Elizabeth Berg Reveals The Inspiration Behind Her Novels

Once Upon a Time,
There Was You
(Ballantine Books
October 2011)

Elizabeth Berg
Award-winning Author

Elizabeth Berg

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New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Berg’s immense talent shines in ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS YOU, an unforgettable novel about the power of love, the unshakeable bonds of family, and the beauty of second chances. Here she talks to Authorlink about the comedy of marriage, her writing life, and the inspiration for her 23rd book.

In ONCE UPON A TIME, even on their wedding day, John and Irene sensed that they were about to make a mistake. Years later, divorced, dating other people, and living in different parts of the country, they seem to have nothing in common—nothing except the most important person in each of their lives: Sadie, their spirited eighteen-year-old daughter. Feeling smothered by Irene and distanced from John, Sadie is growing more and more attached to her new boyfriend, Ron. When tragedy strikes, Irene and John come together to support the daughter they love so dearly. What takes longer is to remember how they really feel about each other.

Booklist calls Berg “An enchanting and empathic storyteller" who delights in the eccentricities that shape complex personalities and excels in decoding the chemistry and paradoxes of relationships. She is also an avid appreciator of the pleasures of food, funny and assuring on the subject of age, and an advocate for kindness. All these elements are at work in her latest comedy of marriage.

ONCE UPON A TIME is a powerful, beautifully told story about an American family’s rediscovery of the power of love in the midst of a crisis.        

Elizabeth Berg is the author of many bestselling novels, as well as two collections of short stories and two works of nonfiction. Open House was an Oprah’s Book Club selection, Durable Goods and Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year, and Talk Before Sleep was short-listed for an ABBY Award. Berg has been honored by both the Boston Public Library and the Chicago Public Library, and is a recipient of the New England Booksellers Award for her body of work. Her writing has been translated into twenty-seven languages, and she adapted her novel Pull of the Moon into a play that has been successfully performed on two stages in the Chicago area. Berg lives in Chicago. Learn more at www.elizabeth-berg.net.

–Doris Booth