The Middle Place
by Kelly Corrigan
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Book Reviews of The Middle Place
Book Review: It's About Life, Not Death
Summary: 4 Stars
Someone said every book is ultimately about death. That thought applies to Kelly Corrigan's memoir, The Middle Place. Corrigan, a young wife and mother in her thirties faces her own mortality with a breast cancer diagnosis. At the same time she desperately strategizes with her family of origin to find the best treatment for her beloved father, also diagnosed with cancer. She is caught in the middle place between protecting her children and her father. Death is the centerpiece of this plot. The reader wants cures for both of these wonderful people.
But Corrigan balances grim facts with wit and humor. Her voice is chatty and intimate. She brings life and love to the pages with portraits of her father, her funny brothers, her long-suffering mom, her darling husband and two cute kids. Corrigan takes time to honor those she loves with words. Her texts brim with specificity and life. She doesn't leave out the struggles. When she is jealously annoyed to find her husband Edward talking on the phone to his parents, she knows she is being irrational and unfair. Her husband's kindness and acceptance of her craziness makes the reader love him even more. Corrigan contrasts her love for her father, which is total and unrestrained, to the love for her mother which has limits. She shows real life, and flawed people coming together in crisis.
Most of us try to keep thoughts of our inevitable demise in check, but with Kelly and her family the reality of death is too clearly defined by results from the medical lab. While the reader cannot deny the pain of this memoir, Corrigan finds irony. With death as the initial plot Corrigan writes about life. She spells out the details of everyday life and relationships, not death. She lives life with humor and passion even as she is faced with dying. Each day matters. Each relationship matters. This facing-death memoir is really about life.
Book Review: Strength, Courage and Family Armor
Summary: 4 Stars
Had I known the subject of the book, I doubt that I would have read it. A daughter and her beloved father both facing cancer as the topic would be sure to depress my emotional heart however this book did not do that at all!
I found Kelly Corrigan to be delightful in her breezy writing style. While Corrigan isn't glossing over difficult subject matter, such as cancer and its effect upon the patient, the family and every other thing in life imaginable, she tackles these difficulties with ease, tact, grace and humor. Her strategy paid off in a truly good read that didn't cause me to end up with a box of tissues depleted.
The book does tend to lose a bit of its momentum about 'halfway through, however it is worth diligence in staying with it until the end. It is always going to be difficult to cover the minutia of detail when spanning quite a few decades of family life and Corrigan must be brief in some regard to stay true to her actual subject; that being her strong relationship with her father and his determined spirit which sets an example for her struggle against cancer.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves family as it is a testimony of the enduring love among family members, across the miles of a great continent, the distance that occurs when one matures, takes on a career, marries and has ones own family and how family values can determine the strength of our character.
Book Review: The Middle Place
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed really enjoyed The Middle Place. I found Kelly Corrigan to be an author who was authentic and insightful. Her honesty about her emotions, insecurities and reactions to the events she was experiencing felt very genuine.
The book is a study of a close father / daughter relationship and how it impacts the growth, development and perspective of the daughter. She incorporates memories from her childhood and current day adult experiences to reflect upon the impact of that relationship. At times, I found myself emotionally moved by her thoughts of herself, her family of origin and the parental relationship she has with her children.
The subject matter also caused me to pause and reflect on myself and my own circumstances. As one who struggled with my relationship with my own father, I always find it fascinating to get an inside view of how other women deal with their fathers.
The Middle Place is a good label for that time period in our all of our lives. An exemplary tale of "growing up" while you are already grown up.
Hats off to you Kelly. I enjoyed the book.
Book Review: Must read this witty, poignant memoir!!
Summary: 5 Stars
In her magnificently written memoir, Kelly Corrigan provides an insightful glimpse into her "middle place"...that bittersweet time in our life where we are raising our own children, while still being a child to our parents. She truly embodies that 'place' as she courageously manages her own, as well as her beloved father's, battle with cancer. Ms. Corrigan brilliantly entwines the present cancer fight, with reflections of her past, enriching our understanding of how her family's heartwarming relationship created the charming, resilient woman she grew into. She gracefully accepts life's most severe adversities with optimism and humor, and is an extraordinary inspiration to us all. With the loving support of family, Ms. Corrigan proves that we can survive anything. I absolutely loved this beautiful, compelling memoir and was sorry when finding myself reading the last page. I could relate to her emotional story in so many ways, especially understanding that feeling when you realize you are not in control. Her engaging story reminds me to live my life to the fullest. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!
Book Review: Hello World!
Summary: 5 Stars
Kelly Corrigan has a way with words. She can make you laugh one minute and cry the next. Reading this memoir made me feel joy, sadness, irritation, envy.. and when a book can move you it's a great experience. Her honest memoir that focuses on her battle with breast cancer and her relationship with her beloved dad, George "Greenie" Corrigan, is a joy to read. I find that most people don't have the courage to write about their lesser qualities such as neediness, selfishness, and general lack of gratitude, but Corrigan takes all of this on full steam and in doing so has created a real person with real relationships which you can relate to with a sometimes uncomfortable display of emotion that you thought you had long ago repressed...or maybe that's just me. I have alot of admiration for people who can write in this fearless manner, and for Corrigan a breast cancer survivor who shared her story that inspires and moves probably many more people than she could ever have imagined.