Durable Goods

Katie Nash #1

by Elizabeth Berg

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 struggled to understand their increasingly distant, often violent father. While 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.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Coming Of Age, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Novels

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 6, 1993

About the author

Elizabeth Berg is an American novelist.
She was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and lived in Boston prior to her residence in Chicago. She studied English and Humanities at the University of Minnesota, but later ended up with a nursing degree. Her writing career started when she won an essay contest in Parents magazine. Since her debut novel in 1993, her novels have sold in large numbers and have received several awards and nominations, although some critics have tagged them as sentimental. She won the New England Book Awards in 1997.
The novels Durable Goods, Joy School, and True to Form form a trilogy about the 12-year-old Katie Nash, in part based on the author's own experience as a daughter in a military family. Her essay "The Pretend Knitter" appears in the anthology Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting, published by W. W. Norton & Company in November 2013.

Reviews

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this quite awhile ago when I was on an Elizabeth Berg binge. I checked out every book of hers from the library and went to town. I love her books. TALK BEFORE SLEEP is one of my very favorite books.

So many stick out for me but I really liked this one. Although like most of her books, it was very emotional. I have been meaning to read the other book(s) in this series for a long time. At just over 200 pages it's a very quick read. A wonderful coming of age story that is apparently loosely based on Berg's own life.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do I dare say it? I was bored. I know there were some compelling themes embedded in the story: family dynamics, friendship, grief, compassion & forgiveness; but oh so slow and full of the daily activities of a 12-year-old girl. Perhaps that was the issue for me, at 70 I am not too interested in delving into a 12-year old's mind who lived in the early 1960's. I already lived that life but without the tragedy of losing one's Mom and dealing with a father who doesn't know how to interact with two daughters. There seemed to be an implied difficulty in living the nomadic life of a military brat. I lived that life as well and was not scarred by it especially except for one move right in the middle of my junior year in HS. Is it hard to move and meet new people all the time and find your place in a new school, absolutely, but it also provides many opportunities to be exposed to people, places and things that others never get growing up. BTW getting 3 weeks' notice to move in the middle of the academic year is not the norm and I found that an annoying device to push the plot to a particular climax. I also felt the author could have fleshed out the father so much more.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore anything and everything written by Elizabeth Berg. She puts words to feelings, creating a tangible description of what we feel at so many times in our lives. This book so sweetly describes a time of change, most of it unwelcome, in the life of a young girl in the south. Follow up with Joy School as it takes the story further.
Elizabeth Berg is a remarkable author! I hope you'll love her works as much as I do!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author has a real talent for rendering the small details of girlhood. The first in a series of novels focusing on the same character (the others are Joy School and True to Form), Durable Goods introduces Katie, an army brat growing up in TX. Her mother has recently passed away, her father is cold and occasionally abusive, and her sister is itching to get out of town and away from their dad.
Yet, for me, the heart of the book is not the family drama, but the spot-on descriptions of the mundane activities and friendship highs and lows that make up one hot, lazy summer in a young girl's life. Katie and her best friend Cherylanne (a fantastic character who is brought back in the other books) go to the pool, ride bikes, hang out, fight, and make up. Meanwhile, Katie misses her mother and worries about her Dad and sister. Doesn't sound like much to build a book on, but oh, it is.
This book brought back my childhood more than any other book has, reminding me of some of the unwritten rules of friendship (one can hang out with an older neighborhood friend in the hood, but certainly not at school or on the bus), the activities that filled those long hours of sunshine (practicing back dives), and the way a young girl thinks, hopes, and dreams. Katie is exceptionally well-drawn--she feels like an old friend.
I highly recommend this book.
PS After reading these three titles, I went on an Elizabeth Berg tear, reading several other works by her . Some were ok, some were really pretty bad. These three are the ones to read.

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s rare that a movie sequel surpasses the original. Off the top of my head, I can only think of Terminator 2 and Before Sunset. It’s even rarer that a book sequel is better than the original because I think most authors pour most of their creativity into the first one and then half-ass the others. Or am I just being cynical?

Anyway, I prefer Joy School, the second book in this series. I read it first and loved it without realizing it was a sequel. The writing was so sweet and fresh and lyrical. I assumed that this book, the original, would be even better. Not so much. The similes (of which there are many) don’t always make sense. I would literally stop reading and think, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” At one point, after making up with her best friend, Katie says, “I can feel relief in my throat like a cold.” No. Even if you can feel relief in your throat, I don’t think it feels anything like a cold. But whatever. I’m really particular about similes. Elizabeth Berg should be too.

Aside from the lackluster writing, the story meanders too much and gets full-on boring at times. Almost nothing happens, which is usually fine with me. Almost nothing happens in Joy School, but in that case, the nothing was so round and deep and gorgeous. In this case, the nothing is just nothing. There were a few emotional scenes that almost made me cry, but I cry at Lifetime movies too and god knows most of those are shit.

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this was Elizabeth Berg's first novel. In very spare, beautiful prose, she tells the story through the eyes of twelve-year-old Katie. Katie's mother has recently died of cancer. Katie is left to navigate the moods of her distant and sometimes abusive father, while at the same time adolescing, trying to figure out how to become a young woman and fit in with her peers. Berg does a wonderful job of expressing Katie's feelings and worries, as well as her wishful thinking that her mother isn't really dead and will suddenly reappear when Katie needs her most.
A quick read. You could easily read it in an afternoon, but I wasn't in a hurry and took two days.

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a surprise! I absolutely adored Elizabeth Berg’s “Arthur Trulov” and I was looking forward to my next Berg novel, however I did not think this was the next book for me. I’m not sure how it ended up in my home (book fairy again?) but I’m thrilled it did and that I read it! I feel the book blurb does not do the book justice. It’s so much better than it sounds. Fabulous read!

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just under 200 pages, this book is delicious. It's a semi-autobiographical book based loosely on her dad and in Berg's words, she said she wanted to write about what is was like being an army brat. She said she learned alot of what her feelings for her father were when writing this book.

The book is told from a 12 year old girl's perspective. It was a one sitting book for me. I couldn't put it down. The words on the pages were so lovely. I wanted more. Berg has such a way with words. Love her writing.

As Elizabeth says, this story is about compassion and friendship.

I loved every page.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were times when I liked her writing style- I loved the way she described things sometimes- my senses were awakened and I could almost touch, see, hear, taste, and smell with Katie- but the story seemed unfinished somehow- like there was something missing or something not said...I don't know how to describe it except an elephant in the room feeling the whole time I was reading.
It just felt like the author was meandering around sometimes- I don't know if there was a point or not- the story feels really unfinished. I read some of the other reviews and apparently there are two more books in this series. I might check them out- most people said the second book is better than the first.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another late to the party book. Picked it off of my library staff pick shelf. I see now it's first in a series, that Berg's main character was so loved that fans asked for more, and that Berg feels this is her best book. It is a sweet summer read, with lovely writing and some quietly profound ideas. The plot's been done (daughter in rural Texas with abusive father), but Berg's insights and prose make this worth reading. Loved her sentiment at the end, that her abusive father was "only what I was given first. There are other places to look for things."

[Sterlingcindysu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sad story, even though it's written well. Katie Nash really is a "durable good". The title comes from a comment her father makes to her mother about moving fragile things so often that they break, so it's better to have durable goods, that they last longer. Another quick read from Berg who gets the characters and timing/scenery (the '60's in Texas) down quickly in broad strokes. Remember when girls would lay out in the sun with timers telling them to turn over?

[Sonja Yoerg · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Berg's tone is precise and she handles a difficult topic with grace and compassion, never veering toward the maudlin. If someone asked me for an example of fine, clear, deft writing that is never self-conscious, I would hold up this book and wave it around madly. Off to read more Elizabeth Berg.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Durable Goods follows the Nash family after the mother dies and the two daughters are left alone with their father. He is a Colonel in the military, expecting unquestioning obedience from his daughters. Violence is a part of their lives. Katie, the 12 year old younger daughter, spends time hiding under her bed. It is her coming of age story with shades of darkness.

This is one of Elizabeth Berg's older novels and the writing is exquisite as always. The inspiration for this book came from Berg's own life experience. Durable Goods is part of a trilogy which I will continue.

[Theresa Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Great writing, enviable talent. I will read more of her books.

In Durable Goods, twelve-year-old Katie’s mother has died, and we meet Katie when she’s hiding under her bed to avoid the wrath of her father. As an Army kid, moving around constantly, Katie has unique insights on saying goodbye to friends and a home she just started feeling comfortable in. Her friend Cherylanne, who is obsessed with fashion magazine’s tips for looking good, is a fun supporting character—timing her tan to flip over in twenty-minute increments, for example. Other well-drawn characters are Katie’s older sister and her boyfriend, and a father that doesn’t express himself well and sometimes his attempts to express himself devolve into violence.

The writing is just great. At one point, when Katie is afraid to jump off the high dive, she says, “There are different kinds of time in the world. When you get called on and you don’t know the answer and the teacher waits, that is one kind of time and it is like this.”
This is a quick read. I recommend it.

[Marykickel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love stories about family.
I read this in one day.
Then I read it again the next day.

[Summer (speaking_bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on an absolute whim which is something I rarely do. Nearly every book I read is planned for something or another so this was a fun experience for that alone. I saw this title sitting on a windowsill at work so I picked it up and started reading it. It's a short book with a pretty simplistic writing style and short chapters so I finished just a day or two later.

Durable Goods is a coming of age story about a twelve year-old army kid in the late 1960's who moves a lot due to that fact. This book in particular follows the day to day events of her life as she navigates an abusive father, a deceased mother, an older sister, growing up and all that entails. It was very compelling and even though the writing was simplistic it was still very well done- I could have easily read this is one sitting if I didn't have to work. Upon finishing this book I realized its the first in a series so I'm definitely going to read the other two books. Don't judge this one by it's cover- it was written in 1993 but it has stood the test of time and I recommend it.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Ms Berg’s first books - a young girls coming of age story. This should really be in the Young Adult section and I recommend it for early teens. It is an easy read and I enjoyed it.

Can’t help but compare the father figure to that of Pat Conroy’s Santini - these military Colonels have no qualms about knocking their kids around. Personally, I wish she had stuck with Dickie and Diane.

[C.S. Ennen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this whole book in three hours. That's crazy to me.

I liked this book a lot. True to life, different parts were funny and silly and serious and upsetting and mind-bending. Most of all, I think it to be fantastically honest.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Durable Goods after reading its sequel Joy School. I just love the narrator and main character Katie; such an authentic voice of a 12-year-old girl growing up in the time of transistor radios and drive-in movies and muscle cars. I find it relaxing the way the author shows the time and place of the novel - there are no computers or cell phones or DVD's - by using the "technology" that was there at the time. I hear "transistor radio" and I remember the radio we had with the leather cover with holes in it so you could still hear the sound and a strap handle so you could carry the radio with you as you walked because it used batteries. I grew up in the time that this novel took place and was about the same age as the narrator so this novel and Joy School were very endearing reads to me.

Highly recommend for women born between 1950 and 1959. Recommended for romantic men born between 1950 and 1959. Recommended for all readers who like coming of age novels and like to be nostalgic once in awhile.

[Kali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, short and easy read I found on the shelf at a VRBO.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Elizabeth Berg's style of writing but I can't stand the way she finishes, or should I say doesn't finish, her novels. This is the third book of her's that I have read but I find I am disappointed that these stories don't have better endings. She seems to like to leave the reader hanging in mid air. I kind of feel like she ran out of ideas or just decided she was done. He books are easy to read and her characters draw you in but then you are left wondering, and I don't mean in a good way. From the star ratings she's received, I guess other readers don't feel the same.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bittersweet introduction to a series - Katie Nash by Elizabeth Berg. The story of growing up with huge losses and tender relationships. The struggle of loving and respecting authority yet learning to deal with consequences when those we love disappoint. The author does a beautiful job of creating the characters and has the reader "love and hate" particular individuals throughout the story. My heart is heavy for Katie as she faces each new day and situation.
Well written, Elizabeth!

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a pleasing enough read but lacking a bit in substance.

[Jenny Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her father hugs her she thinks, "It is better when he doesn't touch. We are used to it. Mostly when he offers you a kindness, you feel bad wondering how to hold yourself, how to be now. And wondering, too, about the other times."

"And here is some blessed new strong thing: I don't care."

I read this book as a teenager and remember enjoying it. I thought I'd give it a second read. I hadn't realized it was Elizabeth Berg's first book. It's a coming of age story about a 12-year-old named Katie who has an older sister, Diane. They live on a military base in Texas, it's the 60s. Her mother has died of cancer and she's being raised by her father, a colonel. He's abusive, in that he knocks his two kids around when he loses his temper. He yells and doesn't really interact with them much. 

But even in the midst of her family issues, Katie's normal. She panics when she breaks the toilet, she's afraid to jump off the high diving board at the swimming pool. She has a best friend, she sucks at math, she wants to grow up but still loves cartoons. And above all, she copes with her adolescence on her own the best she can.

Elizabeth Berg captures the angst and drama of being twelve in a time where technology didn't exist. You can't help but see yourself in Katie if you grew up around that era. Or if you had a less than ideal parent forcing you to learn how to fend for yourself and to forgive.

Lovely writing. A quick and easy to read.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find it interesting that this was Elizabeth Berg’s favorite book she’d written prior to “The Story of Arthur Truluv.” I loved Arthur Truluv, but this book...not so much. It is the story of Katie, a young girl navigating life with her sister and her widowed, abusive father. I struggled with getting into any of the characters in this book and really didn’t find it the compelling read I was expecting.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[allison mcdowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

was really good, but I feel like there wasn’t really a point to this story or anything to be learned 🤷🏻‍♀️ overall a fun, cute, quick read!

[Judith]

A nice & easy read of the trials of a young girl coming into puberty without her mother who has passed. But she does have a sister and a dad.

[Tonja, · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a book! If you are a military brat or spouse of a military member, you will relate to this tale.