Julie and Julia (2005) by Julie Powell
In 2002, Julie Powell wrote a blog about her attempt to make all 524 recipes from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. While this book came later, it is Ms. Powell’s telling of her year-long project and what she learned along the way.
I actually saw the movie version of this first—a few times, and I really liked it. I still do. But, I finally decided to read the book. Hmm—what to say? While I didn’t always agree with Julie’s views on life, I certainly did fly through the book fast enough. That’s a good sign, since I —A) do not read books I don’t really enjoy and B) well, I can be easily offended. So, the fact that I did read through some of the “language” and whatnot included in the book speaks well of it.
I feel like many people can relate to Julie. I could, at least. She’s got a good life, but feels like something is missing for her. And when she takes on this project, she realizes that on the surface it doesn’t seem like anything monumental, but to her it becomes something more than just cooking recipes. It becomes a way to connect with herself, to commit to something, to give her hope. I love that she is not a perfectionist in the kitchen and that things do go wrong for her. I actually enjoyed hearing about her breakdowns and tear-fests. It wasn’t that I wanted Julie to be unhappy, but I loved that she wrote about her reality. So many of the blogs I stumble across show photos of perfectly-iced cakes for kids’ birthday parties and wonderful, happy-filled moments. It makes sense. Not many people want to share their moments of frustration or their failed projects. But, it’s actually kind of comforting to read about someone experiencing some of this who keeps going anyway.
from Julie and Julia
“Maybe I needed to…be a part of something that was not easy, just simple.” p. 25