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95th out of 1,109 books
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The Middle Place
by
Kelly Corrigan (Goodreads Author)
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers
Corrigan opens her memoir with these words: "The thing you need to
know about me is that I am George Corrigan's daughter, his only daughter."
She continues with an unabashed tribute to the first man in her life.
George Corrigan emerges as an outsized figure of immense good cheer and
spirited disposition...more
Corrigan opens her memoir with these words: "The thing you need to
know about me is that I am George Corrigan's daughter, his only daughter."
She continues with an unabashed tribute to the first man in her life.
George Corrigan emerges as an outsized figure of immense good cheer and
spirited disposition...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
January 8th 2008
by Hyperion
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This book was recommended to me by a clerk in a bookstore. I think it is his go-to suggestion for that thirty-something Mommy he believes is looking for a little more…Unfortunately, although I fit the type - not it.
I liked the first third of the book fine and then her father also got sick – and that is where she lost me. I immediately stopped liking her. Absolutely I had compassion from her desperate place, but I (like her family too) was unbelievably annoyed and frustrated by her...more
I liked the first third of the book fine and then her father also got sick – and that is where she lost me. I immediately stopped liking her. Absolutely I had compassion from her desperate place, but I (like her family too) was unbelievably annoyed and frustrated by her...more
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This is the memoir a Piedmont mother of two, learning to navigate life in the middle place - that place where you're trying to learn how to be an independent person/parent of your own, but still find yourself running home to your parents when problems arise. Corrigan has a gregarious larger than life father, who has consistently convinced her that she is the most awe-inspiring wonderful person around. As a result, she seems to believe a little too much that the world revolves around her and that...more
I just finished The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, and I am aching. Aching at the beauty of it, at her good humor, honesty, and vulnerability, at the awful fates that give a young mother of two stage 3 breast cancer, at the even worse fates that give that young mother's beloved father his own grave cancer diagnosis just months after her own. I ache because the book is really beautiful; it's a book that I wish that I had written- and that ache turns into a shudder because I was living half of ...more
I am read this book as part of an experiment...the publisher gave out advanced copies to people who were willing to participate in an online book group. The book sounded great so I agreed.
Fantastic book. Beautiful and witty. Corrigan articulated everything I never knew I felt about my parents and being a daughter. Her family is charming and she told just the right details to make me smile.
Fantastic book. Beautiful and witty. Corrigan articulated everything I never knew I felt about my parents and being a daughter. Her family is charming and she told just the right details to make me smile.
The Top Place for Outstanding Memoirs
This memoir is filled with love, humility, honesty, compassion and a great sense of humor. Well-written and highly readable, the structure pulls you from cover to cover so quickly, it's readable in one sitting. My one sitting happened to be on a long plane ride, however, the time I spent getting to know Kelly Corrigan and her father, "Greenie," along with the rest of Kelly's family, made the plane not only bearable, but also enjoyable. She mov...more
This memoir is filled with love, humility, honesty, compassion and a great sense of humor. Well-written and highly readable, the structure pulls you from cover to cover so quickly, it's readable in one sitting. My one sitting happened to be on a long plane ride, however, the time I spent getting to know Kelly Corrigan and her father, "Greenie," along with the rest of Kelly's family, made the plane not only bearable, but also enjoyable. She mov...more
It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me remember what going through breast cancer was all about. It's kind of ironic, but we must have been going through breast cancer about the same time during the years of 2004-05. It made me remember how I loved my husband and my girls, my family and my friends for helping me through that difficult time. It made me think of my Dad and how much I love him and appreciate his sense of humor. It made me remember times of growing up and silly things I'd forgo...more
I really related to Kelly on many fronts. I didn't however like her continuous use of the Lord's name in vain NOR the f-bomb. I actually censored my copy of this book to clean it up a bit. Kelly is an amazing author and I really liked the style of how she goes back and forth from the past and present. It's also so current. The story ends just a couple of years ago so when she mentions President Bush or the Brad/Angie/Jen triangle it feels like I'm right there with her. I know what she's talking ...more
Just started. I've laughed and cried already and am only a couple of chapters into it. I can't imagine getting cancer, but breast cancer is in my line now that my grandmother is suffering from it.
**Update**
I just finished, and I'd love to give this book more stars, but I feel it would be overly generous. I really liked Kelly at the beginning of the book, and I really WANTED to like her by the end, but just couldn't relate.
A few things bothered me. I didn't li...more
**Update**
I just finished, and I'd love to give this book more stars, but I feel it would be overly generous. I really liked Kelly at the beginning of the book, and I really WANTED to like her by the end, but just couldn't relate.
A few things bothered me. I didn't li...more
I liked this book so much. Definitely a cry-book - be warned - but I think what I got from this the most, beyond all of the cancer stuff, had to do with parenting. In the prologue she writes (about her father) "He defined me first, as parents do. Those early characterizations can become the shimmering self-image we embrace or the limited, stifling perception we rail against for a lifetime. In my case, he sees me as I would like to be seen. In fact, I'm not even sure what's true about me, si...more
The other reviewers on GoodReads have said it all. I most enjoyed the core theme of the book - the middle place, "that sliver of time when childhood and parenthood overlap" (29). When things go wrong or very right, you are so glad you can still call mom and dad (if you are lucky enough to still have them around).
I recommend it to anyone who thinks they might like it. I doubt it would disappoint. If it doesn't sound like your cup of tea, (I fall into this category), you mig...more
I recommend it to anyone who thinks they might like it. I doubt it would disappoint. If it doesn't sound like your cup of tea, (I fall into this category), you mig...more
When I had seen the YouTube video with Kelly Corrigan reading about the value of friendship, I was very touched, and I thought that this book would be absolutely fantastic. It wasn't. I did this as a BOCD rather than actually reading the book, and I am sure that had some impact on my review. The reader was too effusive, and hearing someone's dad refer to the daughter as Lovey was disconcerting. All I could think of was Gilligan's Island and Thurston Howell III. If everyone who has cancer ge...more
Yesterday, I finished listening to The Middle Place and wept.
At 36, Kelly Corrigan's life seems perfect. She and her husband are doing well living and working in the Bay Area and she is embracing motherhood with 2 young girls. Even though she is an adult, she still sees herself as George Corrigan's only daughter. Her father, who is described as larger-than-life, still remains a major part of her life. She is in the 'Middle Place' between when our parents are everything and we a...more
At 36, Kelly Corrigan's life seems perfect. She and her husband are doing well living and working in the Bay Area and she is embracing motherhood with 2 young girls. Even though she is an adult, she still sees herself as George Corrigan's only daughter. Her father, who is described as larger-than-life, still remains a major part of her life. She is in the 'Middle Place' between when our parents are everything and we a...more
Corrigan has written a beautiful book about our position in life when we become parents to our children, yet are still children to our parents.
In the midst of her breast cancer diagnosis, her father is diagnosed with late stage bladder cancer. This is such a moving book, but it's so much more than another tear-jerker 'Chicken Soup for the Cancerous Soul'.
Her descriptions of the sometimes rote and mundane tasks of motherhood are right smack in the middle of what is quite ...more
In the midst of her breast cancer diagnosis, her father is diagnosed with late stage bladder cancer. This is such a moving book, but it's so much more than another tear-jerker 'Chicken Soup for the Cancerous Soul'.
Her descriptions of the sometimes rote and mundane tasks of motherhood are right smack in the middle of what is quite ...more
The Middle Place is a book that will resonate with countless women in their 30s, women trying to figure out how to stand on their own two feet when it’s so comfortable to (still!) be coddled by doting parents. The book’s jacket description states this, but makes it sound like a reasonable and sympathetic dilemma. Reading the book myself, I got a more negative spin on this quandary.
I absolutely loved this book for its honesty. Kelly does not paint herself as a heroine who reaches thro...more
I absolutely loved this book for its honesty. Kelly does not paint herself as a heroine who reaches thro...more
Reviewed for http://www.frontstreetreviews.com
"The Middle Place is about calling home. Instinctively. Even when all the paperwork—a marriage license, a notarized deed, two birth certificates, and seven years of tax returns—clearly indicates you're an adult, but all the same, there you are, clutching the phone and thanking God that you're still somebody's daughter." – Kelly Corrigan
Thirty-six year old Kelly Corrigan was living a very content life. She had a job s...more
"The Middle Place is about calling home. Instinctively. Even when all the paperwork—a marriage license, a notarized deed, two birth certificates, and seven years of tax returns—clearly indicates you're an adult, but all the same, there you are, clutching the phone and thanking God that you're still somebody's daughter." – Kelly Corrigan
Thirty-six year old Kelly Corrigan was living a very content life. She had a job s...more
I think I need a sabaticcal from ordinary joe/joanne memoirs. It all starts out OK, I'm enjoying myself, and then the person just starts to annoy me! As a woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age myself (41), I realy thought I would relate to her staory, and early on, I did. Her process and recovery would be of interest to me, but not so much the story of her life and her almost squeamishly strong attachment to her father. Sorry, but I'm just not interested in her jobs or how s...more
This is a great read. I enjoyed her easy-going nature and ability to move through such difficult times. I do have a problem with showing the father in such a positive light. All characters need to be shaped by their positive and negative qualities to make them real. I felt the characterization of the father was a bit over-the-top, esp. given we don't see anything remotely negative to counter his vivid personality. No one is perfect. I felt at times it didn't come full circle and tell enough on h...more
Shoot me now. In the face. I read this book for two free drink coupons (which came in handy immediately thanks to two six a.m. shifts) and read it in like four hours. It's just what you would expect it to be. Exactly what you would expect it to be. ARRGGHHHH....
I have nothing to say about this book, I just thought I would show that I actually read a book. I will say that after the last few books that I've read, this one made me realize something: Infinite Jest costs, what? 17...more
I have nothing to say about this book, I just thought I would show that I actually read a book. I will say that after the last few books that I've read, this one made me realize something: Infinite Jest costs, what? 17...more
I absolutely loved this book. She's writing about having cancer while her children are tiny and vulnerable (really a worst nightmare scenario) and somehow it's touching and humerous and beautiful. It's the love story of her family. She's the kind of person you would love to have for a friend. I can't wait for her next book.
I will take Kelly and her family with me in the back of my head for a long time to come. I didn't have to give it a second thought, this book is a five! Kelly Corrigan is the kind of person who you would be proud to say is a friend or sister. I loved how she was so dedicated to her family and shared that relationship with readers. I work in the medical field and I've seen many people suffer from cancer. Kelly's story is no different and her times of strength and weakness are so very real. I can'...more
Though I am quite certain Kelly Corrigan's neediness would annoy me in real life, it translates quite well in this memoir. I laughed, I cried, I could not put this book down. A moving memoir that captures how illness can propel you toward growth.
I.loved.this.book.
I loved the quirks and personalities in her family. I loved her insights into motherhood. I loved her Dad! She made me laugh and cry which is just what I needed this week.
I loved the quirks and personalities in her family. I loved her insights into motherhood. I loved her Dad! She made me laugh and cry which is just what I needed this week.
I read this book in two days. Something drew me to it and I couldn't put it down. Kelly is a breast cancer survivor and her book is very real and vulnerable. She is not a christian and it was eye opening for me to read someone's inner battle while facing death without the comfort of eternity with Jesus. I am praying for her to know that comfort! Good book, I feel like I know a little bit more about what someone who is fighting cancer goes through. And I feel like she could be my friend, her writ...more
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My friend, in her review of this book, said she read it in almost one stretch, she couldn't put it down (thanks, Annie!) I too, was cast under the spell. Once I learned that school was canceled for Monday (more snow), I picked up this book, and at about 1 in the morning, I finished. I don't know if I even blinked. There are several reasons why I loved it. I loved her candidness, her humor, her family relationships. She wrote some hilarious similes and vivid descriptions that made me laugh ...more
Like many of the other reviewers here, I felt fine with the narrative initially, even willing to turn over sympathy at her plight. I've had many body-woes in the past few years, enough to work on my own manuscript, though none life-threatening but some bringing much deep sorrow and fear. I can sympathize at the "broken body" feeling.
But that only goes so far. And I must have glossed the back of the book because I had convinced myself The Middle Place referred to the plac...more
But that only goes so far. And I must have glossed the back of the book because I had convinced myself The Middle Place referred to the plac...more
Blurb:
“At 36, Kelly Corrigan had a marriage that worked, two funny, active kids, and a weekly newspaper column. Even then, she still saw herself as the daughter of a garrulous Irish-American charmer, George Corrigan. She was living deep within what she calls the Middle Place – ‘that sliver of time when parenthood and children overlap’ – comfortable wedged between her adult duties and her parents’ care. But when Kelly finds a lump in her breast – and gets the diagnosis that no o...more
“At 36, Kelly Corrigan had a marriage that worked, two funny, active kids, and a weekly newspaper column. Even then, she still saw herself as the daughter of a garrulous Irish-American charmer, George Corrigan. She was living deep within what she calls the Middle Place – ‘that sliver of time when parenthood and children overlap’ – comfortable wedged between her adult duties and her parents’ care. But when Kelly finds a lump in her breast – and gets the diagnosis that no o...more
First off, there are many, maybe all of us, who should read this book. The book is about cancer and survival, but it could be about any number of diseases that afflict us. The real story is how we cope with out affliction, how we let it affect us and those around us, especially our families.
Kelly Corrigan tells her story of growing up in an Irish family. A family not unlike most families. She tells of the pain, sorrow, and fun that all families go through. She also tells how her...more
Kelly Corrigan tells her story of growing up in an Irish family. A family not unlike most families. She tells of the pain, sorrow, and fun that all families go through. She also tells how her...more
Marcia Call
added it
I wrote this letter to my friends after reading The Middle Place. I found it to be very inspiring. Here is a link to Kelly's reading from the book, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_4qwVLqt...
I believe in the power of women -- all kinds. Randy Newman's short women,
John Updike's sexy women, political women like Hilary Clinton and Michele
Obama, family women, friendly women. I love them all.
Personally, I love my friends. Yes, the ones with the double names -- ...more
I believe in the power of women -- all kinds. Randy Newman's short women,
John Updike's sexy women, political women like Hilary Clinton and Michele
Obama, family women, friendly women. I love them all.
Personally, I love my friends. Yes, the ones with the double names -- ...more
Loved it - loved her Dad and how happiness breeds.
Excerpt after a visit to the Cancer specialist.
He knows, after thirty-five years of looking at these thig" my voice cracks - "he knows it's cancer."
"Maybe not, Kelly, maybe NOT. Let's not get ahead of it." he says. He settles into reading position, as he does every night.
After a pause, where he stares at me to see if I have more to say, he leans over to his bedside table an dpic...more
Excerpt after a visit to the Cancer specialist.
He knows, after thirty-five years of looking at these thig" my voice cracks - "he knows it's cancer."
"Maybe not, Kelly, maybe NOT. Let's not get ahead of it." he says. He settles into reading position, as he does every night.
After a pause, where he stares at me to see if I have more to say, he leans over to his bedside table an dpic...more
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Kelly Corrigan is a New York Times bestselling author whose writing has appeared in O Magazine, Glamour and Good Housekeeping. Her newspaper columns for the Bay Area News Group cover everyday matters from the power of an unequivocal apology to the contagious nature of weight gain, extramarital affairs and going green."
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“Appreciation is the purest,strongest form of love. It is the outward-bound kind of love that asks for nothing and gives everything.”
—
38 people liked it
“Even when all the paperwork-a marriage license, a notarized deed, two birth certificates, and seven years of tax returns-clearly indicates you're an adult, but all the same, there you are, clutching the phone and thanking God that you're still somebody's daughter.”
—
14 people liked it
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