True to Form - Softcover

Berg, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 009944688X ISBN 13: 9780099446880

Publisher: TRAFALGAR SQUARE +, 2004

Synopsis

It is 1961, and thirteen year old Katie is facing a summer full of conflict. First, instead of letting her find her own work for the season, Katie's father has arranged for two less than satisfactory baby-sitting jobs. Worse, Katie has been forcibly inducted into the 'loser' Girl Scout troop organised by her only friend Cynthia's controlling and clueless mother. A much anticipated visit to her former home in Texas and ex-best friend Cherylanne proves disappointing. And then comes an act of betrayal that leaves Katie questioning her views on friendship, on her ability not to take those she loves for granted, and most important, on herself.

About this title

Review:

In her 10th novel, True to Form, Elizabeth Berg finds her way into the year 1961 and into the head of 13-year-old Katie Nash at the start of her summer vacation. Katie's world is smooth and easy with endless possibilities and sunshine. You almost expect sitcom-style canned laughter when she whines in frustration or stomps up to her room and turns the radio way up, but then almost everything Katie does fits that era's squeaky-clean conventionalities. The younger daughter of a remarried widower, Katie craves popularity, a great summer job, and a direct line to the local DJ to make requests. Newly transplanted from Texas, she settles in with her only friend, Cynthia, who shares her views on status and appearance and boys. Between a regular babysitting gig for a household of little boys and caring for an elderly bedridden woman, her summer is off to a less than auspicious start. Cynthia's mother's plot to start a Girl Scout troop and to camp out for a weekend in their living room doesn't help. Berg's plot doesn't exactly mine new territory, but Katie emerges as a girl who sees the world differently from the rest of her peers. Her poetic perspective on her surroundings and her predicaments should eventually win readers over. The period backdrop feels unformed against this portrait of a young artist-to-be, but Katie imbues it with fresh eyes. --Emily Russin

About the Author:

Elizabeth Berg is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Never Change and Open House, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection in 2000. Joy School was selected as American Library Association Best Book of the Year, and Talk Before Sleep, another New York Times bestseller, was shortlisted for the ABBY award in 1996. She is also the author of The Pull of the Moon, Range of Motion, What We Keep and Until the Real Thing Comes Along which were all bestsellers in the United States. A former nurse, she lives in Chicago.

About this edition

• Publisher: TRAFALGAR SQUARE +
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 009944688X
• ISBN 13: 9780099446880
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304