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    True to Form
    True to Form
    True to Form
    Audiobook6 hours

    True to Form

    Written by Elizabeth Berg

    Narrated by Natalie Ross

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Katie Nash—the beloved heroine of Elizabeth Berg's previous novels Durable Goods and Joy School—is thirteen years old in 1961, and she's facing a summer full of conflict. Her father has enlisted her in two care-taking jobs—baby-sitting for the rambunctious Wexler boys and, equally challenging, looking after Mrs. Randolph, her elderly, bedridden neighbor. To make matters worse, Katie has been forcibly inducted into the "loser" Girl Scout troop, compliments of her only new friend Cynthia's controlling mother. Her only saving grace is a trip to her childhood hometown in Texas, to visit her best friend Cherylanne. But people and places change—and Cherylanne is no exception. When an act of betrayal leaves Katie wondering just what friends are really for, she learns to rely on the only one left she can trust: herself.

    Full of the joys, anguish, and innocence of American adolescence, True to Form is a story sure to make listeners remember and reflect on their own moments of discovery and self-definition.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMar 5, 2014
    ISBN9781480501683
    Author

    Elizabeth Berg

    Elizabeth Berg is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five books, including the New York Times bestsellers True to Form, Never Change, Open House, The Story of Arthur Truluv, Night of Miracles, and The Confession Club. She lives outside of Chicago. Find out more at Elizabeth-Berg.net.

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    Reviews for True to Form

    3.5/5

    178 ratings6 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Nicely written and enjoyable as a break from more "intense" reading, but unfortunately I read this as an Arrow Book paperback (randomhouse.co.uk) and can only comment that it is quite evident that this edition was not proof-read by anyone! There is at least one typo or error on average on every page throughout the book and I feel compelled to write to the publisher and tell them so. Disgraceful and quite ruins the flow of the text.
    • 4/5
      Well written and worth the time spent reading the story of teen aged Katie Nash. Struggling with the issues we face as teens, Berg presents a wonderful story of life lessons well learned.Katie has a over bearing military father, a loving step mother, and a good friend. The relationship she has with her friend is based upon them feeling as outsiders. Their bond is strong, until Katie wins a scholarship to a private girl's school where her father teaches.Bathing in feeling as though she is a part of the in crowd, Katie does the unforgiveable behavior of bad mouthing her friend in order to feel a part of the snobby and rich girls. Sadly, Katie's friend overhears her derision and making fun of her friend to a member of the in crowd. It changes their relationship and Katie must confront the definition of friendship.The character grows as she babysits a group of three rowdy boys who are very unselfish and likeable, and helps an elderly man take care of his wife who has many physical needs. It is through the relationship of her friend and the family of boys and the love shown by the husband to his wife that Katie learns to mature.This is a coming of age story portrayed accurately, depicting the trials and tribulations of teen age years that define us for the rest of our lives.Four Stars!
    • 5/5
      I thought I had read everything Elizabeth Berg has written but....I just found this one! Such a wonderful collection of ideas---pieces of wisdom that are put forth by Berg in such a delightful way. Now I need to find her memoir.... I'll be Seeing You: A Memoir.
    • 5/5
      Audio book performed by Arija Bareikis

      Elizabeth Berg returns to the story of Katie Nash in this third installment (after Durable Goods and Joy School). It is 1961, and 13-year-old Katie, having started school early and skipped a year is now in high school. An Army brat, she is used to moving from city to city, but her father and new stepmother seem somewhat settled in this St Louis suburb. While she still feels like an outsider, she does have a best friend, Cynthia, as well as a continuing relationship with Cherylanne, her friend and neighbor back in Killeen, Texas. She’s looking forward to a summer job working the popcorn concession stand at the pool (and hanging out with cute lifeguards), when her father announces he’s found her the perfect jobs – babysitting a trio of rambunctious boys alternating with “babysitting” an elderly woman who is bed-ridden. To further cement her reputation as a loser, she is roped into joining a Girl Scout troop. Not everything is bleak, however. Katie is also blossoming as a poet and writer. A trip back to Texas to visit Cherylanne and a chance to become part of the popular “in” group at a new school leave her questioning the meaning of friendship and struggling to find a way to branch out into new experiences and still remain true to herself.

      This is Berg at her best. Katie is believable and real. Yes, she is extraordinarily bright and gifted as a writer and observer of life, but she’s also a young teen who makes mistakes in judging other people and suffers the consequences of her decisions. Her journey forces her to learn whom she can really trust, whom to listen to, and how to forgive. This quote describes the basic life lessons Katie learns:
      It is never about how good your voice is; it is only about feeling the urge to sing, and then having the courage to do it with the voice you are given. It is about what people try to share with each other, even if so many of us are so off-key when we do it.

      While this is the third book in a trilogy it easily stands alone; I do not think a reader will feel s/he is missing anything by not having reading the previous books.

      Arija Bareikis does a wonderful job voicing the audio book. She really brings Katie and the other characters to life. I’ll admit there were a few scenes that had me near tears, but on the whole this is a coming-of-age story with a hopeful outcome.
    • 4/5
      Haven't read the other two books featuring this character yet, although this one seems pretty stand alone. Not a bad tale of teenage agnst told by a good girl who's just having a little trouble not being one of the in-crowd. Up to the usual standards of Elizabeth Berg, good for a little escapist reading.
    • 3/5
      If only I had been so smart, so introspective, so well behaved at 13!