Back Again to Me [Paperback]

Gretchen Hirsch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2009

Everyone in Kingswood Heights, Ohio, knows that Corrin McCrae, a stubby little PR director with great legs, chipmunk cheeks, a moderate overbite, and an oddball sense of humor that's often in conflict with her short fuse, is a success. A 42-year-old widow, she's vice president of an advertising and public relations agency and the mother of beautiful, brilliant 16-year-old Shelley, who's headed for a career in medicine. Corrin also is blessed with close friends, especially Tom Fielding, the rector of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, who has a secret only Corrin knows; Barbara Gibson, her college sorority sister; and Rob Haley, a client who becomes a lover. However, when Shelley becomes pregnant, the relationships that have formed Corrin's support structure undergo seismic change. In an odyssey that takes her from Ohio to Maine to Florida, she suffers the greatest tragedy of her life and learns that family ties, whether by blood or affinity, are the ones that last.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gretchen Hirsch is the author or co-author of six nonfiction titles, including Talking Your Way to the Top: Business English That Works; The Complete Idiot?s Guide to Difficult Conversations; Bud Wilkinson: An Intimate Portrait of an American Legend; and Womanhours: A 21-Day Time Management Plan That Works. Two of her co-authored books, Helping Gifted Children Soar: A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers and A Love for Learning: Motivation and the Gifted Child, were named Arizona Best Books by the Arizona Book Publishing Association; the latter also won an Indie Award of Excellence, an iParenting Award of Merit, and a Legacy Book Award from the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented. A resident of Columbus, Ohio, Gretchen is "Chief Surgeon" at Midwest Book Doctors (www.midwestbookdocs.com), where she offers editorial services for authors seeking representation or publication. She blogs at writebetternow.blogspot.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439238014
• ISBN-13: 978-1439238011
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,303,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a working writer and "chief surgeon" at Midwest Book Doctors, an editorial consulting service for those who are preparing manuscripts for submission to editors or agents. You can find out about the company at www.midwestbookdocs.com and more about my writing career at www.gretchenhirsch.com.

As a writer, I've penned seven books, two of them award-winners and all but the last one nonfiction. The most recent is Back Again to Me, a novel about teen pregnancy and the adoption decision. This novel will be followed by another. The characters are currently revealing themselves to me, so I'll have the outline shortly, I hope.

What I love about being a writer is the chance to continue learning every day. I've written about football, Y2K (remember that?), financial products, foster care, AIDS, gifted students, business English, difficult conversations, time management, prostate cancer, women's relationships--and more. I've written catalogs, magazine articles, white papers, brochures, annual reports, magazine and radio ads, and even scoreboard messages and poster presentations. Writing is a profession that never grows stale and never ceases to be interesting.

I've had my own writing-related companies for nearly 20 years; my clients have come primarily from health care, finance and banking, education, and the nonprofit sector. I have a sincere interest in helping people advance their personal and professional goals through clear, simple writing and speaking. I've built my career on it and it matters to me.

I love speaking, too, about almost anything related to writing or publishing and hope to do more speaking at writers conferences. I enjoy conferences because I get to meet and speak with people who are as excited about writing as I am--and that's a delight.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story of love, strength, and resolution, August 16, 2009

By 

Grandma Ga-Ga "Evie" (Columbus,, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Back Again to Me (Paperback)

Back Again to Me is a wonderful novel that will appeal to almost every woman and some men. Ranging from the early 1940s to 2008, the book offers a wide look at a woman and the times she lived in, but it is not a family saga. It's a simple, clear, and easy read. I especially encourage you to read Back Again to Me if you have teenagers. And have them read it, too.

Corrin McCrae was married to the love of her life when he died suddenly and much too early in their marriage. Their daughter, Shelley, born only weeks after her father's death, has been a model student with aspirations of becoming a doctor like him. Corrin's life turns upside down when Shelley, at 16, becomes pregnant. For Shelley, abortion is not an option, and decisions, each one with its own consequences, must be made.

When those around Corrin and Shelley learn of the pregnancy, Corrin discovers that the word "family" means different things to different people and those differing definitions can strain even the best relationships. With the birth of the child, Corrin discovers her own definition and is forced to rebuild her life for the second time.

From Corrin's best friends, Tom Fielding and Barbara Gibson; to her father, mother, sister, and adored father-in-law; to Shelley and her friend Annie; to her new love, Rob; and even to her late husband, Dan, the characters who populate this novel are interesting and very human. Many readers will recognize the dynamics that occur between and among family members.

The title of the book, Back Again to Me, is taken from an old lullaby, "Baby's Boat." Mothers of all decades have sung it to their children and grandchildren, and mostly, we've loved it as just a lovely song. For Hirsch and others, however, it is the bittersweet story of caring for a baby, watching that child venture out into the world, and knowing that once he or she has gone, the child will less and less often come "back again to me."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching story about family, relationships, making tough decisions, and the special bond between a mother and daughter . . ., September 17, 2009

By 

Sherri M. (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Back Again to Me (Paperback)

As a working Mom, it's hard to find time to start and finish reading a book. Not this time! From page one, I was completely drawn in (and stayed there) until I had read it from cover to cover.

This is a really good book that will appeal mostly to women (although I know a couple a guys who would "get" it). The book should come with a warning: No Interruptions Allowed - Tissues Required!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Didn't want to put it down, September 12, 2009

By 

B. J. Brannan "Barbara" (Gainesville, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Back Again to Me (Paperback)

This wonderful book deals with complex relationships in an honest, unflinching examination of how the dynamics of family - and their significant others - play out when all are faced with an emotional and life-changing circumstance.

An unwanted, unplanned pregnancy is addressed by family and friends who have different opinions, needs and agendas. Each character is fully developed, and the interplay between them is fascinating. I could relate to each character on some level and cared deeply about learning how the final decision was made about what to do with the child.

Although set in the past, this book has much to say to today's world about how much honest expression, compromise, faith and love can heal the human soul. It also shows that, how final decisions in important matters will have results that are completely right to some, wrong or ambiguous to others, but they will affect all involved for the rest of their lives.