After finishing Claire Messud’s stark story of loneliness and betrayal, I needed a 
reaffirmation of the human spirit, and who better than Elizabeth Berg – one of my guilty pleasures – with her latest tale of friendship and happy endings in Tapestry of Fortunes.
The framework resembles Kris Radish’s Annie Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral, but this time the road trip of four friends seeks to bury old lives rather than a body. Cece Ross has come to a midlife crisis after her best friend Penny dies; unsatisfied with her life as a motivational speaker and writer of self-help books, Cece decides to sell her house, move in with three strangers, and rekindle the true love of her youth. As part of her renewal, she volunteers at a hospice and befriends a dying young man and his fiancee.
The road trip forces all the women (Cece’s new roommates) to face their fears, and make changes in their lives – with the help of fortune telling cards. All ends well, of course, with Cece reunited with her love, and the others resolving their own issues.
If you are a fan of Berg, you will know the story before it begins, and connect with her thoughtful notes:
“…someone who drives past a house she used to live in and finds it changed feels it in the gut.”
“…I hate this yin-yang life that is always pulling the rug out from beneath your feet…{but} when you lose something…there is room for the next thing.”
” It only needs a small quantity of hope to beget love.” Stendhal
And her reminders of authors to reread:
- Penelope Lively – How It All Began
- Stendhal’s Memoirs of an Egoist
More Elizabeth Berg books:
The No Charge Book Bunch 
I really like Berg but have to take extended breaks because so many of her stories feel so similar.
I hadn’t thought of that but you are right!
It’s been a while since I read Berg. Forgot how enjoyable her books can be! I might pick her up next time I’m looking for something on the lighter side.
Got the Cather book – along with two graphics books – memoirs by Alison Bechdel. This is my first experience with graphic novels, but the little bit I browsed in the bookstore hooked me.
My introduction to the graphic novel was The Invention of Hugo Cabret – before the movie – maybe I’ll try one again. Let me know what you think of Cather’s letters. I always think she’s talking personally to me when I read her novels – will be fun to know what was really going on in her mind.