True to Form

Katie Nash, the effortlessly charming heroine of "Durable Goods" and "Joy School," is back in this novel about her thirteenth summer. And she's just as good as before!As I read this book, I realized once again why I delight in Elizabeth Berg's writing and the character of Katie. I love how, in Berg's hands, the writing never feels forced and Katie's narration just seamlessly carries the novel. I love how Katie is so "truly" created, so warmly human, that you just want to grasp the pages of the book and pull her out for a chat. I love how Katie interacts with the world; doing the most ordinary things and recounting her adventures with such joy for life and a rare intelligence. Yet most of all, I love how Berg makes Katie someone who can pull all the truth in the world out of a simple act like eating a butterscotch-dipped ice cream cone. For anyone who is mourning the fact that they will never find another heroine as achingly excellent as L.M. Montegomery's Anne or Betty Smith's Francie, read "True to Form." I think you'll find that Katie Nash can easily take her place with Anne and Francie.

Elizabeth Berg first introduced us to Katie Nash in her book "Durable Goods" and now in this book we meet up again with Katie who is now 13 yrs. old and her father has married Ginger whom Katie really likes. Ginger is a quieting influence in the family.........Since moving to Missouri because her father was transferred from a military base in Texas, Katie feels lonely once again, missing her best friend, Cherylanne. Katie did go back to Texas to visit once and the two friends keep in touch by letters.....Katie meets a new best friend named Cynthia, but Katie betrays her when she wants to fit in with the "in-crowd" at a new private school she now attends......Katie feels very badly about this and wants more than anything to have Cynthia forgive her.....Katie has learned not to take people she loves for granted because they could be taken from her as her sister was (she ran away to another state) or her mother was (by dying)...Through trial and error, Katie learns to forgive people, even herself........This story is about adolescence in a more innocent time during the 1960's.......I enjoyed it.

Readers of Elizabeth Berg's books have been introduced to many endearing characters, not the least of which is Katie Nash. First appearing in the title Durable Goods, Katie is a motherless 11 year old living on an army base in Texas. Next we meet up with Katie in Joy School, as Katie moves to Missouri and falls in love with an "older man." Now in Berg's newest book, True to Form, we find Katie feeling the tugs of adolescence as her father remarries and she continues to meet new people and experiences new adventures. As summer vacation approaches, Katie has all sorts of plans in mind which include getting a great summer job, winning a local radio contest, which offers a trip anywhere in the US, and most of all becoming popular. But her plans are severely altered when her father tells her has has found two summer jobs for her. These are baby-sitting for the rowdy Wexler boys and helping out an elderly couple. As if matters weren't bad enough, her only friend Katie informs her that her mother has become a Girl Scout leader and they expect Katie to join their troop. Now instead of the summer she planned, Katie spends her days breaking up arguments between the three young boys, helping Mr. Randolph care for his ailing wife and spending an overnight in Cynthia's living room with the Girl Scouts. Even winning a trip to Texas and seeing her best friend does little to lift her spirits. But then an opportunity to attend a prestigious private school and invitations from a popular group may turn this into the very best summer, or so Katie thinks.As we all know life is a series of lessons to be learned and by the end of True to Form Katie learns about some of lifes most important ones. Katie will learn how friends can and do come in all ages, what makes a good friend and how one can even betray a true and loyal friend. In wonderful passages, Elizabeth Berg reminds us what it means to be a young adult feeling their way and learning about life through the eyes of those who have experienced all of this before. Through her ups and downs, though, Katie retains her feisty spirit and a maturity beyond her years. She is Durable Goods, a Joy Scool to learn from and always True to Form.To many readers, Elizabeth Berg has the uncanny knack of making her readers feel as if they are participants in her books and not merely bystanders. And sometimes I almost feel as though I am the main character of the book so well does Berg capture the moods and feelings of these characters. In The Pull of the Moon, I truly thought Berg was writing about me so closely did I identify with the feelings expressed by the character Nan Martin. And then in Open House, although never divorced, I was Samantha when her marriage failed and she moved onto new relationships and confidence. So it was when I read True to Form that I was Katie Nash baby-sitting, helping out the Randolphs and being accepted by the in crowd. I was Katie Nash learning about life as maturity begins and we

In True to Form, we are delightfully reunited with little Katie Nash, the main character from two of Berg's other outstanding novels, Durable Goods & Joy School. Berg does not disappoint as she brings us back into Katie's life, reminding us of what it's like to be a kid again, and the thoughts and feelings that accompany the coming of age process. Through Katie, Berg shows us not only how much insight she has, but also how truly talented her gift is. Her writing is simple, yet powerful and moving. Her words will take you back to the days when life consisted of school, friends, and parents.In True to Form, Katie Nash is a 13 year-old girl, trying to figure out who she really is and what she stands for.Dealing with the death of her mother several years prior, Katie has been raised by a very stern father, whohas a difficult time showing emotion. Fortunately, he is now married to Ginger, who is a mother figure & friend to Katie. When Katie's dad announces that she has two jobs for the summer, babysitting the Wexler kids and helping to care for elderly Mrs.Randolph, Katie is less than thrilled. Little does she know how meaningful these experiences will prove to be. Thrown into the mix, Katie discovers what it is that makes a true friend, and the price of popularity. In one of Berg's most powerful passages, Katie is describing her drawer, where she keeps things that are special to her. "...I have red lipstick that was my mother's, with the mark of her mouth on it. I have a rhinestone button I found outside, feathers from birds, pennies that mean good luck. I have a box of crayons that I never intend to use, I just like to look at them all perfect and read the names of the colors out loud, and I like to smell them deep, like I smell the test papersthat have just come off the mimeograph machine. I have some torn-out hairdos that I would like to get, if my hair will ever grow really long instead of acting paralyzed. Sometimes I think, What if I died and someone looked into my drawer? I wonder what they would understand about me. Probably not so much-for one thingthey would get the crayons wrong. I think, actually, that none of us understands anyone else very well, because we're all too shy to show what matters most. If you ask me, it's a major design flaw. We ought to be able to say, Here, look what I am."-So open up True to Form & learn who Katie Nash is. You might even discover a little bit more about yourself. I know I did.

Elizabeth Berg is a genius in putting into words the beloved thoughts and feelings I remember from being a kid. She hits the nail on the head on every page. Her main character, Katie Nash, is a delightful young girl who you root for all the way. She is the same character that was in Elizabeth's first novel, Durable Goods, and she was also in Joy School. True to Form is a wonderful novel with many life lessons learned all in a moving, yet lighthearted way. This is a book not to be missed!