Glitter and Glue: A Memoir (edition 2014)

by Kelly Corrigan

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
461	55	53,779	(3.86)	10
Biography & Autobiography. Family & Relationships. Nonfiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER �?� A memoir from the author of The Middle Place about mothers and daughters�??a bond that can be nourishing, exasperating, and occasionally divine. When Kelly Corrigan was in high school, her mother neatly summarized the family dynamic as �??Your father�??s the glitter but I�??m the glue.�?� This meant nothing to Kelly, who left childhood sure that her mom�??with her inviolable commandments and proud stoicism�??would be nothing more than background chatter for the rest of Kelly�??s life, which she was carefully orienting toward adventure. After college, armed with a backpack, her personal mission statement, and a wad of traveler�??s checks, she took off for Australia to see things and do things and Become Interesting. But it didn�??t turn out the way she pictured it. In a matter of months, her savings shot, she had a choice: get a job or go home. That�??s how Kelly met John Tanner, a newly widowed father of two looking for a live-in nanny. They chatted for an hour, discussed timing and pay, and a week later, Kelly moved in. And there, in that house in a suburb north of Sydney, 10,000 miles from the house where she was raised, her mother�??s voice was suddenly everywhere, nudging and advising, cautioning and directing, escorting her through a terrain as foreign as any she had ever trekked. Every day she spent with the Tanner kids was a day spent reconsidering her relationship with her mother, turning it over in her hands like a shell, straining to hear whatever messages might be trapped in its spiral. This is a book about the difference between travel and life experience, stepping out and stepping up, fathers and mothers. But mostly it�??s about who you admire and why, and how that changes over time. Praise for Glitter and Glue �??I loved this book, I was moved by this book, and now I will share this book with my own mother�??along with my renewed appreciation for certain debts of love that can never be repaid.�?��??Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love �??Kelly Corrigan�??s thoughtful and beautifully rendered meditation invites readers to reflect on their own launchings and homecomings. I accepted the invitation and learned things about myself. You will, too. Isn�??t that why we read?�?��??Wally Lamb, New York Times bestselling author of We Are Water �??Kelly Corrigan is no stranger to mining the depths of her heart. . . . Through her own experience of caring for children, she begins, for the first time, to appreciate the… (more)

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Member:	GaltJ
Title:	Glitter and Glue: A Memoir
Authors:	Kelly Corrigan
Info:	Ballantine Books (2014), Hardcover, 240 pages
Collections:	Your library
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Glitter and Glue: A Memoir by Kelly Corrigan

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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. (

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mimo | Dec 18, 2023 |

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. (

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etxgardener | Mar 6, 2022 |

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

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Tosta | Jul 5, 2021 |

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. (

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jenncaffeinated | Jul 4, 2021 |

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. (

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Stacie-C | May 8, 2021 |

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Fans of her previous memoir have already met her outgoing dad, "Greenie," and her more stoic mom Mary, the "glitter and glue"), she travels to Australia where she soon runs out of money and takes a temporary position as a nanny to two young children whose mother has passed away. Though disappointed to find herself in a mundane job in the suburbs, Corrigan is quickly drawn into the struggle of a family trying to carry on in the absence of its most "irreplaceable" member. As widower John Tanner, his young children, and his stepson Evan wind their way into young Kelly's heart, she finds herself thinking more and more of her own mother's voice, of her solid commitment to her children, husband, and faith, and of the lessons one can learn from ordinary life, "which are big, hard beautiful things." Initially believing that "things happen when you leave the house," the young Corrigan soon finds that life's greatest dramas and deepest messages often unfold within the quiet underpinnings of relationships. The author's fans and newcomers alike will welcome this story that probes the depths of mother-daughter bonds (

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Canonical title

Glitter and Glue: A Memoir

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Original publication date

2014-02-11

People/Characters

Kelly Corrigan

John Tanner

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Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Australia

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Epigraph

Dedication

For the yearbook, the fifth-graders at Havens Elementary are asked to name the one person they most admire. Finley Swan said, "My mom!" So did that sweet Madeline Malan. My daughter put "Tom Brady." The football player.

This one's for you, Ma. Long overdue.

First words

When I was growing up, my mom was guided by the strong belief that to befriend me was to deny me the one thing a kid really needed to survive childhood: a mother.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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▾Book descriptions

Biography & Autobiography. Family & Relationships. Nonfiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER �?� A memoir from the author of The Middle Place about mothers and daughters�??a bond that can be nourishing, exasperating, and occasionally divine.

When Kelly Corrigan was in high school, her mother neatly summarized the family dynamic as �??Your father�??s the glitter but I�??m the glue.�?� This meant nothing to Kelly, who left childhood sure that her mom�??with her inviolable commandments and proud stoicism�??would be nothing more than background chatter for the rest of Kelly�??s life, which she was carefully orienting toward adventure. After college, armed with a backpack, her personal mission statement, and a wad of traveler�??s checks, she took off for Australia to see things and do things and Become Interesting.

But it didn�??t turn out the way she pictured it. In a matter of months, her savings shot, she had a choice: get a job or go home. That�??s how Kelly met John Tanner, a newly widowed father of two looking for a live-in nanny. They chatted for an hour, discussed timing and pay, and a week later, Kelly moved in. And there, in that house in a suburb north of Sydney, 10,000 miles from the house where she was raised, her mother�??s voice was suddenly everywhere, nudging and advising, cautioning and directing, escorting her through a terrain as foreign as any she had ever trekked. Every day she spent with the Tanner kids was a day spent reconsidering her relationship with her mother, turning it over in her hands like a shell, straining to hear whatever messages might be trapped in its spiral.

This is a book about the difference between travel and life experience, stepping out and stepping up, fathers and mothers. But mostly it�??s about who you admire and why, and how that changes over time.
Praise for Glitter and Glue
�??I loved this book, I was moved by this book, and now I will share this book with my own mother�??along with my renewed appreciation for certain debts of love that can never be repaid.�?��??Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love
�??Kelly Corrigan�??s thoughtful and beautifully rendered meditation invites readers to reflect on their own launchings and homecomings. I accepted the invitation and learned things about myself. You will, too. Isn�??t that why we read?�?��??Wally Lamb, New York Times bestselling author of We Are Water
�??Kelly Corrigan is no stranger to mining the depths of her heart. . . . Through her own experience of caring for children, she begins, for the first time, to appreciate the

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Middle Place comes a new memoir that examines the bond—sometimes nourishing, sometimes exasperating, occasionally divine—between mothers and daughters.

When Kelly Corrigan was in high school, her mother neatly summarized the family dynamic as “Your father’s the glitter but I’m the glue.” This meant nothing to Kelly, who left childhood sure that her mom—with her inviolable commandments and proud stoicism—would be nothing more than background chatter for the rest of Kelly’s life, which she was carefully orienting toward adventure. After college, armed with a backpack, her personal mission statement, and a wad of traveler’s checks, she took off for Australia to see things and do things and Become Interesting.

But it didn’t turn out the way she pictured it. In a matter of months, her fanny pack full of savings had dwindled and she realized she needed a job. That’s how Kelly met John Tanner, a newly widowed father of two looking for a live-in nanny. They chatted for an hour, discussed timing and pay, and a week later, Kelly moved in. And there, in that house in a suburb north of Sydney, her mother’s voice was suddenly everywhere, nudging and advising, cautioning and directing, escorting her through a terrain as foreign as any she had ever trekked. Every day she spent with the Tanner kids was a day spent reconsidering her relationship with her mother, turning it over in her hands like a shell, straining to hear whatever messages might be trapped in its spiral.

This is a book about the difference between travel and life experience, stepping out and stepping up, fathers and mothers. But mostly it’s about who you admire and why, and how that changes over time.

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