Review: Handcrafted by Clint Harp

Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Released: Sept. 25, 2018
239 pages

About the Book:

While Clint Harp is now known as Chip and Joanna Gaines’s go-to table maker on Fixer Upper and a nationally acclaimed artisan, his life has not always been the DIY dream we see on the show. Ten years ago, he played the role of what he thought was a good husband, father, and provider, dutifully working at a sales job that came with a healthy paycheck. Yet he kept coming back to his unfilled dream of building furniture. With the support of his wife, the encouragement of a mentor, and a life full of lessons, he finally took the leap, quit his job and set out on a quest to become a carpenter. Without formal training, financing, workspace, or customers, the Harps were quickly on the edge of financial collapse. Than Clint met Chip Gaines at a gas station—a chance encounter that marked the next chapter on a wild ride Clint and his wife, Kelly, wouldn’t have imagined possible.

Spanning Clint’s remarkable journey—from a childhood learning carpentry and hard work at his grandfather’s knee, through his struggles to balance pursuing his dreams with supporting his family, to his partnership with Chip and Joanna Gaines and the many adventures and misadventures of filming Fixer Upper—Handcrafted is part memoir and part manual for dreamers. Clint provides unvarnished, thoughtful reflections on a path that is possible for anyone bold enough to pursue it.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

I was excited to read this book as I always liked seeing Clint on the show Fixer Upper. However, my view of Clint has changed from reading this book. I do not want to judge as each person has the right to decide for themselves how they live their life. For me personally it felt irresponsible to quit a good paying job to start a business in something where he had never completed a project before and without much savings, especially when he had a wife and two young children at home. Yes he had the passion for it, but nothing to back up that passion. His wife Kelly was amazingly supportive to stick by him. I just kept thinking what would have happened to him and his family if he hadn’t met Chip Gaines that day at the gas station. This was a sure sign that God was at work in his life. Each chapter began with a short paragraph about working with wood and it felt very technical leaving me confused at times. However the chapters themselves were written in a easy to read format and the telling of his story flowed in a easy to follow timeline. 

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)