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Original Essays | May 3, 2013

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6 Local Warehouse Cooking and Food- Food Writing

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

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

 

Staff Pick

Finally, someone willing to admit just how dirty a kitchen can get! Powell's story is at once a comic tale of struggling to find one's balance in the adult world, and a witty exploration of why — and how — we cook. Gastronomes, as well as those more inclined to order take-out, will enjoy Powell's down-and-dirty journey into French cuisine, but her depiction of America is the secret ingredient that holds the whole recipe together. A nourishing read if you love to cook or would rather stay out of the kitchen altogether.
Recommended by Emily, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

With the humor of Bridget Jones and the vitality of Augusten Burroughs, Julie Powell recounts how she conquered every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and saved her soul.

Julie Powell is 30 years old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother's dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she will cook all 524 recipes. In the span of one year.

At first she thinks it will be easy. But as she moves from the simple Potage Parmentier (potato soup) into the more complicated realm of aspics and crepes, she realizes there's more to Mastering the Art of French Cooking than meets the eye. With Julia's stern warble always in her ear, Julie haunts the local butcher, buying kidneys and sweetbreads. She sends her husband on late-night runs for yet more butter and rarely serves dinner before midnight. She discovers how to mold the perfect Orange Bavarian, the trick to extracting marrow from bone, and the intense pleasure of eating liver.

And somewhere along the line she realizes she has turned her kitchen into a miracle of creation and cuisine. She has eclipsed her life's ordinariness through spectacular humor, hysteria, and perseverance.

Review:

"Powell became an Internet celebrity with her 2004 blog chronicling her yearlong odyssey of cooking every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. A frustrated secretary in New York City, Powell embarked on 'the Julie/Julia project' to find a sense of direction, and both the cooking and the writing quickly became all-consuming. Some passages in the book are taken verbatim from the blog, but Powell expands on her experience and gives generous background about her personal life: her doting husband, wacky friends, evil co-workers. She also includes some comments from her 'bleaders' (blog readers), who formed an enthusiastic support base. Powell never met Julia Child (who died last year), but the venerable chef's spirit is present throughout, and Powell imaginatively reconstructs episodes from Child's life in the 1940s. Her writing is feisty and unrestrained, especially as she details killing lobsters, tackling marrowbones and cooking late into the night. Occasionally the diarist instinct overwhelms the generally tight structure and Powell goes on unrelated tangents, but her voice is endearing enough that readers will quickly forgive such lapses. Both home cooks and devotees of Bridget Jones–style dishing will be caught up in Powell's funny, sharp-tongued but generous writing. Agent, Sarah Chalfant. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"A gratifying year spent tackling the art of French cooking....Indulge in this memoir of marrow and butter, knowing there is always a bitter green to balance the taste." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"The tougher the shopping and cooking assignment, the more sensual the experience, as Powell discovers incredible determination and hidden talents in cooking, writing, and living. This is a joyful, humorous account of one woman's efforts to find meaning in her life." Booklist

Review:

"Powell is a talented, funny writer... Julie & Julia [is] a touching, sometimes stomach-turning, and overall delicious read." Johanna Bates, BUST

Synopsis:

With the humor of Bridget Jones and the vitality of Augusten Burroughs, Powell recounts how she conquered every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and saved her soul.
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About the Author

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Julie Powell has resided in one place or another in the outer boroughs of New York City for the past eight years. Currently she lives in Long Island City, New York, with her husband, Eric, three cats, and a snake.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 39 comments:
kk_09, February 19, 2013 (view all comments by kk_09)
Thank you! I throughly enjoyed Julie's story (although sad that she never got to meet Julia Child's). I was assigned a list of films to watch and review regarding a Women, Culture and Food course at Mount Saint Vincent's Univeristy (Halifax, NS) and wisely, I chose Julie and Julia. It was a delight to see the story come alive from differenct decades, the similarities are uncanny. I am asked to write a short paper (10 pages) on the film and am thrilled I chose such an endearing story to write on! Thank you for the small opportunity to get inside of your kitchen and Julia Child's. It has been a pleasure!

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rosewood9090, October 4, 2012 (view all comments by rosewood9090)
I enjoyed Julies story , finding it very endearing. I was inspired to make one of Julia childs recipes , which was exciteing to make as well as eat (on the part of eating it my husband reeeeeally loved it .) Thanks . Im haveing trouble finding Julies blog from when she first started the project of cooking Julias recipes . If someone emails me a link , I wont mind . :)
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mostlygood, January 27, 2012 (view all comments by mostlygood)
I only just read this book-knew about it for years but just never got around to reading it. Anyway,
I needed this book at this time in my life. I laughed so much, not just at situations but at the
honesty of the writer. It was refreshing to read about someone living their life, honestly and
without apology and having the guts to write about it.
I appreciated the political jibes at Republicans (I am one) and I understood Julie's perspective
of her fellow co-workers. Because I am estranged (temporarily) from my Democrat sister I am going to
send her this book as a peace offering.
Anyway, now I am reading the blog, will see the movie, and hopefully
keep reading Julie Powell books. Write on, Ma'am.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316109697
Subtitle:
365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master t
Author:
Powell, Julie
Publisher:
Little Brown and Company
Subject:
Cookery, french
Subject:
Essays
Subject:
Cooking
Subject:
Women cooks
Copyright:
2005
Publication Date:
September 28, 2005
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
309
Dimensions:
9.56x6.30x1.20 in. 1.17 lbs.
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Related Subjects

Biography » General
Cooking and Food » Food Writing » Gastronomic Literature
Cooking and Food » Food Writing » General

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$3.50 In Stock
Product details 309 pages Little Brown and Company - English 9780316109697 Reviews:
"Staff Pick" by ,

Finally, someone willing to admit just how dirty a kitchen can get! Powell's story is at once a comic tale of struggling to find one's balance in the adult world, and a witty exploration of why — and how — we cook. Gastronomes, as well as those more inclined to order take-out, will enjoy Powell's down-and-dirty journey into French cuisine, but her depiction of America is the secret ingredient that holds the whole recipe together. A nourishing read if you love to cook or would rather stay out of the kitchen altogether.

by Emily
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Powell became an Internet celebrity with her 2004 blog chronicling her yearlong odyssey of cooking every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. A frustrated secretary in New York City, Powell embarked on 'the Julie/Julia project' to find a sense of direction, and both the cooking and the writing quickly became all-consuming. Some passages in the book are taken verbatim from the blog, but Powell expands on her experience and gives generous background about her personal life: her doting husband, wacky friends, evil co-workers. She also includes some comments from her 'bleaders' (blog readers), who formed an enthusiastic support base. Powell never met Julia Child (who died last year), but the venerable chef's spirit is present throughout, and Powell imaginatively reconstructs episodes from Child's life in the 1940s. Her writing is feisty and unrestrained, especially as she details killing lobsters, tackling marrowbones and cooking late into the night. Occasionally the diarist instinct overwhelms the generally tight structure and Powell goes on unrelated tangents, but her voice is endearing enough that readers will quickly forgive such lapses. Both home cooks and devotees of Bridget Jones–style dishing will be caught up in Powell's funny, sharp-tongued but generous writing. Agent, Sarah Chalfant. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review" by , "A gratifying year spent tackling the art of French cooking....Indulge in this memoir of marrow and butter, knowing there is always a bitter green to balance the taste."
"Review" by , "The tougher the shopping and cooking assignment, the more sensual the experience, as Powell discovers incredible determination and hidden talents in cooking, writing, and living. This is a joyful, humorous account of one woman's efforts to find meaning in her life."
"Review" by , "Powell is a talented, funny writer... Julie & Julia [is] a touching, sometimes stomach-turning, and overall delicious read."
"Synopsis" by , With the humor of Bridget Jones and the vitality of Augusten Burroughs, Powell recounts how she conquered every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and saved her soul.
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