Friday, October 24, 2008

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen

by Julie Powell

A book born of a blog, in which the author, a temp from Long Island, challenges herself to make every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It’s an interesting idea and Powell has some writing chops, but I was turned off by the excessive melodrama.

I don’t know if Powell exaggerated the ridiculous amount of opposition and dismay that her mother and others reacted with when they heard about this harmless, fun, silly little project, but I hope so.  I hope she made up, for the sake of drama, all the tear-stained hysteria that Powell engaged in many, many times over the year.  If not, both Powell and her mother have serious mental problems.   At times I was amused by the book, but never fascinated, and often irritated by Powell and her friends. 

two stars