Genres
Collection
Publication
Ballantine Books (2006), Edition: Reprint, 225 pages
Description
Betta Nolan moves to a small town after the death of her husband to try to begin anew. Pursuing a dream of a different kind of life, she is determined to find pleasure in her simply daily routines. Among those who help her in both expected and unexpected ways are the ten-year-old boy next door, three wild women friends from her college days, a twenty-year-old who is struggling to find his place in the world, and a handsome man who is ready for love.
User reviews
LibraryThing member rachelellen
Elizabeth Berg has done it again, with this book whose characters are knowable and whose issues resonate even for those who've never dealt with them in reality.
LibraryThing member kayla18
Some inappropriate content, but good writing style.
LibraryThing member WittyreaderLI
When Betta's husband John passes away, she moves to a new city and begins a new life. The plot itself sounds depressing, but the story is filled with Berg's beautiful language and imagery. This book, at 200 pages, was a quick but wonderful read. Berg fills her pages with memorable, warm characters
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that fill Betta's empty life with purpose. I really enjoyed this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member cathinpa
A selection of my book club, it was a quick read but not a favorite of mine. Everything in the book was just too perfect. The book was about finding pleasures and happiness in everything, but the circumstances the main character experienced were just too perfect to be plausible or real.
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
How we cope with grief is always a gripping story. Berg does a great job with the topic.
LibraryThing member writestuff
How do we move forward when all we want to do is stand still? How do we overcome our grief in order to find joy again? These are the central questions which rise from the pages of Elizabeth Berg's wonderful novel The Year Of Pleasures.
The story revolves around a middle aged woman, Betta Nolan, who
Berg has a wonderful gift - she is able to wrap a story around the reader like a warm blanket on a cold night. Her ability to show the depth of women's friendships and the pleasure in simple things is amazing. With attention to detail and flawless dialogue, Berg is able to transport the reader into the lives of her characters. As most of her books do, this one had me laughing and crying and wishing it would never end.
Highly recommended.
The story revolves around a middle aged woman, Betta Nolan, who
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finds herself suddenly without her beloved husband, John. As the book progresses, the reader is carried along on Betta's journey of rediscovery. She moves from Boston to a small town in Illinois where she learns that some friendships never die and the slow rhythm of life can open new doors to self-fulfillment. The characters between the pages of this book simply shine - Bennie, the ten year old who lives next door; Matthew, the twenty something college kid; Lydia, an elderly woman with her own deeply embedded painful memories; the three wild women friends from Betta's college years; and finally, John. The reader never meets John before his death, and yet his character comes alive in the novel through the tiny scraps of paper he leaves behind in a cigar box, and ultimately through Betta's memories of him.Berg has a wonderful gift - she is able to wrap a story around the reader like a warm blanket on a cold night. Her ability to show the depth of women's friendships and the pleasure in simple things is amazing. With attention to detail and flawless dialogue, Berg is able to transport the reader into the lives of her characters. As most of her books do, this one had me laughing and crying and wishing it would never end.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member punxsygal
A novel of learning to live after loss. I wished I had been reading my own copy with a highlighter in hand--there was much that I wanted to remember.
LibraryThing member labelleaurore
I was taken aback by Mrs Berg' style of writting, like if she were sitting right beside me and talking to me. A refreshing line each time you read her. I will read more of hers, for sure.
LibraryThing member rachelann
Like most of her other books this one was pretty sad, but I did enjoy it more than some of the other more depressing ones.
LibraryThing member heike6
This is the first book I've read by Elizabeth Berg. I doubt I'll read any more because they all seem to involve death, illness, or divorce. The main character loses her husband and picks up and moves to a small town in the midwest, like they had always dreamed of doing together. She realizes that
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she didn't have any friends other than him, and gets back in touch with her old college roommates. Between them and the new friends she makes, the grieving process (which supposedly takes a year) turns into a "year of pleasures."The writing was excellent. It was easy to read but still challenging, and I didn't want to stop reading it once I started.After reading this book, I've decided that I'm at a point in my life where I don't want to read about widows any more. I haven't even got a husband- I can't think about him dying yet!! Show Less
LibraryThing member hammockqueen
I didn't much enjoy this int he book form so I tried it on cd and still wasn't much thrilled by it. Sorry Elizabeth Berg. I usually love your works. A widowed woman buys a house with a friendly little boy neigh., reunites with friends from college and gets on with her life.
LibraryThing member whimsicalkitten
Like all of Elizabeth Berg's books, this one verges on being trite, but is oh so heartwarming. The first book in a very long time that I hated to see come to an end, and it was as if I was saying goodby to my own very best friends.
LibraryThing member booksandbosox
Betta Nolan has just lost her best friend and husband to cancer. On a promise to him and a whim of her own, she drives across the country and lands in the middle of it - Stewart, Illinois. This novel relates her experiences there as she grieves and starts her life again.
I would give this four and a
Berg has given readers a novel that will show them the questions we may not consider until we are faced with the same situation - how does one move on after a loss? Is there a proper way to grieve? I will definitely be reading more by this wonderful author in the future.
I would give this four and a
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half stars. It was truly a pleasure to read. Berg takes what could have been a very heartbreaking story and injects it with enough love and humor to make it enjoyable rather than depressing. Readers are still able to see the depths of Betta's grief, but they never feel weighed down by it. I really liked the fact that Betta was truly alone in the beginning - her and John's relationship was so insular; they never needed anyone else. It provided a great way to introduce characters - this woman is desperate for a connection again. I really enjoyed all the characters introduced throughout this novel, except perhaps Tom. The relationship with Tom was my biggest issue here. It just seemed unnecessary and unlikely, but I understand Berg was using it to showcase another aspect of the grieving process. I especially loved the roles that Benny and Matthew played, though at times I wanted to hit Matthew over the head. I also loved the ease with which Betta was able to reconnect with college friends - it's what I hope to be able to do when I'm her age. I especially loved the last two chapters - very realistic and a wonderful ending. Additionally, the prose was quite lovely, although there were occasions when she used an "SAT word" when it didn't seem necessary.Berg has given readers a novel that will show them the questions we may not consider until we are faced with the same situation - how does one move on after a loss? Is there a proper way to grieve? I will definitely be reading more by this wonderful author in the future.
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LibraryThing member tloeffler
I was disappointed in this book. I found it predictable and unrealistic. Everyone seemed to have unlimited incomes, everyone became immediate best friends, everyone's marriage was perfect. When it was over, I just thought "whatever." I expected better.
LibraryThing member Mychiefthemama
Given to me by Linda for my birthday. A peaceful read.
LibraryThing member elliepotten
I have to say, I had my reservations about this book. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but when I picked it up at the library the style seemed to be aimed at more mature women, and I worried that I didn’t have enough life experience to fully appreciate a book about a woman who
I needn’t have worried. I became thoroughly absorbed in the story of Betta Nolan, a woman in her fifties, recently bereaved and trying to follow her husband’s last wishes for the direction her life should go after his death. The reader first meets her driving through the American countryside. She and John had dreamed of packing up their lives and driving randomly until they came across a nice town where they could start a new life. Now Betta is taking up the challenge on her own, both as a distraction from her grief and to honour her promise to live her life to the full.
The story meanders through her unhappiness, her bravery, and her faltering steps as a single woman in a new place. She meets new people, catches up with old friends, and nurtures her lifelong dream to open a beautiful shop called ‘What A Woman Wants’, full of vintage treasures and comforting femininity. She reaches out to young people and old people alike, takes risks, and reaps the rewards. Slowly grief begins to give way to hope and the whispers of a happy future, with wonderful memories instead of painful regret.
I think this story has something for everyone – it is full of wisdom and humour, it has a mixed bunch of characters to appeal to different readers, and anyone who has ever lost anyone can relate to Betta’s journey, whether they have been bereaved after thirty years or broken up with a boyfriend after a few months. Ultimately it is a novel about simple pleasures, counting blessings, taking chances and making the most of every precious day – and that’s something we could all do with being reminded of every once in a while. I might just read more of Elizabeth Berg’s work now…
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has lost her husband of many years to cancer.I needn’t have worried. I became thoroughly absorbed in the story of Betta Nolan, a woman in her fifties, recently bereaved and trying to follow her husband’s last wishes for the direction her life should go after his death. The reader first meets her driving through the American countryside. She and John had dreamed of packing up their lives and driving randomly until they came across a nice town where they could start a new life. Now Betta is taking up the challenge on her own, both as a distraction from her grief and to honour her promise to live her life to the full.
The story meanders through her unhappiness, her bravery, and her faltering steps as a single woman in a new place. She meets new people, catches up with old friends, and nurtures her lifelong dream to open a beautiful shop called ‘What A Woman Wants’, full of vintage treasures and comforting femininity. She reaches out to young people and old people alike, takes risks, and reaps the rewards. Slowly grief begins to give way to hope and the whispers of a happy future, with wonderful memories instead of painful regret.
I think this story has something for everyone – it is full of wisdom and humour, it has a mixed bunch of characters to appeal to different readers, and anyone who has ever lost anyone can relate to Betta’s journey, whether they have been bereaved after thirty years or broken up with a boyfriend after a few months. Ultimately it is a novel about simple pleasures, counting blessings, taking chances and making the most of every precious day – and that’s something we could all do with being reminded of every once in a while. I might just read more of Elizabeth Berg’s work now…
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LibraryThing member taramatchi
What a sweet book, and I use the word "sweet" on purpose. It is a tender and rather light story of a woman dealing with the grief of losing her husband and trying to move on with her life. Berg created really enduring characters that help her with the challenge of moving on. For a book on grief, I
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found it more hopeful than depressing and it had a great message for all those who have lost someone they loved. Show Less
LibraryThing member susanheim
This was the first book I have ever read by Elizabeth Berg and it was a treat. I loved the characters - Delores the real estate agent, Jovani the roommate and Lorraine the good friend. And, of course, Matthew, the "last puppy in the cage". I even liked the "mean" ones - Melanie and Lydia. Berg made
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the Midwest seem so romantic I had fantasies about moving to a place that actually has seasons so I could gather fall leaves and lay them across my own kitchen windowsill. When she wrote about awkward moments like the forced friendly conversation with her Boston neighbor Sheila and the first date with Tom, it seemed so real I felt embarrassed for Betta! The Year of Pleasures was a delightful read and I will definitely be looking for other books by Elizabeth Berg. I may have one appear in my mailbox. There was this website - readberg.com -that offered, in exchange for a short review, to mail a "classic" Elizabeth Berg book while supplies last. It's the while supplies last that will probably kick me out of the free book line - I'm sure I am late to the party..again! Show Less
LibraryThing member WintersRose
When Betta Nolan's beloved husband dies, she sells their New York City house and moves to a small town near Chicago, fulfilling a dream they had conceived as a couple. Immdiately Betta reconnects with three housemates from her college days and also forms new friendships with her realtor, the former
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owner of her new home, a neighbor child, and a lovelorn young man. All the while Betta grieves for her husband, puzzles at the meaning of the notes he left her, and tries to decide whether to open a women's pampering shop. Romance is also in the offing. This isn't great literature, but it will inspire you to romancing your spouse and connecting with friends. Show Less
LibraryThing member silenceiseverything
I won this book from one of Goodreads First Reads contest. I've read two other books by Elizabeth Berg, Durable Goods and Joy School, and having loved them, I found The Year of Pleasures a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't even the fact that her late husband was seemingly perfect or that she could
Now, there were a couple of things I liked in this book (hence why I gave it a three star rating), first and foremost, Jovani. He was one of my favorite characters. Sure, he was introduced a tad bit late, but who can resist a hot Brazilian guy (because in my mind he is hot...sort of like an Antonio Banderas type, but a bit more young and yes I know Antonio Banderas isn't Brazilian, but he is hot nonetheless, no woman can disagree with this) with an accent who knows English, but gets it a bit mixed up at times, not this woman, that's for sure. He was just so lovable. I really wanted to get more of him. That's actually another problem with The Year of Pleasures. I felt that the supporting characters weren't that fleshed out. I thought Elizabeth Berg could've done a whole lot more with Jovani, Matthew, Delores, Lydia, and Benny. I tend to have an extreme love for supporting characters (often liking them more than the actual main character), so to not have these characters more integrated in the plot was a bit of a letdown.
Another thing I liked was the idea of the store "What Woman Want" (or "What Wants A Woman" according to Jovani). I thought it was just a great idea for a store. If anybody has absolutely any idea whether a place like this actually exists, please comment, and I will forever thank you.
Anyway, so The Year of Pleasure was just an okay read for me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It's a good rainy day read, but I myself would pick another Elizabeth Berg book. (Like Durable Goods).
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link with her best friends, that she hadn't seen in thirty years, so quickly. No, my problem with The Year of Pleasures was that the plot just went every which way. And just included a lot of little things that I felt went absolutely nowhere. Now, there were a couple of things I liked in this book (hence why I gave it a three star rating), first and foremost, Jovani. He was one of my favorite characters. Sure, he was introduced a tad bit late, but who can resist a hot Brazilian guy (because in my mind he is hot...sort of like an Antonio Banderas type, but a bit more young and yes I know Antonio Banderas isn't Brazilian, but he is hot nonetheless, no woman can disagree with this) with an accent who knows English, but gets it a bit mixed up at times, not this woman, that's for sure. He was just so lovable. I really wanted to get more of him. That's actually another problem with The Year of Pleasures. I felt that the supporting characters weren't that fleshed out. I thought Elizabeth Berg could've done a whole lot more with Jovani, Matthew, Delores, Lydia, and Benny. I tend to have an extreme love for supporting characters (often liking them more than the actual main character), so to not have these characters more integrated in the plot was a bit of a letdown.
Another thing I liked was the idea of the store "What Woman Want" (or "What Wants A Woman" according to Jovani). I thought it was just a great idea for a store. If anybody has absolutely any idea whether a place like this actually exists, please comment, and I will forever thank you.
Anyway, so The Year of Pleasure was just an okay read for me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It's a good rainy day read, but I myself would pick another Elizabeth Berg book. (Like Durable Goods).
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LibraryThing member BinnieBee
This book really was inspiring. I suggest it for anyone who has lost a spouse.
LibraryThing member Brandie
Sweet book. A bit hard for me to relate to as not having that life experience, but yet, not too difficult that I couldn't kind of get it ... if that makes sense. Anyway, I enjoy it. This is the second Berg novel I have read and I have a feeling I will be reading others as well!
LibraryThing member jessibud2
I love Elizabeth Berg's writing. While this one wasn't as good as a few others of hers that I've read, I am always caught up with her characters. Berg also has a way of expressing emotion and thoughts in such simple yet illuminating ways. This is a story of a woman's first months as a widow, and
"I felt my aloneness like a coat. You think you get used to death in the dying. But after the dying is done, you see how the end is the beginning."
"There was a great discomfort with quiet, with stillness, at the same time that there was acknowledgement of how valuable these things could be. I once read an essay about a woman who spent an entire day simply looking at what she had, really seeing all the things she'd put in her house. I was as guilty as anyone else of buying books I never read, of rushing through days without ever looking up, of taking for granted things for which I should give thanks every day. Who appreciated their good health until they lost it?..."
"...so much of grieving was holding things at bay, resisting a great force bearing down. Every now and then it broke through. Nowhere to go then, but tears or the nether land of sleep."
"How are poets able to unzip what they see around them, calling forth a truer essence from behind a common fact?"
"But it seemed to me that this was the way we all lived: full to the brim with gratitude and joy one day, wrecked on the rocks the next. Finding the balance between the two was the art and the salvation."
Actually, this was not a depressing book. Not at all. It felt like a lesson in survival, in being brave but at the same tie, on a level that felt very real.
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her journey through coping. I think I will just jot down some passages that I loved:"I felt my aloneness like a coat. You think you get used to death in the dying. But after the dying is done, you see how the end is the beginning."
"There was a great discomfort with quiet, with stillness, at the same time that there was acknowledgement of how valuable these things could be. I once read an essay about a woman who spent an entire day simply looking at what she had, really seeing all the things she'd put in her house. I was as guilty as anyone else of buying books I never read, of rushing through days without ever looking up, of taking for granted things for which I should give thanks every day. Who appreciated their good health until they lost it?..."
"...so much of grieving was holding things at bay, resisting a great force bearing down. Every now and then it broke through. Nowhere to go then, but tears or the nether land of sleep."
"How are poets able to unzip what they see around them, calling forth a truer essence from behind a common fact?"
"But it seemed to me that this was the way we all lived: full to the brim with gratitude and joy one day, wrecked on the rocks the next. Finding the balance between the two was the art and the salvation."
Actually, this was not a depressing book. Not at all. It felt like a lesson in survival, in being brave but at the same tie, on a level that felt very real.
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LibraryThing member susanbeamon
This is a soft book touching on the often painful subject of surviving widowhood. It covered the confusing state of affairs when a life is changed by the death of another, important part of that life. I'm not sure those would have been my choices, but they work in the story of our newly minted
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widow, Bitta. Show Less
LibraryThing member PaperbackPirate
I've been putting off reading this book because it's about a woman whose husband has died and I have been trying not to read books with dead husbands. This book wasn't overly sad though. The widow gets in her car and drives until she gets to a town she feels she should live in. The citizens and her
I liked this story because it reminded me of The Mitford Series by Jan Karon, where one person's problem is another person's solution.
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long-lost college roommates help her put her life back together as she tries to make sense of the little notes her husband left her to find after he died. I liked this story because it reminded me of The Mitford Series by Jan Karon, where one person's problem is another person's solution.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005
Physical description
225 p.; 8 inches
DDC/MDS
| 813 |
ISBN
0812970993 / 9780812970999
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Pages
225