The Middle Place

by Kelly Corrigan

"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.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Book Club, Biography, Biography Memoir, Audiobook, Adult

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2005

About the author

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."

Reviews

[Kristi Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So how does this censorship thing work exactly?

Excerpt from The Middle Place [with "f-bomb" censored:]:

Just after reading The Middle Place, I stupidly started reading some of the reviews. I got madder by the minute. Far too many reviewers seemed to miss the fact that Kelly Corrigan, the mother of two young girls, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Instead, they fretted about the f-bombs. In particular, the paragraph (below) by this reviewer caught my imagination:

A few things bothered me. I didn't like reading with a pen in my hand to mark out the offensive language. I am not a prude, and I even think that some basic swearing can occasionally add to the realism of a situation, but one thing that gets to me is the use of the so-called f-bomb. I don't want to qualify when it should be used (if ever), but it is especially off-putting when it's thrown into an average scenario or situation. Not loving that. I just think there is a better, classier way to communicate. (If you'd rather borrow my censored copy, just let me know). Another thing is she takes the Lord's name in vain so much that I started blacking that out, too. I found it interesting that for someone who doesn't believe in God, His name is her favorite swear word.

Strangely enough, I never noticed the fucking language. And as tempting as it is, I’m not going to comment on this women’s assertion that she is “not a prude.” However, consider this censorship process.

First, you must hunt carefully for the f-bombs, and in this nearly 300-page book, there are actually only 9 instances, not the dozens some reviewers reported. Also the Lord’s name is taken in vain only 5 times. If you want to get anal about this, there are also 3 instances of damn, 5 instances of shit, and 9 instances of hell. Golly gee! So all right, step one is hunting down these words that apparently sear the brain of the reader.

Then, you need to take the time to scribble out the offensive word. Using a pen, this takes a bit of time. Consequently, the word FUCK, for example, must first be spotted, then painstakingly marked out, and then what? Is the book now ready for consumption? The reviewer does offer, very kindly, to pass on the censored copy. However, when you read this copy, doesn’t each instance of words marked out make you hyper-focus on that word and wonder what it is? It would seem that this process accentuates, rather than eradicates, this “salty,” “foul,” “rough,” (etc.) language, to quote some of the adjectives reviewers used.

Reviewers also commented on Kelly Corrigan’s lack of faith, which they also found off-putting. Apparently, if her family is Catholic, she should be as well. One reviewer, apparently missing the fact that this was nonfiction, complained about yet another book about cancer. What a downer. I guess Corrigan should have come up with a happier disease.

Further, as the book develops Corrigan’s character changes. She’s not saintly, and, at times, she seems downright selfish. However, in retrospect, my three star rating climbed to four stars because of that fact. Corrigan does not present herself in a flattering light. Though she is often brave, she has cancer. And, when you have cancer—particularly a form that can be fatal—a little self absorption is downright normal (as is saying “fuck” now and then). Also, for cancer victims it’s often not the big events that finally make you crack, but the little indignities, the new restrictions, and the daily uncertainty of it all. You’ve been invaded, and you’re not in control. Corrigan’s reaction is often to try to control what she can, much to the exhaustion of all around her.

Yet, the memoir is both funny and honest.

*Possible spoiler alert*


When Corrigan finds out she can have no more children, her husband, Edward, makes her laugh by reminding her of…

this funny, plainspoken guy we once met at a wedding in Georgia. This guy had a chicken named Red who laid five eggs a week, sometimes six, eggs that this guy would cook up and eat. When Red stopped laying eggs, he planned to break Red’s neck. Edward said it looked like my days were numbered.

My 4-star rating may be a tad high, but it’s a form of protest. I fucking hate censorship.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 people live for her daily accomplishments and advice. There are times throughout the book where she seems to acknowledge this and reflect a bit on the reasons for her selfishness, but often it goes by unseen. Corrigan is diagnosed with breast cancer, and the book focuses mainly on how she handles this crisis - while still protecting her children, and being there to support her aging parents. I found it a little odd that on the day she found out about her diagnosis, she chose to email her 100 closest friends about what she was going through. While it is amazing that she had such a wide support network, it just seemed like such a public announcement of a private situation - admitting that she sent it to friends and family members that she hadn't really spoken to in years. She reproduces her email for the reader - and while touching, it failed to acknowledge that many of the people she was sending the email to had probably already been through a similar experience. To me, this anecdote highlighted Corrigan's focus on the self - and while she consistently wanted her friends to walk in her painful shoes, she rarely seemed able to walk in theirs, or ever acknowledge that others might be going through difficult times of their own. While I found her struggle with cancer to be quite honest (and it, as well as her close relationship with her father, brought tears to my eyes on numerous occasions throughout the book), I was frustrated by her view of the world, which often seemed to presume that she was the only one suffering - and never fully appreciating that she lives in one of the most wealthy towns in the country, and has a family willing to go above and beyond in every situation. This book is an interesting example of the difficulty transitioning from being someone's child, to being your own person. But, Corrigan is also a fine example of how profoundly (for better or worse) parents are able to warp their children's views and expectations of what the world owes them.

[Kelly Ballard · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 behavior.

Yes, I understand, she is sick and it is much easier to worry/obsess about someone else then to deal with her own fears, but that is my problem. Where are her discovered coping skills? Where does she face her own fears about illness? What has she learned except she is still happily in the middle place?

There was no awakening in this book – just the facts, sometimes presented with humor, but no lessons learned about why, how or what if? It reminds me a little of Eat, Pray, Love – the central female voice is put in these sympathetic situations yet instead of shining through with grace, the dregs of ego break through with selfish fits and accusations. Both women do what all of us do when faced with crisis – we become children. We get mad, throw fits, become irritable, make accusations, blame others…and after awhile, maybe five minutes to never, our adult self steps in. Where is Ms. Corrigan’s adult self?

When I finished the final page, my first thought was, What the hell was that? What is she imparting except cancer just happens and gratitude for her wonderful father to still be alive so she can stay in the middle place of being a parent yet still being parented to by parents…Do yourself a favor and skip it.

[JR · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 like reading with a pen in my hand to mark out the offensive language. I am not a prude, and I even think that some basic swearing can occasionally add to the realism of a situation, but one thing that gets to me is the use of the so-called f-bomb. I don't want to qualify when it should be used (if ever), but it is especially off-putting when it's thrown into an average scenario or situation. Not loving that. I just think there is a better, classier way to communicate. (If you'd rather borrow my censored copy, just let me know). Another thing is she takes the Lord's name in vain so much that I started blacking that out, too. I found it interesting that for someone who doesn't believe in God, His name is her favorite swear word.

The story--well, it has many poignant passages, and some that are hilarious. I admit, though, that several times I just want to say "buck up, girl, you are not 10 anymore." Kelly has an incredible relationship with her dad--what a guy!--but I don't think she appreciates her mom as much as she should. Yeah, they're different, but for me, when she spoke about her mom, it was usually a complaining whine and it grated on my nerves. Her Mom sounds like a saint...but maybe that's what bothered her. She says over and over that she is a Corrigan, through and through. While I LOVE the family banter, the nick names, the bonding, I didn't buy that she was 100% Corrigan. Her dad is an upbeat, gregarious, optimistic, faith-filled, mass-going man. Kelly is really funny, but besides that part I didn't see a ton that made her a cookie cutter copy of her Dad.

I think she does a good job of portraying our humanity realistically. All of us are far from perfect, we lose it, we take things for granted, we act stupid, selfish and impatient. I appreciated her ability to find beauty in every day situations. I didn't like reading about her losing her virginity. I don't need the details about it, even if it is to prove thatshe was ditching the Catholic church's teachings. Yes, plenty of people do that, but it didn't add anything to the book to detail the situation.

The main problem I have is relating to someone who has zero faith in God. I can't handle the whole agnostic yuppie mentality of "we are living in the Bay Area, therefore we are more enlightened than you." Faith is such a driving force in my life that I cannot believe her when she says that God cannot cure cancer, that He cannot work at the "cellular level." Yet, by the end of the book, her mother (portrayed as a simpleton) believes that a healing is a miracle and attributes it to faith and prayers. Kelly can't agree about the miracle, but she also can't give any other explanation as to why the healing happened. But it sure is quaint that people prayed.

And the title...The Middle Place. It's a reference to still being reliant on your parents--still being their child--while simultaneously being a parent, too. I guess I thought that this "place" was more likely to occur in your 20's. Kelly is pushing 40 at the end of the story. Maybe it's because I was married young and experienced the "middle place" (still needing mom and dad to take care of me somewhat) during my 20's. I can't imagine being there now, let alone at 40+. Maybe it's a generational thing, as more and more people marry later in life, so are dependent on their parents for longer periods of time, and that dependency spills over into what historically has been a more mature period of life (30's).

I expected more of an 'ah-ha' moment at the end of the book, but it never happened. I can't figure out where her growth took place...for example, toward the end she's meeting with a nutritionalist who is trying to help her adjust her diet so there is less of a chance for recurrence. She makes fun of everything the nutritionalist says, balking at the idea of cutting back on alcohol to save her life. I kept thinking that the medical institution just SAVED her, yet where is the respect? The appreciation?

What do you think? Have you read this? I would be interested to know your opinions. Personally, despite the rave reviews elsewhere, if I had to do it over I'd skip this book.

[Katherine Center · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the home stretch with this book, I felt all tangled-up with this family--in a good way. And the writing is lovely.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 the book's premise at the same time she was. So, yeah, I am self-aware enough to know that part of the reason why I loved this book is because I cannot resist the storyline and my little intersection with some of it- that I am a girl who is her father's daughter, that when he was diagnosed with some rare, fast moving lymphoma caused by Agent Orange exposure, I tried to boss that damn cancer out of him and walked the fine line of begging and demanding that his doctors understand the urgency of this particular situation since it was ours and all, that my brother called me Student Body President of the cancer and meant it not admiringly because I had a pad of ceaseless questions for the doctors and couldn't summon up the lies to tell my mom that my dad wouldn't lose his hair and all that other placating stuff. Yeah, I get that I can't separate that part of me from the reading of this book. And it is why I almost didn't read the book even after catching a lovely review of it somewhere. But then I ran across an even lovelier essay by Corrigan in a recent issue of O magazine, and I couldn't resist the book any longer. I went to the bookstore and searched it out. All that, and, yet I know, if I could be completely objective, I would still think this book was luminous. So pick it up. Break your heart open with it, and let Corrigan put it all back together with her and Greenie's story.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 forgotten about. It made me remember my Mom and wish she were still here to share things with. It helped me to remember that I'm still not out of the woods and that my cancer can come back and how much I want to enjoy the life I have. Towards the end it made me face thinking about a funeral for my own Dad and how difficult that will be. It made me cry and love my family all so very much. It made me cry and truly appreciate that I am still somebodies daughter. After I finished reading the book, with tears streaming down my face, I instinctively picked up the phone and called my Dad. He wasn't home which was probably a good thing because I could hardly even talk to leave him a message and tell him how much I love and miss him. I did call and talk to him later and told him how much I loved him and how grateful I was for having such a great Dad. What a book on so many different levels.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 gets to publish their story, look out. Not to belittle this woman's battle with cancer, but not everyone's story needs to be shared. I don't feel as though she had any unique insights or experiences. As a matter of fact, I thought her story was very mundane. Yes, she was going through cancer treatment and then her dad was diagnosed with cancer, so maybe that was a little unique, but I just couldn't develop any special empathy for her or her father.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book is ok..you'll end up disliking the author. You'll find yourself wanting to jump into the book and give her one of those Scarlett O'Hara slaps.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 moved me from tears to laughter to a place of profound contentment. In the Prologue Kelly tells her readers that the one thing we need to know about her is that she's "George Corrigan's daughter." Ultimately, the one thing I believe this survival story is about is how love of family will see you through anything. Even cancer.

The Middle Place, according to Kelly, is the place between childhood and adulthood. This takes place for her between August, 2004 and August, 2005, which is the essential duration of the story. By alternating chapters between present and past, this young mother moves the reader from the middle place, a place where she learns she has breast cancer, to her past with stories of her life as her parents' child and her brothers' sister. Because Kelly, aka "Lovey," shares the cancer experience with her high-spirited and utterly lovable father, it makes the middle place that much more complicated and rich. She holds back little and seems keenly aware of her reader. Writing outside herself, she keeps readers in the loop in spite of very personal revelations. She is indeed her father's daughter.

A big fan of memoirs, this is one of the best I've read in a long time and I give it my highest recommendation.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

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, since I have always chosen to believe his version."

Wow. This really resonates with me and I am DEFINITELY going to stop making jokes about Lily ending up in juvie. I mean, what a gift to give your kids - your utter, total belief in the magic of who they are and what they have to offer to the world.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 she met her husband. There's not enough here for someone who doesn't know her already to really be interested in and to learn from, let alone be inspired by. By the end, I was just racing through it. My advice, skip it.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 about. I also relate well to her stage of life and finding that middle ground...learning to be an adult and still yearning to be the child and protected from the world.

[Boots · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have struggled with the idea of whether to review this book or not because this book is a memoir about someone's actual life. But I have been mulling this book over for a few weeks since I read it, and frankly, I am mystified as to how it has garnered so many 5 star reviews.

I absolutely loved the first half of the book. I truly did. It was a real, moving, lovely tribute to her dad, known as "Greenie". The anecdotes about him and her early growing up years were so funny. Her description of her family members was so detailed and she gave so many humorous accounts of them, I felt as if I knew them. I also thought how much I would love to have Kelly as a friend. She sounded funny, spunky, and real. If she had stopped the book right there, just as a wonderful reminiscence of her life growing up with her family, I would not be writing what I am about to write.

But just past the second half of the book, the writer's tone and the content becomes whiny, self indulgent, leaving the author sounding like a spoiled child who needs to grow up. She recounts several seemingly unrelated episodes in which she is either bemoaning someone's insensitivity to her needs or is patting herself on the back for how strong she is when she needs to be. Her example of her strength? When she was in the delivery room, she kept screaming "I can't do it!" when it was time to push. But in the end, she stepps up to the plate and pushed, giving birth to her child! What else was she going to do, NOT have the baby?! It is the self-congratulatory way she perceives herself in this instance that is irritating.

The other episodes in which she is complaining about someone's insensitivity reads like a personal diary entry - one we all may make now and then when feeling particularly sorry for ourselves, but not a diary entry we ever expect anyone else to read. She complains that she can't have any more children (she already has two). Then there is the incident at the dinner party with friends where two male friends are talking about how far they have come in getting themselves healthy and in shape. The author then throws a wet blanket on the conversation with them with a "what about poor old me" monologue about how broken she feels since her cancer, and how her body has failed her. Then there is the time she runs into an old acquaintance on the street who hasn't seen her since her cancer and makes a series of very benign remarks about one thing or the other that Kelly finds insensitive, and then states how this "friend" will blanch later when she learns Kelly has cancer and remembers what she said to Kelly. She complains about her husband and his closeness to his family (how ironic is that?), complaining about how he calls them on the weekend when she feels he should be devoting his time exclusively to her and their two children. The poor guy sounded so hen pecked based on her description of the conversation she had with him, I felt sorry for him. And he ends up agreeing, not unagreeably, to no longer phone his parents on the weekend when she is around, but when he is driving home from work!

The only real conclusions I felt the author reached at the end of the book were: (a) until she experiences the death of a parent, she doesn't feel she will really be an "adult", and (b) no one will ever admire, cherish, and idolize her like her father does. The best piece of advice in the entire book comes from her mom. The advice she gives, just prior to Kelly becoming engaged, is for Kelly to not expect too much from people in life because if you don't expect a whole lot, you will never be too disappointed. Sadly, I think Kelly might come across as a happier person had she considered this advice. She seems to expect a lot from everyone throughout the book.

I think the author is a talented writer, and, again, I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book. And I think with a bit more editing, or perhaps as a series of essays, this book could have been a better read. But not as a full length book with no conclusions or resolutions of much depth.

[Julier · Rating 4 out of 5]

My father was easily impressed by everyone. He sort of gave me the impression that the world was rooting for me. He always used to say, "Ah, lovey, you're going to write the great American novel someday." And I thought, boy, that would be the thrill of a lifetime to hand him a book that I wrote.

But "lifetime" took on a new meaning when Kelly Corrigan discoved she had breast cancer at age 36 with two kids in diapers. Her father George, "Greenie" was diagnosed with prostate cancer shortly after she started her own cancer treatments. This memoir is the story of their lives dealing with urgent cancer conditions and treatment is threaded around her earlier life experiences and relationships.

She was definitely "George Corrigan's daughter" her whole life. She had special relationships with her mother, siblings, and a hoard of extended relatives. But Greenie was a force all to himself as an exuberant cheerleader! Nothing was too small to celebrate! Kelly's mother Mary was the practical one when it came to problems. Greenie swept me away--the love, enthusiasm, and support in Kelly's family was precious.

I didn't have a print copy to examine, but somehow Kelly seamlessly went back and forth in time and in situations!

Kellly's girls were precocious. (Mommy, can I chew gum when i'm FOUR? When can I have a dog?"[Answer maybe when you're ten."] One of my favorite scenes was when her very young daughter Georgia asked, " When will I be a baby again? When will I be 2?"
Kelly explained "you don't get to be a baby again." People get older. "Then what happens?" Kelly explained to her that people die at the end and are no longer here walking around with us. It was a new concept to her!

This is an excellent heartfelt memoir that I read after listening to Glitter and Glue. Now I am familiar Kelly through her relaxed, thorough, good-humored interview show on PBS, Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan (PBS). Her calm interviews and interviewees are always informative and enjoyable. No scowls, no loud voices, no trying to corner or trip up the interviewee.!! I had no idea Kelly was a journalist and author of books. What a pleasant surprise!

[My first review 6 years ago]:
[[I got bored reading this and didn't finish it. When I started it I thought it was a novel, but it didn't exactly read like a novel. After reading at least halfway through I realized I didn't care what happened next so quit.]]

[Mbgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caveats: I do not pretend to nor have I ever assumed to understand all the emotions involved with a cancer diagnosis. I do know I lost my Mom to pancreatic cancer, and was a witness to the ugly disease’s toll.

Too, in no way is this review to diminish or cheapen any of the sincere gratitude for Corrigan’s philanthropy for BCHO (hospital) and all of her efforts in being a liaison in communication for the East Bay community. But— she is too self-absorbed for my taste.

I simply could not find her story moving, or her likeable. Honest in its unfolding, I was a wee irked that she seemed to be immature and a little imbalanced in her worldview. She came off at times as a crying, spoiled one, and it sounds horrible to feel this in light of her dx, but I couldn’t help it.

I’m glad I checked another one off my bookshelf, but the most inspiring portion of her memoir was her Dad’s loyal cheerleading of his daughter, and her advocacy in kind returned with his bladder ca dx.

I’m very glad that Corrigan is a thriving breast ca survivor, and goes on to write more books. But this book was enough to turn me off, and I went on Overdrive to delete my holds for her newer works.

The Chimes pharmacy encounter in Rockridge was very telling for me, very off-putting , to be candid.

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read this before a long long time ago. I went back now because I listen to Kelly’s podcast and I wanted to remember her backstory.

I can tell this was a much younger Kelly writing this but all in all, I got what I came for.

The emphasis on friends and friends being there for you in sickness as well as being gifted with terrific parents are Kelly’s blessings. Those are not everyone’s blessings. With that there is a flavor of the “cool kids” and the “others” in this book. I am hyper-sensitive to this kind of storytelling. Although I don’t hold it against Kelly, as she has matured and is a fantastic podcaster, it is something to be aware of to not let it creep into your soul.

[Mary Karlee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for the first few chapters. I liked the author's voice and writing style, and I loved the stories about her dad. Partly because "Greenie" is just a great character and partly because his daughter's love and admiration for her dad shine through so brightly in her narratives. However, I did not finish this book. I was listening to it on CD and I was done with hearing the f-word. (I think I was about 1/6th through and I'd heard it at least 5 times.) Secondly, her philosophies were just too different from mine. We were both brought up in faith filled homes, but she turned away from the faith of her parents and I embraced mine. Faith in God fills my life with meaning and defines me. Her snide comments about her parent's religion offended me. I threw the towel in when she started to describe how her guess jeans played a role in losing her virginity. Not worth my time. Especially when I feel that a woman's virtue is priceless. I would have liked to hear how she beat cancer, but I just couldn't keep listening.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the risk of offending all the millions of people who made this a bestseller, this memoir bugged me. The narrator came off as pretty childish, still far more focused on pleasing her own parents (particularly her dad) than paying much attention to her husband and two little girls. And having read very frank cancer memoirs like Gail Baker's Cancer Is A Bitch, or more poignant "sandwich generation" memoirs like Sybil Lockhart's Mother in the Middle, I felt like this really glossed over the cancer plotline and anything much more serious in favor of recollections of her happy, dad-centered childhood. She's a witty writer and she describes some funny situations (not to mention some quite serious ones) -- and yet it all left me cold. Most people loved this book, I know, and will think now I must have had a lousy childhood (I didn't) or don't like my dad (I think he's terrific) but it wasn't my cup of tea.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn't grab me. It seemed to be all over the place. Constantly jumping around. It wasn't just about her and her cancer or her and her father's cancer. She told lots of childhood stories that didn't seem to have any bearing. And the language was harsh. Which is kind of funny because I just recently readThe Pursuit of Happyness and it was loaded with bad language, but for some reason it fit there. In this book it just didn't work for me. It was angry language.

I tried to like Kelly, but at the end I just didn't really care one way or the other. But I did LOVE her dad. What a great guy. I am grateful for men who 'get' how to be a great dad. I really LOVED him.

[Allison Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second book by Kelly Corrigan and I have the biggest crush. Her honesty takes my breath (because, I can't EVEN imagine speaking so candidly about anything ever). Kelly writes about her family, her childhood, her cancer, her children and it is 100 percent interesting and charming even though I wouldn't know her if I saw her on the street. I will certainly read all her books and any she writes in the future.

[Mary K · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. What a fabulous writer. The story of cancer - she and her dad had it at the same time. Obviously the author survives. I had to google to see about her dad halfway through the book because I absolutely fell in love with him. My dad was always happy, also, so very content and positive. Readers will relate to this book in one way or another.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

My dislike of this book is visceral but I recognize that it is Much Beloved by readers. I will not give a churlish review here, but if anyone wants to know my thoughts, drop me an email and I'll let loose!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her voice. I love the way she compares things. And I love the way she loves her family. Many have criticized this book for being self-absorbed... but it's a memoir. A memoir about cancer and family. I'd say: self-absorption warranted.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this a shot, a random book that sounded promising, about a woman dealing with her own cancer and her father’s. The narrator is a woman that is a bit self-centered, a party girl. I found her situation to be relatable, but her personality just didn’t grow on me. Her descriptions of her father were the most interesting parts of the book. He comes across as a character. Another reviewer mentioned that they saw no growth in the narrator. I saw that too, and I think that is what led me to a not rate this as highly as I thought I would given the topic. It met expectations, but unfortunately didn't exceed them for me.

[Tiffany Hough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and hopeful. Made me cry and miss my grandpa, who was as larger-than-life and buoyant as the author’s own beloved dad.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing riveting, but a great book for any of us in the sandwich generation.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious and poignant. Loved it!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 through difficulties, experiencing growth and an ability to find a higher, better self. There are moments in the book where she seems aware of how egocentric she is—and that a very large part of it is due to the way her parents (father) made/make her feel she was/is the center of the universe. But for the most part she goes through her life and her challenges (tough as they are!) still thinking that she’s the only one who hurts, hers is the only opinion or feelings that matter. Even her enormous need for her father to be healthy and cancer-free is about her need for him to still be there for her—not about what he’s feeling or experiencing.

I think there are some interesting discussions that will come from this book—about how Kelly got to be so self-absorbed. Is it her nature or the influence her parents (namely her father) had on her? Does this mean that parents shouldn’t make their kids feel like they are the best thing out there? Is it reasonable to become so self-absorbed when faced with such a tragedy as cancer? Where’s the balance? As another reader put it, “This book is an interesting example of the difficulty transitioning (not only) from being someone's child, to being your own person. But…also a fine example of how profoundly (for better or worse) parents are able to warp their children's views and expectations of what the world owes them.”