Area Woman Blows Gasket: And Other Tales from the Domestic Frontier (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The other day, I bought some organic maple syrup, because I'd read something alarming in the paper about lead being present in ordinary maple syrup..." (more)
Key Phrases: Doreen Virtue, Learning Annex, Mexico City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Playing House:
“Think Bridget Jones’s Diary and Sex and the City meet Good Housekeeping and Today’s Parent. Vodka tonics meet baby bottles. Designer clothes meet grubby little hands…. Patricia Pearson made me laugh out loud.”
—Ottawa Citizen

“I felt as if I had been entertained at a dinner … where I had grabbed the arms of my dinner mates on either side, mothers all, to keep myself from falling off my chair in laughter.”
—The Globe and Mail

“Too well written to be dismissed as ‘chick lit.’”
—Times-Colonist

“A fresh and lively romp … will leave you lusting for more.”
—Toronto Sun

“Fresh, funny and sweet without being sugary.”
—Chatelaine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Amusing." (Kirkus Reviews )

"[Pearson's] attempts to deal with her anxieties, phobias, neuroses and addictions touch a mysterious universal chord that is most endearing and hilarious and inspiring." (Nancy Lemann, author of Malaise )

"You''ll laugh along with her on every page of this smart, irreverent, and best of all funny, funny book." (Bruce McCall )

"Not only did I giggle to myself throughout this book.I came out on the other end knowing one thing for certain: I want to be more like her." (Muffy Mead-Ferro, author of Confessions of a Slacker Mom )

"Area Woman has . exposed the emperor of contemporary culture for being the nudist we all suspect he is. Read it and sob with laughter." (Karen Karbo, author of The Stuff of Life )

"Screamingly funny.No aspect of modern American life escapes Pearson''s inquiring mind." (Los Angeles Times )

"Pearson''s writing is side-splittingly funny. amid the debris of the near-disasters perpetrated by her children, there''s a tender mother hanging on to her identity at all costs." (Albany Times Union )

"Pearson.shows just how complicated (and laugh-generating) the pursuit of the simple life can be." (Hartford Courant )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (March 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582345368
• ISBN-13: 978-1582345369
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,004,943 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a riot!, August 14, 2006

By	Peony (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Area Woman Blows Gasket: And Other Tales from the Domestic Frontier (Paperback)

This book of essays is one of the most entertaining musings on family life (with several great side trips -- such as a hilarious piece on quitting smoking) that I've ever read. Several of the essays were so funny, that I was crying while laughing. I had to read several of them aloud to my husband because he felt so left out of the jokes.

High marks to this absolutely hysterical collection of tales from the domestic frontier!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Area Woman Blows Gasket : And Other Tales from the Domestic, May 9, 2005

By	GetBookReviews.com (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

Patricia Pearson's outlook on life and daily events are expressed in this series of essays written on such topics as fast food, therapists, haircuts, social dos and don'ts and much much more. Take a look at the lighter, funnier sometimes sad side of life through the eyes and thoughts of Pearson, a columnist and writer for publications across the nation. This satirical look will leave you wanting the next installment from this brilliant author. You will never look at life the same, which may not be a good thing, if you aren't ready for change. A Must Read!!!! ****