I can't believe that I actually finished this book. I thought it was horrible. I absolutely did not like it. I thought the book would have more to do with actual cooking rather than having to read about the author complaining, nagging, whinning, and more complaining.... I've been to culinary school myself, and of course had to learn a lot of French/ Classical ways of cooking; and yes, it can be very stressful, but not once did I ever throw a crying fit because of it. I think the author over exaggerated a lot about the stresses of French cooking, even if she was just following what Julia Child's cookbook said. No wonder she said that Julia Child didn't like her. I wouldn't either if she were crying about something so simple that a cookbook could be made out of it. If it's so much of a problem to you, you should have just went to Culinary School.

There were so many times that I just wanted to give up reading this terrible book. But I can't find it in myself to quit something that I already started. So for all of you who'd like to put yourselves through it, by all means, go ahead and try reading it for yourself....

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this is one of the worst books i've attempted to read. julie is not funny. her mouth is straight out of a sewer. and the book has very little to do with cooking julia's childs recipes. i really don't care how often she has sex with her husband, or how pathetic her job is. the only time she talks about cooking is when she is talking about how she is cheating at the recipes. this book is not worth the paper it is printed on.

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I did not finish this book because, quite frankly, it was very offensive. She continually puts down Republicans, belittles those who lost loved ones on Sept 11, makes fun of Christians, her language was obscene, and half of the time she writes like an ADD person without their meds. I can say this because I AM an ADD person and even on my worse day, meds or no meds, I am more coherent than she was.

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Did I hate this book? No. Could I have done without the author injecting her political veiws every chance she had? You betcha. I wanted to read a book that seemed interesting. I didn't need the author's politics shoved into my face every chance she could. Still, it is an interesting book. The author does come off as whiny in some places... you think your husband's Aunt may have died in a bombing, but you're more concerned about a dish that you're trying to prepare in your kitchen that later turns out to be infested by maggots? Ick.

Still, cudos to the author for taking on such a task and for making it entertaining. Maybe the reason the real Julia hated the blog was because the author spent so much time talking about herself and not about the food.

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The book reads more like a really long blog entry. It is well written, but the storyline meanders and some people we are given probably a bit too much info about, and others almost nothing. Powell is staunchly anti-Republican, which is fine, except that her reasons are never explained, just constant mention of the fact that she thinks Republicans suck. All in all I enjoyed it, but it probably could have done with some tightening up.

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Loved this book! It took me through one emotion after another.

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I saw the movie first, which I never do, but read the book in any case. The protagonist is far more sympathetic in the book, and there are many reasons to love the book as a book--including different imagined scenes from Julia Child's life.

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I loved this book It was really funny and also really heart warming at the same time.

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Not the greatest read. I skipped a lot of pages.

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Great read. Very cute and light. Perfect for Sunday mornings in bed.

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This book was fantastic and after watching the movie, the film turned out to be quite a let-down. I learned a TON about French cooking and cuisine and it has inspired me to look more into regional recipes of my own to try. I loved the letters and journals written by Julia Child's husband and both Julie and Julia possess quite the personalities to light up any novel!

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I have not finished reading this but I LOVE the movie so much that when I am depressed I watch it because it is a feel good movie-Annie

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Have you ever seen a movie and then just wanted to read the book because it seemed like a good idea at the time? That's how I decided to get this book and was then horribly disappointed. I had assumed, as I'm sure many who have seen the movie had, that the parts with Julia and Paul Child were based on actual events. They're not. Instead, the author thought it would be cute to make stuff up based on what she's (again, I'm assuming) read elsewhere. In a way, I felt oddly betrayed that the parts with the Julia and Paul Child were fiction when I was actually hoping for something that the author had researched. Although, the part where the real Julia Child put down the author was probably my favorite part. ;P

I had expected, from seeing the movie, that Julie was a bit of a drama-queen, but she's even more so in the book. I prefer to read a book where I either really like the character because they are someone I can understand or love hate them because they're such great villains. Julie is so self-absorbed and whiny on a consistent basis that I can't help but dislike her.

I mostly tried to keep going in the book just to see her fail (had to find something to keep my interest after all) but even that couldn't keep me going. I guess I'm not impressed by anyone who profits on the work and fame of others while at the same time believing that their writing skills are something worth publishing. This author is just another one of those writers who managed to get lucky and attract someone with no sense in what makes a book great. Powell's writing is not the kind that touches you. Instead it's the kind that makes you want to throw a book across the room because it's such trash.

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I really enjoyed the "Julie" parts of the book. I understand why Julie Powell added the "Julia" bits to the story, but I don't actually feel that they added anything to the book. The random letter snippets didn't seem to correspond in the right places. I do understand, however, why these sections would've made great transitions in the movie itself. It just didn't play well in the book. Powell's telling of her own story was great, though. I read this book quickly as a follow-up to "My Life In France," a biography of Julia Child.

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