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Title: Durable Goods : A Novel by ELIZABETH BERG ISBN: 0-8129-6814-X Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 13 May, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.32 (47 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A short, sweet read.
Comment: This is the first novel I've read by Elizabeth Berg and it won't be the last. Her writing style makes you feel you know the characters even with the little background information given about them. "Durable Goods" is a simple and short story about pre-teen Katie who is presently living on an army base in Texas with her abusive father and older sister Diane. We are introduced to the characters in the middle of their lives after something terrible has happened, recently, in the family.
Katie feels alone in her world. Her older sister doesn't pay much attention to her unless it's necessary and her best friend and neighbor, 14-year-old Cherylanne only spends time with her outside of school because of the age difference between them. Cherylanne teaches Katie about "grown up" things like boys, make-up, hair, and dating tips. They are close friends and spend much of their time together. This helps Katie escape from her world of torment for brief moments in her life.
This story is wonderful but sad. The reader wishes they could take Katie out of her present home conditions and put her someplace where she can be happy all the time. Elizabeth Berg makes us care about the characters that we know so little about. "Durable Goods" and the sequel "Joy School" leaves the reader wondering what will happen to Katie and her family.
Rating: 5
Summary: Convincing and emotional story
Comment: Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors. I have read many other books by her and loved each one of them; this one was neither an exception nor a disappointment. This story is twelve-year-old Katie's, and Elizabeth's voice is so convincing that it is hard to believe it was written by an adult. Katie lives in a rural Texas army base with her older sister Diane and their abusive father. I wanted to cry when Katie talked about her mother's death, due to cancer, and I laughed out loud at her confused attempts to keep up with her fourteen-year-old best friend Cheryl. The book brought back memories of myself at almost-teenhood, and it is a very convincing portrait of a young girl's life. Every small but important aspect is covered: Katie's infatuation with her sister's boyfriend, her daydreams of having her own boyfriend, her first period, her curious peekings at the will-be-breasts that are first starting to appear.
Katie's voice is so real and her thoughts so explained that I would become totally lost in the story and come out it a while later to realize that I really wasn't in her world. Elizabeth Berg's Joy School is the sequel to Durable Goods, and I read that one first. However, Durable Goods was still a great book and I recommend it even for those who have already read Joy School. Pick up Durable Goods and join Katie in her fresh, exciting world.
Rating: 5
Summary: A durable story for all ages --
Comment: Narrator Katie is as durable as they come. Tenacious, honest, and sweet, she allows us into her sometimes scary life and shares a view of where most of us came from -- a not-so-normal home. If you liked this book, you'll love "Feeling Sorry for Celia"(Jaclyn Moriarty) and "Shadow Baby" (Alison McGhee).
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Title: Joy School by ELIZABETH BERG ISBN: 0345423097 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 24 March, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: True to Form : A Novel by Elizabeth Berg ISBN: 0743411358 Publisher: Washington Square Press Pub. Date: 13 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg ISBN: 0515120898 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: September, 1997 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg ISBN: 0515119784 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: December, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg ISBN: 0345435028 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 02 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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