Gutted : Down to the Studs in My House, My Marriage, My Entire Life

Rating:
Summary: Congratulations, Lawrence LaRose!
Review: GUTTED made me laugh out loud. It also brought
tears to my eyes as I followed the unlikely but,
nevertheless, epic journey of Mr. LaRose and his
wife through the figurative and literal pitfalls
of acute home renovation undertaken during the
early years of their marriage. Mr. LaRose has a keen
ear and eye for the ironic and the absurd which serve
him well in this tale of the joys and horrors of home
ownership and of the notable discoveries that this couple
make about each other as they navigate the aisles of Home
Depot. This is an honest, funny, poignant book. I found
myself surprisingly invested in not
only the structural details of the "toenail yellow" house but also rooting for the
survival of the marriage. One can only hope for more from
this gifted author with the challenges of parenthood providing
fresh ground for his astute and quirky observations on life.

Rating:
Summary: What a great new voice....
Review: I never thought I could get so many laughs while recalling the torture that we went through when we redid our house. I wish we'd read this book before we started -- it might have kept us cracking up in a good way instead of in the losing-our-sanity way. I found this book in a DailyCandy.com email recommending Father's Day gifts, and I think that's probably a great call for dads who read and have a sense of humor. I'm glad to see Amazon likes it so much that it's a Breakout Book of Summer 2004! This is my new gift of choice to fellow readers -- perhaps it'll save some marriages, not to mention some houses!

Rating:
Summary: Looking For More
Review: I was hoping to find a little more depth in this book, the back cover seemed to imply that Larose was this wild man that had been tamed by love, settled down and made a complete 180. I was hoping for some self exploration and struggle for Larose on married life. The major struggle between his wife seemed to be what color tile he wanted and how hectic home depot can be shopping there. Just felt like everything was on the surface - but if you are just looking for a light laugh and home renovation tips, go for it.
But I'd still wait till it's out on paperback.

Rating:
Summary: Laughed, Cried, Learned, Laughed again
Review: I was skeptical about this book, but LaRose proved that a story about renovating an old house and nearly demolishing a new marriage can be hilarious, touching, and educational all at the same time. I have never renovated, nor plan to, but this book was still fun and entertaining. A friend gave it to me as an engagement gift, if you can believe it! I wasn't going to read it, but my fiance kept laughing out loud, so I decided I had to give it a go. Glad I did.

Rating:
Summary: An Easy, Helpful Read
Review: Refreshingly conversational and informal, this is the kind of book you can go through in 3 days, the pages turn so quickly. LaRose does a good job of bringing you inside the house, well the shell of it anyway, and seeing both his and his wife's predictable reactions to one frustration after another. The book itself is a great idea; everyone knows someone with these types of horror stories, but this serves a purpose as a warning sign of some of the problems that WILL (not "could", not "might") be involved in home renovation. I highly recommend it for anyone who's thinking of doing anything major to their home and hope to keep to some sort of budget.

Rating:
Summary: wow!!!
Review: what an entertaining ride. this book is full of laughs and insight into the wacky and stressful world of home renovation, marriage and mid-life meltdowns. larose has a wicked sense of humor that makes sedaris seem tame. i loved every page!