{stories and snapshots from my new york city life.}

7.28.2010

Just Read: Julie & Julia

First, a disclaimer about the books I choose to read. Quite often, they're not what's topping the current bestseller's list, but what's sitting prominently on the shelf at my local Salvation Army. This means I am generally a year behind the times in terms of watercooler talk. Whatever, dude... I'm saving $11 per book. It also means, in the case of Julie & Julia, that I've broken the cardinal rule of good little readers everywhere and watched the movie before reading the book.


I presume most people know the plot of this book/movie at this point (I am over a year behind the times, after all). A disgruntled secretary starts a blog as she attempts to cook every recipe in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". She consequently gets a book and movie deal, inspiring people to sign up for blogger and wordpress accounts in droves.

I've always liked memoirs, especially when there's something in there that I can relate to. There were a lot of similarities between the author and myself, which made it really fun to read. She's a Texan (like me!) who works in Manhattan (me), and lives in Long Island City (you guessed it). I love food, and so I loved reading about her creations in the kitchen and the lengths she took to get the job done. However, and I felt this way during the movie too, I found that I didn't particularly like the author herself. She's a bit abrasive and frenetic, and for much of the book it felt like her motive to get media attention outweighed the simple joy of preparing a meal. I found it hard to root for her.

Still, I gotta give Julie Powell props; I have no idea how she found the energy or motivation to extract bone marrow and make aspics after a long day at work. Then again, as a new blogger, I can identify with how having even a few people tracking your progress can make every step worthwhile. I mean, look at me. Just yesterday I had a record-breaking six comments on my post. It totally made my day. I am so buoyed, I might even debone a duck when I get off at 5:30 tonight. I also may just order a pizza.

Bon Appetit!

7 comments:

  1. I didn't read the book, but - as you know - I saw the movie and even in the MOVIE I felt it hard to root for her ... altho I do love a good cooking story and I must give her the caveat that Meryl Streep makes stealing the audience's attention sort of a foregone conclusion. I do plan on picking up Julia's My Life in France memoir when I have time because, like you, I also dig on memoirs.

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  2. Your blog is great, Jennifer. Do you use blog software? I need to get back in the habit of posting on my blog, but posting about dieting gets a bit boring. ;-)

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  3. Kerri--Yeah, Bridget highly recommended My Life in France a while back. I should have taken her up on that recommendation.

    Melinda--Thanks! Umm, I'm not sure if I use blog software. Is that ridiculous? I'm not technically savvy at all and am kind of figuring this out as I go along. I basically just signed up for a blogger address. Nothing additional, though my boyfriend has promised to help with programming and maybe a redesign when he's not so busy. I'm having fun!

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  4. That's really funny because I almost checked this out of the library last weekend but thought "gee, I watched this movie, should I read this?" Now, I think that I will!

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  5. Well hey there girl! I only saw the film and thought it was pretty good - agree with Kerri that Meryl Streep rocked the role!

    I also wonder how working mums, peeps with f/t jobs can still blog away after a long day too!

    x.o.x.o
    ps thanks for stopping by my way too love.

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  6. Like you I must be a bit behind in my movie watching as I just caught Julie & Julia last week. I thought the film was sweet and I enjoyed watching the life of an American expat as I am one myself. Its so fun to explore the world through food. Cheers!

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  7. dang, I was so excited to help you beat your 6 comment record and then I saw that you got one more : / Here's to tying with 7! I have to agree with your comment about the author. She wouldn't be my first pick of friends, but the story itself was good.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! : D

    pssst: all you have to do is comment back and you'll beat your own record!

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