What We Keep

By: Elizabeth Berg

Narrated by: Stephanie Roberts

Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Ginny Young is on a plane en route to see her mother, whom she hasn't seen or spoken to for 35 years. She thinks back to the summer of 1958, when she and her sister, Sharla, were young girls. Moving back and forth in time between the girl she once was and the woman she's become, Ginny at last confronts painful choices that occur in almost any woman's life and learns surprising truths about the people she thought she knew best.

©2002 Elizabeth Berg (P)2002 AudioGO

It took me a while to get into this story.

I expected to be motivated by this story from the start. I’m always drawn to stories about families but this book was off to a slow start. I’m glad I didn’t stop reading because the ending was worth it. In short we never know what someone’s going through until we take the time to talk and listen.

Touching with a beautiful message.

This book touched me deeply and really made me question my story that I believed I mostly understood. At 72 years old I could easily fall into the trap of believing I have figured out the past even knowing that it ideally is progressive without a stopping point. Thank you Elizabeth Berg.

Good but stops abruptly

I was enjoying the story but the it just ends abruptly. I expected more stories when they were with their mother. I was surprised to find it just ended.

Beautiful!!

This was a deeply moving, beautifully written, cautionary tale that should speak to every little girl…and her mother.

I love Elizabeth Berg's books

Always great characters, written so true to life that you find yourself in them. This w one was lovely.

Good story re: family dynamics.

I thought the dialogue between the sisters (as children) was more realistic than most. It was a good book (not a great one, but enjoyable) and worth listening to, especially since it’s included as free on Audible plus.

How could I not cry for my mother?

The tears will come when I think of this story. I wonder what my daughter will think of me?

Enthralling!

This story helped me to understand and to forgive my own mother. She died last year. I was just given her ashes. She, too, was a unique individual. Thank you, Ms Berg, for writing this story.

Another Awesome Elizabeth Berg

Oh wow. Touches on so many common, and yet intensely personal experiences in life. The sisterhood relationship hit me the most emotionally, having grown up in a family situation that bonded my little sister & I unusually strongly through (unavoidable) hardship. And yet, it avoided being maudlin. It was more about getting through the hardest times in life, first messily, & later with grace. I definitely recommend. Thank you, Elizabeth Berg!

Spring listening

This book seemed to drag on (lots of descriptive details and figurative language about nothing- I feel like I could forward the book a chapter or two and not even really miss anything). It was kind of hard to get into the book with the performance by the narrator. It was awkward sounding as she portrayed the voices of the children. There really was not much of a story line - the last hour of the book was finally interesting to listen to.