Review: Jule and Julia

I guess I was a bit more then half way through yesterday. ;) I read a lot last night and finished the novel a little over an hour ago. So here we go...my first review. Wish me luck!

Title: Julie and Julia
Author: Julie Powell
Genre: Memoir

Author Julie Powell penned this memoir based on a blog she kept for a year where she cooked her way through Julia Child's cookbook. The memoir contains excerpts from her blog as well as how her home life and job was affected by this year-long project.
This is really going to be difficult to critque because it's a memoir, and you have to figure that most of the information is well, accurate. However, Julie even gives an introduction where she claims some things have been changed.
Julie...in my opinion...does not have the voice to carry a memoir. I mean, people read memoirs and biographies because they want to read a success story. The inspiring triumphs of someone who's made a difference...Julie does not have such a story.
For one thing, if you are going to do a blog about cooking...shouldn't you be a decent cook? I can't tell you how many pages were wasted on Julie complaining of her failure of recipe after recipe.
Another thing is Julie's attitude. She seems to whine her way through her memoir. She complains from everything from her husband, to her job, to her mother, even to her friends. Again, assuming that at least 75% of what's in this memoir is true and accurate, I can't really critique how shallow her "characters" are. Both her friends sleep around with married men and then complain about Julie's cooking. Her mother doesn't support the project and is continuously putting her down. And Julie's husband seems to always be suffering from the flu.
Overall, the book was slow and filled with complaining and bad cooking. Analogies were long and often over-used. I believe Miss Powell used this book as a way to relieve her political frustrations as well as she mentions every other page how much she hates Republicans.
In my honest opinion, save your money folks and just watch the movie. The movie portrays Julie in a more flattering light and stars the wonderful Amy Adams. I will be avoiding Julie's other novels which I believe are also memoirs.
So my first review is a negative one. I hated this book and am glad to be over and done with it. I'd rather boil a lobster, which according to Miss Powell is not easy, then read another one of her books.
Future Reviews:
99 Fear Street: The House of Evil-The Third Horror
Oh My Goth
Does the Noise in My Head Bother You

Agree? Disagree? Have something to add? Want to see me review your favorite book? Leave a comment!