Helpful Score: 3
A very quirky and quick read about the life of a 12 year old who is going through a rough time in her life and how she deals with it. Well written, I will definitely pick up another Berg novel.
Helpful Score: 3
This was a quick read and not a very good one. The characters are not well developed and you never really find out why certain characters are the way they are. I don't care for books that leave you guessiing at the end as this one did.
Helpful Score: 2
Quick read; good writing of a 12 year old's perspective of life.
Helpful Score: 2
I absolutely LOVED this book because I could relate to Katie in so many ways and her sister reminded me a lot of my own big sister. I read this book start to finish in about 2 hours.
Helpful Score: 2
I read this in eighth grade and I have to admit to not remembering very much about it. However, what I do remember is that it is extremely subtle; while the subject matter is domestic abuse, there is very little action of that kind in the text.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a very quick read with an endearing narrator.
Helpful Score: 2
The story of Katie will melt your heart. Once you start, you won't stop reading it, until finished.
Helpful Score: 1
Katie and Diane are sisters who live with their single, abusive father. When Diane, the older daughter, decides to leave permanently with her boyfriend her younger sister unexpectedly follows. This story shows both the abusive father and the girls in a light of understanding, without judgement so much as harsh fact. It is a very quick and easy read, but stays with you long after it's over.
Helpful Score: 1
Its been a while since I have read a book by Berg, and I had forgotten how much I enjoy her simple, spare storytelling.
Katie is 12 and lives with her domineering and abusive father. Her mother has recently died and her sister is 18 years old and in love with a neighborhood boy. They are Army Brats, traveling from base to base and trying to make sense of their lives.
Told from the narrative perspective of Katie, the book is sad yet hopeful.
Katie is a wonderful mix of that naiveté, hopefulness and sometimes insightful wisdom that comes from young girls on the cusp of womanhood.
With her mother gone, her sister self involved and an angry father, Katie has only her friend Cherylanne to turn to. Although a few years older and frequently holding it over Katies head, Cherylanne is a true friend, trying to help Katie maneuver through the minefield of adolescence. Also touching is the relationship of Belle, Cherylannes mother, and Katie. Set in the late 50s or early 60s it is clearly a time when abuse is never spoken of, yet Belle does what she can to make Katies life bearable.
A very short yet deeply touching read.
Katie is 12 and lives with her domineering and abusive father. Her mother has recently died and her sister is 18 years old and in love with a neighborhood boy. They are Army Brats, traveling from base to base and trying to make sense of their lives.
Told from the narrative perspective of Katie, the book is sad yet hopeful.
Katie is a wonderful mix of that naiveté, hopefulness and sometimes insightful wisdom that comes from young girls on the cusp of womanhood.
With her mother gone, her sister self involved and an angry father, Katie has only her friend Cherylanne to turn to. Although a few years older and frequently holding it over Katies head, Cherylanne is a true friend, trying to help Katie maneuver through the minefield of adolescence. Also touching is the relationship of Belle, Cherylannes mother, and Katie. Set in the late 50s or early 60s it is clearly a time when abuse is never spoken of, yet Belle does what she can to make Katies life bearable.
A very short yet deeply touching read.
Helpful Score: 1
Great book and a fast read. I really enjoyed it and am now reading the second book in the series.
Helpful Score: 1
Loved this book. It reminded me somwhat of my childhood.
Got this book through paperbackswap.com after it was on someone's list of books to read. Short book--I started it one day and finished the next. Some critical Amazon reviews noted that there's really no plot to the book. That's true and if you're a hard core action fan, this book likely would disappoint. I gravitate towards mysteries. Yet, when I finished this book, I felt like I wanted to know how Katie's life turned out. Then I discovered that this book was the first in a series of three about Katie, the protagonist. I requested Book 2 ("Joy School") from the local library--started it yesterday and finished today (2/29/2020).
I was bothered by the mother's (deceased but references made to her in Katie's musings) blind eye/excuses for the dad's abusive behavior toward his daughters. Of course, this book--based on descriptions of hairstyles, clothing, music, etc.--is set in the 50s or 60s when domestic violence was swept under the rug.
I was bothered by the mother's (deceased but references made to her in Katie's musings) blind eye/excuses for the dad's abusive behavior toward his daughters. Of course, this book--based on descriptions of hairstyles, clothing, music, etc.--is set in the 50s or 60s when domestic violence was swept under the rug.
I read Joy School first, not knowing it was the second book in the series. This series is a very sweet & sad look at becoming a young woman without a mother to give you guidance or support.
Neat and well-written book that'll give you a lot to think about.
Good quick read.
Elizabeth Berg is wonderful with this super novel. This is a read you will take with you long after you are finished. I found i could'nt put the book down to fold laundry. I just wanted to stay in the place Ms. Berg had created in this novel. I loved the setting in rural Texas and everyone in the book except the father, who was very abusive to Katie as she grew up. Katie who just knew that there would come a day when her father would not be able to hit her, was creeping into my heart and i loved her so. I would read again.
This book wasn't bad but it wasn't exactly great either. I've read other books by Berg that were definitely better, and since this was her first book, I wanted to read it. Could've done without it.
This is the story of one year in the life of 12 year old Katie whose mother has died of cancer, father is in the military and Diana, her 18 year old sister spends all of her time with Dickie, the love of her life. Both Katie and Diana walk on egg shells at home because dad becomes physically violent when he is angered. The story is told from Katie's perceptions. When the book was over, I really wanted to know what happened to Katie after the end of the story.
Ok read
I loved this book. Great writing, enviable talent. I will read all of her books.
my only complaint is that it was too short!
Very Good , read it in 2 evenings.Couldn't put it down.
A good, quick read. Great for flying!
"Durable Goods is a poignant and enduring novel by Elizabeth Berg- author of the New York Times bestseller Talk Before Sleep and Joy School- a masterful work that gently captures the subtle nuances of childhood's end...and the pain, sorrow and stirring hope of inevitable transformation."
Very quick to read, book 1 of what became a trilogy. The author couldn't let go of this character. I'm glad.
Very quick to read, book 1 of what became a trilogy. The author couldn't let go of this character. I'm glad.
A touching coming of age story, with a sweet, strong young girl on the verge of womanhood at its center.
Loved this book and so did my 13 year old daughter.
Elizabeth Berg is an incredible author. She writes with such passion about, Katie, the main character, that Berg makes you feel as though you are twelve again.
Quick and interesting read!
1st in a trilogy by Elizabeth Berg. Precedes "Joy School" and "True to Form". All of her books are great!
The first in the Katie trilogy. Typical Elizabeth Berg - excellent
A story of loss, friendship and about coming of age for a young girl. A quick read.
A far too short story about a 12 yr old girl who has lost her mom to cancer and lives w/ her abusive father. Katie is a wonderful character, so up and hopeful, considering her circumstances. I wish this book had gone on and on.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Sometimes life is so hard and then, bingo, it's like happiness is pushing at your back, waiting to come out of your front...." On the hot Texas army base she calls home, Katie spends the lazy days of her summer waiting: waiting to grow up; waiting for Dickie Mack to fall in love with her; waiting for her breasts to blossom; waiting for the beatings to stop. Since their mother died, Katie and her older sister, Diane, have been struggling to understand their distant, often violent father. Diane escapes into the arms of her boyfriend. Katie hides in her room or escapes to her best friend's house - until Katie's admiration for her strong-willed sister leads her on an adventure that transforms her life. About Durable Goods Christopher Tilghman has said, "Elizabeth Berg's prose and passion come at us with all the deceptive strength of her heroine." Written with an unerring ability to capture the sadness of growth, the pain of change, the nearly visible vibrations that connect people, this beautiful novel reminds us of how wonderful, and wounding, a deeper understanding of life can be.
"Sometimes life is so hard and then, bingo, it's like happiness is pushing at your back, waiting to come out of your front...." On the hot Texas army base she calls home, Katie spends the lazy days of her summer waiting: waiting to grow up; waiting for Dickie Mack to fall in love with her; waiting for her breasts to blossom; waiting for the beatings to stop. Since their mother died, Katie and her older sister, Diane, have been struggling to understand their distant, often violent father. Diane escapes into the arms of her boyfriend. Katie hides in her room or escapes to her best friend's house - until Katie's admiration for her strong-willed sister leads her on an adventure that transforms her life. About Durable Goods Christopher Tilghman has said, "Elizabeth Berg's prose and passion come at us with all the deceptive strength of her heroine." Written with an unerring ability to capture the sadness of growth, the pain of change, the nearly visible vibrations that connect people, this beautiful novel reminds us of how wonderful, and wounding, a deeper understanding of life can be.
As usual, a gem of a story from Elizabeth Berg. Katie is a 12-yo who has lost her mother and is left with a harsh military father, an older sister focused on escaping with her boyfriend, and a best friend next door. Katie is touching, spunky, loyal and loving despite the odds. I enjoyed the chance to get to know her.
Great book about an abusive father as told by a 12 year old girl.
A beautifully written coming-of-age story. I love this author, she writes stories that are so easy to get caught up in.
I love reading books written by Elizabeth Berg...I especially love the books about Katie. It is so easy to "be there" with her and understand what she is going through. This is an excellent read.
Very good coming-of-age book about a young girl
Good book! It was a fast read. Just as good as Joy School which is the 2nd book in the series.
good book
