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Joy School (Katie Nash #2)
In this exquisite new novel by bestselling writer Elizabeth Berg, a young woman falls in love -- and learns how sorrow can lead to an understanding of joy.
Katie, the narrator, has relocated to Missouri with her distant, occasionally abusive father, and she feels very much alone: her much-loved mother is dead; her new school is unaccepting of her; and her only friends fall...more
Katie, the narrator, has relocated to Missouri with her distant, occasionally abusive father, and she feels very much alone: her much-loved mother is dead; her new school is unaccepting of her; and her only friends fall...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
March 24th 1998
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1997)
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Joy School is a follow-up to Elizabeth Berg’s debut novel, Durable Goods, where we were introduced to main character Katie at twelve years of age. Although I enjoyed the first book, in Joy School there are more conflicts, beautifully layered together. At its heart though, this book, set in the 1950’s, is a story of first love.
Now thirteen, Katie meets and falls for 23-year-old “shiver-handsome” Jimmy, who works in a garage, is married, and has a child. But Katie doesn’t realize this for quite s...more
Now thirteen, Katie meets and falls for 23-year-old “shiver-handsome” Jimmy, who works in a garage, is married, and has a child. But Katie doesn’t realize this for quite s...more
The kind of y/a adults will gobble up as eagerly. Not quite as moving as its prequel, Durable Goods, Joy School is nonetheless wrenching and engaging. Katie, now living in Missouri with her father and their housekeeper/nanny, is about to turn 13. She has trouble making friends at her new school for a while, then makes some dubious ones (all while reminding me strongly of Haven Kimmel's child self-portait in A Girl Called Zippy), while half-maintaining correspondence with the ever delightful Cher...more
1 like · like · see review
Notes from BookCrossing: I'm very excited to read this one especially, as I just recently "read" my first audiobook -- an Elizabeth Berg! And I really enjoyed it, so I'm sure this will be equally fun to curl up with (with which to curl. . .oh heck, with which to up curl. . . you know, to read in a comfy chair in the corner!).
I started this book today at the Post Office, and I had to run home to check the name of the audiobook (referenced in my previous journal entry) to make sure it wasn't the s...more
I started this book today at the Post Office, and I had to run home to check the name of the audiobook (referenced in my previous journal entry) to make sure it wasn't the s...more
Katie and her father have moved to Missouri from Texas just as Katie is entering the insecurity and wonder of her teen years. Her mother is dead, her sister is pregnant, her father is distant, and she is mostly ignored at school. She thinks maybe the only people who like her are the cafeteria ladies because they always give her seconds. Then she meets Jimmy, the much older manager of a gas station and her luck seems to be changing. She begins spending more time with the married Jimmy and even fi...more
May 14, 2009
Christine Kloss
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
jessica-s-class
Best Books for Young Adults: Romance
This is a sweet story about a young girl's first crush on an older guy. Katie has a father who is slightly abusive, her mother is dead and her sister lives in Mexico. She doesn't have any real friends and doesn't really fit into her new environment. However, when she falls through the ice and Jimmy comes to save her she couldn't have guessed that she was going to feel the things she did. This story is about first love and the point that love doesn't always loo...more
This is a sweet story about a young girl's first crush on an older guy. Katie has a father who is slightly abusive, her mother is dead and her sister lives in Mexico. She doesn't have any real friends and doesn't really fit into her new environment. However, when she falls through the ice and Jimmy comes to save her she couldn't have guessed that she was going to feel the things she did. This story is about first love and the point that love doesn't always loo...more
Was surprised to find another Elizabeth Berg novel at the library that I hadn't read, and as soon as I finished, I went to her website to see if I've missed any others. I love the way Berg writes, which, to me, is sometimes like poetry. I find myself reading passages over and over again just because I like the way they sound. She writes the way I feel, and in this case, brought back feelings and memories from my early teen years.
The main character in this book is a young teenage girl, Katie, who...more
The main character in this book is a young teenage girl, Katie, who...more
There is something so simple and concise, a way that she goes right to the heart of things, in Elizabeth Berg's best books. In this one, we follow the life of the 13-year-old narrator (who was also the protagonist in "Durable Goods," which I loved), who has just moved to a new town and is having trouble making friends and figuring out the rules. Berg's description of walking into the school cafeteria as a new student is spot on: "It is hard enough to do lunch when you know a place. But when you...more
I first read this book in middle school, when I was the same age as the narrator. At the time, I couldn’t stop thinking about the book and what she was going through: a coming of age story about a girl just trying to find her place in life. After I finished the book, I continued to think about different parts of the story. Eventually, I had forgotten what the book was called and who the author was, but I kept recalling parts of the narrators life and story. Later, when I discovered Elizabeth Ber...more
I first read this book 10+ years ago, but I'm setting it to today, because I just reread it this morning. On the back of my copy of this book is a quote from the Publisher's Weekly review, and it says "The reader misses Katie the instant the book ends." And that is truth. Berg's ability is to make you feel what this 13 year old girl is feeling - how she's conflicted about her new friendships; how she's aware that falling in love with the 23 year old gas station attendant isn't her smartest move,...more
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I have read 93 pages of this book. So far I think the book is okay. It is hard to follow and sometimes I find myself rereading paragraphs just to understand what happened. I think the plot is good and very interesting but the way it was written is hard to understand.
In this book a girl moves from Texas to Missori. She has trouble fitting in and making friends. She tries to go skating at a local pond and falls through the ice. Then when she goes to the gas station near by she gets a crush on the...more
In this book a girl moves from Texas to Missori. She has trouble fitting in and making friends. She tries to go skating at a local pond and falls through the ice. Then when she goes to the gas station near by she gets a crush on the...more
I loved this short novel and read it in one sitting. It brought me back to what it was like to be thirteen years old again. Katie, the thirteen year old heroine of the book, is new in town. Her mother has died and her Army Colonel father is distant and angry. It seems no one likes her at her new school and she's having trouble fitting in. She just wants a friend and so she falls in with a few girls who aren't quite perfect matches for her. She learns a lot from them while also falling love with...more
Despite having not read the previous book, I ended up enjoying this one immensely, especially the main character, who seemed totally authentic as a barely teen girl who thinks she knows everything and what she wants but in the end is still finding out who she actually is. And, of course, as someone who is big on age differences in romance, the romantic element really spoke to me as well. I didn't even mind how she spoke, because I knew a lot of folks around that age who spoke the same way, caugh...more
This is one of the best books I have ever read!! It only took me two days to read it and that was too long. I wanted to finish it in one sitting. My heart clenched the entire time for Katie, with her first love, the boy in the car (yuck) and her three VERY different friends. I loved Ginger, she was amazing and was so much like a mother to Katie. I wish the book would not have ended, but it ended perfectly. What a mature, wonderful young woman Katie turned out to be. I love her and she will forev...more
I loved this book about the joy and pain of growing up and falling in love. Sweetly and poetically written, but tempered with the character's struggles to fit in and figure out what kind of person she wants to be--she finds that doing the right thing is not always so easy.
I should say that I was a bit disturbed, especially after reading Durable Goods, the first of this series, by Berg's treatment of domestic violence. It is unlikely that an abusive father/husband would reform with the love of a...more
I should say that I was a bit disturbed, especially after reading Durable Goods, the first of this series, by Berg's treatment of domestic violence. It is unlikely that an abusive father/husband would reform with the love of a...more
I read this sequel out of order, and I wonder if that is partly why I preferred Durable Goods -- the first book about Katie. In this novel, Katie has become a teenager and is experimenting with various kinds of rebellion. She also "falls in love" with a married man who works at a local gas station. Early adolescence is such a painful, awkward book . . . perhaps my ambivalence about the book has something to do with the emotions it portrayed? For whatever reason, the young voice of Katie was not...more
Jan 20, 2013
Trudy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2013-madison-mega-marathon
Joy School is a coming-of-age story featuring Katie Nash who has just moved to Missouri with her widowed father. This is actually the second book in a three book series...it would probably have helped me to read the preceding book first. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book for the most part. Elizabeth Berg has an elegant writing style, and although the content could use a bit of editing from time to time (some scenes just seemed unnecessary while others could be expanded), the prose is a joy to re...more
Mar 23, 2013
Chris
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
elizabeth-berg-w,
series
just one of the many good reviews“Young as I am, I know now that everything is about to come. Jimmy will be the place for me to learn the real happiness. He will be my Joy School. My joy. Mine.”
These words sum up this story, about a 13-year-old girl, Katie, transplanted to Missouri after her mother’s death, and subject to the mercurial moods of a stern, inaccessible father; she finds solace in the housekeeper and in her two friends – Cynthia, who is odd and whose grandmother actually interests K...more
These words sum up this story, about a 13-year-old girl, Katie, transplanted to Missouri after her mother’s death, and subject to the mercurial moods of a stern, inaccessible father; she finds solace in the housekeeper and in her two friends – Cynthia, who is odd and whose grandmother actually interests K...more
I really enjoyed this book. I think I liked it even more than Durable Goods. Katie is now 13 years old and has moved to a new town (again). She struggles to make real friends at her new school and connects with a girl who forces her to question her own morals. She falls in love with a much older man and the tale of her unrequited love is actually very gentle and endearing. Jimmy has a wonderful soft, sensitive personality. I love his character. I like what I'm seeing in terms of the growth of Ka...more
Though this is a YA book, it spoke to me. I liked it just as much as Durable Goods, which is the first Katie book. Even though Elizabeth Berg said she probably would not write a third book, I know now that she did. It is True to Form and I have a copy loaned to me by a friend.
This story sent me back to the time I was 13 going on 19. Katie is a soft-hearted young girl, living with her father after her mother's death and in a new town. Her dad is in the Army and a distant father at best. Her olde...more
This story sent me back to the time I was 13 going on 19. Katie is a soft-hearted young girl, living with her father after her mother's death and in a new town. Her dad is in the Army and a distant father at best. Her olde...more
I loved revisiting Katie Nash, after reading Durable Goods last year. Who can't empathize and sympathize with her? Her awkward, uncertain, naive character takes me right back to being thirteen again. And while Katie seems awkward and naive, she also is wise and sees things so much differently than her peers. I think there is a certain poetic maturity to Katie's worldview.
The interesting thing about this book is the secondary characters and the roles they play in Katie's coming of age. Taylor, Cy...more
The interesting thing about this book is the secondary characters and the roles they play in Katie's coming of age. Taylor, Cy...more
Katie has moved to Missouri with her distant, occasionally abusive father. She feels very alone: her much-loved mother is dead; she finds it difficult to settle in, in her new school and her only friends fall far short of being ideal companions. When she falls through the ice while skating, she meets Jimmy. He is handsome, older than her, and married, but she is entranced. As their relationship unfolds, so too does Katie's awareness of the pain and intensity first love can bring.
Nice read but no...more
Nice read but no...more
“Young as I am, I know now that everything is about to come. Jimmy will be the place for me to learn the real happiness. He will be my Joy School. My joy. Mine.”
These words sum up this story, about a 13-year-old girl, Katie, transplanted to Missouri after her mother’s death, and subject to the mercurial moods of a stern, inaccessible father; she finds solace in the housekeeper and in her two friends – Cynthia, who is odd and whose grandmother actually interests Katie, with her loud, Italian ways...more
These words sum up this story, about a 13-year-old girl, Katie, transplanted to Missouri after her mother’s death, and subject to the mercurial moods of a stern, inaccessible father; she finds solace in the housekeeper and in her two friends – Cynthia, who is odd and whose grandmother actually interests Katie, with her loud, Italian ways...more
As her readers have come to expect, Elizabeth Berg's book, Joy School, is a wonderful sequel and continuation of the story about Katie, whom we first meet in Durable Goods. And while this book can easily stand alone, I do suggest that both books be read.
Joy School now finds Katie once again living with her father but this time on a different army base and in a different part of Texas. Her sister is still off with her boyfriend and instead of her neighbor and confidant Cherylann, Katie now has a...more
Joy School now finds Katie once again living with her father but this time on a different army base and in a different part of Texas. Her sister is still off with her boyfriend and instead of her neighbor and confidant Cherylann, Katie now has a...more
Sep 22, 2007
Linnea McGowan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who like reality with a side of weepy
Shelves:
darngoodbooks,
myworldsquared
Enjoyed. This. Book.
It actually took me almost the whole book to connect that this was a continuation of "Durable Goods." I kept thinking that the family was so familiar, and even went so far as to thematically link the two books, but didn't fully realize that this was Katie's second story until Cherylanne visited. Then I felt rather dolt-like! I guess I could be forgiven considering I read "Durable Goods" almost seven years ago...but still - dolt!
I really enjoy Berg's simplistic style - but f...more
It actually took me almost the whole book to connect that this was a continuation of "Durable Goods." I kept thinking that the family was so familiar, and even went so far as to thematically link the two books, but didn't fully realize that this was Katie's second story until Cherylanne visited. Then I felt rather dolt-like! I guess I could be forgiven considering I read "Durable Goods" almost seven years ago...but still - dolt!
I really enjoy Berg's simplistic style - but f...more
Perhaps this was a guilty pleasure but I really liked this wonderful (if not a bit formulaic) dip into the mind of a thirteen-year-old girl as she navigates a cruel new town, unusual new friends, and an older man she falls in love with. There were a lot of funny scenes and I appreciated Berg's quick and succinct way of introducing her characters and how they look and act. A sweet little book with a lot of heart. Pretty close to a 5-star book for me actually. Am I getting soft or what?!
1 like · like · see review
"Joy School" is such a touchingly heartbreaking, and at the same time funny book. The exquisite details of young Katie's observations are what make this enthralling novel such a gem.
The immediacy of this young girl's feelings and experiences is due to Berg's masterful handling of narrative and dialogue that are totally in sync with a young girl psyche. At the same time, the appeal to the adult reader is unmistakable. I could read this book over and over.
The immediacy of this young girl's feelings and experiences is due to Berg's masterful handling of narrative and dialogue that are totally in sync with a young girl psyche. At the same time, the appeal to the adult reader is unmistakable. I could read this book over and over.
This author was recommended to me, and, on the plus side, it's an easy, mildly entertaining read. She has a nice style, and this would probably be ok when on a beach or something. But the character was written to be way to young than her actual age, and it was distracting, and ALL the characters are as deep as shadows. I think if I had lower expectations, and I was on vacation, this would have been ok. Otherwise- a waste of time
This is a cute book, but not great literature. It is the story of the life of a 13 going on 14 yr. old girl following a move from Texas and the death of her mother. New school, new friends, first crush, some poor choices, some good ones are all explored. And explored realistically, I might add. I thought it could have been a YA except for a couple of descriptive experiences, and aye, there lies the rub ! It should have been a YA !
Well. That was disappointing.
This book has a beginning, somewhat a middle, and an ending, but it does not make you feel good at all. Its a standard coming of age with wonderful writing style, sure--but not much of a story and not nearly enough satisfaction that things end well, at least for some. You actually close the book and wonder if you just read anything of substance. Something is missing, which is such a pity.
This book has a beginning, somewhat a middle, and an ending, but it does not make you feel good at all. Its a standard coming of age with wonderful writing style, sure--but not much of a story and not nearly enough satisfaction that things end well, at least for some. You actually close the book and wonder if you just read anything of substance. Something is missing, which is such a pity.
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Elizabeth Berg is the New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including We Are All Welcome Here, The Year of Pleasures, The Art of Mending, Say When, True to Form, Never Change, and Open House, which was an Oprah’s Book Club selection in 2000. Durable Goods and Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year, and Talk Before Sleep was short-listed for the ABBY Award in 1996. The w...more
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“If I were to draw on a paper what gym does for me, I would make one dot and then I would erase it.”
—
38 people liked it
“When it's new and important, you have to rest in between times. And anyway, even when I like a person there is a weariness that comes. I can be with someone and everything is fine and then all of a sudden it can wash over me like a sickness, that I need the quiet of my own self. I need to unload my head and look at what I've got in there so far. See it. Think what it means. I always need to come back to being alone for a while.”
—
19 people liked it
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Sep 18, 2009 05:57pm