Kelly CorriganBesprekingen

The emphasis on motherhood didn't really resonate with me; I'm not a mother and my own mother was rather untraditional (she was more like Greenie). My approach to and appreciation for mothers is different from the author's. Also, the young American-abroad naivete can be a little exasperating for some. The nannied family, however, was fascinating. If this was a novel I would definitely want more character development here. I did like how the author wove her own mother into the story here. It's a quick read and makes you think of your own mother where ever and who ever she is.

Meh. A few good thoughts, but they're lost in the not-great.

There's a decent amount of profanity for such a short book (and especially one that's supposed to be a letter to children), including the f-bomb. The names of God and Jesus are misused.

And the author holds far-left political and moral views that I don't relate to.

This was another one of those titles that caught my eye, and I placed a hold on it based on what I assumed it was about rather than actual knowledge of what it was about.
It turned out to be an intensely personal, honest—at times, uncomfortably so—collection of stories from her life, many of them addressing grief. She’s a good writer, and she’s my age, so even though I don’t share many of her experiences, I found myself relating to her. I really liked the Tell Me More chapter. Being a good listener rather than a troubleshooter is a constant challenge for me, and that chapter had a really good example of a conversation that modeled this. That she was being coached by a good friend throughout—it was a phone conversation—made it more like sharing with her readers than lecturing them.
I read everything, including the interview with Jen Hatmaker at the end, and it was worth it to get even more insights into the author’s process and values.
This was an easy one to do in my chapter-a-day approach to reading nonfiction, and I’m glad I read it. People whose lives have been affected (altered? wrecked? I’m having a hard time finding the right verb) by cancer may find it especially moving.

This is a book that has been on my to read list for a long time, so I was happy when the audio book appeared on sale. A coming-of-age memoir, Ms. Corrigan writes about how her father was always the glitter in her family – the one who was always up for a good time. Her mother, however, was thew glue – the one who msde sure the bills were paid, the meals were made and the house was clean. Corrigan grows up wanting to be like her father, but after college when she runs out of money on an around the world adventure and has to take a job as a nanny, it’s her mother’s voice she hears constantly in her head. Corrigan comes to realize that while glitter may be nice for a time, it’s the glue one needs to hold life together for the long term.

Beautifully written, this book made me want to call up my own mother.

I vow to listen to every Kelly Corrigan book there is. I can listen to her all day.

I loved every page. Funny. Endearing. Real.

I listened to this on audio. It was generally enjoyable and well written.

Written as a memoir of time spent in Australia working as a nanny, Corrgans book is a really lovely, warm look at seeing our parents as the people they really are (and once were), it will make you wasn't to call your mom and tell her you love her.

N.B.: This review actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be when I re-read it, as I thought it would be yesterday when I thought about my attitude towards ‘comedy’ memoirs in the past—I wanted to represent girlie, but I was worried that girlie was going to, I don’t know, screw herself up in the future when everyone becomes a Five in the future and girlie is left as the only Two left; like she’s obsolete, right: she’s out of style—but I would get it if you thought that the below doesn’t really reflect an appreciation of femmie in all her ways, right.

……………

(The innocence factor starts strong in the book and then starts to wear off, actually they both seemed bad; she lied about going to church as a birthday present and they lied about her father’s health because she was on vacation, lying to escape the heat.... but from the innocence place I began:)

The most typical experience in life, I suppose, is one of unsatisfactory substitution instead of satisfactory addition: we try to substitute a perfect relationship with spouse and children for our wanting relationship with our parents..... instead of going from strength to strength. This girl, in so many ways typical and from whom life apparently did not demand the sacrifices of an Anne Frank, nevertheless knew better, and understood that her success with her husband and daughters rested on her success with her father and mother. In certain ways my own life has not been so charmed as hers but I do not resent her her happiness, to the extent that it was possible for her.... Of course unhappiness and difficult times comes to all of us, sometimes, especially as an adult, and as a child she fought with her mother, a bit.

I found it to be sorta a good book but if I tried too hard to boil it down into words it wouldn’t look like much.

.... And of course I guess that she wouldn’t have done those little bad things if she thought that it was wrong.... And that’s the only thing that bothers me, not her aversion to coining metaphors or whatever.

.... That was all about the first half. The second half is pretty similar, maybe a bit better, but I couldn’t find another topic to treat at length.

But I guess it’s mostly ok. (It’s not Pure Wholesome, IMO, but it’s in the general vicinity.)

I guess it raises the question of how much medical intervention talk you can let into your life before you become a valetudinarian, (ie you’re not really living), but I don’t have a quotable answer to that one. (Ironically I read this book, dream about midlife, instead of another anxiety book.)

Then again it’s hardly all business, which is good.

.... As a sociological thing, thinking that the doctors aren’t human enough but not being in favor of the new age (“does it really matter what I’m thinking?”), a certain ambivalence, is pretty representative. (Also, mostly liking her dad’s faith but not having it herself.)

.... I liked the part about not being a nun or whatever because not everybody has to be a nun, but if it were me, I’d look into dialing down the attachment a notch. That’s probably not my own problem, attachment to fathers and children, I mean, so it’s easy for me to say, but.

Received from NetGalley.

When Kelly Corrigan accepted a nannying job in Australia to make some money, she wasn't expecting to look back on that experience years later and use it to the tale of how she learned to really understand and love her mother. Kelly, like many people, grew up saying that she would never be like her mother. She uses warmth, humor and family history to talk about how she grew to know her mother as a human and not just that strange person always trying to ruin her fun. I enjoyed getting to know the Corrigans and I especially enjoyed reading about Kelly discovering who she was, who she wanted to be and how to be okay with all of it. Definitely made me want to read more of her stuff.

Corrigan succinctly and articulately captures the essence of motherhood, in all of its stunning beauty and adrenailine-raising terror.

Powerful audible book!

This was an Anne Bogel suggestion #whatshouldIreadnext, I enjoyed it she is a good writer.

This was an easy and fast read with an ok story. I liked the author's voice and she made it easy for me to see myself in her shoes. I just thought she could have done a better job of writing the story so that it was more enticing. There was a lot going on in her life, but it didn't feel like there was when I was reading it.

I was hoping throughout the book that she would get to know her mother. I kind of got the feeling that her mother has a story to tell, but Corrigan never took the time to learn it...of course, to be fair, she kind of has her hands full.

Loved this book for its honesty about the grit of life and the ways we can do better in tiny increments. No New Year's overhaul necessary. Written in the aftermath of grief of losing her beloved father and her dear friend within 6 mos., the 12 readable chapters focus on one word or phrase with a lot of life experience to back it up. Corrigan is so honest in her shortcomings - it's like a reassuring look in the mirror. There is humor too and an impressive poetry of swear words. The "12 hardest things" are: "It's Like This," "Tell Me More," "I Don't Know," "I Know," "No," "Yes," "I Was Wrong," "Good Enough," "I Love You," "No Words at All," "Onward," and "This is It" All require a degree of vulnerability and a willingness to put others first, if only long enough to spit out the selected phrase. But in so doing, a world of self-knowledge and reflection opens up. This book goes as deep as you will let it - the reader has to be vulnerable too.

I have never read a book by Kelly Corrigan before so this memoir was my first taste of her writing style. I have to say that her writing style really worked for me and each chapter went by so fast. Ms. Corrigan is a natural born storyteller and the way she describes people and even events I felt as if I was right there watching everything happen.

What made me really love this memoir though was that it caused me to sit down and really think about the relationship I had with my mother. I think mother/daughter relationships are often for the most case very jumbled.

Ms. Corrigan did a really good job with setting up the main premise of this memoir. Starting in the present time Kelly is dealing with some bad news she gets to her mother coming to stay with her for a visit. This causes Kelly to think and realize that when something serious and awful has happened she always wants her mother. She loves her dad and is what would be considered a "daddy's girl" but she realizes that her mother does love her and just is not as demonstrative as she would like.

We then have Kelly shifting the memoir to when she was newly graduated from college and decided that she and her best friend, Tracey would do a tour around the world for a year. While touring, and becoming broke through their travels the two young women remain in Australia and decide to become nannies to support themselves. While in Australia we have Kelly thinking more and more about her relationship with her mother while she deals with being a nanny to two motherless children.

I really think that the memoir as a whole worked and I loved that each chapter was told as Kelly in the "present" dealing with the children in Australia and having her mom as the voice in her head the entire time. The chapters would also usually go back to a story dealing with Kelly and her mom or her trying to understand what made her mom ticked.

I really did love this memoir and will try to check out this author's other books.

Please note that I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program. This novel was released on February 4, 2014.

Finished this in one go and I’m already planning to read it again and highlight all the words. And then probably force it on all of you.

Short and sweet :)

3.7. quick read, I enjoyed her writing and insights. Book club selection.

This is the fourth book of Corrigan's that I've read, The Middle Place and Glitter and Glue being some of my all time favorites. With this, however, I felt letdown, mostly by the writing. It had a chatty, almost cynical tone, that put me off.

Amazing book.

Corrigan writes a letter to her two young daughters. She includes stories about a friend's son who died in a car accident, a health scare with one of her daughters, quiet moments at home with her kids, and her own struggles with parenting and patience. It's short and sweet.

“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 beginning of how I came to know what a bold and dangerous thing parenthood is.”

“So girls, will you please believe me when I tell you that I love you enough to take in the full reality of your life? That I can understand the things you think I can’t and I can see and know and embrace every bit of you, full frame, no cropping?”

I loved everything about this book. Kelly Corrigan feels like she was a friend and I was part of her conversation. The best part was I learned from her and it wasn't a preachy self help book. She is a talented person that uses her words to help others through funny situations and good times, as well as during sadness. I am so thankful that I kept hearing amazing things about this book and I read it! I will be recommending to others! I listened to this as an audiobook read by the author and highly encourage fellow audiobook fans to listen!

It's not just a story of a woman whom is diagnosed with breast cancer, but of her relationships with her family; mother, father, brothers, now and when she was growing up. (and finding she is still growing up.)
She loves her father unconditionally and is working on appreciating her mother. She's working on the relationship with her husband and her growing daughters.
And then there's the issue of working through her cancer and the ongoing cancer of her father.
This is a great book, though I've read various reviews about the author being a whining brat. She is a father's daughter, but not what I would call the current daddy's girl stereo type.
She is intense, she is caring, she has her faults. She confesses to all.
What I enjoyed was the wit and that it isn't as intense a "breast cancer" read as one I've read in the past.

“But the truth is that I’m always teetering between a mature acceptance of life’s immutables and a childish railing against the very same.”

After a very rough morning with my toddler and a muddy dog, this audiobook hit the spot. Corrigan is so honest about her struggles as a parent, friend, her daughter, and human being. Her reflections on grief were particularly touching.