Rating: 
Summary: A short, sweet read.
Review: 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: 
Summary: Convincing and emotional story
Review: 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:
Summary: A durable story for all ages --
Review: 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).
Rating:
Summary: Durable Goods
Review: Durable Goods, has impacted the lives of readers by creating realistic situations that many adolescents undergo. Durable Goods was written during the 1960s and takes place in Texas. This book is about a young girl by the name of Katie who speaks from her own perspective about her life during adolescence. Unfortunately, after the loss of her mother due to cancer, changes began to occur which led to the turning point of her life.
After the death of Katie's mother, the environment in her household became chaotic. Living with her elder sister, Diane, and her physically abusive father, things become rough and the only person Katie believes she can turn to is her mother, who she often speaks to during times of trouble. She imagines talking to her mom in heaven, under her bed.
Katie's next-door neighbor, Cherylanne is her role model, who is two years older and more educated. They often have discussions about boys and puberty. Katie wants to fit in and be accepted, but thinks the only way she will, is through her looks. She starts to shave her legs to prove that she is a young lady rather than just a kid. Throughout this novel, Katie is a very strong and loving twelve-year-old character. Her ability to overcome difficult situations, such as the time her father told her they were moving from Texas, shows how strong she is. Even though her eighteen-year-old sister runs away with her boyfriend, Katie confronts her and tries to solve the problem rather than avoiding it.
I recommend this book to any teenager or adult because it teaches the reader that through hard times it is important to stay strong and never give up. This novel creates images through strong use of details and allows the reader to visualize many moments. It is easy to identify Katie's personality because many people can relate to her situation
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling!
Review: Durable goods is the perfect picture of what being a pre-teen is like. She brings together the feeling of being not old enough, but not young enough... and the changes with a persons family relationsthips as they begin to become a teen. Berg wraps into a complete circle all the aspects of family, friends, and personal development and creates a painting of what growing up is like. Her simple writing style keeps a calmer mood throughout the book and never leads the reader into a state of confusion. This was a great book and I enjoyed reading it a lot
Rating:
Summary: mediocre
Review: If you want a synopsis of the novel, you can read the other reviews or the summary above. I felt this novel was mediocre. It lacked any deep thought provocations. I feel as though books that I read in primary school had deeper emotional ties. "A Bridge to Tarabithia" or "A Taste of Blackberries" both had what I feel draws a reader into the story at a much deeper level. It was a light easy read. Not all bad! Just, lacking in something that I was looking for.
Rating: 
Summary: utterly banal
Review: Imagine every trite thought that went through your head when you were an adolescent, then imagine writing it all down calling it a book. You think that this boring 12-year-old point of view will end fade and a grown-up plot will evolve, but it doesn't, it goes on and on and you stop when you can't take it any more, even if it's not the end of the book. At least that's what I did.
Rating:
Summary: Extrememly realistic
Review: Unfortunately though this is a fictious book, the story speaks like that of a non fiction. To many children in todays society know this book all to well. The Author does well to stay true to the book and revealing the details and time lines as if it were apart of thier real lives. This is a must read.
I also want to recommend: Nightmares Echo, Lost Boy, and Bastard Out of Carolina
Rating:
Summary: Tough stuff
Review: The normal pangs of growing up are complicated by additional factors for 12-year-old Katie, including a dead mother, an abusive father, and constant moves from one military base to another. She tells her story in short segments, some touching, some pitiful, some just baffling. Though my heart ached for Katie, I learned that she is made of tough stuff -- she's "durable goods" and not fragile glass. Author Elizabeth Berg can pack quite an emotional wallop into a few phrases or sentences. Here is one example: "Those days, my mother always sounded like a poem. She couldn't do a whole sentence; it took too much air. So she would say pieces like that. Sometimes, even if you felt bad she was dying, you'd want to yell, 'What! Just say it!' Even if you were loving her so much, your fists clenched and your heart feeling like it had a tight peel around it, you would get mad like that." I would recommend this book both to adult readers and to adolescents experiencing their own coming of age.
Rating:
Summary: Endearing and enjoyable
Review: As a mother, and author of a book for mothers (NEW PSALMS FOR NEW MOMS: A KEEPSAKE JOURNAL), I just wanted to give the main character Katie, and her abused sister, a big hug. This touching tale is a good reminder that we all need to be aware of abused children and not just look the other way. Let's all strive to cherish our ALL of our children.
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