The Middle Place

Oct 11, 2024 2:21 AM

Author:Kelly Corrigan

The Middle Place

For Kelly Corrigan, family was everything. At thirty-six, she had a marriage that worked, two funny, active kids, and a weekly newspaper column. Yet even as a thriving adult, Kelly still saw herself as the daughter of garrulous 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.

Reviews

How can a book be both unbelievably moving and hilarious? Kelly Corrigan has achieved it. Her writing is brilliant, her honesty commendable. The Middle Place is heart-breaking, life-affirming and a captivating celebration of love

—— Jill Mansell

If you ever forget what really matters in life, read this book

—— Stephanie Calman, author of CONFESSIONS OF A BAD MOTHER

I loved The Middle Place. It isn't a book about cancer, it's about love. It's also very funny - I really couldn't put it down

—— Katie Fforde

Funny [and] irresistibly exuberant

—— O, The Oprah Magazine

Moving, funny and thought-provoking, this is a gem ... A must-read tale of love and hope

—— Woman

Moving and inspirational ... the characters leap off the page as she captures the tender, sometimes fractious moments that bind families together

—— She

An instinctively fine-tuned, vibrant and funny account

—— Good Housekeeping (UK)

Kelly Corrigan's charming, captivating memoir recounts her attempts to straddle the so-called middle place - that time in life when you're both daughter and mother

—— Family Circle

Bravely reveals the frightened daughter inside the grown-up wife and mother

—— Elle

The stars of this memoir - a daughter and her devil-may-care dad - believe laughter is curative. They will make you believe, too

—— Good Housekeeping (US)

More complex - and funny - than one would ever imagine ... It's a candid account of a woman unafraid to reveal the scared, jealous, and immature sides of herself while painting a portrait of her rollicking, fun-loving Irish Catholic parents and brothers who bolster her, and the husband who understands and loves her

—— San Francisco Chronicle

Corrigan infuses her prose with vivacity and humor. She explores that process called growing up, and how it can happen in a defining moment, like a lightening strike, but also how it is illuminated in less dramatic ones, like flickers of heat lightning in a summer sky

—— BookPage

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