Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously (Paperback)

by Julie Powell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A feast, a voyage, and a marvel." (Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love )

"Laugh-out-loud funny." (Boston Globe )

"Powell writes like a culinary Chris Rock - profane, honest, and very funny." (Seattle Times )

"A really good book." (Washington Post Book World ) --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Description
Nearing 30 and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, Julie Powell resolved to reclaim her life by cooking, in the span of a single year, every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her unexpected reward: not just a newfound respect for calves' livers and aspic, but a new life--lived with gusto.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (September 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316013269
• ISBN-13: 978-0316013260
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,275 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed Julie & Julia., March 31, 2007

By	C. Gilbert "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A friend of mine lent me Julie & Julia at a point when I needed something to cheer me up. I have to admit that few things make me more suspicious than a book that derived from a blog. I also have a pretty low tolerance for chick lit in general, and this smelled like chick lit to me.

But anyhow. Despite going into the book with poor expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. I found it well-written and it felt honest. It had several laugh-out-loud moments. Best of all, I found myself genuinely liking the narrator/author. It was good fun. And that was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Although you can get some foodie kicks from Julie & Julia, it is not really about food. Do not read the book if you are looking for technical details, deep reflection about Julia Childs and French cooking, or kitchen tips and tricks. It is not that kind of book. Think light read with cooking as a kind of character quest.

One quarrel-- in her author's note Powell declares that "sometimes she just makes stuff up". That made me less comfortable with the book, honestly. As a memoir it has a lot of charm. As a novel, it has much less interest. I am not sure why that should be the case, but it took a little bit of the shine off for me to see that note at the beginning.

Anyhow. If, like me, you are looking for some cheering up then this could be a book for you. Bonus points if you find yourself an urbanite with a foodie-wannabee cooking habit, because then the funny parts are going to be even funnier. I had to wince when remembering some of my own attempts at homemade mayonnaise. Recommended.

43 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, September 2, 2006

By	Brooklyn Bookworm (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Terrific book about New York City, marriage, family, careers (or lack thereof), blogging and, oh yes, a bit about cooking. There are a lot of negative reviews of the hardcover version from readers who thought it was a serious food memoir or even a cookbook. The paperback version has modified the title and it is packaged in a "chick lit" style. I'm not usually a fan of serious food books, or of chick lit, but I do live in NYC and am a JC fan. I loved this book and found it laugh out loud funny and am giving it to several friends and family. Very highly recommended.

34 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A joyful coming-of-age in the kitchen, August 29, 2006

By	Christopher Tessone (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews

After reading The Perfectionist, which I found rather one-dimensional and joyless, turning to Julie Powell's account of cooking through Mastering the Art of French Cooking was quite a treat. It was refreshing to find she does not take herself too seriously, and I found myself wishing I'd known about the blog while she was doing The Project (as she calls it). One can tell that reading the book is a different, less personal experience than the day-to-day account on the blog must have been.

In any case, although there isn't an overwhelming amount of technical detail about the dishes Powell prepared, it's interesting to follow her journey through one of the best-known cookbooks, seeing her development both as a cook and a human being. Definitely recommended -- a very enjoyable read.