Julie and Julia

365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen

By: Julie Powell

Narrated by: Julie Powell

The bestselling memoir that's "irresistible....A kind of Bridget Jones meets The French Chef" (Philadelphia Inquirer) that inspired Julie & Julia, the major motion picture directed by Nora Ephron, starring Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia.

Nearing 30 and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, Julie Powell reclaims her life by cooking every single recipe in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the span of one year. It's a hysterical, inconceivable redemptive journey—life rediscovered through aspics, calves' brains and cré me brûlée.

©2005 Julie Powell (P)2005 Time Warner AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"Hilarious and ferociously articulate. Powell wrote candidly and vividly about her antic adventures with Child's recipes... But perhaps more importantly, she wrote about food in a rich and raucous context, about putting pot-au-feu on the table through plumbing crises and existential desperation; about both Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom and the difficulties of finding marrow bones."—Entertainment Weekly

"Bracingly original, JULIE & JULIA is clearly the work of a writer who has reclaimed her soul."—People

"Powell is not a domestic goddess; she's emphatically, unembarrassedly a domestic mortal. But she is also a genuinely gifted thinker and writer about food."—Time

***This audiobook was an abridged version***

I watched the movie first, and this is one of those rare occasions where I'm really glad I did it in that order. I knew going in what to expect, which was not a book about cooking, but a humorous navel-gazing book about finding a passion and sticking to it. I wish there had been more about Julia Child, but that's really my only complaint.
Sure, Julie does some things that are deplorable - most times, I felt awful for her husband, and sometimes, I really didn't like the author and would have loved to say a few things back to her, but overall, this book made me laugh more than it made me cringe, and even the cringes were worth it.

Very enjoyable! And might make you hungry!

I love when authors read their own work. It's a bit like going to a live concert and you get to see if your favorite band really is good or if it's just a bunch of auto-tune magic. So to that analogy, Powell is worth the ticket price!

One thing I didn't enjoy was the music in the transitions between chapters. Sometimes the pause was so long and then all of a sudden there's this accordion playing. I found it distracting and it took me out of the story, honestly.

I did enjoy getting to hear about her experience cooking the food - it made me in turns hungry and repulsed at the idea of aspic or lobster. She has a certain sarcastic (and albeit foul-mouthed) humor that I'm drawn to and I snort laughed several times. Definitely recommend!

Great Fun!

I just today finished "reading" this today
about a young woman in NYC who, in an effort to ward off the approaching-30 ennui, decides to cook at home, every single recipe in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" within one year. This was sooo much fun! Kind of "chick lit" (with a few unnecessary F-bombs thrown in) but if you love to cook or you wish you loved to cook add this to your list. (Hated to finish it..I kept re-winding so it didn't end too soon)

AUTHENTIC AND ENTERTAINING

I was attracted to this book because of its author's desperation to find meaning in her life--and the creative approach she took to resolving this all-too-common symptom of our empty-calorie society. Happily, I was not disappointed. The desperation of a bright young woman about to hit 30 who's mired in a life that's much too small for her is palpably felt in this book's prose, as well as in the author's voice (She's both a talented writer and an expressive reader). That she chose a formidable French cookery tome by Julia Child to prove her mettle is both highly entertaining and metaphorically satisfying. Her "hunger" for acknowledgment, for a proving ground, for salvation is gradually sated as she checks off one of Child?s bizarre and intimidating recipes after another. As the author records her personal and culinary failures and triumphs in a blog, she begins to attract dedicated fans, as well as CBS Nightly News, CNN, The New York Times, and a major book publisher. With her journey complete and the rewards more lavish than she could possibly have dreamed, she assumes the status of authentic mythological heroine very much like the archetype described by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. To complain that the book contains too little food-related content is to miss its compelling point. This is a book about emotional and spiritual hunger that satiates on every level.

I love Julie!

It took me a few minutes to warm up to Julie, but once I did I was cheering for her until the end! This is a wonderfully written, funny, quirky tale of an everyday girl, stuck in an everyday job, who has an inspiration that turns her life around. Julie is me, you, and every other person going through the motions of life and looking for something a little more. You will laugh out loud and want more.

Funny and Laugh Out Loud

I loved this book. The girl next door cooks Julie Child and blogs about it. It was refreshing to hear her frustration with her job, her project and her life. There were several laugh out loud moments when listening to this book. It gave me an aspiration to set a goal and stick to it.

Did not know what to expect?

I got hooked from the words, but the audio track is excellent. I do not know much about french cooking, but I was learning and experiencing all her pleasures and failures. It is a great audio book.

More raw than the movie (in a good way!)

If you've only seen the movie Julie & Julia and you're offended by strong and graphic language then you'll want to brace yourself. This book's story and Julie's storytelling are candid and reflect a humanness that I found very relatable. I loved the book when I read it all those years ago and it was an incredible treat to have Julie read it to me, now.

LOVED this book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - Great book to listen to. Was funny, informative and sparked an interest in coming up with something to do like this (something similar but unique as well).

What was one of the most memorable moments of Julie and Julia?

Killing the lobsters is one that stands out, although there are many moments that crack me up!

Which character – as performed by Julie Powell – was your favorite?

Julie, of course.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole book moved me! Loved her sense of humor, her determination, and plowing through the unknown. Inspirational!

Any additional comments?

In addition to loving the book, Julie's narration of it was easy on my ears. I've bought books on Audible before where I just couldn't stand to listen to the narrator. Julie's voice is easy to listen to and makes the book go quickly. Am on my second time of listening to it.

Loved it!

I was all too familiar with the opening of this book having been diagnosed with PCOS and on the verge of turning 30. I enjoyed the colorful language and the food descriptions the best. The ending was neat never read a book that did that before! Can't wait to now see the movie!