Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/28/2011
ISBN-13: 9780393076592
ISBN-10: 0393076598

This debut novel, written by one of the National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35" writers, tells several seemingly separate stories of a variety of children--children who are kidnapped, who run away, who detach emotionally from their present lives, or who simply grow up--and how they find their places in the world. In this story told from many different viewpoints, it's the characters, not the plot, that take center stage: "we don't empathize with them--we slip into their skins," says O Magazine. Fans of subtly linked, character-driven stories will enjoy this haunting tale.

Publisher: Scribner
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/08/2011
ISBN-13: 9781439198308
ISBN-10: 1439198306

Change is the name of the game in author Carol Edgarian's second novel (her first, Rise the Euphrates, was published in 1994), which is set in San Francisco during the first year of Barack Obama's presidency. It stars Lena Rusch and her husband Charlie Pepper, whose strong marriage is tested by illness and loss, business prospects gone south thanks to the economic crash, and the reappearance of an old lover--not to mention the normal challenges of parenting and aging. If you're looking for a fictional representation of how the privileged classes have struggled during recent years (like Jess Walter's The Financial Lives of the Poets), this is a true-to-life and powerfully written novel to try.

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Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/15/2011
ISBN-13: 9781451616750
ISBN-10: 1451616759

This dark tale, which was inspired by a real-life case, takes place in what seems to be (at first glance) the idyllic if rather dull farming community of Haeden, New York. But there are disturbing undercurrents at work here, which becomes all too clear early on in the novel. Shifting viewpoints take us from the perspective of the local paper's editor to a murder victim to the parents of a dangerously smart teenage girl, among many others. Though Booklist calls this debut a "mixture of The Lovely Bones and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," it's much more complex than that. Readers aware of--or interested in--the environmental and social issues facing rural America will also want to pick it up.

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780802119438
ISBN-10: 0802119433

Eddie Alley was raised in the Virginia mountains during the Depression. His father worked far from home; there were rumors that his mother was a witch. After escaping his rural upbringing, Eddie became a television host specializing in horror movies, but the normalcy of his adult life is upended when he takes in a homeless boy. At the same time, his daughter, Wallis, begins to display some of her grandmother's peculiar behaviors. The novel moves back and forth from 1940s Appalachia to present-day New York; regardless of the locale, People magazine praises author Sheri Holman's use of "tiny, achingly accurate details to bring each moment to life on the page."

Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/08/2011
ISBN-13: 9780385343831
ISBN-10: 0385343833

A New York Times bestseller not long after it was released, this debut novel has been receiving high praise from numerous sources. The plot is fairly simple: on a goodwill mission in the war-torn Balkans, medic Natalia learns that her grandfather has died not far from where she is, but very far from home. Curious about his death and wanting to see for herself, she travels the countryside in search of answers. It is not her adventures, but rather her memories of this grandfather and the stories he told (one of which concerns a "deathless man" who collects souls, another a tiger befriended by an abused young woman) that will capture your attention. With a strong sense of place, this "luminous" (New York Times) novel will appeal to readers of literary fiction.

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In honor of Elizabeth Berg's latest novel, Once Upon a Time There Was You, we've put together a selection of books for her fans. Berg's novels deal with serious subjects like terminal illness as well as with themes of mid-life crises or unrequited love, but she treats these topics with dignity--and a touch of humor when appropriate. The women in her novels, like those in the books below, are easy to relate to and are placed in situations that require them to discover their inner strength. We hope you find something new here to enjoy.

Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2003
ISBN-13: 9780670032068
ISBN-10: 0670032069

After 25 years, Londoner Rose Lloyd's marriage has fallen apart, taking her career with it when her younger assistant gets both her job and her husband. Faced with the prospect of starting over in her late 40s, Rose first falls apart but eventually finds strength in the options now open to her. New jobs, new friendships, and an old lover are just some of the surprises in store for her. A bestseller in England, this is a "wry and elegant tale about a woman of a certain age fighting back and winning unexpected victories" (Kirkus Reviews) and a must-read for fans of Elizabeth Berg.

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Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/01/2008
ISBN-13: 9780393330441
ISBN-10: 0393330443

Grieving over the sudden loss of her five-year-old daughter, Mary Baxter joins a knitting circle at the suggestion of her geographically (and emotionally) distant mother. There, she finds companionship and support as she learns not only new stitches but also valuable lessons of friendship, love, and redemption from the other members, who have also suffered through and survived losses of their own. Readers familiar with Elizabeth Berg will recognize the support system that other women can provide; those who have already read this popular novel should try Ann Hood's latest, The Red Thread.

Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/01/2008
ISBN-13: 9780060798925
ISBN-10: 0060798920

Angela Russo, a 33-year-old event planner in NYC, is stuck in a rut in both her personal life and her career, so at the suggestion of a friend she signs up for an online dating service, where she meets Maine-based sailing instructor "MaineCatch." After a disastrous work event, Angela flees to Maine to take her chances with the sailor, but she finds that neither Maine nor MaineCatch is quite as picture-perfect as she thought. Author Christina Kline's "perfect sense of character" (Publishers Weekly) and Angela's own ability to construct a new life for herself will appeal to fans of Elizabeth Berg.

Publisher: Knopf
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/01/2004
ISBN-13: 9781400032112
ISBN-10: 1400032113

Devastated after a terrible incident fractures her family, Rachel Jensen is barely able to get out of bed, so focused is she on trying to figure out exactly what went wrong--and when. Though told from Rachel's point of view, the center of the story is really her teenage daughter, Kate. Once a straight-A student and a popular and vigorous athlete, Kate is now in a reform school, while her formerly happy parents are separated. The story of how and why the family disintegrated is "seamlessly well written, intensely emotional, and impossible to put down" (VOYA).

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