Julie & Julia In Review

My last read... Julie and Julia. I wanted to read it before the movie.

The basic jist of the book/movie is this:
Julie Powell, a Texas transplant to NYC, is a secretary who is nearing thirty and generally disenchanted with her current life. She treks home for a family visit and dicovers her mother's old copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, which peaks her interest. Her husband gives her the idea to start a blog and cook her way through the entire 524 recipe cookbook in a year. The book highlights the ups and downs of her project, and the way it add meaning and a sense of ambition to her life. It also has some humor, frustration, sheer grossness, as well as a few big surprises. The book follows Julie's jounrey and completeion of her goal, and interwines the life of Julia Child into hers.

My thoughts:
First off, this is certainly an appealing and enjoyable read, especially for a blogger! I really enjoyed the straighforward and no bones about it way Julie gets her story across. The images she creates for you are not only hysterical, but cause you to nod in agreement if you too are trapped in a small kitchen trying to make a full meal! Some of her descriptions make you drool, while others make you gag...
I enjoyed reading about someone my age who is in a totally different place in life. I liked her perseverance. Trust me, one aspic and I'd be done... She finished. I always struggle to start and finish things. I admire her for this. I thought it rang true that she had a few "crazy" friends. Don't we all? Don't we all need a few crazy friends?

Though it was not the most riveting book I've ever read, but definitely kept my interest, and definitely kept me laughing. Julie Powell is real. That was the thing that made her most likable to me. Sure, she curses like a truck driver and doesn't discourage her friends from adultery, but she's true to who she is. Gotta love that.

I'll stop here to avoid any spoilers! Happy reading!