Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession

"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""

"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""

"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""

"Smart and compelling...Powell's steadfast femininity and confident voice are refreshing." (The San Francisco Chronicle)

"[A]n engaging writer. Fast, funny and observant...she's your mean best friend sending instant messages that make you snort at your desk." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Since her year spent cooking her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, recounted in Julie & Julia, Julie Powell's mind has turned to meat. Cleaving follows Powell as she learns to butcher, and the process is inspired by, and dovetails with, a personal story – this time of her overcoming an affair that threatens her marriage. Pleasures of the flesh, indeed." (Vogue)

"Powell’s hectic, confiding style is the literary equivalent of a girly evening of dirty gossip over a bottle or five of Sauvignon blanc . . . her narrative is vivid, well-structured, intense and moving." (The Daily Mail)

"Ms. Powell is a wonderful prose writer." (The Wall Street Journal)

"Highly readable . . . beautiful writing, effortlessly filling pages with virtuoso descriptions of animal slaughter and human travail." (The Sunday Times)