, this letter includes many memories and meaningful stories (“an autobiography in things”), particularly about Flo’s marriage to Terrence (“She never would have predicted that he would be taking care of her long after he was gone. Yet he is.”), and one which might provide some guidance for Ruthie’s own troubled relationship. Even though this novel is almost a monologue from Flo, it is engaging and thought-provoking, totally enjoyable. I also liked the references to older books and songs (e.g., Mrs. Mike and Jesse) and a comment from Flo’s new friend, Teresa, who says, “You know, I had a patient once tell me that the best index he had to his mental health was whether or not he looked up at the sky every day.” LIFE: A LOVE STORY is a March 2026 LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection and received a starred review from Booklist (“The prolific Berg has a huge following, and this is the author at her heartwarming best.”). Highly recommended.