BOOK REVIEW

Title: The year of pleasures
Author: Elizabeth Berg

In ten words or less: Self-absorbed widow moves to the Midwest.

Betta Nolan is a new widow who is grieving the death of her husband John, a psychiatrist. They had been a perfect couple, and had no need for anyone but each other. John’s daydream had been driving off to the Midwest and opening a mom and pop grocery store. Betta sells their Boston brownstone for $1.6 million and drives west, thinking of John.
She stops for a frozen yoghurt somewhere in her travels, and notices a beautiful Victorian house, which she purchases on a whim. She notices an empty storefront, and dreams of opening a store with luxury items for women. Then feeling lonely, she telephones her college roommates, after losing touch with them years ago. When one friend flies in to spend the weekend with Betta, we learn that she is not living in an isolated small town in the Midwest, but less than an hour from Chicago, though the author feels this must qualify as “isolated.”
This book brought out all my blue collar biases. It’s hard to feel sorry for someone who has over a million dollars, a quality education, and a career that is portable—she is a children’s book author. She has also dropped all her friends when she met her husband, yet they are happy to drop everything and fly to be with her—apparently they have no money or family problems that need their time.
This author was recommended to me by a friend, but I didn’t like this book at all. I didn’t even feel enough empathy for Betta to work up a tear or two.

Why bother? I’ll pass.