Review: Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
by Jenners • 04/24/2010 • 4 Stars, J Titles, Memoir, Non-Fiction, P Authors • 23 Comments
2 Words that describe the book: Cooking quest
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:
- Setting: Modern-day New York City
- Julie Powell—A disgruntled New York secretary, Julie Powell feels like her life is being wasted in a dead-end job. Determined to break out of her doldrums, she decides to embark on The Project: cooking every dish in the first volume of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Supported by her ever-patient husband, she documents her year-long project on a little thing known as a blog. Hilarity (and an eventual book deal, movie and fame) ensue.
- Julia Child—One of America’s most loved chefs, Julia Child is credited with bringing French cooking to the masses with her TV show and endearing presentation style. Throughout the book, we get little glimpses into Julia’s life and learn how she also needed a project in her life, which became her passion for cooking. Apparently, the real Julia Child was aware of Powell’s project while it was happening … and didn’t quite warm up to it. (A fact that causes Julie quite a bit of angst.)
- I liked reading about Julie’s blogging experiences. Her thrill when she first begins getting comments mirrored my own, as did her amazement that she gained regular readers who actually cared whether she posted or not. It was fun to see her blogging journey develop, and I enjoyed the good-natured ribbing from her husband Eric gives when she gets a little carried away with herself. Consider this exchange:
“I only did six recipes last week. The week before that with the folks in town I didn’t do any at all. My readers need me!”
I had meant that to be construed as a joke, even though it wasn’t, really. Eric was having none of it. “Your readers? Come on, Julie.”
“What?”
“I think the dozen people who click onto your Web site while they take their coffee breaks will manage to carry on if they don’t get to read about you sauteing thorny vegetables in butter for one more day.”
“Oh, f**k off.”
- I liked how Powell described her various cooking adventures. They were often funny and epic undertakings that didn’t result in dinner being eaten until the wee hours of the morning. Consider this bit about bone marrow:
I clawed the stuff out bit by painful bit, until my knife was sunk into the leg bone up past the hilt. It made dreadful scraping noises—I felt like I could feel it in the center of my bones. A passing metaphor to explorers of the deep wilds of Africa does not seem out of place here—there was a definite Heart of Darkness quality to this. How much more interior can you get, after all, than the interior of bones? It’s the center of the center of things. If marrow were a geological formation, it would be magma roiling under the earth’s mantle. If it were a plant, it would be a delicate moss that grows only in the highest crags of Mount Everest, blooming with tiny white flowers for three days in the Nepalese spring. If it were a memory, it would be your first one, your most painful and repressed one, the one that has made you who you are.
So there I was, scooping out the center of things, thinking mostly it was some nasty sh*t.
- I liked Powell’s potty mouth, which gives the book a down-to-earth “she is me” flavor to it. (As you can see, even the two excerpts I chose both have “potty” words in them. If these kinds of words are a big turn-off for you, Powell’s writing might be too. I, however, liked it. The girl knows her way around a curse word or two.)
- I liked watching Powell’s Project take on a life of its own and actually launch her into a new phase of life (though it fills me with seething jealousy at the same time). I know she has a new book
out now, and I’m rather curious to see how her journey progresses past this project. (I’m also rather interested in reading Julia Child’s My Life In France, which other bloggers have told me is better than this book.)
I’m giving the book 4 stars. It was as fun and fast read, and I enjoyed following along on Julie’s cooking adventures, though I don’t think I would ever want to eat ANYTHING (aside from the crepes) that she describes cooking. If you are a foodie, I suspect this book would be even more of a fun read for you. And as a blogger, it is fun to see watch her blogging journey develop. Now if all of us could just get a book/movie deal out this little hobby!
I won my copy in a giveaway last year (though sadly I can’t remember from which blog.) I’ll be giving my copy away in my upcoming May giveaway extravaganza. Also, I read this book for the Read Your Doppelganger part of the Take Another Chance Challenge, which asks you to read an author with the same initials or name as you. I share initials with Julie Powell. (Now if only I could share a book deal with her!)
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I loved this movie, and I've been contemplating reading the book because I just liked the concept of the movie so much, and because I'm turning into a foodie. I'm currently on my 3rd book about polygamy, and while I remain fascinated, and DEFINITELY need some lighter fare when I finish this one I'm currently reading. This one might just be the ticket. Glad you liked it!
I don't have a copy of this book, but I did dvr the movie for my watching pleasure later this week!
This was one of those books that didn't offend me at all with the language because it didn't seem gratuitous, it just really fit with her personality and writing style. And it was funny!
I thought My Life in France was a better book, but I liked them both.
And you're right, some of the things she describes cooking (like aspic) are downright nasty sounding.
There, I did it. I added my Show me 5 link to yours. I really am really reading, just not as fast as you! I love to now that you've had this for some time and were waiting for just the right time to read it!! It gives me hope! It's been on my shelf for a long time now too!! Are you up for the movie now?
The movie's actually a combination of Julia Child's memoir with the Julie Powell book. I didn't like the way Amy Adams portrayed her onscreen: selfish, whiny, and bratty. Yet another case where the book was totally different than the movie.
Really enjoyed this book also, though I could really have done without the potty mouth, as you call it. Having it associated with food killed my appetite pretty quickly.
Just recently saw the movie, which is very different from the book (more about Julia Child, less about Julie Powell) and also intend to pick up 'My Life in France'.
I read that Julia herself – when her agent brought the project/blog to her attention – was really turned off by the casual obscenities and connection to her work, and declined an introduction so I was reluctant to read the book out of "loyalty" to her. I might see the movie, however!
I Like to wait till the hype has died down, so I can make up my own mind of the success of a book/movie.I've been watching for this book in our paperback exchange, I do think I would love it. I'm a foodie. I also have several of Julia's books, but my favorite (and maybe I'm giving away my age) is the portrayal of Julia by Dan Ackroyd on Saturday Night Live. I haven't seen the movie yet either, but I agree if we could all get a movie deal…
P.S. I think you'd like my crepe's as well as Julia's.
"The girl knows her way around a curse word or two." LOL!
I have this sitting on my shelf, waiting patiently. I swear I'm taking a suitcase full of books on our summer vacation … the family can eat pb&j while I read about extracting bone marrow for a recipe (yuck!)
This one sounds interesting. I think I would like reading about the blogging aspect too, though sometimes I have trouble enjoying novels told in first-person.
I've been trying to keep to children's books for Show Me 5 Saturday, so mine this week is "The Tale of Despereaux."
My book club is doing this as our book next month so I am glad to see that you liked it, I look forward to reading it now.
saw the movie but did not read the book. And not sure I want to…
I found Julie, at least as seem in the movie, a rather dislikable person. From what I hear, even more so in the second book, which has a slightly bizarre subject, her obsession with becoming a butcher..and her S&M affair that she was carrying on while the movie was being made.
The blogging parts sound interesting though!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I haven't read it and not sure I will because there are so many books I want to read first. You understand
Now I need to find Allpet's SM5!
I've still got this one sitting on the shelf. Glad you enjoyed the book. My niece is a foodie, maybe I'll just give it to her after I read it.
BTW, Alipet at That's a novel idea is back and posted a Show Me 5 today.
Husband dearest groaned aloud when I asked him to see if he could get me a copy of this from the library, mutttering something along the lines of didn't I spend enough time actually blogging without now reading about it? He was only joking …… right(?)
Pisses you off that you didn't think of it first, doesn't it? I love to cook. I could totally see myself doing something like this. I also like her potty mouth, and it reminded me alot of me in the kitchen. I've heard some pretty crappy stuff about her second book though, and I personally didn't want to dispel the magic. Apparently she cheats on her husband (the one who dealt with all the torment in the first book).
I watched the movie a week or two ago and liked it but am not sure if I would want to revisit it in a book. I totally wanted to become a superstar blogger though! When am I going to get a call from an agent?
I didn't read the book but I did see the movie and it was certainly also my impression that most of the stuff I wouldn't want to eat! Nor prepare!
I think I would like to read this book. Now more so after reading the excerpts in your review.
Glad you enjoyed it – I watched the movie last weekend and it was such fun so now I want to read the book too.
another great review. i'm not a foodie
but have been tempted to read it on the
blogging bait.
I enjoyed this book too, but like you, wouldn't want to eat most of the dishes in it.