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 [Paperback]

Laurie Perry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2007

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.' (Whatever that means.) But will she get her groove back in a tiny rented apartment, with a mountain of boxes, visible panty lines, and a slight wine-and-Cheetos problem?

"I was a thirty-something woman living alone with four cats. I was probably going to be divorced. I was on the short bus to crazy. I pictured my grandmother making hoop-skirted yarn cozies for the toilet paper. I pictured myself making doilies for furniture that I did not own. I saw my cats wearing knitted hats with lace appliqués. From my vantage point, knitting seemed like 100 percent of some road I did not want to walk down."

Yet, surprisingly, it's knitting that saves her and emboldens her to become fully engaged in life again--to discover new friends; to take risks, however scary; and to navigate the ins and outs of the modern dating scene.

"Dating has changed in a decade. Now there is a higher chance of meeting someone who has an internet porn addiction than someone who has a job. In Los Angeles, your dinner companion might have served time in Pelican Bay or run a meth lab. Or, worst of all, he might spend all night talking about his agent, his craft, and what it means to grow as an actor. Then he'll ask you to read his screenplay."

And such is life in this quirky, irreverent memoir, a spin-off of the blog phenomenon, www.crazyauntpurl.com, one of the most successful online diaries in history, exploding to an international fan base of enthusiastic readers. But don't worry, you don't have to knit to love Aunt Purl. You just have to know what it feels like to have loved, to have lost, or to have taken a leap of faith. We've all been there: Pass the wine.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Perry, a 33-year-old, Southern-born transplant to L.A., was shocked when her husband announced he was leaving her. Granted, he was more a safe sedan than a sports car, but she wasn't ready to be single. Perry started avoiding people for fear of crying in front of them and put on pounds with her divorce diet, 60% wine and 40% jalapeño potato chips and French fries. Fortunately, a friend insisted she try knitting, and Perry got hooked. Knitting not only kept her hands busy but it was reassuring: No matter what the mistake, you could always go back and make it better. She discovered a weekly get-together of smart and funny knitters, women who weren't just focused on finding male companionship. Slowly, Perry learned how to live without the marital safety net, enjoy her girlfriends and start dating in the brave new text-messaging, e-mailing world. Women suffering from bumpy divorces will find comfort in the self-deprecating humor and easy knitting patterns that have made Perry's Crazy Aunt Purl blog so popular. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair is – surprise – not just for women. A heart-wrenching mix of sadness and humor, any man who has experienced a broken heart will relate to the story of Laurie's divorce, the death of a marriage, and the re-entry into single life. As men, we will not fully understand the humor of hair removal, perhaps, but her themes are resonant for all people, men and women, who've had love and loss and laughed in between."

– Drew Emborsky, author of Men Who Knit & The Dogs Who Love Them

(Drew Emborsky )

“Poignant, funny and something every woman will relate to, whether or not she’s been divorced, whether or not she knits, whether or not she finds herself covered in cat hair ‘from the knees down.’ My only criticism – I didn’t want it to end!”

– Annie Modesitt, author of Twist And Loop and Romantic Hand Knits

(Annie Modesitt )

"Watch out, Bridget Jones: There's a new singleton in town, and she's got needles! This hilarious book chronicles the life of a newly divorced woman, as she struggles, dates, and knits her way back to sanity."

-- Knit.1 magazine (Knit.1 magazine )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: HCI (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757305911
• ISBN-13: 978-0757305917
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #510,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've recommended this to everyone I know, September 20, 2007

By 

almitchell "alex_says" (Roswell, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 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 (Paperback)

I bought this book on the title alone. The only knitting blog I had read with any regularity had been the Yarn Harlot, and so I'd never heard of Perry or her Crazy Aunt Purl blog.

I'm so glad I got this book. Recently divorced myself, owner of three cats, and an avid knitter, every single page of this book resonated with me. I laughed, I cried, I soberly reflected on the thoughts raised by her description of trying to survive the utter fear and depression, and I felt like I was having a conversation with a best friend.

Perry walks us through her separation, divorce, knitting classes, disastrous diet, seven hours straight of George Jones, the Depressed Office Woman Outfit saga, and slowly but surely, the healing that sneaks up on her so slowly that she doesn't really realize it until she gets brave enough to ask out the guy with nice arms in the lumber department of the home improvement store - only to discover that she has no idea how to respond to a text message.

Please, please read this book. Perry even includes some wonderful patterns for us knitters at the end, but you don't have to be a knitter, or divorced, or drunk, or even covered in cat hair to appreciate the fine honesty and wit that shines through Perry's writing. I hope she writes more!

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heroic story and a hilarious read!!, September 18, 2007

By 

Elizabeth "Liz R" (Richmond, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 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 (Paperback)

Laurie's book is a joy to read!! She shares her story of divorce, confusion, wine and eventual rebirth with hilarity and fortitude. She shows readers so much of her life during this terrible time in for her and I just know that others will gain a lot of insight and courage from her stories of the ups and downs of discovering one's self after a life-changing break-up. The knitting patterns are wonderful as well!!

She's a wonderful writer and has a voice that is usually not seen in contemporary self-help titles. It's both funny and sad and helpful all at the same time. It's so much more than just a knitting book; I recommend this book to anyone who likes their life-lessons to come with jocularity and wine!!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I gobbled it in an evening!, October 2, 2007

By 

Gail M. Lucas (Naperville, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 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 (Paperback)

I've been a huge Crazy Aunt Purl fan since finding her blog. It was pure luck - right after I did, my own fiance decided he didn't want to get married to me after all. She put into words exactly what I was feeling so many times, it was uncanny.

When I got her book, I literally read it in one setting. It's wonderful. I would recommend it to anyone. Don't worry, its not a rehash of her blog - in fact, its probably 98% unique content. I've been forcing people to listen as I read bits out loud - and they actually liked what they heard.

The knitting patterns aren't all that exciting - I'd rather have had more content, but I loved the pictures of her cats "modeling" them, so I'm not too upset about it.