Writing Home: Collected Essays and Newspaper Columns [Paperback]

Cindy La Ferle (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0923568638 | ISBN-13: 978-0923568634 | Publication Date: January 1, 2005

Both a "motherhood memoir" and a handbook for living, Writing Home is a heartwarming anthology of domestic essays and lifestyle columns by award-winning journalist Cindy La Ferle. This timeless collection speaks to every suburban parent who has ever attempted to combine work, parenthood, and homekeeping. La Ferle's essays address such key issues as losing a parent, aging gracefully, reinventing family traditions, facing the empty nest, and finding deeper meaning in the small but defining moments of everyday life. Writing Home has won four awards for creative nonfiction, including one from Midwest Independent Publisher's Association and another from Writer's Digest. Think Club Publications voted Writing Home Book of the Year in 2005, praising it for its values-driven content. Midwest Book Review describes Cindy La Ferle's essays as "Little gems of wisdom from a modern working woman who has a valuable and interesting philosophy on life." The book has been featured on Sirius Radio and in other national media.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Stylistically, La Ferle's work is equally impressive. Her settings, characters and experiences come to life with no show of effort, and her voice is strong and consistent throughout. I hope that every bookstore and every home will find a place for it. --Writer's Digest

Writing Home was a delight to read because of it clear organization and quality of writing. The collection of columns and the material it covers is a glimpse into the life of the author and the world that surrounds her. While sentiment is very clear in the material, the book itself stands on its own without being deemed "sentimental." It has something for everyone. --2005 Midwest Book Awards, Midwest Independent Publishers Association

Reading Cindy La Ferle's essays is like chatting with a trusted friend. Her words seem to be just what you need, at the right time. And like a good friend, she speaks the truth about life and what she knows -- gently, honestly, and especially without judgment. --Theresa Falzone, editor-in-chief, Strut magazine

From the Publisher

Featured in local and national newspapers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Hearth Stone Books (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0923568638
• ISBN-13: 978-0923568634
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,637,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cindy La Ferle has worn several literary hats. A graduate of Michigan State University, she landed her first job in publishing with Gale Research Company in Detroit, then hit the back roads as editor of Innsider, a national country inn travel magazine.

Working as a freelance writer since 1984, she reviewed books, plays, circus performances, and hamburger joints for many Detroit-area newspapers before focusing on home and family columns and personal essays. She has won many awards, including a "Best Local Column" from the Michigan Press Association for her long-running "Life Lines" column in The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak.

Her work has appeared in more than 60 national magazines and newspapers, from The Christian Science Monitor to Better Homes & Gardens and Reader's Digest. Her essays have been anthologized in a variety of likely (and unlikely) places, from Guideposts gift books to a Houghton Mifflin English textbook for 11th graders.

Writing Home, is an award-winning collection of Cindy's most popular pieces. This inspirational memoir tackles timeless home and family themes -- becoming a parent, losing a parent, feathering the nest, and learning to let go when the kids leave home. Featured in national media and now in its second printing, the book remains a favorite among young mothers seeking balance and inspiration in daily life. Visit Cindy La Ferle's Home Office and Blog: http://www.laferle.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wise reminder that there's no place like home, October 20, 2005

By 

Fearless Reviews "D. Patrick Miller, Editor" (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Writing Home: Collected Essays and Newspaper Columns (Paperback)

"The sacred is in the ordinary. It is found in one's daily life - in friends, family, and neighbors; in one's own backyard."

The above quote comes from a thank-you note Cindy La Ferle keeps in an "altar" above her kitchen sink. Its simple observation pretty much sums up the philosophy expounded in her book, Writing Home. A columnist for a Detroit area paper and freelance article writer, La Ferle writes about what she knows best - home - and how our home life shapes and colors who we are.

My personal favorite essay is "Quit Picking on Barbie." The big-breasted fashion doll has been getting a bum rap for years... Most little girls just enjoy dressing her up and designing homes and careers for her. She doesn't scar our sense of femininity at all. Another column, "Recovering Perfectionist," stirs up many familiar emotions as well. Women do seem especially susceptible to perfectionistic behavior, La Ferle observes. Our "people-pleasing" impulses prevent us from attempting many worthwhile endeavors because we're afraid we won't be able to do them perfectly. We need to let go of this need to "be right or look good" all the time. In the humorous "Seeing Red" we learn about the pros and cons of being a redhead - or at least the Miss Clairol version of it.

From "Baghdad and Banana Bread"- finding security from the horrors of the world in simple baking - to "The Lost Art of Loafing"- an art I really need to take advantage of this summer- Writing Home wisely reminds us that truly there is no place like home. -- Cindy Appel for the FEARLESS REVIEWS

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one woman's world, November 7, 2005

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing Home: Collected Essays and Newspaper Columns (Paperback)

Rebeccasreads highly recommends WRITING HOME as a lovely bouquet of womanly thoughts about things little & big, sad & funny, & topical to today's modern life.

Cindy La Ferle's essays are grouped together by subject rather than eras: first she welcomes us into her House and Garden, & then introduces us to the muggy swamp of Child Care; to her Social Life (such as it is being a work-at-home-parent & spouse); to the philosophies of Kitchen Duty, & to her Creature Comforts.

Then she gets as serious as she can about Work Ethics before opening the Family Album. She also shows us how she's Keeping Up Appearance & Keeping the Seasons, & as with all things, she gets Older and Wiser & into Soul Caring.

Oh, & she's into organic produce, herbs, overnight retreats at a Jesuit monastery, walking with her women friends, & a life of prayer & peace. & she likes to laugh!

WRITING HOME is for everywoman who thinks about her world, & would make a perfect reading group selection, & gift, no matter the season!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming and Relaxing, September 17, 2005

By 

Alyice Edrich "thedabblingmum.com" (South Dakota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing Home: Collected Essays and Newspaper Columns (Paperback)

La Ferle's essays are not only engaging, but heartwarming and spirit lifting. Writing Home is complied of short essays, averaging two to four pages in length, which make it the perfect book to read when time is sparse, and you need to feel refreshed, relaxed, and stress-free.