Customer Reviews

The Art of Mending: A Novel

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I usually don't give half stars, but I feel that it was almost good enough to be a 4, but not quite.

Elizabeth Berg can always be counted on to discuss the deeper issues in life, and describe them in a way, that makes you want to drink in her writing. She touches on alleged abuse, the makeup of families, and even death in this story. Her books are always quick, I can usually finish them off in no more than 3 or 4 sittings.

It starts out with a memory of three siblings: Steve, Laura, and Caroline. The year is 1960, and they are going to the fair. This short chapter was describing how Laura and her sister were not really close, no one is really close to Caroline. She is too hard to understand. She is a "brownnoser," someone who is always giving their mother gifts.

Fast forward forty years. Out of nowhere, Caroline wants to talk to Laura and Steve, about some things that have happened in the past, things that have been bothering her. These are things that their mother may have done. Both Laura and Steve are dumbfounded, because they weren't aware of anything in the past that was less than pleasant.

As the story unfolds, we realize that there may have been abuse that went on with Caroline and their mom. Even though they start remembering things that do not fit perfectly with their sugar-coated memories, Caroline is still Caroline. Who do you believe? The woman who loved and cared for you all of these years, or your dramatic and difficult sister? As the secrets unfold, you realize who is telling the truth, and who wants to hide from the past.

Even though I wasn't that satisfied with the way the book ended, I am always pleased with Berg's style. Though others have described her as "too wordy," I feel that, that is the most beautiful part of her works. The pieces that pull you into the story and these character's lives. I recall one paragraph,
"...Maybe it was the tender irony of the way that we, blind ourselves, offer our arm to others, hoping to ease the crossing. Maybe it was the odd surges of love one can feel for an absolute stranger. Or maybe it was the way we give so little when it's in us always to give so much more. Thomas Merton wrote about feeling a sudden awareness of a profound connection to others, understanding that 'they were mine and I theirs.' I loved reading things like that, things that pointed to our oneness and, by extension, our responsibility to others."

It's the fact that she is my magnifying glass to the beauty in life, the armchair philosopher, full of wisdom, that keeps me coming back.

Laura,a middle-aged woman,who makes quilts as a
work/hobby,(hence the title)comes from an average middle
class family,or so she has thought.She returns to her
homestead,where her father has become hospitalized.
Laura has a brother Steve,and a sister Caroline,a moody
woman.
Neither daughter has been close to their beautiful
mother,or to each other over the years.
A family secret-created so the children will not know
the suffering in the family,has been slowly
destroying this family.
Once you begin reading you cannot put this book down,
until you see how the situation is resolved.
At times,your mind plays tricks on you and you are
unsure yourself,how to deal with the raw, overwhelming
emotions of Laura,Caroline,and their Mother.
Laura's husband Pete is able to put a compassionate look on
the situation and offer advice from a distance.This is
beneficial to Laura.
In the end,it will be up to the children and the
parent,to settle an old score that left some members
damaged.

I think other reviewers are unnecessarily harsh in their reviews of this book. One of my definitions of a good book is one that makes me think. A quote: "As for mending, I think it's good to take the time to fix something rather than throw it away. It's an antidote to wastefulness and to the need for immediate gratification. You get to see a whole process through, beginning to end, nothing abstract about it. You'll always notice the fabric scar, of course, but there's an art to mending: If you're careful, the repair can actually add to the beauty of the thing, because it is testimony to its worth." (14) This book is about a family's decision whether or not to repair (mend) their relationships after there has been a great tear through the fabric of their lives. It makes you think about whether there are relationships in your life that need mending.

I put off reading this book because of the lukewarm reviews given it by others and am SO glad I did not miss it completely! Berg deals with a wide variety of sensitive issues, and some seem to strike home with certain people better than others. I, for example, did not care for Talk Before Sleep (where the protagonist's friend dies of breast cancer) at all, yet it was received with great enthusiasm by many others, and was well reviewed. I however, have never had cancer touch my life. I DID grow up in a highly dysfunctional home, however, and have acheived a high level of resolution/recovery beyond it, so this book resonated deeply with me and I LOVED the ending ... it was simply perfect. This book, to me, seemed to be "classic Berg" in the style of Joy School and others, so please, if you've liked others of her books, consider the possibility that the subject matter is all that turned some others off ... I thought it was great. Just as breast cancer failed to resonate with me in her earlier book, perhaps those rare few blessed enough to have grown up in a perfect home (or unwilling to contemplate the fact they didn't)will not find a responsive chord struck within themselves when reading this book, but the rest of the world should receive it with gratitude (for Berg's ability to articulate their experiences) and delight.

I liked this book, maybe because I felt more personally drawn to the characters than the person who wrote the Amazon.com review. It's interesting that they found the "domestic details" to be interruptive and overdosing. To me, they emphasize that life goes on, even in the face of overwhelmingly adversity. I liked that Laura was able to wait to get married until the right guy for her came along. I liked that she tried to be loving and kind to her children. I imagine that some parents are actually like that. I was drawn to the conflict and yet repelled by it, like the scene of an accident. I was fearful of the personal demons that the book might force me to examine, but at the same time I was thirsty to examine the author's solution.

I enjoyed the ending, partly because it was ambiguous and partly because it was clear that everyone acknowledged their own part in the drama and was willing to accept responsibility, forgive and move on. I guess in real life, that doesn't really happen most of the time. Usually at least one of the people is in denial about their own culpability. But when I read a book I like a satisfying ending, and this book gave me that.

I liked the symbolic themes of Laura and her quilting passion, how she takes scraps and rags and forms them into something beautiful and appealing.

This book led me to think about people and how different we all are and how we all deal with the same situations in different ways. I thought about how much I would have liked to have been a different kind of parent, but how I couldn't because I didn't know how. We all bring a piece of ourselves to the books we read and take away different things. I liked this book and recommend it to anyone who finds benefit in occasionally examining themselves from within.

5 stars.

Usually, I love Elizabeth Berg's books. They completely capture my attention and are filled with ordinary people yet breathtaking insights. In "The Art of Mending," however, some of this magic is missing.

This story of a middle-aged woman who travels to visit her parents and siblings only to be forced to confront secrets from her past would not seem so disappointing if it came from a first-time or inexperienced author. But coming from Berg, its flaws are even more obvious. The fact that this novel contains some expertly written passages and the "trademark" grains of truth does not cover up the fact that on nearly every front, something is missing from the book.

First and foremost, Berg does not deal well with the issue of childhood abuse. She's effectively incorporated themes like coming of age, love, "singleness," and death into her other books, seeming to completely understand each of these complicated things. With childhood abuse, it's a completely different story. Her character who coped with the issue seems whiny, abstract, and unlikable and the reason presented to explain the parent's abuse was flimsy. Once Berg really began to delve into the family's reaction to these secrets, she just ended the book! And yes, it was definitely the kind of ending that could be found in a Lifetime movie.

The flaws of Laura, the main character, mirrored the problems of the rest the book-she lacked that "something" that usually separates a Berg book from other books out there. Somehow, she resembled previous Berg characters too much. Her childhood seemed like a blend of the childhoods described in the "Durable Goods" series and "What We Keep," and the whole "family secrets" aspect of the book mirrored "What We Keep" as well. Or maybe, Laura was just a character who was too ordinary for even Berg to make interesting.

I can only hope that the next Berg book I read completely showcases her precious gifts of empathy and insight. What I wouldn't do for another character like Katie Nash!

Now in her fifties, quilter Laura Bartone looks forward to the annual extended family gathering in Minnesota. Her husband Pete and their two children will accompany her as she gets together with her parents and her two siblings and their families. However, before they leave, her younger sister Caroline calls Laura to ask for some private time with her and their brother Steve.

When the siblings meet, Caroline explains that she is very depressed and considering a divorce. Laura thinks back to how as a child she used to abusively tease her sister, who always tried so hard to gain approval from their aloof mother, but failed. Caroline explains that she is getting professional help, but believes her melancholy stems from childhood abusive events that she buried. She asks her siblings if they can recall any cruelty from their parents, especially their mother towards her. At first in denial, Laura and Steve start recalling frightening horrendous incidents and other revelations surface, but whether that will help the depressed Caroline or make things worse for her and her now stunned siblings, only time will tell.

THE ART OF MENDING is an intriguing deep look at how adults cope or fail to muddle through childhood traumas. The story line is clearly a character study that enables the audience to see deep inside the three siblings, but is told from the lens of Caroline. Though the spouses and children seem so perfect (almost Stepford) so that they never negatively "impact" on the trio especially Caroline, fans of an insightful family drama will welcome Elizabeth Berg's solid perceptive work.

Harriet Klausner

Don't start Elizabeth Berg with this one... she has done much better. The writing keeps you interested, but this one needed more character development. We know that Caroline feels she has been picked on all her life and yet her siblings thought of her as a whiner and didn't remember Caroline being treated particularly bad. The reader is always wondering what is really true, Caroline's recollections, or her siblings. We needed to know more about the mother, why (or if) she treated Caroline so mean, and what made her tick.
At one point the mother begins to give us some insight about herself, and starts to explain to her daughters how she felt after losing a child before Caroline was born, which may have affected her treatment of Caroline, but the story line doesn't continue this to a satisfactory conclusion.

Berg is usually so good about getting the reader connected that we feel disappointed to be left out. The ending was strange and apparently other of her diligent readers agree. I think she is an exceptional writer, and for that reason can't give her less than a 3 star on anything - which isn't bad. I hope she reads reviews and listens to her fans. I will still be looking forward to reading her next book.

Definitely a dark side to this novel. The underlying subject is one which is just not given much attention - abuse - not sexual, not exactly physical - a well-hidden emotional abuse from a mother who's 'missing' something. I think many of us, as adults, have had conversations with siblings where our memories of one incident are very different. In this book, the siblings start to re-think their OWN memories after one sibling decides she wants to address what happened during her childhood. They realize things were not always as they appeared to be. A very, very interesting read. Not upbeat and cheerful - instead, an absolute, have-to-finish tonight read. Thank you, Ms. Berg.

This book could and should have been much better. Berg is certainly capable of good writing (eg, Say When, What We Keep). If she is going to tackle a serious subject like child abuse, the plot and characters need to be much more developed. Part of the problem with this story is the first-person narration by Laura. The plot doesnt seem to move because Laura doesnt know and cannot know what is going on in the other characters' minds. A third-person or multiple point of view might have worked better. The parents are a total blank. We dont know enough about them to understand what happened and why. The book is too short and sketchy; it needed much more depth. As it is, it reads like a lightweight version of Mommy Dearest. I was never sure that Laura and Steve really believed their sister, and the ending was strange. On the other hand, it is true that in the 1950s, families were likely to keep their dirty secrets to themselves and not deal with problems. The best characters the author creates are contemporary kids (Anthony and Hannah, Zoey in Say When). They are believable and likeable. This is not something everyone can do, so I think if she had put more time and work into this book, it could have been really good. I'd give it 2.5 stars if allowed.