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

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

One man's hair-raising and hilarious account of the reconstruction of an old house and the near demolition of a new marriage.

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Only a few years ago, Lawrence LaRose won a place on bestseller lists as coauthor ofThe Code: Time-Tested Secrets for Getting What You Want from Women - Without Marrying Them!But then recklessness set in: LaRose fell in love. In the course of a few months, he became engaged, got married, and bought a decrepit fixer-upper in Sag Harbor, New York. Days before closing, he lost his job. This unemployed writer and Manhattanite lit on a preposterous plan: he would bluff his way onto a Hamptons construction crew in order to learn the skills he needed. Soon he was building stadium-size "cottages" with $600 toilet paper holders while barely scraping by with his own meager renovation. But as challenges mounted and confusions multiplied, LaRose and his wife found they had something extra keeping them safe from divorce: tons of debt, and the risk-taking inclination to stay together.

Whether you're a single person, a newlywed, or one of those harried married folks lumbering through Home Depot, you'll find Gutted to be an outrageously original view of trading spaces, giving up unfettered freedom for marriage, and building a life and a home. Part cautionary tale, part hands-on advice, Gutted shows that the best improvements in life all start with a little demolition.

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 256 pages

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