I was a bit worried about reading Julie & Julia after seeing one or two blogger reviews about how much they disliked this book. But I am a sucker for cute book covers and anything cooking related, so I picked it up from the bookstore. The premise sounded interesting (the author, Julie Powell, cooks each of the 524 recipes from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in just one year).
What initially started out as a cooking experiment and a blog detailing her kitchen adventures quickly turned into TV interviews and then this book. What I really liked about the author was the fact that she was completely honest about not only her culinary pursuits, but also her life in general. Part cooking journal, part real life saga, Julie & Julia is not for the faint of heart. From the discovery of maggots in the kitchen (which, to be quite honest myself, I would never tell anyone) to her relationship with her husband and friends, Julie is a no-nonsense kind of gal. She doesn’t censor herself or her language, which can be a turn off for some readers. As written by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the author is described as “a kind of Bridget Jones meets the French Chef.”
I personally really enjoyed reading this book. How can you not love someone who compares Mastering the Art of French Cooking to The Joy of Sex? It also could be the fact that she shares my fear of gelatin (which I obtained in culinary school) or maybe because she too loves of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Whatever it is, I found this book to be a fun read.
For more information about the author, you can visit her blog here.
