Elizabeth Berg (born December 2, 1948) is an American

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

ist. She was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, and lived in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

prior to her residence in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. She studied English and Humanities at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, but later ended up with a nursing degree. Her writing career started when she won an essay contest in ''

Parents A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents who are progenitors are first-degree relatives and have 50% genetic meet. ...

'' magazine. Since her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

in 1993, her novels have sold in large numbers and have received several awards and nominations, although some critics have tagged them as sentimental. She won the New England Book Awards in 1997. The novels ''Durable Goods'', ''Joy School'', and ''True to Form'' form a trilogy about the 12-year-old Katie Nash, in part based on the author's own experience as a daughter in a military family. Her essay "The Pretend Knitter" appears in the anthology ''Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting'', published by W. W. Norton & Company in November 2013.

Bibliography

*''Family traditions: celebrations for holidays and everyday'' (1992), illustrations by Robert Roth *''Durable Goods'' (1993), selected among the ALA's Best Books of the Year *''Talk Before Sleep'' (1994) *''Range of Motion'' (1995) *''The Pull of the Moon'' (1996) *''Joy School'' (1997), selected among the ALA 1998 Best Books for Young Adults1998 Best Books for Young Adults
, Young Adult Library Services Association, ALA website, retrieved on January 7, 2009. *''What We Keep'' (1998) *''Escaping into the Open: The Art of Writing True'' (1999), non-fiction *''Until the Real Thing Comes Along'' (1999) *'' Open House'' (2000),

Oprah's Book Club Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show '' The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a novel, for view ...

selection *''Never Change'' (2001) *''Ordinary Life: stories'' (2002) *''True to Form'' (2002) *''Say When'' (2003) *''The Art of Mending'' (2004) *''The Year of Pleasures'' (2005) *''The Handmaid and the Carpenter'' (2006) *''We Are All Welcome Here'' (2006) *''Dream When You're Feeling Blue'' (2007) *''The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted'' (2008) *''Home Safe'' (2009) *''The Last Time I Saw You'' (2010) *''Once Upon a Time, There Was You'' (2011) *''Tapestry of Fortunes'' (2013) *''The Dream Lover'' (2015) *''Make Someone Happy: Favorite Postings'' (2016) *''The Story of Arthur Truluv'' (2017) *''Night of Miracles'' (2018) *''The Confession Club'' (2019) *''I'll Be Seeing You: a Memoir'' (2020) *''Earth's the Right Place for Love'' (2023)

References

External links

*
Author presentation
by publisher Random House, Inc.
Meet the Writers
from

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

1948 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists University of Minnesota School of Nursing alumni Novelists from Chicago 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers {{US-novelist-1940s-stub