Julie and Julia is the story of two very different women living in two very different times, connected by one thing, cooking. The Julia of the story is the famous Julia Child one of the authors of the widely known cook book, Mastering the Art or French Cooking. Julie is a young women living in the “outer boroughs” (as it is commonly referred to in both movie and book) who loves to write, but has ended up in a dead end secretarial job for families effected by 9/11. The story begins when Julie decides with the help of her husband and friends to start a blog. One year to cook her way though the entire Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook.
The basic story line of both movie and book are similar. For the first time I saw the movie before I read the book, before I knew about this project and before I knew there was a book. I liked the movie it was witty and growing up in a family where cooking is important I could understand the cooking terms. I am very, very sorry to say that I did not like the book. I want to make excuses to say that it is because I saw the movie first or maybe the weather for reading the book did not put me in the proper mode, but that was not it. It is very simple. The movie was good the book not so much. She is clearly a good writer but the book is written too much in a diary style where every little detail must be fit in and I could weed out about a paragraph of fluff in every page. The book though was well written and had a certain flow and language choice that kept me from throwing it agents the wall when it seemed the details about how to poach in egg would bore me to death. Maybe if I had anticipated a diary format I would have been more prepared and not as shocked.
I think many people will enjoy the movie Julie and Julia and if you like diary style books and cooking and every little detail of very little thing in this womens life you will enjoy the book.
It's interesting that you liked the movie and not the book. What specific aspects of the movie did you like and why? I thought the movie was a bit sappy in the end. What was the ending of the book like? What are examples of "fluff" in the book? Be specific. Also, remember you have to do one more post for the reading challenge.
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