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: Not quite a blue ribbon winner
Review: If this were anyone else but Elizabeth Berg I would probably have found this book more satisfying. I know that Berg can deliver the goods, and frankly this book doesn't do it. I get the controlling metaphor of the quilt, but I agree with the reviewer who thought that the "secret" wasn't shocking enough(which may be a sad commentary on what I've become inured to.) Also, Berg clearly shows us in the vignettes that begin most chapters that Laura,too,is guilty of abusive behavior towards Caroline, yet this isn't really explored with the depth that could have made for something really interesting. There are many wonderful pieces to this patchwork story, but ultimately it falls short. It will, however, send many people (myself included) scurrying to find the episodic Lost Lake by Mark Slouka, despite the fact that its mention seemed as jarring as a toothpaste commercial during an episode of Law and Order:SVU.
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: Berg can always be counted upon for an excellent read!
Review: Laura Bartone, a quilt artist, and her husband Pete reconnect each evening by sharing an experience from the day and a memory from the past. THE ART OF MENDING follows the same pattern, interposing scenes from Laura's present-day life and those of her girlhood. As the story opens, Laura muses about her sister Caroline's odd behavior while growing up. Caroline is once again acting strangely, as Laura's family heads home for a reunion. Caroline makes a big production of secretly asking for private time with Laura and their brother Steve. She wants to talk about how they grew up, suggesting that she's been having problems with some of the early family dynamics. This request mystifies and troubles Laura, who can think of nothing worth dissecting from those years. Before Caroline can fully explain what's troubling her, their father develops health problems that land him in the hospital. When Laura visits, he hints about a mysterious occurrence in the past. Laura longs to insist he tell her, but feels she can't jeopardize his well-being. When Caroline finally confides in her siblings, they don't know what to believe. Caroline has always been the overly dramatic family member. Surely she isn't an outright liar, yet her shocking allegations are so over-the-top, they seem to be fiction. How can Caroline's accusations mesh with the memories of her siblings? Whether they accept what Caroline says or not, Laura realizes that steps need to be taken to mend their family. They must discuss the past with their parents. But as the siblings prepare to introduce the topic, tragedy intercepts. How can the family explore their secrets and memories in the face of their overwhelming grief? Laura's dear husband Pete and her best friend Maggie support her quest to uncover the truth while dealing with the present. They also share incidents from their own lives that demonstrate that ugly secrets can be hidden long and well in the most unlikely families. With difficulty, Laura pushes through her initial denial and anger, probing the past she shared with her sister. She insists that their brother join her painful quest. As Caroline confides more incidents, Laura begins to consider the possibility that her sister is telling the truth --- yet she's not fully convinced by Caroline. Are Laura's own childhood memories completely false? Why weren't there more signs? Why did her sister wait so long to tell? It takes a climatic event to convince Laura which version of the past is real, and then she must take immediate action. Elizabeth Berg can always be counted upon for an excellent read; she has yet to disappoint me. As usual, her uncanny knack for the details of life --- a conversation held during a rented video no one enjoys but no one turns off, a flouncing teenager, a beloved husband lacking in phone manners --- makes me believe that I'm not reading a book, but have actually become her character. Her lovingly depicted domestic scenes are ones I yearn for, yet they are somehow completely familiar to me. THE ART OF MENDING is also a bit of a love story, featuring not only Laura's husband but also her passion for sewing and fabric. The difficult subject manner and huge truths are handled gracefully, with an ending that satisfies while remaining realistically open-ended. Highly recommended. --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon
Rating:
Summary: it's too bad.
Review: let me preface by saying that i am an ardent elizabeth berg fan, however, this book just does not meet the mark she set for herself with such fantastic pieces as "durable goods" and "joy school." the writing is still classic berg, but i find it stale in this work because there is no story to ground it. the story is weirdly predictable and i found the characters unimaginative and uninteresting. it seems as if berg was trying to take a cliched story and turn it into something prolific by throwing in some futile last-minute twists and shockers. however, those methods fail, as they always do. it is too little, too late. berg is at her best when the writing is clear and honest and driven, and here the focus of the book is muddy and boring, not to mention trite. i am let down, yes, but i look forward to a brighter berg future. after all, every author has an off book once in awhile, right?
Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth Berg Shines Again...
Review: Let me preface this review by saying that I am a huge fan of Ms. Berg's writing - I have rarely found a writer who is able to capture the level of detail and nuance found in her books. I also find that each book has a "theme" - usually involving some sort of family crisis which precipitates a major upheaval in the main character's life. This book is no exception, and she deals sensitively (and humorously, at times) with the issues of family secrets, dysfunctions, and ultimately - forgiveness. I always find myself devouring her books (usually within a day) and coming away with a deeper level of understanding of my own life and relationships. I recommend this book highly to anyone who has ever struggled with "family issues" and longed to find the road to forgiveness.
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.
Rating:
Summary: I love Elizabeth Berg!
Review: Ms. Berg always seems to capture people, our emotions, our feelings and our innermost secrets and describe them so eloquently. At times I even feel as if she has gotten inside my head to research her latest novel.
The Art of Mending, like many of her books before it, made me laugh, and cry, and nod my head vigourously as if to signify to the author my agreement with her sentiments. I highly recommend this book to any and all. You will not be sorry that you chose to spend some time with Ms. Berg; she's terrific.
Rating: 
Summary: insightful family drama
Review: Now in her fifties, quilter Laura Bartone looks forward to the annual extended family gathering in Minnesota. Her husband Pete and their two children will accompany her as she gets together with her parents and her two siblings and their families. However, before they leave, her younger sister Caroline calls Laura to ask for some private time with her and their brother Steve. When the siblings meet, Caroline explains that she is very depressed and considering a divorce. Laura thinks back to how as a child she used to abusively tease her sister, who always tried so hard to gain approval from their aloof mother, but failed. Caroline explains that she is getting professional help, but believes her melancholy stems from childhood abusive events that she buried. She asks her siblings if they can recall any cruelty from their parents, especially their mother towards her. At first in denial, Laura and Steve start recalling frightening horrendous incidents and other revelations surface, but whether that will help the depressed Caroline or make things worse for her and her now stunned siblings, only time will tell. THE ART OF MENDING is an intriguing deep look at how adults cope or fail to muddle through childhood traumas. The story line is clearly a character study that enables the audience to see deep inside the three siblings, but is told from the lens of Caroline. Though the spouses and children seem so perfect (almost Stepford) so that they never negatively "impact" on the trio especially Caroline, fans of an insightful family drama will welcome Elizabeth Berg's solid perceptive work. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Unfinished Seams
Review: The Art of Mending is the first book I have read by Elizabeth Berg. The subject of child abuse among family members demands more fully drawn characters with greater depth. This book is too much of a skeletal rough draft for this subject. As a reader I often felt like I was viewing a Child Abuse 101 tape rather than experiencing the painful exploration of this family's problems. Lois Battle, in Bed and Breakfast, creates believable characters who struggle to be a family. I grew to love those characters through Battle's gentle humor and deep understanding.
| 
