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8th out of 72 books
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98 voters
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Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair: The True-Life Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split
by
Laurie Perry
If you've ever been dumped, duped, or three minutes from crazy, you'll love Crazy Aunt Purl. Side-splittingly funny and profoundly moving, Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair is the true-life misadventures of Laurie Perry, aka Crazy Aunt Purl, a slightly neurotic, displaced Southerner trying to create a new life after her husband leaves her to 'get his creativity back...more
Paperback, 268 pages
Published
October 1st 2007
by Health Communications
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Merri Su
rated it
Recommends it for:
fans of crazyauntpurl.com, people looking for hope beyond divorce
I love love love the author's blog (crazyauntpurl.com). While the book seemed like a more edited and moderated version of the author's personal voice, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it. I'll keep following her blog, though, to feel more connected with her and to get her humor and wit in its raw form.
Having grown up in a "broken" home, I've feared divorce. What I've realized through reading this book and Perry's blog is that fear of a thing doesn't have the power ...more
Having grown up in a "broken" home, I've feared divorce. What I've realized through reading this book and Perry's blog is that fear of a thing doesn't have the power ...more
I love Laurie Perry's blog, www.crazyauntpurl.com, so I was pretty disappointed with this book. The language on her blog flows in a really idiosyncratic, charming way, and although it might not have been suitable for a novel it felt like her writing was stilted while at the same time she didn't really take advantage of the new medium. Some normalization of the language would have been appropriate, but I also would have loved to see longer descriptions of things and a more cohesive story, which...more
As a lurker of Laurie's blog, I have always enjoyed her witty writing style and her hilarious sense of humor.
I was slightly disappointed to see that this book was in the self-help section of my local bookstore. You do not have to be going thru a divorce or a member of a knitting group to enjoy Laurie's story.
I am not a knitter by any means, but I do own a couple of cats and love a good glass of wine!
I was slightly disappointed to see that this book was in the self-help section of my local bookstore. You do not have to be going thru a divorce or a member of a knitting group to enjoy Laurie's story.
I am not a knitter by any means, but I do own a couple of cats and love a good glass of wine!
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At first, I thought I really liked her cynical sense of humor, but the book feels too much like a blog than good literature. There were times when I was surprised someone would publish what amounted to crazy drunk stories a friend would tell you about. Also, she focuses too much on traditional female stereotypes, like cute shoes and how "pretty" she feels.
Love this book! While it might initially look or sound like fluffy, Perry's story is really quite thoughtful, sad, and ultimately enlightening. And it's hilllllarious!
Jennifer
rated it
Recommends it for:
Knitters and anyone who has been dumped
Recommended to Jennifer by:
Tammy
I was actually sad when I finished this book because I wanted it to keep on going. I love how honest Laurie is with her writing style and how she can make the deepest throws of depression funny in retrospect.
I picked this up because I had read her blog once or twice and because the title of this book is one of the best titles ever. I think I expected the book to be more knitting and less relationship - self-help oriented, but it was still a really great book even though it wasn't wh...more
I picked this up because I had read her blog once or twice and because the title of this book is one of the best titles ever. I think I expected the book to be more knitting and less relationship - self-help oriented, but it was still a really great book even though it wasn't wh...more
I ventured over to B&N the other night and stumbled upon a small knitting group. It was encouraging for me to get out and meet new people. They were lovely ladies and I intend to go back again to sit a spell and knit. But when it was time for the group to expire, I wasn't quite ready to go home. This was my first venture out to meet new people since Honey left and I wasn't my happy bubbly self and felt really lonely as the night threatened to come to an end. Of course being in a bookstore led me...more
Beth F.
rated it
As someone who buys into the belief that knitting can absolutely be therapeutic, I appreciated this book very much. And divorce or no divorce, there are all sorts of life 'events' that can bring out the crazy in all of us.
The knitting recipes in the back of the book are great--I love the fact that they're all basic enough that the addition of alcohol won't necessarily harm the project (I've been known to commit drunk knitting myself and can't even begin to explain how many times I'v...more
The knitting recipes in the back of the book are great--I love the fact that they're all basic enough that the addition of alcohol won't necessarily harm the project (I've been known to commit drunk knitting myself and can't even begin to explain how many times I'v...more
I only recently discovered Crazy Aunt Purl's blog and really enjoyed reading its archives. So when the book came out, I thought "Cool, now we'll get to know all of the gory details of her marriage and divorce and how she dug herself out of depression." Well, it turns out that the book is a watered-down version of the blog. So after I read the detailed blog posts that were written while these events were occurring, the book was a major let down. Also, her voice along with her witty P...more
First, I must confess to committing a fundamental error with this book - I gave it away before I wrote my review. I couldn’t help myself. I thought the book was so funny and so poignant that I had to give it to a friend who I thought would appreciate it. Now, I find myself unable to quote, which is a real shame.
But that said, I must tell you all to go out and get this book. Laurie Perry, aka Crazy Aunt Purl, is hysterical. When this book came from Bookmooch on Thursday, I had every i...more
But that said, I must tell you all to go out and get this book. Laurie Perry, aka Crazy Aunt Purl, is hysterical. When this book came from Bookmooch on Thursday, I had every i...more
The title gives you an idea what to expect- a clever, honest, laughing-because-what-else-can-you-do tale that is easy to read from cover to cover in one weekend. Probably one day, maybe even one hour, depending on your speed.
The tragic beginning just spurs you on to read the rest of the book, cheering with this likable heroine the whole way, and gets you thinking about touching heavy wool yarn, even when it's the middle of a heat wave. I read Crazy Aunt Purl's blog before to get ...more
The tragic beginning just spurs you on to read the rest of the book, cheering with this likable heroine the whole way, and gets you thinking about touching heavy wool yarn, even when it's the middle of a heat wave. I read Crazy Aunt Purl's blog before to get ...more
Stephanie
rated it
I was a little disappointed in this book, to be honest. For a book that's about as well-read as Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's books in the knitting world, I thought it would be more like Pearl-McPhee's: knitting, which uncovered truths about humanity in general. I didn't find that as much in this book. Instead, a memoir of a woman going through a hard time and shaping back up. She didn't even really do a lot of knitting in the book, but threw in some patterns in the end so it would be read by the kni...more
Read it and like it a lot. For any woman who ever found herself with everything she thought she was supposed to want, lost it and needs to find out what she REALLY wants - this is the book for you. Touching and also very funny stuff.
Laurie Perry writes with a lovely unforced style. She's Southern through and through and it shows.
Laurie Perry writes with a lovely unforced style. She's Southern through and through and it shows.
Laurie Perry dedicates this book "To every single woman who has ever been three minutes from crazy this book is for you. I've been there -- please pass the wine."
My knitting group gave me this book a couple of weeks ago saying it was a great quick read. I only opened it last night and finished this morning. I love Laurie's quick style and irreverent look at life in general. She is so good at talking about her own worst moments, descent into crazy, and the salvation of knittin...more
My knitting group gave me this book a couple of weeks ago saying it was a great quick read. I only opened it last night and finished this morning. I love Laurie's quick style and irreverent look at life in general. She is so good at talking about her own worst moments, descent into crazy, and the salvation of knittin...more
Funny, I've been reading Crazy Aunt Purl's blog for over a year, and while I " knew" she wrote a book ( books?), somehow I never made the connection to a book IRL. Silly me. It was a good book - funny, sad, hopeful. And the patterns looks good as well (still a beginning knitter, it was as a knitter I found her blog). So if you are new to knitting, it's for you. If you are in a new city, it's for you. If you are coming off a bad relationship (or still in one thinking of leaving), it's ...more
I do not read the author's blog--maybe I would've appreciated the book more if I did, but I was so unimpressed by the book that I'm reluctant to check out the blog. And I think I'm the target audience for this book! From a knitter's perspective, I should warn prospective readers that the plot has very little to do with knitting. Also, there are patterns included at the end of the book, but other than one simple but pretty shawl, the patterns are Mickey-Mouse basic. Seriously, there's a patte...more
I liked this book alot. I thought that the writing was witty. Quite a few times I would start laughing and my dog would perk her ears up and give me that look like "what are you doing?"
Having been through a break-up (not a divorce, but a long-term relationship break-up) I could relate to just about everything that she was saying. And for me being able to relate to the characters is one of my must-have features for a book to be enjoyable. Also being that it was a book about...more
Having been through a break-up (not a divorce, but a long-term relationship break-up) I could relate to just about everything that she was saying. And for me being able to relate to the characters is one of my must-have features for a book to be enjoyable. Also being that it was a book about...more
If you've read crazyauntpurl.com, you know Laurie Perry's writing voice. Her memoir, Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair, reads like an extra-long entry, broken up into (sometimes incredibly short) chapters.
What's it about? Pretty much covered in the title. It's a fast, fluffy read that got me through a three-hour stretch in a waiting room.
There are some knitting patterns in the back of the book, if you're into that sort of thing. I have too many thing...more
What's it about? Pretty much covered in the title. It's a fast, fluffy read that got me through a three-hour stretch in a waiting room.
There are some knitting patterns in the back of the book, if you're into that sort of thing. I have too many thing...more
My favorite Crazy Aunt Purl entry is the one about the bus catching fire. She took pictures of herself on the side of the 5, in front of a smoking bus.
Unfortunately, that entry is not in this book. There aren't any captioned pictures of her cats in the book either. The book is mostly just a collection of her early blog entries, strangely edited down so they're not as compelling. Most chapters (if one can call them that) are about a page and a half to three pages long, even when ...more
Unfortunately, that entry is not in this book. There aren't any captioned pictures of her cats in the book either. The book is mostly just a collection of her early blog entries, strangely edited down so they're not as compelling. Most chapters (if one can call them that) are about a page and a half to three pages long, even when ...more
I get it, I really do. Its hard being a publisher - you would not believe how many perfectly good books are turned down because a publisher doesn't know how to market them.
That said, this was a perfectly good book about a divorce the writer didn't see coming and how she climbed out of the hole of depression it left her in. I would highly recommend it to people who have been divorced.
Unfortunately, it wasn't really marketed to people who have been divorced (a niche market...more
That said, this was a perfectly good book about a divorce the writer didn't see coming and how she climbed out of the hole of depression it left her in. I would highly recommend it to people who have been divorced.
Unfortunately, it wasn't really marketed to people who have been divorced (a niche market...more
I got this book form the library for the title. I though it would be more about knitting, but it was really a earnest storytelling of a gal picking herself up off the floor after a really heart-destroying divorce. Maybe it was the self-deprecating humor, maybe it was that I could almost hear her healing as she wrote, maybe it was all the alarming parallels to my own story after my boyfriend of several years left to go become a rockstar in California... anyway, something clicked. And I read it al...more
This is Laurie's story of her recovery from a devastating and completely unexpected divorce. She's a funny writer and makes the entire experience seem like an adventure rather than a painful journey. I read it because knitting is part of her recovery and I am a lifelong knitter. Also I've been reading Laurie's blog "Crazy Aunt Purl" so I decided to read her book as well. I found myself cheering her on all the way and laughing at her descriptions of her coping and learning to move f...more
I like her blog better than her book - her voice is more authentic and she's funnier on the blog. I can see, though, how that could happen. A blog is by its nature more organic and free than a book. That said, I did read the book and I rooted for her all the way through. She picked up her pieces and battled her way back from a pretty sad place. She's living proof of what we all tell our friends when they've been dumped - that someday you'll look back on it and see it as the best thing that ever ...more
A friend gave me this to read, and I was dubious at first because I am neither a knitter nor a cat-lover, but I found it to be a thoroughly delightful quick read that boosted my spirits. It's a hilariously honest account of the author's unexpected divorce and how she very slowly recovers from the crisis and begins to reinvent her life. I love how she didn't hold back and bared her deepest insecurities with humor and grace. I found myself smiling through the whole thing, and ended up going to ...more
Finished: June 2, 2009
Book 10 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Raverly Challenge.
I really enjoyed this book. Granted I haven't been divorced, so some of it went over my head. But, I could relate to the rest of the book. I had some laughs, and I felt for Laurie Perry in the rest. I love the Knitting Recipes at the end of the book. The pictures are excellent. I would recommend this book to everyone. It is a good read. I read it in one evening.
Book 10 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Raverly Challenge.
I really enjoyed this book. Granted I haven't been divorced, so some of it went over my head. But, I could relate to the rest of the book. I had some laughs, and I felt for Laurie Perry in the rest. I love the Knitting Recipes at the end of the book. The pictures are excellent. I would recommend this book to everyone. It is a good read. I read it in one evening.
I'm enjoying this funny, and so true book. I'll try to say more when I finish it. I finished last night. :)
It's interesting how much I identify with the author. I've never been through a divorce, but we're about the same age. Several of the self-esteem issues she has, are pretty common to women, and when she talks about self-isolation, well... yeah. I'm familiar.
Anyway, it's a fun, easy read, for anyone, crafty or not.
It's interesting how much I identify with the author. I've never been through a divorce, but we're about the same age. Several of the self-esteem issues she has, are pretty common to women, and when she talks about self-isolation, well... yeah. I'm familiar.
Anyway, it's a fun, easy read, for anyone, crafty or not.
Having read Perry's blog for a fairly long time, I felt as though I was reading her blog all over again. There was very little here that is not on her blog and what is in the book is nothing new to any woman who has ever experienced a divorce (except, perhaps all the alcohol). As a reader it left me wanting something more...interesting. Hoping for something more unique, juicy and satisfying, but the author did not deliver.
OMG, this woman is living my life! Well, ok so not EXACTLY my life, but it's close enough. I learned to knit BEFORE I married my now ex-husband (instead of in the aftermath) who ended our marriage in a single sentence with no warning. I have stayed up all night knitting in hopes that the morning would make everything all better... But I only have 2 cats... I laughed. I cried. I think everyone going through a break-up, or who knows someone who has, should read this book.
This was a really fun and funny read. It bothers me that she says things like, "to each their own," which isn't correct, and there are a few other mistakes like that in the book, but if a person can overlook them, it's an amusing tale of how this woman's husband left her to go find his creativity, however SHE has the last laugh because when she learns to knit, SHE finds her OWN creativity, and reinvents herself.
I started reading Perry's blog recently, and in one of those strange coincidental events, my boy's sister bought me this book for Christmas. I felt a little embarrassed reading it in public, I must admit, but it is a very funny, sweet, thoughtful, and at times sad recounting of Perry's post-divorce "crazy times" and subsequent re-discovery of non-crazy happy times, largely with the help of some knitting needles and good friends. I can't say that the literary qualities of this book are ...more
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Readers Also Enjoyed
Laurie Perry is the author of "Drunk, Divorced & Covered In Cat Hair" -- the irreverent first-person narrative of a contemporary, displaced Southern woman facing life after her husband leaves her to "get his creativity back."
She is best known for her online diary, CrazyAuntPurl.com. It's a peek into the daily life of a woman who is trying to figure it all out, whatev...more
More about Laurie Perry...
She is best known for her online diary, CrazyAuntPurl.com. It's a peek into the daily life of a woman who is trying to figure it all out, whatev...more
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