Julie & Julia was supposed to be our book club's December selection but apparently everyone who started it hated it, so we just ended up having a holiday party, LOL.I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know how closely (if at all!) the movie follows the book. There's very little about Julia Child, it's mostly about Julie's life and her blogging quest to cook all the recipes from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
The book is totally trendy. There's so many pop culture references I can't imagine it will be relevant 10 years from now. And there's a lot of sex talk, but I found it pretty funny, not offensive. Ditto to all the slamming of Republicans!
The main draw of the book for me was the whole "How Blogging Changed My Life" theme. I can relate to that! I suppose it's only a small part of the book, but absolutely loved the various blog comments that she mentions and the whole relationship she has with her readers. Like when she wants to give up on the whole project, but her readers encourage her to continue with their comments.
I sort of glossed over all the cooking stuff. I don't cook, so that part of it didn't interest me at all. And there's A LOT of details about her misadventures in cooking.
It's a quick easy read, and I give it a lukewarm recommendation -- unless you're a Conservative Republican, then you'll probably hate it.
My copy's up for grabs!
I just watched the movie and thought it was just okay. I probably won't be reading the book. One thing that did strike me about the movie (and not sure if this came across in the book or not) is what an unlikely role model Julia Child is/was. She was unconventional, childless, tall, lanky, unattractive by most standards, and awkaward. Yet, she seemed to have a passion and playfullness about life. She also managed to be perhaps the most famously known persona in a completely male dominated profession. Maybe it was Streep's performance which was excellent, but I gained a new and great respect for her. Of course I'm a big foodie, so I enjoyed that part as well.
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