I usually have a strict policy of reading the book before I see the movie. I didn’t follow that rule this time, with Julie and Julia, and I wish I had. I was so enchanted with Amy Adams as Julie and because of that I was so excited to read the book. Julie Powell in real life is nothing like Amy Adam’s version of Julie Powell. I should of expected that. It was a little disappointing.
365 days, 524 recipes. Crazy. Although reading this made me want to do something similar. I wanting to start cooking my way through a cookbook and make all of you suffer through it. Yes, it would be entertaining but after reading this book, I realize it would have too much of a bad effect on my relationships with my family. I love always having something to do but 524 recipes in one year is a lot.
Anyways, my crazy cookbook antics aside, I did like this book. It was entertaining and captivating. Although sex is briefly mentioned it is not explicit but the “F” word does appear hear and there throughout the book. OK, sometimes a little more than here and there but nowhere like the Time Traveler’s Wife, if you have read that.
Do not go into this book with expectations of reading about the Amy Adams Julie Powell. She doesn’t exist, except on the big screen. Julie Powell whines a heck of a lot more than her movie counterpart. She has mini breakdowns every chapter and large breakdowns about every other chapter. She is a heck of a lot meaner to her husband than I thought he should tolerate but he seemed to get along fine. She is not the amazing, wonderful person I had imagine. She is incredibly flawed, as all of us are.
The thing that broke my heart, that made me want to stop reading? Julie Powell’s next book is about her affair with another man. It made me want to slap her. Her husband, as she writes him, so I will venture to say as she sees him, is the bright spot in her life. It made me want to stop reading about the sweet things he does for her when I knew she was just going to cheat on him in the end.
Anyways, aside from the tantrums, the eventual affair which doesn’t even appear in this book but still made me angry and the swearing, I did mostly like this book. I hope to get my hands on Julia Child’s book. I have heard it is way better than this one!
She cheats on him??? That's the most horrible thing ever. Those things always ruin books and movies for me. If I know that the 'happily ever after' of the first book or movie (or in this case real life story) is a crock, I don't even bother wasting my time.
Okay, HATED IT!! I thought it was so dirty. I got through the first 20 pages and was appalled that she would put her porno stuff in there. I CAN'T even finish it. I was even forewarned about the book and was still soooooooo disappointed. I will just keep the sweet image of Amy Adams in my head and not the real person. GRRRRR