Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg
Katie Nash #1
Fiction
1993
Finished on January 7, 2026
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
"Sometimes life is so hard and then, bingo, it's like happiness is pushing at your back, waiting to come out your front..."
In the sweltering heat of a Southwestern summer, on a small army base in rural Texas, Katie waits impatiently for her life to change. These are uncertain times--a mix of pleasure and pain, of girlish confusion and adult discovery. Though battered by the recent death of her mother--and by a distant, abusive father driven to near madness by inner pain and rage--Katie's spirit remains miraculously strong. For she knows one day soon she'll be a woman. One day soon she'll understand.
I have now read this debut novel by Elizabeth Berg three times! I was organizing one of my bookcases and realized that I have more than a dozen of Berg's books, most of which I read back in the late 1990s/early 2000s. The author's books are comfort reads filled with scenes of everyday life and engaging dialogue. I zipped through Durable Goods in two nights, and enjoyed it even better than the first two times I read it. I guess I'll put it back on my "keeper" bookcase.
Click here to read my previous thoughts on Durable Goods.
Below are links & ratings of all of Berg's books that I've read to date (2026):
Talk Before Sleep (4/5)
Range of Motion (4/5)
The Pull of the Moon (4/5) and (5/5)
Joy School (4/5)
What We Keep (4.5/5)
Open House (5/5)
Ordinary Life (4.5/5)
Never Change (4.5/5)
True to Form (4/5)
Say When (4.5/5)
The Art of Mending (4/5)
A Year of Pleasures (5/5)
We Are All Welcome Here (3/5)
Dream When You're Feeling Blue (2.5/5)
The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted (3.5/5)
Home Safe (4.5/5)
The Last Time I Saw You (2.5/5)
Once Upon a Time, There Was You (2.5/5)
Night of Miracles (5/5)
The Confession Club (2/5)
I knew it had been a long time since I read a book by this author, but when I checked my lists it was 1997. I read both Pull Of The Moon and Talk Before Sleep. Wonder if all of these are still available at libraries. I was helping pull books for possible weeding yesterday when I volunteered and I recognized some. Always am a little sad when I'm pulling a book that I have enjoyed in the past.
ReplyDeleteKay, I think Talk Before Sleep was my first read of Berg's. It was back during the time of a lot of "women's friendship" stories, which I enjoyed. I know how you feel about pulling old books that haven't been checked out in a long time. I used to do that monthly at B&N, which was kind of a fun project, but also sad to see some favorite disappearing from the shelves. Gotta make room for the new stuff, though, right?
DeleteI have actually never read a book by Elizabeth Berg. This post is making me want to try one though! I will have to go check my library this weekend!
ReplyDeleteYou should have plenty to choose from, Jackie.
DeleteOh dear. I just checked my blog and I've read Better Off Friends (4.5 stars) and Dream When You are Feeling Blue (4 stars). I don't remember them, but apparently enjoyed them!
ReplyDeleteHelen, you enjoyed Dream When You're Feeling Blue much better than I did, so maybe you'll enjoy some of her early books. I haven't read Better Off Friends, but will look for it at the library.
DeleteI've not read this author but you reading a book three times is a pretty good recommendation! Thank you for adding the links to so many of her books. Helpful.
ReplyDeleteTina, I really enjoyed her books back in the late 90s/early 2000s. She's had a few winners more recently, too. Not sure how to describe her books. Women's domestic fiction, maybe? Not fluff, but not highbrow lit.
DeleteAccording to Goodreads I have not read any Elizabeth Berg, but that's actually a case of not reading her since I've been on goodreads (2012). So many of the cover are familiar and I know I've enjoyed many of her books over the years. This sounds like another good one!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, she's had a lot of winners over the years. She used to be an auto-buy, but now I get them from the library since some of her more recent releases were duds.
DeleteWow I had no idea she's written this many novels. And you're a top fan. I have not read her ... but she seems to have plenty of good stories in her ...
ReplyDeleteSusan, she is quite prolific! Her more recent novels deal with aging, where her early works focused on women's friendships. Not great literature, but not Danielle Steel, either. :)
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