True to Form [Unabridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Elizabeth Berg (Author), Jen Taylor (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2002

Elizabeth Berg returns to the life of Katie Nash, who at 13 has just moved with her father to St. Louis after the death of her mother. Katie is lonely, but her life improves a bit when she gets not one but two summer jobs. Then a visit back to her old life in Texas shows her just how much she has grown up.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America Sound library; Unabridged edition (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792726243
• ISBN-13: 978-0792726241
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,576,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Berg won the NEBA Award for fiction for her body of work, and was a finalist for the ABBY for Talk Before Steep. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, and the New York Times Magazine. She has also taught a writing workshop at Radcliffe College. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True to Form is Ture to Berg-Excellent!, May 31, 2002

By 

Sandra Mitchell "Sandra Mitchell" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: True to Form : A Novel (Hardcover)

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, who
has 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 papers
that 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 thing
they 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.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elizabeth Berg is in true form!, May 26, 2002

By 

Laura Duet (Downers Grove, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: True to Form : A Novel (Hardcover)

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!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HEARTWARMING AND FUNNY, July 12, 2002

By 

LUV TO READ "LORRAINE" (RHODE ISLAND, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True to Form : A Novel (Hardcover)

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.