The Things Between Us: A Memoir

Slow reader that I am I thought it would take me a week or two to finish what turned out to be an absolutely astounding book...Time flew! Two days later (two 3 hr. rapid reading sessions; could not put it down!) I slumped over my reading table with my head on the book almost in tears feeling a sadness almost as purely as the writer must have felt herself. But there are also deep, rediculously hilarious gut laugh moments. Other funny happenings throughout the book could have been sad had Montgomery not have injected her classic "oh well, let's just go with it" attitude you find throughout the book. It's rare we can sit so on the edge of our seats despite knowing what ultimately is going to happen: her beloved father, the family anchor dies...but it is the living along the way that Montgomery celebrates. Thank you, Ms. Montgomery, foe allowing me -- a typical guy who keeps his emotions on the surface -- to explore a greater depth that has actually improved and help me cherish my relationship with those dear to me...while I can. -Clay Keene, New Hampshire

This is one of the best things I've read in ages. Terribly sad, but not the kind of sad where you have to stop reading -- on the contrary, I couldn't STOP reading. Certainly anyone who's ever dealt with aging, ailing parents and all the accompanying sibling problems that arise, should read this. I wish I could write like Ms. Montgomery. Since I can't, I want to read everything else she's written.

I'm normally not a fan of memoirs, but Lee Montgomery's novel is truly amazing. Her ability to engage the reader while offering honest insights into her life and that of her family, is powerful. Anyone experiencing death or dying of close friends or family will find support and insight. Those coping with cancer or alcholism in their family will also benefit from reading this book.

This author can write -- Images are touching, sincere, and have depth. The book brought up memories and a new way to look at my parents. Love and compassion are great themes -- also it is clear the author was forged as a writer being brought up with a blend of influences -- a wide spectrum of life in the neighborhood!!!! I love the language the author uses and felt I could touch every scene. Without giving too much away -- polywogs and fireflies, the smell of the garden and well-loved animals that inhabit the scenes...the clear/and representative perceptions of the characters. Definitely helps me deal with mortality and parents and upbringing. The author peels the fig and gives the reader the essence of life. Think I will cruise down my own "Winch Street" and see the flowers next spring. Fabulous writing!

I wish I'd read this book three months ago. I recently lost my father who had battled various illnesses during the last ten years of his long life. I live far away from my Dad and I came home to my childhood home more than I had in years to be with him during the final stages of his life. I could have learned so much about what goes on during these final weeks and days if I'd read Lee Mongtomery's book earlier this year. It's not only the gripping memoir of a loving daughter in a dysfunctional family...but it's essential reading for anyone going thru the final days with a beloved family member. It's truly an amazing time...filled with laugher, tears, anger and confusion...and thru this book I discovered that my family wasn't the only one going thru this odd roller coaster of emotions and frustration during a father's final days. Right down the road there was the Montgomery family who had gone thru this stuff in their own way, several years before us. It's the kind of thing no one ever talks about with such honesty and raw emotion. Every family member brings a different set of baggage to the household of a dying loved one. Everyone needs to be able to express themself as they need to...to patch up old wounds, find time for last minute hugs, and to say that last "i love you" however it works best for them. Kudos to Lee Montgomery for sharing her story. Her well-crafted words and her honesty will surely help others on similar journeys.