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Summary: Sending a copy to my mom!
Review: I was so disappointed to read the "professional" reviews above that really slammed this book. I read it this afternoon and no, it doesn't break any new ground and no, there's no profound life lesson to learn, but I found it a captivating read. It brought memories of my mom, my childhood and how the world revolved around me flooding back to me. Consider it a delightful summer read with no heavy lifting!
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Summary: Beautiful! Bravo
Review: Miss Berg writes the way I think! I read it and gave it to my 18 year old daughter to read. She loved it so much, I never got it back..No author has such incredible insight into the complexities of relationships between mothers and daughters as does Miss Berg. I've read everything she has written and hope she continues writing these books that tug at the heartstrings..I hope someday I get to meet this remarkable woman..Can't wait for her next novel.
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Summary: BOR-ING!!!
Review: Are you kidding me? I cannot believe what other readers are saying about this book. It was such a snoozer! I barely made it to the end, and only did out of boredom. It was predictable and slow. This is the only one of Berg's books I've read. But NO THANK YOU on any of the rest! ZZzzzzzz
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Summary: Sensational!
Review: I wished this book would last forever! Watch out--you won't be able to put it down!
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Summary: Glad I discovered this author...
Review: I discovered this author by accident and I was pleasantly surprised to have found such a good story. I couldn't put the book down. I hope to read her Elizabeth Berg's other books. I am recommending it to my sixteen year old daughter.
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Summary: Ms. Berg has a lyrical and clear voice
Review: I love Ms. Berg's prose and this book was no exception... but perhaps this book hits too close to home for me to be comfortable with its premise. Question: is it okay to leave your children twisting in the wind while you travel off to be an Artist? I say, NO! (And does the fact that the mother is very successful somehow "prove" she made the right decision? By the way, the chances of a woman painter being able to support herself in that manner are about the same as becoming a female astronaut... it happens, but not often.) I guess all is forgiven because nobody ended up horribly scarred, and that itself seems kind of unlikely. I have no sympathy for the mother; why can't she paint from her house? I thought the father might have been a much more sympathetic character had Ms. Berg focused on him a little more. This book really touched me on many levels and made me reflect 1. how society holds "housekeeping" in such low esteem and 2. how you don't matter unless you are "successful".
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Summary: A fantastic account of coming to terms with a change in life
Review: As an avid science-fiction fan, I was skeptical when my mother recommended "What We Keep" to me. I usually find novels outside of the narrow realm of monsters and computers to be dry and uninteresting. My skepticism was erased after the first chapter. Berg's prose is brilliant, allowing the reader to become completely enveloped in the scene she creates. Her metaphors capture the essence of their subject--they left me open-mouthed with tremendous admiration of their simultaneous simplicity and depth. And the plot is so incredibly real, so true-to-life, I feel it impossible that Berg has not herself experienced the events described. The reaction of Sharla to her mother's exodus from their family is incredibly striking. Her reactions cause the reader to feel a sympathy and anger quite unusual as a reaction to a character in a novel. And nearly everyone can relate to the midnight stalkings of Ginny and Sharla, where they experience comraderie, love, and the occasional sisterly squabble. This book is so intriguing, so close to home, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to come to terms with growing up, both in the literal and figurative sense. Hats off to Berg for this remarkable novel!
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Summary: I can always count on Elizabeth Berg!
Review: Wow! I love all of Berg's books, but "What We Keep" really hit home. She writes for the married woman. Being a working wife and mother with creative yearnings just screaming to get out and a family that won't give me a minutes peace, I tearfully related to the mother in this great book. You can alway count on life truths in all of Berg's books. Elizabeth Berg is a wonderful, under rated writer who I can always count on when I am having trouble finding "great fiction".
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Summary: Berg's books are a rare treat...
Review: Berg's books are a rare treat, literature to savor and ponder. I have read all of her books to date and have not been disappointed yet - I share them with all my reading family and buddies.In her latest book I really appreciated the portrait of a mom in the 60's not able to fit into the expected role as so many women in those days did not and many of them who did not run away from their family as the mother in this story, probably should have - they and their families would have been better off in the long run. The story shows the relationship between the daughters as sisters, friends and as they come to terms with the impact of their mother abandoning their lives and ultimately come to accept, understand and forgive as they meet with her 35 years later when she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Bravo, Berg! I hope you are working on another book already since I am a reader who cannot get enough.
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Summary: Un-putdownable!
Review: In Talk Before Sleep, Elizabeth Berg takes her readers through the torture of the terminal illness of a friend and the simultaneous celebration of the treasures of life and friendship that come with saying good bye. This is one of the only books that I have actually had to set down to both laugh and to cry.
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