Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession

by Julie Powell

Overview

Julie Powell thought cooking her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking was the craziest thing she'd ever do -- until she embarked on the voyage recounted in her memoir, Cleaving.

Her marriage challenged by an insane, irresistible love affair, Julie decides to leave town and immerse herself in a new obsession: butchery. She finds her way to Fleischer's, a butcher shop where she buries herself in the details of food. She learns how to break down a side of beef and French a rack of ribs -- tough physical work that only sometimes distracts her from thoughts of afternoon trysts.

The camaraderie at Fleischer's leads Julie to search out fellow butchers around the world -- from South America to Europe to Africa. At the end of her odyssey, she has learned a new art and perhaps even mastered her unruly heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316003377
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	11/17/2010
Pages:	306
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

After a misspent youth involving loads of dead-end jobs and several questionable decisions, Julie Powell, author of Julie and Julia, has found her calling as a writer-cum-butcher. She lives in Long Island City, Queens, when she isn't in Kingston, NY, cutting up animals.

Hometown:

Queens, New York

Date of Birth:

April 20, 1973

Place of Birth:

Austin, Texas

Education:

B.A. in English and Theater & Dance, Amherst College, 1995

Website:

http://www.juliepowell.blogspot.com

Table of Contents

Author's Note ix

Prologue 1

Part I Apprentice

1 Love and a Butcher Shop 17

2 Boned Out 33

3 Fajita Heartbreak 63

4 Stuffing Sausage 85

5 Break Down 99

6 Off the Hoof 123

7 Opus Nauseous 145

8 Meathead Holiday 160

9 Too Close for Comfort Food 231

10 The Dying Art 253

11 Hanging Up the Knife 266

Part II Journeywoman

12 Carniceria 283

13 Still Undercooked 318

14 When in Tanzania 359

Part III Master?

15 A Butcher Returns 419

Epilogue 439

Acknowledgments 449

Index of Recipes 451

Editorial Reviews

"Julie Powell's follow-up to Julie & Julia paints a visceral, compulsively readable picture of what it looks like when you fully indulge with a fantasy object who isn't your spouse.... Powell has honed her writing chops along with her culinary skills, and her extended metaphor is dead on: how we can systematically hack each other apart without ever getting to the heart of our desires."—Miranda Purves, Elle

"Got a hobby you consider therapy? You'll eat up this second memoir by the author of Julie and Julia. In it, Powell tries to end an adulterous affair by immersing herself in an apprenticeship at a butcher shop—and embarks on a world tour of meat. How she finds her way home is the marrow of this tell-all travelogue/love story. Well done!"—Elisabeth Egan, Self

"From the title to the last page, former blogger Julie Powell's startling second memoir is smart and compelling.... Powell's steadfast femininity and confident voice are refreshing."—Laura Impellizzeri, San Francisco Chronicle

"As intoxicating as baked bone marrow.... Powell is reckless, yes, but also incredibly brave as she cuts through the raw flesh of her marriage, exposing every quivering nerve. It is an evisceration not without its insight and hard-won rewards. It's also funny....The book's joys are many.... In her self-gutting story we see our own fleshy vulnerabilities when it comes to the intricacies of love."—Greg Morago, Houston Chronicle

"An engaging writer. Fast, funny and observant...she's your mean best friend sending instant messages that make you snort at your desk."—Christine Muhlke, New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

"An engaging writer. Fast, funny and observant...she's your mean best friend sending instant messages that make you snort at your desk."

Christine Muhlke - New York Times Book Review

"As intoxicating as baked bone marrow.... Powell is reckless, yes, but also incredibly brave as she cuts through the raw flesh of her marriage, exposing every quivering nerve. It is an evisceration not without its insight and hard-won rewards. It's also funny....The book's joys are many.... In her self-gutting story we see our own fleshy vulnerabilities when it comes to the intricacies of love."

Greg Morago - Houston Chronicle

"From the title to the last page, former blogger Julie Powell's startling second memoir is smart and compelling.... Powell's steadfast femininity and confident voice are refreshing."

Laura Impellizzeri - San Francisco Chronicle

"Got a hobby you consider therapy? You'll eat up this second memoir by the author of Julie and Julia. In it, Powell tries to end an adulterous affair by immersing herself in an apprenticeship at a butcher shop--and embarks on a world tour of meat. How she finds her way home is the marrow of this tell-all travelogue/love story. Well done!"

Elisabeth Egan - Self

"Julie Powell's follow-up to Julie & Julia paints a visceral, compulsively readable picture of what it looks like when you fully indulge with a fantasy object who isn't your spouse.... Powell has honed her writing chops along with her culinary skills, and her extended metaphor is dead on: how we can systematically hack each other apart without ever getting to the heart of our desires."

Miranda Purves - Elle

An engaging writer. Fast, funny and observant...she's your mean best friend sending instant messages that make you snort at your desk.
— New York Times Book Review

Christine Muhlke

As intoxicating as baked bone marrow.... Powell is reckless, yes, but also incredibly brave as she cuts through the raw flesh of her marriage, exposing every quivering nerve. It is an evisceration not without its insight and hard-won rewards. It's also funny....The book's joys are many.... In her self-gutting story we see our own fleshy vulnerabilities when it comes to the intricacies of love.
— Houston Chronicle

Greg Morago

From the title to the last page, former blogger Julie Powell's startling second memoir is smart and compelling.... Powell's steadfast femininity and confident voice are refreshing.
— San Francisco Chronicle

Laura Impellizzeri

Got a hobby you consider therapy? You'll eat up this second memoir by the author of Julie and Julia. In it, Powell tries to end an adulterous affair by immersing herself in an apprenticeship at a butcher shop—and embarks on a world tour of meat. How she finds her way home is the marrow of this tell-all travelogue/love story. Well done!
— Self

Elisabeth Egan

Julie Powell's follow-up to Julie & Julia paints a visceral, compulsively readable picture of what it looks like when you fully indulge with a fantasy object who isn't your spouse.... Powell has honed her writing chops along with her culinary skills, and her extended metaphor is dead on: how we can systematically hack each other apart without ever getting to the heart of our desires.
— Elle

Miranda Purves