Synopses & Reviews
"The thing you need to know about me is that I am George Corrigan's daughter, his only daughter." So begins this beautifully written memoir, in which Kelly Corrigan intertwines her own story with that of her larger-than-life, Irish-American, born-salesman father's, and illustrates both an unbelievably powerful and healing father/daughter relationship and the unbreakable bonds of family. Writing with candor and a surprising amount of graceful humor, Kelly alternates the tale of growing up Corrigan with her life and her father's today, as they each successfully, for now battle cancer. Throughout, she explores the framework of illness and what it means when the one person who has been your source of strength is in need of some himself. Uplifting without shying away from the realities of life with cancer, this highly personal story ultimately examines the universal theme of family, both those we create and those that created us.
The Middle Place is about the bittersweet moment between childhood and adulthood, when you're a devoted wife and mother, but you'll always be daddy's girl.
In fresh, insightful prose, Kelly explores and ultimately embraces that middle place, bringing to light the wonderful opportunity of coming to know who you are and where you truly belong.
Review
"An amazing story told with steep honesty, buckets of humor and, above all, integrity. The Middle Place is memoir at its highest form."--Darin Strauss, author of The Real McCoy and Chang and Eng
Review
"If you're in a book club or just love to read, make sure this book ends up in your lap, where it will remain until you finish. Plan to laugh, cry, and be consumed by Kelly Corrigan."--Winston-Salem Journal
Review
"Bravely reveals the frightened daughter inside the grown-up wife and mother."--Elle
Review
"Come for the writing, stay for the drama. Or vice-versa. Either way, you won't regret it."--San Francisco Chronicle
Synopsis
"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." For Kelly Corrigan, family is everything.
At thirty-six, she had a marriage that worked, a couple of funny, active kids, and a weekly newspaper column. But even as a thriving adult, Kelly still saw herself as George Corrigan's daughter. A garrulous Irish-American charmer from Baltimore, George was the center of the ebullient, raucous Corrigan clan. He greeted every day by opening his bedroom window and shouting, "Hello, World " Suffice it to say, Kelly's was a colorful childhood, just the sort a girl could get attached to.
Kelly lives deep within what she calls the Middle Place -- "that sliver of time when parenthood and childhood overlap" -- comfortably wedged between her adult duties and her parents' care. But she's abruptly shoved into a coming-of-age when she finds a lump in her breast -- and gets the diagnosis no one wants to hear. And so Kelly's journey to full-blown adulthood begins. When George, too, learns he has late-stage cancer, it is Kelly's turn to take care of the man who had always taken care of her -- and show us a woman as she finally takes the leap and grows up.
Kelly Corrigan is a natural-born storyteller, a gift you quickly recognize as her father's legacy, and her stories are rich with everyday details. She captures the beat of an ordinary life and the tender, sometimes fractious moments that bind families together. Rueful and honest, Kelly is the prized friend who will tell you her darkest, lowest, screwiest thoughts, and then later, dance on the coffee table at your party.
Funny, yet heart-wrenching, The Middle Place is about being a parent and a child at the same time. It is about the special double-vision you get when you are standing with one foot in each place. It is about the family you make and the family you came from -- and locating, navigating, and finally celebrating the place where they meet. It is about reaching for life with both hands -- and finding it.
Synopsis
Corrigan's beautifully written memoir intertwines her own story with that of her larger-than-life, Irish-American, born-salesman father's, and illustrates both an unbelievably powerful and healing father/daughter relationship and the unbreakable bonds of family.
Synopsis
Summer Camp. These two words have been known to inspire many things in the hearts of young girls and prospective campers – from fear, loneliness and anxiety, to joy, freedom, and lessons learned that will last a lifetime. In Memory Lake by Nancy S. Kyme the author’s experience begins with the former, and is transformed by the latter. Part novel and part memoir of the author’s own transformative experiences at a summer camp on the shores of Lake Michigan. Told in flashback as the main character Nancy drives to a camp reunion with her own daughter and her friend, the story will take the reader on an unforgettable journey back to their own teenage years, a difficult time for any young woman – and how the idyllic setting of the camp, her sometimes humorous and sometimes harrowing adventures, and the power of female friendships formed that will last a lifetime – can in fact change the form and direction of your life. Anyone who ever attended summer camp will relate to these charming vignettes, and for those who have not – when you finish this book, you’ll feel as if you had.
Synopsis
For Kelly Corrigan, family is everything. At thirty-six, she had a marriage that worked, two funny, active kids, and a weekly newspaper column. But even as a thriving adult, Kelly still saw herself as the daughter of garrulous Irish-American charmer George Corrigan. She was living deep within what she calls the Middle Place--"that sliver of time when parenthood and childhood overlap"--comfortably wedged between her adult duties and her parents' care. But Kelly is abruptly shoved into coming-of-age when she finds a lump in her breast--and gets the diagnosis no one wants to hear. When George, too, learns that he has late-stage cancer, it is Kelly's turn to take care of the man who had always taken care of her--and to show us a woman who finally takes the leap and grows up.
About the Author
' Nancy Kyme is the CFO of a small corporation in Northern Virginia, is a Certified Public Accountant, and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Also a mother of two grown children and a military wife, she credits camp for her success as an adult and has written for decades to entertain friends and family. This is her first published book. '