Rating: 
Summary: Different interpretation
Review: I think the author is sympathetic to both the children and the mother. However, some reviewers are more sympathetic to the mother than the children. The author shows that children do NOT want to be friends with their mothers (as one of the daughters says). Children need a parent who takes care of them and is there for them, and NOT remote and unattainable. Mature parents have to meet their children's needs first and thir own needs second. Marion had other choices-she could have grown and pursued her artistic interests while the children were in school and stopped being a false self without leaving the children. The author understands the children' suffering and does not expect children to nuture their parents.
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Summary: Thoroughly enjoyed this thru the night; paying for it now
Review: I just finished Bergs novel , What We Keep, and must say how surprised I am that I really enjoyed this book. I was not particularly thrilled with others of hers, but this was a great read! I found some of the ending a bit hard to believe, but for the most part seemed real. I have no idea what it must be like for a young girl to lose her mother this way, or any way for that matter. But Berg made it feel real, the girls pain very real, and how they dealt with it. It made me grateful for the wonderful mother I have. Read it and love your mother for everything!
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Summary: BERG WRITES BEAUTIFULLY
Review: I am an avid fan of Berg, and in "What We Keep" she enhances my devotion to her expert writing.The tale explores motherhood, the bond of mothers and daughters, lost dreams, revengeful isolation, and reconcilation. Written with clarity of characters, impressive descriptions, heart-rendingly believable situations, this is a must read. The ending bares some unrealistic traits, thus the 4 stars instead of 5. Tori Amos's lyrics begin the book, and after the read they will haunt you. I can only wonder how much the lyrics birthed the book, but it is of no matter. The book delivers on nearly all counts. Well done, Ms. Berg, one of my new favorite author's.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, but a few strengths
Review: I am on the whole disappointed by this book. It has some good points: some of the writing is good, and Berg's images of childhood and the dynamics of sister-hood feel true and honest, for example. There are some wonderful descriptions of houses, department stores, clothing, food, etc. -- details that add to the book and allow you to visualize what you are reading. In fact, the book reads rather like a movie. But the book has some major flaws: the plot is unoriginal, and Berg adds nothing to it to spice it up or make it different from any other number of long-lost parent/anguished mother-daughter type stories. Everything is quite predictable, besides one or two small surprises at the end, and in many ways the story is unbelievable. The character of the mother and her relationship to the father was never developed enough to have the events of the book make any real sense. Both parents are more like stock characters than real people -- you can find people just like them in any book or movie about family life in the 50s. I also found the reactions of the girls to their mother after her departure to be somewhat unrealistic in light of their former personalities -- they responded, uncharacteristically, with the bitterness of older teenagers, not with the sensitivity of young adolescents that they had displayed all along. Worst of all, the dialogue between the narrator and the woman on the plane was completely unrealistic. Very rarely do complete strangers speak so openly, so quickly, and so intrusively to each other. Yes, it could really happen, but then it needs to explained and developed better than it was. I felt that the character of the woman on the plane was put there simply to give the narrator someone to blab to, and she annoyed me in her unrealism. Finally, the last two pages of the book were completely unnecessary and take away greatly from everything else. They are preachy, cliche, and so predictable you almost wonder at Elizabeth Berg for including them in the final edit. Above all, they disrespective the reader and his/her own capabilities to draw larger, meaningful conclusions from the story. Instead, Berg spoonfeeds us her own little "this is what it all means" epiteth. Anyone who appreciates intelligent literature will find this extremely annoying. I give this book three stars, which is to say it is neither good nor very bad. It is seriously flawed, but has some strengths. It makes for a somewhat entertaining, although not fulfilling, read. If you're looking for a quality novel that will really capture you and make you think, look elsewhere; you will be very disappointed. If you're bored, though, and just looking for a quick, easy, simple read, and if you like emotional stories about mothers and daughters, then it may be worth your while. I don't really recommend it, but it all depends on how important quality of plot and character are to you.
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Summary: Strictly Girl Stuff
Review: I didn't particularly like Berg's novel, but I thought the subject made compelling reading. It's like eavesdropping; we know we shouldn't listen, but we are fascinated by other people's problems. What Berg does well is to focus on a particular relationship, and show us that relationship through the eyes of an adolescent. In flipping through several of her novels I have noticed that she often uses a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl as the main protagonist, that most of her books are in the first person, and that they all deal with emotional crises of one sort or another: death, divorce, abuse, abandonment, forgiveness. These are the themes she illustrates through her stories. The writing is simplistic, but immediate; the reader gets a close look at what it's like to be a young adolescent girl.
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Summary: The powerful love of family
Review: I thought this book was ingenious. The basic plot is one of a loving family trying to survive the summer doldrums until an exotic neighbor moves next door and seems to tangle their straight-laced life. But it goes deeper. Berg also explores the strong bond of family and probes how deeply the roots of love and loyalty lie. The family is divided and come together decades later during a moment of crisis. Will all be forgiven? Read it and find out. Needless to say, this was one of my favorite books by Elizabeth Berg and like her writing it is powerful and true.
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Summary: A story that will touch your heart.
Review: I related to this story in so many ways, I was touched by it's honesty, it's purity, it's simple statements that jabbed my heart. This book's message is so very strong, yet it is said in the lightest of ways. Somehow Ms. Berg manages to not overdo the fluff. She presents the story of a mother lost between two worlds while her family must pick up the pieces in a light-hearted, yet moving way. The two young girls affected most by the mother's behavior suffer with a bravery the reader is proud of, and the character of the mother is hated and loved alternately. The father is the kind of person one's heart reaches out to, and I found myself saying "bless his heart" more than once. At the end of the story, I am left with mixed feelings toward Marion, the mother, but one thing is for sure: This is a GREAT read.
Rating: 
Summary: What We Keep
Review: Women friends raved about Elizabeth Berg and this is the first Elizabeth Berg book for me and the last. I thought writing style was very good, however, the story simplistic and shallow. I cannot believe that women readers find this risky or revealing dynamics between mothers and daughters of the 50s.
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Summary: A Story of a mother-daughter relationship
Review: WHAT WE KEEP was the story of a woman (Ginny Young ) who is about to meet her mother for the first time after being apart for 35 years. During the flight to California, she remembers the events that lead up to her mother's departure. Ginny was 12 years old when she last sees her mother, and we see the events through Ginny's 12 year old eyes. And although the 12 year old Ginny does not fully understand why things happened the way they did, the reader will note things that the young inexperienced Ginny could not understand. The adult Ginny finally is able to understand, and it takes the reunion with Ginny, older sister Sharla, and their mother Marion to help her realize why her mother left them all those years ago. This was the first time I read a book by Elizabeth Berg and I was very pleased. I found it to be a fast read. Her descriptions were so vivid that I could imagine the characters as if watching a movie. I also found her characters to be interesting and real. I could relate to them and understand them. I am looking forward to reading more by Elizabeth Berg.
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Summary: This is a wonderful story...
Review: Look- this is fiction- right? So if you want reality, this probably isn't the right book for you. The "real" story probably would not have such a pat ending. But the truth is that this book is ripe with vivid,warm, and lush people, situations and sensations. Berg is a splendid writer. I loved each character's realist thoughts,feelings and actions. And if you're a 40-ish woman, this book will bring back many recollections of your life growing up in the 1960's- from the foods you liked to eat to how people dressed (and behaved) then. A fun, beautiful book. Highly recommend this one. (And it's a fast read too).
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