From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Middle Place" comes this memoir of Corrigan's struggle with cancer and her family's support an...
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Jul 22, 2011
Ruth
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I read Kelly Corrigan's book The Middle Place which told the story of when she and her dad had cancer at the same time. It was a loving tribute to a man that she loves dearly. As a person who felt the same way about her father, it certainly touched a cord. (I also loved a video that I saw where Kelly was telling the story of how her mom went to Barnes and Noble every day when the book first came out to check on where the book was placed in the store and even to move it so that it would be seen
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Jun 12, 2011
Shannon
rated it: 
Lift has adorned my shelf for more than a year, but was, until now, unread. Not long ago, my ten year old daughter picked it up and read it in an afternoon. I decided to follow suit. The timing was just right. With a busy weekend packed with hosting out of town guests, there wasn't much time for reading, so this slim volume was perfect for reading a few lines before bed and in other quiet moments.
Lift was written as a letter to Corrigan's daughters, Georgia and Claire. This type o More...
Lift was written as a letter to Corrigan's daughters, Georgia and Claire. This type o More...
Jan 16, 2011
Ozma
rated it: 
I totally respect Kelly Corrigan, and I've heard that her first book, "The Middle Place", is just great. I feel like "Lift" is the chunk of text that was on Corrigan's "Clipboard" in MS Word. You know, where you "cut" text, and MS Word asks you, do you want to use this large amount of text in another ap when you quit? I think Corrigan thought, why, yes, I can turn this into a little book. In fact, it's a bit unfair to call it a book. It's more like a bookL
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Oct 21, 2010
Jennifer
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I feel bad giving such a low score for this book, because she is likely a lovely person and a fine writer, but this "love letter" reads more like an "apology letter to me," from an obviously compassionate, caring, attentive, intelligent, loving mother who has nothing whatsoever to apologize for. She feels horrible that she stopped breast-feeding too soon, she talks about her "obvious and hidden limitations" and about "possibly wrecking" her daughters, and
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Aug 05, 2010
David
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Long (for a letter; short for a book, 82 small pages) letter to her two daughters about lots of stuff -- funny family anecdotes, her own childhood, cute things they said and did.
I used to write long-ish notes to my kids when they were as young as the author's, and it might be fun for them or for me to reread them as a set at some point, but I can't imagine anyone outside the family wanting to do so. Same here -- she seems like a nice person, and there is some moving stuff, esp. in More...
I used to write long-ish notes to my kids when they were as young as the author's, and it might be fun for them or for me to reread them as a set at some point, but I can't imagine anyone outside the family wanting to do so. Same here -- she seems like a nice person, and there is some moving stuff, esp. in More...
Mar 31, 2010
Christine
rated it:
A letter to my kids... of course I love the idea of this book. Of course it made me cry when I saw myself as Kelly in more then one part of this very short book. I am loving most moments of being a mom to a 2 and half year old and an 8 month old. I feel blessed each day and love that even the rough moments make my life better and more memorable. I think the hardest thing is that I feel like each moment is here and gone before I fully lived it. I am excited for my babies to grow but at the
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Apr 23, 2010
Alee
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I have not read "The Middle Place," so I can't compare this to her previous book. That being said, "Lift" by Kelly Corrigan is a great short read all by itself. Written as a letter to her two young daughters, Kelly makes an attempt to give them an idea of what she was like when they were young. Reading through both big and small events in Claire and Georgia's short lives, readers are given a glimpse of the kind of mother Kelly is and encouraged to reflect on their impact in t
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Aug 10, 2010
Alexis
rated it:
Super short book-80 pages. This was a single sitting reading.
It was cute. Basically it's an open letter from the author to her children. Almost a mish mosh of her feelings as she thinks them.
There is a line in the book that says it's been shown that most people only have 10 true memories from their childhood. The rest are actually from stories and pictures.
This really struck me because it made me realize that as a parent, our children's youth is probably what More...
It was cute. Basically it's an open letter from the author to her children. Almost a mish mosh of her feelings as she thinks them.
There is a line in the book that says it's been shown that most people only have 10 true memories from their childhood. The rest are actually from stories and pictures.
This really struck me because it made me realize that as a parent, our children's youth is probably what More...
Jun 15, 2010
Lauren
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I checked this ebook out from the library, based only on good reviews. I don't know the author and didn't know much about what the book was about. It's short. So short that I had to look up if I had somehow gotten an abridged version or something. However it's really good. It's probably the timing, the pregnancy hormones, and my current life phase, but it really struck home. This book about parenting is a letter to the author's daughters. She talks about starting a family and some of the events
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Jan 12, 2011
Rhonda
rated it:
A very short book written by a mother to her two young daughters, in hopes that she can preserve some of their childhood memories for them. Nice little book, nothing quite profound, but enjoyable and well-written, a nice treasury for her kids.
Favorite Quotes:
"If John Lennon was right that life is what happens when you're making other plans, parenthood is what happens when everything is flipped over and spilling everywhere and you can't find a towel or a sponge or y More...
Favorite Quotes:
"If John Lennon was right that life is what happens when you're making other plans, parenthood is what happens when everything is flipped over and spilling everywhere and you can't find a towel or a sponge or y More...
Apr 27, 2010
Nicole
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I wanted to like this book because I enjoyed Corrigan's first book, The Middle Place. However, this sparse book, which I read in its entirety in the waiting room while my son sat in the orthodontist chair, seemed like a hastily thrown-together obligation Corrigan promised her publishers. Written as a letter for her 6- and 8-year-old daughters to read someday, the book wanders around the topic of parenting being the greatest thing ever, but not very convincingly. I imagine this book is suppose
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Jun 15, 2010
Kjirsten
rated it:
This letter to her daughters started slow for me, but I kept at it (not like it's that long) because of how much I loved "The Middle Place."
It seems like she was going for an Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Gift from the Sea" type piece. "Lift" missed the mark for me, but I bought this over a Mother's Day trip, and I think I will revisit it to see if it speaks to me differently in a few years.
I thought parts felt forced, as if she were trying to i More...
It seems like she was going for an Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Gift from the Sea" type piece. "Lift" missed the mark for me, but I bought this over a Mother's Day trip, and I think I will revisit it to see if it speaks to me differently in a few years.
I thought parts felt forced, as if she were trying to i More...
Mar 11, 2010
Bookclubcheerleader
rated it:
As I mentioned in my review of “The Middle Place”, Kelly Corrigan really “gets it”!
Although “Lift” has a slightly different focus—this one is a love letter to her daughters while while “The Middle Place” was an homage to her parents—it is still about her love of family. I cried through three boxes of Kleenex reading “The Middle Place” (Kelly’s first book) and “Lift” back-to-back. This was not because Kelly’s writing style was melodramatic—it was the exact opposite. She is straight to the More...
Although “Lift” has a slightly different focus—this one is a love letter to her daughters while while “The Middle Place” was an homage to her parents—it is still about her love of family. I cried through three boxes of Kleenex reading “The Middle Place” (Kelly’s first book) and “Lift” back-to-back. This was not because Kelly’s writing style was melodramatic—it was the exact opposite. She is straight to the More...
Jul 08, 2010
Abbie
rated it:
As I started the book, I had a difficult time adjusting to her tone. There seemed to be, for lack of a better description, missing words. As it turns out, that's just the way she talks/writes. I moved on. Also, since there were no good divisions or stopping points, the whole book - the "three stories" - seemed to be smooshed together in one little mass.
On the positive side, this book was a quick read that of course, left me in tears. The author managed to say things that ha More...
On the positive side, this book was a quick read that of course, left me in tears. The author managed to say things that ha More...
Apr 29, 2010
I saw this on the Today Show. Lift is a metaphor for parenthood. The author survived cancer (and her dad at the same time) and believes crisis plays a role in life; that only some things happen in the space of a crisis. The title of the book comes from talking to a hand glider. He told her that hand gliding was going from one thermal to the next thermal looking for the “lift”. Inside the turbulence there is a column of hot air that pulls you up and allows you to fly at a different altitude
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Oct 26, 2010
Judy
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This is a short book on the raging emotions associated with parenthood. Having children can take a parent from the highest highs to the lowest lows. I think that my favorite quote from the book is "parenthood is what happens when everything is flipped over and spilling everywhere and you can't find a towel or a sponge or your 'inside' voice." This book was written as a letter to the author's two daughters to let them know that their mother loved them enough "to take in the full
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May 23, 2010
Greg
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I'm conflicted about this book...I enjoyed most of it, and found some parts quite touching and impactful. It is a nice manifestation of one woman's love for her children. That was coupled with her very natural acknowledgement of mistakes made and her hope that the fallout from those mistakes won't last too long.
On the other hand, there were occasional sidetrips into political and personal philosophies that I find disagreeable or even abhorrent. They distracted from the main message of More...
On the other hand, there were occasional sidetrips into political and personal philosophies that I find disagreeable or even abhorrent. They distracted from the main message of More...
May 20, 2010
Bryce
rated it:
Finished listening to this today. I have decided to delete my first synopsis that I would recommend this to new mothers and instead suggest that the target audience might indeed be men. All too often, men simply refuse to or can't see through the lens of a woman/mother...we're just not built that way. I thought this was a great piece as it seemed to me that I was privy to a private discussion I otherwise might not have with a very informed woman on what her kids mean to her.
As a m More...
As a m More...
Mar 03, 2010
Kaley
rated it:
Anyone who has ever been a parent will appreciate and relate to Kelly Corrigan's newest book, Lift. With her signature wit, wisdom, humor, and honesty, Corrigan offers a glimpse into her most straightforward and touching parental musings. Written as a letter to her young children, her motivation is to give them the gift of knowing her at that moment in time. The idea is that by the time they are older and interested in getting to know her as a person, she will no longer be the person she is now.
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May 29, 2010
Aban (Aby)
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This is a tiny book, written as a letter, by Corrigan to her two daughters, Georgia and Clare.
In the book, Corrigan explores the joys and heartaches of parenthood, focusing on three stories:
- the time when Corrigan's youngest daughter, Clare, (a baby at the time) developed meningitis and had to be rushed to hospital
- her cousin Cathy's loss of her son in a driving accident
- her friend Meg's decision to have a baby and raise her daughter without the support of a par More...
In the book, Corrigan explores the joys and heartaches of parenthood, focusing on three stories:
- the time when Corrigan's youngest daughter, Clare, (a baby at the time) developed meningitis and had to be rushed to hospital
- her cousin Cathy's loss of her son in a driving accident
- her friend Meg's decision to have a baby and raise her daughter without the support of a par More...
Jan 15, 2011
Juliej
rated it:
I felt as if I was intruding in Kelly Corrigan's life by reading this very personal, touching short story she directs at her two daughters. Kelly has figured out early what many mothers don't realize until its too late - your kids won't be young forever and you better appreciate every single minute of each joyous, and unjoyous, thing they do. I'm sure her cancer was a contributing factor for Kelly in realizing this at an earlier stage in motherhood. Like her book says, without turbulence you
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May 22, 2010
Julie at All Ears
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A short book that can be finished in a single sitting, Lift is a letter from Kelly to her daughters. In this book she describes the unique and special love that exists between parents and children. Filled with both funny and poignant stories of her childhood as well as her children, Kelly perfectly captures the amazing experience of parenthood. There were so many times when I wanted to shout 'Yes! That's exactly how I feel.' Whether it's convincing her single friend that even the difficulty
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Jul 02, 2010
Tiphanie
rated it:
Written as a letter to her children, Corrigan captures an honest, beautiful picture of family and motherhood. "The most unthinkable loss," she writes, "would be never to have had a child in the first place."
Quite opposite of a cliche Perfect Mother encouragement book, Lift touches on life as it is - simple, disastrous, humbling - and allows the reader into the author's life. Corrigan writes her matter-of-fact, empathetic letter to include her own shortcomings as More...
Quite opposite of a cliche Perfect Mother encouragement book, Lift touches on life as it is - simple, disastrous, humbling - and allows the reader into the author's life. Corrigan writes her matter-of-fact, empathetic letter to include her own shortcomings as More...
Nov 28, 2010
Michelle
rated it:
Sweet little (and I do mean little) book the author essentially wrote for her daughters. I loved Corrigan's voice in "The Middle Place" so had high expectations. This did not disappoint. Of course I might feel more connection to this work than some people given I also have two daughters, including one named Georgia (I choked up pretty much every time she addressed something specifically to her Georgia). But overall it was just a lovely little piece. I particularly liked the concept of
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Mar 30, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
I don’t normally drool over writers – there are some that I like more than others, but if they were in a café where I was eating, I would think, “Ah, there is so-and-so” and go on my merry way. None of that applies to Kelly Corrigan. If she were in a café, I would do something stupid enough to get myself noticed so I could meet her. I love her that much. She is fresh, she is honest, when she drops the F bomb she sounds really cool, she yells at her kids and admits it, she survived cancer, and
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Mar 31, 2010
Vickie
rated it:
I really like the idea of this book- what words you want to leave to your children... I have often thought of starting something like this, and maybe this will motivate me to do so. I hope so because I have a lot in my head that I would want them to know.
I really loved The Middle Place, and was hopeful that I would like Lift just as much. Unfortunately I didn't. (I hard really high expectations.)
Some things that will definitely stick with me......
"This w More...
I really loved The Middle Place, and was hopeful that I would like Lift just as much. Unfortunately I didn't. (I hard really high expectations.)
Some things that will definitely stick with me......
"This w More...
Jan 09, 2012
Stephani
rated it:
This book is written as a love letter to Corrigan's daughters. It is inspirational and very sweet. I'd like to write something to my children that freezes us in time as we are ever changing. However, this book lacked organization and continuity for me. Maybe that is how it's intended, since our lives can be busy, frazzled and hectic. But the English teacher in me kept looking for the thesis or that "aha" moment and never found it. She does try with the metaphor of "lift" expl
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Jan 07, 2011
Brooke
rated it:
Corrigan writes a letter to her two young daughters telling them about herself & themselves while sharing some beautiful stories. It's super short - I read it in an hour - and quite eloquent & poignant. Definitely brought a tear or two. One of the lines that stuck with me was this written after an ER visit and meningitis scare: "But the smell of the hospital, the sting of those overhead lights in the night, the snippets of conversation I'd overheard stayed with me and marked the beginnin
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Aug 11, 2010
Shelley
rated it:
With all the hype surrounding this book, I expected it to be better. I agree with the main premise - that motherhood is awesome and we should enjoy it. But the author threw in so many side opinions, which I didn't agree with, that it was hard to enjoy the book. For instance, she enjoys motherhood so much, she encouraged her single friend to go to a sperm bank and become a single mom. Hmmm... interesting. I don't think motherhood would be nearly as wonderful if I had to do it alone... The g
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Jan 11, 2011
Amy
rated it:
Some lovely reflections on motherhood. I feel like the author takes the words in my head and puts them on paper exactly how I would like to.
Like my friend M.D., this is my favorite excerpt from the book:
"My default answer to everything is 'no'. As soon as I hear the inflection of inquiry in your voice, the word 'no' forms in my mind, sometimes accompanied by a reason, often not. Can I open the mail? No. Can I wear your necklace? No. When is dinner? No. What you probably wouldn' More...
Like my friend M.D., this is my favorite excerpt from the book:
"My default answer to everything is 'no'. As soon as I hear the inflection of inquiry in your voice, the word 'no' forms in my mind, sometimes accompanied by a reason, often not. Can I open the mail? No. Can I wear your necklace? No. When is dinner? No. What you probably wouldn' More...
