Rating: 
Summary: Give this book a chance
Review: I think other reviewers are unnecessarily harsh in their reviews of this book. One of my definitions of a good book is one that makes me think. A quote: "As for mending, I think it's good to take the time to fix something rather than throw it away. It's an antidote to wastefulness and to the need for immediate gratification. You get to see a whole process through, beginning to end, nothing abstract about it. You'll always notice the fabric scar, of course, but there's an art to mending: If you're careful, the repair can actually add to the beauty of the thing, because it is testimony to its worth." (14) This book is about a family's decision whether or not to repair (mend) their relationships after there has been a great tear through the fabric of their lives. It makes you think about whether there are relationships in your life that need mending.
Rating:
Summary: Give this book a chance
Review: I think other reviewers are unnecessarily harsh in their reviews of this book. One of my definitions of a good book is one that makes me think. A quote: "As for mending, I think it's good to take the time to fix something rather than throw it away. It's an antidote to wastefulness and to the need for immediate gratification. You get to see a whole process through, beginning to end, nothing abstract about it. You'll always notice the fabric scar, of course, but there's an art to mending: If you're careful, the repair can actually add to the beauty of the thing, because it is testimony to its worth." (14) This book is about a family's decision whether or not to repair (mend) their relationships after there has been a great tear through the fabric of their lives. It makes you think about whether there are relationships in your life that need mending.
Rating: 
Summary: You can do a lot better Elizabeth
Review: I work in a library and couldn't wait for this book to come in. I think I've read nearly everything Berg has written but was so disappointed in this book. Perhaps because I had just read a true-crime book about real child abuse, this story seemed hollow and sloppily put together and never rang true. The characters were undeveloped and too shallow. Was this written quick to satisfy some contract with the publisher? Sure seems like it.
Rating:
Summary: You can do a lot better Elizabeth
Review: I work in a library and couldn't wait for this book to come in. I think I've read nearly everything Berg has written but was so disappointed in this book. Perhaps because I had just read a true-crime book about real child abuse, this story seemed hollow and sloppily put together and never rang true. The characters were undeveloped and too shallow. Was this written quick to satisfy some contract with the publisher? Sure seems like it.
Rating: 
Summary: A CLEAR, RESONANT VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Review: Joyce Bean's reading is both empathetic and understanding as she carries the reader to a family reunion, and the eventual disclosure that one of three siblings had been dreadfully abused as a child.Childhood experiences have shaped the lives of all of us, and one would expect that those growing up in the same household would have been affected very much in the same ways. Not so. Laura Bartone, now middle-aged and a mother of two is a quilt designer who is looking forward to her family's annual reunion in Minnesota. She's eager to see her brother, Steve, and her sister, Caroline. When Caroline accuses their mother of abusing her, both physically and verbally, Laura and Steve are shocked and dubious. However, it is revealed that this has, indeed, been the case. Now the question is whether or not past wrongs can be healed. As Laura says, "There is an art to mending. If you're careful, the repair can actually add to the beauty of the thing, because it is testimony of its worth." Once again Elizabeth Berg's writing reflects a profound understanding of the human condition, and our common need for love and forgiveness. Joyce Bean gives this moving story a clear, resonant voice. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: Good but not Great
Review: Like many others I was looking forward to this new book and like others I was also a bit disappointed in the end. I enjoyed it and don't feel like I wasted my time, but I also think Elizabeth Berg can do better. The ending came together in a startlingly neat bow as if Berg suddenly thought, "Ooops, have to end this pretty quickly!"
I felt in particular the character of Caroline, the so called "black sheep" of the family wasn't fairly handled by using her sister--the narrator--as the only real source of information about her. Many of the characters seemed to think that Caroline was odd but very few of the anecdotes Laura relates about her actually left *me* feeling like Caroline's behavior was anything more (or less) than just different from what her siblings expected. That might be "weird" if you're an adolescent and working out sibling rivalry issues but I expect more from understanding from the adult Laura.
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