Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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!!

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.

I discovered Crazy Aunt Purl's blog months ago, and have read it with delight ever since. So of course I pre-ordered the book, which is a wonderful journey through love, loss, depression, and a return to the world. Laurie is a 30-something graphic artist working in a Los Angeles area bank, whose clueless husband one day just left. No arguments, no months or discussions, just "I have to find my creativity."

Turns out Laurie is the one who finds her creativity! Her blog that recounts her daily struggles with Los Angeles traffic, her bad-luck jeep, a gardener from hell and four adored cats (now, sadly reduced to three), has become a must-read for thousands worldwide. With the help of supportive friends and family, Laurie emerges from her self-imposed hermit-hood and picks up some sticks and string -- and becomes a knitter.

Spending hours alone with her cats, wine and yarn, Laurie emerges as a delightful personality with a wonderfully wry take on life. This is a book for everyone who has been through a loss and emerged the better for it. You'll want Laurie for your new best friend.

I received and finished this book yesterday (Still haven't tried the knitting recipes yet--but soon). I began reading it and I could not put it down. I stumbled upon Crazy Aunt Purl's blog several months ago via the Yarn Harlot and I was hooked--so I had to have the book. It is certainly not a disappointment.

I laughed and I cried. This is the handbook on being Southern, jilted and getting over it all in the best sort of way. It is the narrative journey from being "half a couple" to a whole person. I hope there are more books in Laurie Perry's future.

Lauri Perry writes about the first year after her husband leaves with her usual humor, but also with great perception and poignancy. This book is not about her cats nor knitting (though there are patterns included), it is about her survival and growth during this traumatic year. It is very insightful and touching. This is an easy, casual read, but with surprising depth.

I am giving this book to more than ten folks this year. Recommended to me as I am a knitter, nonetheless I would have enjoyed this book even if I hadn't encountered the pleasures of the purl stitch. Because it isn't so very much about knitting but about knitting together a life after it has unraveled. I think of myself as a reader of serious literature, a fairly careful reader, and so I am not really into the "can't put it down" style of reading. But I found myself staying up late and then wanting to leave enough so I could look forward to savoring it the next day - it was so much fun. My husband kept wanting to know what I was laughing at. And I gave it to my thirty something son so he could have a better idea of what his female counterparts were thinking about.
GO GET THIS BOOK - YOU WILL TRULY VALUE IT. I DO.

I absolutely devoured this book. Reading it is like listening to a good friend tell you their story (okay, a slightly crazy friend!) Laurie has a way of writing that is utterly engaging, and her words will ring true to any woman who has ever had her heart broken, or has eaten (or drank) her way out of misery. You can't help but root for her all the way through. I read the chapter about "Robert" while getting my hair cut, and literally laughed out loud. I had to promise to loan the book to my hairdresser! I loved it, and I don't even knit!!

I think I was expecting funny but not touching. I found myself cheering her every step forward and even laughing with her with every misstep. Being a knitter and avid wine drinker who recently went through a divorce, we had a couple of things in common, but even if not this book is so honestly written that everyone will feel connected by something that happens to her. I recommend this to anyone looking for a fast fun read!

Laurie Perry, now best known in knitting circles as "Crazy Aunt Purl," did not set out to become a blogging superstar. After the introverted Southerner was transplanted with her husband to L.A., she was stunned when said husband coolly informed her that he was leaving "to get his creativity back." Left alone with four cats and a penchant for wine as comfort food, Perry quickly finds herself "three minutes from crazy" and grudgingly agrees to join a friend at a knitting class. There she discovers a new best friend-knitting can always be fixed, it helps you keep busy and find your own creativity, and it's not about to leave you.

As Perry slowly sticks her head out into the world, she finds solace with her new knitting friends and begins to blog about her adventures with a distinctive self-deprecating humor. She quickly gained a loyal following who shared her joys, sorrows, dating mishaps and knitting adventures. Her stories are ones which everyone can relate to and readers love her trademark writing style - her voice just leaps off the computer screen and she immediately feels like a long-lost best friend (as evidenced by the 1700 condolence messages left on her blog after the death of her beloved cat Roy).

This book is much more than simply a self-help book about life after divorce or about learning to knit. Perry has penned a book about heartache and self-discovery and each reader will find something here to relate to. You will laugh, cry and moan along with Perry as she conquers her wine and Cheetos problem, heads out on her first post-divorce date and discovers that life does go on after "he splits."

Armchair Interviews says: A good book for any woman who needs to care about another's story-and who needs to laugh.