What We Keep: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Nancy Berg's review of this book is ludicrous. There is nothing plodding nor predicable in this novel. Elizabeth Berg knows human nature well and knows how to deftly present it. This is one of the best novels I've read this year, and I'm probably at about 75 or so by now. I can imagine that some modern women may not be able to relate to the fact that once upon a time it wasn't so easy for women who were talented to channel that energy into anything other than marriage and raising children. I guess that might have been the plodding part for Nancy Pearl. Well, once upon a time, there were not a lot of options, and Berg does a fabulous job of defining those times and what the constraints of those times did.

I have never read a book by this author. She was recommended to me by a friend - but not this book specifically. I wasn't sure which book of hers to try out, then I saw this was about mothers/daughters. So I chose it. The author writes with authority - meaning she seems to know the subject matter well. What she has to say via her characters feels authentic and real. I like her descriptions of people, places and things. Not too much - but not glossed over either. Just enough to make you feel like you can see these folks in the flesh and where they live. Much of the story is about a woman who is flying on a plane to go see her sister and mother. She's going to go visit a mother she's been estranged from for many years. During her flight she has plenty of time to think about the past and why she has certain feelings about her mother. There are some of us out here in the world that have very close relationships with our mothers - or had that when they were alive. Yet, many of us, did not have a great relationship. Maybe it was strained for many reasons. Maybe our mother just didn't live up to our expectations. Or perhaps she made repeated mistakes or one huge mistake. Whatever, it was, it effects a daughter for the rest of her life. Especially if one does not work hard to fix the relationship. I like the fact that this book has a solid ending. Nothing is left to the imagination. You don't have to fill in the blanks. A pet peeve of mine is when authors leave things unfinished. I know that's a writing technique that's kind of popular now days. But I don't find it satisfying. When a book ends, it should end with no strings dangling, in my opinion. A start, and a finish. Unless there's going to be a series...then that's different. The reason I enjoyed this book was that I could easily related to it. The relationship between the 2 sisters was realistic. In fact that was the best part and the main theme of the story. How they got along as children and the mutual experiences they had together that made for a lasting bond and friendship. Their questions and their guesses as to what happened to their parents. Then years later they learn some things that they, as children, were not aware of - things that were important & would've made a difference in how they felt had they known. I don't like doing spoilers - so I'm not going to tell you this happened or that happened or they had a neighbor who was like this. Don't ruin it for yourself by reading other reviews that tell you so much about the book in that way. Just read it and have some surprises along the way. I read this directly after reading Mary Trump's book about the president. Which was totally different. That's what I like to do. If I read a long technical or boring book, then I like to follow it up with a story that's light hearted and fun or just anything that's opposite of what I read before. For me, this was an easy read where you didn't have to use deep thinking or analysis. It's wasn't overly emotional. Although, it may stir up some feelings if you've had similar issues within your own family. I now will continue to read more from this author and will look forward to her other books Thank you for allowing me to write a review on Amazon.

WHAT WE KEEP was the story of a woman (Ginny Young ) who is about to meet her mother for the first time after being apart for 35 years. During the flight to California, she remembers the events that lead up to her mother's departure. Ginny was 12 years old when she last sees her mother, and we see the events through Ginny's 12 year old eyes. And although the 12 year old Ginny does not fully understand why things happened the way they did, the reader will note things that the young inexperienced Ginny could not understand. The adult Ginny finally is able to understand, and it takes the reunion with Ginny, older sister Sharla, and their mother Marion to help her realize why her mother left them all those years ago. This was the first time I read a book by Elizabeth Berg and I was very pleased. I found it to be a fast read. Her descriptions were so vivid that I could imagine the characters as if watching a movie. I also found her characters to be interesting and real. I could relate to them and understand them. I am looking forward to reading more by Elizabeth Berg.

The fact I only gave this 3 stars is mostly because it evoked such negative emotions in me as I read it. It was a tough subject to read about as I think every child has certain expectations of mothers that if truly examined are impossibly high. However, my personal belief is that when a person decides to be a parent, you lose your right to make any selfish choices that will most certainly cause your children a loss of their emotional security. Thankfully, this story didn't overly justify any poor choices, but rather illustrated the emotions of the children involved from childhood then as adults looking back. Worth the time but not a light or enjoyable book.

This was a really powerful story of love and loss. As a mother of four daughters and a complicated relationship with my mother I wondered and reflected on my own thoughts and feelings. I love Elizabeth Berg and my favorite book ever is The Pull of the Moon. Really enjoyed this one

I always enjoy Elizabeth Berg novels. She has a very natural and believable touch with character development and dialogue and I am never disappointed in the story. In this case, I had some mixed feelings about the final outcome which, of course, I won't share here. It could be my own conditioning and a touch of judgement sneaking in. Nonetheless, it was a good read.

As a daughter, watching my mom struggle to balance her own hopes and dreams with motherhood, and then myself experiencing the same challenge, this book really resonated with me. I was very drawn into the characters. I think we could have done without the mysterious neighbor but that’s just my opinion.

Interesting,the response to events as a child, compared to your thought many years later. A reminder, also, that some people just can't be what others expect them to be

really enjoyed this story