The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg

THE CONFESSION CLUB by Elizabeth Berg is this year’s chosen title for the One Book Two Villages program for the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District. There will be a virtual book discussion on Wednesday Aug 12 (more details about registration) and also hopes for a ticketed cocktail party and reception with this wonderful, local author on September 10 – if social distancing and opening up allows. 

THE CONFESSION CLUB is Berg’s third title (after The Story of Arthur Truluv and Night of Miracles) set in the fictional small town of Mason, Missouri.  There, a group of women form a supper club which evolves into the Confession Club – a weekly meeting to share secrets and fears and to bolster each other. Concerns range from economic ones about the health of businesses to more personal ones about attractions to a homeless man or struggles with a fragile marriage. Like Berg’s other works, this new title is a gentle, heartwarming read full of friendship and caring. Throughout, Berg offers hopeful words of wisdom: “All around are broken people, doing the best they can. And getting better.  … Taking risks is just unmasking hope, you know.  Things don’t always work out in this world. But they do often enough. … Walk toward whatever joy you find. You don’t know what’s going to happen. …That’s what life is, at its best. A confession club: people admitting to doubts and fears and failures. That’s what brings us closer to one another, our imperfections.” Recommended, especially for fans of Fanny Flagg and Jan Karon.

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.

Coming of age stories by Aleman and Berg

BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN by Daniel Aleman (Indivisible) is a young adult novel which features a sixteen year-old main character, Maria de la Soledad (called Sol), who clearly struggles with age appropriate identity issues: “even when I try my hardest to be Sol [sun/happy], Soledad [solitude/lonely] has a way of winning ...” All of that is complicated by her status as an American citizen although the rest of her family (including two brothers) have Mexican citizenship and live in Tijuana. The text deals with themes of grief, responsibility, immigration, racism, familial ties and expectations. Sol crosses the border each day to go to school and eventually moves North to continue high school and live with friends while working part-time to support her family. I personally found the effort she made to be crushing and unfair. It reminded me of a cousin who, with little guidance, chose to work 40 hours a week during high school and is now a widow with four young children, perpetuating a life of limited opportunity, even though her siblings graduated college and enjoy six figure incomes. BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN highlights the tensions and pressures faced by students who do not have a strong safety net and adult support. Sol’s deceased Mami was correct when she stressed the importance of education and I do think that teachers would have been more aware and understanding, but they are mere shadows in this story. Sol perseveres, though – she is resilient despite the loneliness she faces. Fortunately, friends like Ari (plus her mother, Nancy) and co-worker Nick fill some of the gap and reinforce a sense of hope. The publisher provides an online book club guide with discussion questions for this emotional text.

In EARTH'S THE RIGHT PLACE FOR LOVE Elizabeth Berg offers a prequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv, sharing Arthur’s coming of age story as a teenager in 1947 Mason, Missouri. The story reflects Berg’s typically gentle, heartwarming writing style, but there is not much action. Arthur falls in love and deals with several family situations, particularly his relationship with his older brother, Frank. Praised by authors like Adriana Trigiani (Big Stone Gap), Rachel Joyce (Miss Benson’s Beetle), and Debbie Macomber, EARTH'S THE RIGHT PLACE FOR LOVE is sure to please loyal Berg readers who will enjoy this relatively short novel with its small town setting and homespun feel.