Read
Sometime in August, I began reading Julie & Julia. For those of you who missed the J&J craze, Julie is a 20-something who is bored with her job and searching for some meaning in life. So, she embarks on a project to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blogs about her journey. She’s far from a chef, just an everyday gal with a penchant for cooking and a drive to finish something she starts.
I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book. It’s an easy summer read. Light. Fun. I related to the blogging side of the story (though, it’s severely downplayed in this book). I related to cooking difficult recipes (I grew up with a mother who planned Thanksgiving meals by taking out a decade’s worth of November Gourmet magazines and picking the most interesting dishes). I related to everyday life in New York (my brother has lived there for more than a decade).I related to making something of yourself outside of who you are at work.
However, I was lambasted for thinking the book was cute at a recent dinner party I attended. Some of the other guests thought the author was full of herself. Not very likeable. The more I listened to their reasoning, the less I liked the book. Ok, that’s not totally fair. I still liked the book, but I agreed with their impressions.
It reminded me of why I never liked Eat, Pray, Love. I KNOW! I’m one of the few. Probably the only one who couldn’t stand that book. But, the primary reason I just couldn’t buy into it was the author was paid to take her trips to Italy, India and Indonesia. How can I feasibly buy into her experiences when she’s already got a book deal in the making (or maybe it was just articles at the time, but close enough!)? I just couldn’t move beyond it. Couldn’t buy into her sexy eating in Italy nor her attempt to meditate in India. Couldn’t buy into her struggle, which in my mind was less of a struggle once someone paid her way. I just didn’t like her very much from the minute her feet left U.S. soil.
And it’s why I started to like a little less Julie & Julia. The author was discovered while blogging her way through her project. She was featured on national news programs and in highly redeemed newspapers. She got herself a publisher to back her writing of the book. It’s not like the book is a compilation of her blog entries. As I already mentioned, her blog – the thing that got her noticed by the world – plays a very minuscule part in the book. It’s not like she was a struggling writer who embarked on this project, wrote seriously about it while she completed the project and shopped around for a publisher.
Nope. Julie wrote the book after she was famous.
And that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. It’s like bloggers who are paid to review items on their blogs. How truthful can you really be in your evaluation when your pockets are lined by the company who makes the products? How honest can a writer really be when she’s being paid to write a blockbuster? In some ways, it’s shifty. Shady. And I don’t much like it. (Yes, you can tell me how many tons of writers operate this way – it’s how they survive – how they make their living. And I get that. But, there are also tons of writers who really struggle to put words on paper. Who devote lifetimes to writing something and who pound the pavement trying to get noticed by publishers – any publisher. I prefer those stories more. I’m allowed. Don’t judge me.)
So, I did finish that last quarter of Julie & Julia. But, it just didn’t resonate as much as it had been up to that point. I’ve always loved books about struggle. Usually a minority (race, gender, religion) overcoming the odds. What I liked about this book in the beginning is that Julie was down and out in a job that was stripping her of her sanity. So, she took control of her life. She took a risk. And it changed her life forever. I love that part about Julie, the person. She overcame the odds. I like her life story. But, I don’t love the book (and there is a difference) because of the circumstances under which it was written. Her perspective was changed by the time she wrote the book. That’s why I finished with a love-hate relationship with the book.
Speaking of overcoming struggle, I’m already about 100 pages into my next book. The book club book. It’s called Caucasia. It’s about a bi-racial girl in search of her identity. And from what I’ve read so far, I can tell I’m really going to like it. And I’m also really going to like the book club conversations that could attempt to make me think otherwise!
October 1st, 2009 at 5:56 am
I didn’t care for Eat, Pray, Love either. For me it was more of the “Oprah effect” that turned me off. For some reason I just cannot stand Oprah dictating what I should read or think.
I did enjoy Julie and Julia – both the book and the movie. I never thought about the author’s bias before, but you are right – it is certainly there. However, I don’t mind bloggers who get noticed. Heck, if I could be famous and paid for my blogging, I’d do it too. I think I almost root for someone who is able to turn blogging (or any other concept) into a way to make money. I like the struggle also, but I don’t mind knowing someone is actually on the other end of the struggle.
Great post and I am going to check out Caucasia!
October 1st, 2009 at 6:17 am
I enjoyed reading Julie and Julia although it would have been better if they included scratch and sniff. I haven’t seen the movie yet which should be shown with smellevision.
I thought the author of Eat, Pray, Love came across as whiney and self-indulgent – she rubbed me the wrong way. I loved the guy’s version of this book – Drink, Play, F*ck. It was light and fun and much more interesting.
I’ll have to check out Caucasia. I’m always looking for good book recommendations.
Have you read The Book Thief? It was my favorite book this year.
October 1st, 2009 at 6:19 am
I absolutely downright hated Eat, Pray, Love. HATED IT! I am an avid reader and usually read a book or two a week. I didnt want to finish it and I’ll read just about anything.
I’m excited to hear more about your book club. I’m going to go check out caucasia too!
October 1st, 2009 at 6:34 am
I haven’t read the book, but I was able to deduce the same thing about Julie Powell from the movie. She didn’t always get the most flattering portrayal and, until you said some of what you said here, I didn’t understand why.
As for product shilling bloggers, I don’t completely agree with you (no, this isn’t revenge for 60 Minutes… heh). There are some bloggers who I wouldn’t trust. The constant shills… the people that clearly depend on the income for their blog’s survival… the ones you see covering the same sort of product or the same company repeatedly… or they’re begging for companies to send them products in exchange for either keeping them or for monetary sponsorship to something like BlogHer. I read a ton of those after BlogHer this year and it’s kinda disgusting. You can tell who they are by how they write. It’s kind of a lame attention grab, IMHO. Thankfully not everyone is like this. There are a few of us who just happen to be contacted for a random one-off review and we can be a bit more honest because we’re not banking on any sort of repeat performance. Know what I mean?
October 1st, 2009 at 7:32 am
I didn’t read the book and to be honest it didn’t really appeal to me when I heard about it. The thing that turned me off was what you mentioned – that Julie got a book deal out of this while she was blogging about her attempts at cooking all the meals. To be honest, there’s a BUNCH of other bloggers out there I’ve been reading that should be getting book deals right and left because they are awesome writers who can spin a story withing a few lines.
And I do agree more with Kapgar on reviewing items on blogs. I know that when I’m contacted I can turn it down and if I don’t, I give my honest opinion of the product. It’s like me reviewing something that I happening to come across – a book, a beer, food, etc. because I felt like writing about it.
But then again I’m more into the good mystery novels and old literature. (No NOT Twilight!!)
October 1st, 2009 at 7:40 am
I am on the fence about the paid product blogging. I think there are certain people I trust and would believe even if they were paid but others come off like a walking commercial. I don’t really want to read a commercial when I’m reading a blog! I think if it is a product that someone already loves or the product filled a genuine need in their life I would be fine with it because there would be a real life story to go with it. It’s when someone is just going on and on about the good things with no personal connection that I start to doubt the person actually likes or cares about the product.
I think it is about the same as why you disliked both books. How can you be sure their experiences are genuine when they were already thinking about the book when they wrote it. That is completely different than thinking back and making a story from your experiences.
October 1st, 2009 at 7:47 am
I haven’t read Julie & Julia as it doesn’t seem like my type of book. I will probably end up watching the movie though. However the circumstances under which a book was written wouldn’t really make me like or dislike a particular book but I’d definitely keep an mental note in the back of my mind knowing that most likely some of the views are somewhat skewed. After all, the book is either interesting or it’s not.
That being said, Caucasia sounds like my type of book :)
October 1st, 2009 at 8:17 am
I liked Julie and Julia on a very superficial level. I liked the idea of working your way through the Julia child Opus and being accountable via a blog. I did not really consider the way that Julie wrote about herself. I did not take her seriously.
In a way all bloggers get self absorbed because each person is telling their story in their own way. Sometimes they write in a more welcoming manner dotted with humor others write like they are the only one and nobody can possibly understand their experience. And it is okay because that iw what blogging at the core is about, serving as some sort of documation that you welcome others to read.
I am almost done with Eat, Pray, Love and it is alright. I can related to the whole running away from the situation to find yourself but can’t buy the fortune that somebody paid her way.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:26 am
Thank you. I HATED Eat, Pray, Love. Saw the Julie & Julia movie… didn’t really care about it either.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:30 am
I read Julie & Julia ONLY because I read books before I see the movies. It’s a rule. DId I like it? Eh. It was okay. I was annoyed that the blogging aspect of her life took a back seat in the book. I was annoyed with the way she treated her husband (I know couples have their ups & downs, but for some reason I really did think she was overly selfish).
My mom just received an advanced copy of Julie Powell’s next book (I can’t remember the name of it) for the magazine she writes for so that she can do a book review and she said it’s MUCH different, but not necessarily in a good way.
I haven’t read Eat, Pray, Love. I know they are making a movie about it so either I’ll read the book so I can see the movie or skip both. I’ve heard mixed reviews.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:37 am
FINALLY!!!!! Another person who shares my exact—literally, you could have taken the words out of my mouth—feelings about “Eat Pray Love.” I hated that book!!! Especially the yoga part. (Obviously.) It all read so false and commercial to me—largely because, as you said, she was freaking PAID to go on that trip, to write those words, to have those experiences.
I don’t doubt the woman had some epiphanies and did some soul searching. Great. I probably would, too, if I was lounging in Italian cafes and practicing meditation in India. But, I didn’t trust her. I didn’t *really* believe her.
Whew. I just got all hot and bothered. :)
October 1st, 2009 at 8:39 am
i agree about Eat, Pray, Love. For myself, it was the sensationalism over it…which obviously got me to read it (along with the cover). I also didn’t “get” the fact that she was being paid to do all that? WHY??? It didn’t make any sense…or maybe more than that, it was so far removed from my life, it didn’t make sense. who knows. after reading books on standard deviations and z-scores, i think i’m in the market for a good book.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:42 am
thank you for saying you didn’t like eat. pray. love. too. I kept thinking there was something wrong with me for not liking it. I was with you in that I couldn’t buy her experience. I was very disillusioned with the whole book. Not believable. I did enjoy the movie Julie & Julia, but I really loved the Julia parts the most. Julie parts seemed like a filler…
October 1st, 2009 at 8:53 am
Oh I am so with you about Eat, Pray, Love. I just found it so hard to relate to her, not just about the money and her trips, but the way she seemed to look at life and love. I didn’t care for that book at all.
I haven’t read Julie & Julia, but I saw the film and loved it. I don’t feel any pressing need to read it though.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:03 am
i didn’t read the book, but i did see the movie. i liked the movie, thought it was cute. i bet if i read the book though, id share some of your sentiments as well.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:03 am
I rarely put a book down before finishing it, but I never did finish Eat, Pray, Love. She was whiny and not at all at my level of experience. (Because I’m all that and a bag of chips, don’t you know.) So, it’s languishing in the pile of to-reads. And I’m thinking I’ll just send it back to my sister unread. Blech.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:29 am
So apparently the entire blog-world kind of hated Eat, Pray, Love. How is this woman getting a movie deal, again?
I’m on the “I HATED “EAT PRAY LOVE” bandwagon as well, but for completely different reasons. I’ve been in a similar situation to Liz Gilbert, and I thought reading about her recovery would resonate with me. I thought I’d enjoy seeing another person come through the stress and struggle of the 12 months post-divorce. Unfortunately, that is not what her book is about. She doesn’t write about, or even seem to recognize, her own faults. She is writing this “memoir” book which is full of superficial, surface-level insights. It’s as deep as the Shopaholic books, and that bugs me. Big time.
/end rant…I feel I need to write about this on my own blog instead of hijacking your comments. :o)
xox
October 1st, 2009 at 9:32 am
I’ve hesitated to see the movie or read the book because you are not the only one that feels this way about the story/author. (I will likely watch the movie because HELLO! Meryl Streep is awesome.)I enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love even though I had some of the same feelings you did about her being paid to go on the journey but I didn’t know that until AFTER I finished reading it. It does change a reader’s perspective I think.
I am reminded of the “memoir” A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Oprah publicly ripped him a new one when it was discovered that he embellished a lot of that story. While I don’t agree with what he did and wish he had just NOT called it a memoir, I could appreciate the story for its own sake (It was really good in my opinion).
I wonder if I should write a book afterall. . . hmmm.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:53 am
It doesn’t bother me if people write about their experiences after they’re already famous. I mean, every book written by popular authors was written after they were famous, except maybe the first one or two. And those books are still good. If you enjoyed the book before as a fun, cute read then I think you should still enjoy it after.
Though I do understand where you’re coming from.
October 1st, 2009 at 10:34 am
I didn’t read the book, but I did see the movie. I liked the parts that you mention…women taking a risk and “going for it”….both Julie and Julia.
Funny thing, I happened upon Julie’s blog right after I read the book about the guy who read the encyclopedia…and I liked it, but I don’t think she had been discovered yet.
October 1st, 2009 at 11:51 am
Wow I’m in the minority on this comment list…I loved Eat, Pray, Love. I don’t think it even really crossed my mind that she was being paid to write it. It certainly didn’t seem like she was living a lavish lifestyle during it to me. There’s another book you might enjoy a whole lot more called “Tales of a Female Nomad.” It’s a great journey – and it wasn’t paid for. The woman travels the world because of her passion for culture and supports herself by writing children’s books (making only $12k a year).
I didn’t read Julie & Julia, but I did see the movie and adored it. I think I’ll stay in the little happy bubble that the movie created – the idea that a blogger can take a chance and become a phenomenon as a result. Someday I might like to say that happened to me… :)
October 1st, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I am with you sister. The circumstances under which authors write, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, are often as interesting as the book itself (it’s like E’s true Hollywood story kind of decadent!). I saw so many people reading Eat, Live, Pray, and simply because it had become pop-cultured in a way, I refused to give in and read it (the same goes for music and some movies – see: Twilight as of late and Dave Matthews when I was in college). I agree that perhaps the author’s “opinions” can be altered if they are sponsored, and what kind of “struggle” can they be going through if they are sponsored?
October 1st, 2009 at 12:40 pm
if you didn’t like the book you cerainly won’t like the movie.
i loved the book for the adventure and the food! oh to be a foodie…fair enough, i did lose interest towards the last 1/4 of the book. once the food disappeared i no longer could focus. i think i would have been more interested in the blog itself. i wish the book focused more on the blog itself, the blogging and the posts. a little of a let down.
but i agree with all you have said about writers and their circumstance. its always thequestion of the caliber of the art once the artist isn’t starving. is it art or merely a job?
October 1st, 2009 at 1:13 pm
my mom actually turned me off from the book/movie before i saw it (because from the previews, the movie looked SUPER cute!!), as she got to go to a press pre-screening of the movie. she did some background research and learned julie is maybe not the nicest person; she and the hubs were unfaithul in the marriage that the project supposedly “saves” in the movie; she left him after getting rich & successful, etc.
although even more offensive to my foodie, julia-child worshipping mother, was that julie didn’t even LIKE cooking and had never eaten an egg (or something crazy like that?) before taking on this project, and mom couldn’t handle that attitude toward food or her beloved julia ;-)
October 1st, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I hated Eat, Pray, Love. The author seemed really insincere to me but I couldn’t articulate why. Thanks for summing up exactly how I felt!
October 1st, 2009 at 1:31 pm
I haven’t read all the comments, but scanning through them it’s like, woah, there’s a lot of HATIN’ going on here today! Everyone has their own reasons, but I smell jealousy in the air. I find it very interesting that a bunch of blog authors are accusing Elizabeth Gilbert of self-indulgence. Isn’t keeping a blog self-indulgent? Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m just saying: we’re all doing it. It reminds me of women who hate on women who are thinner or younger or whatever-er than them.
October 1st, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I happened across the book in the library about a year ago, before there was any hype/criticism. It was a fun read. I loved the role of food in the journey. I enjoyed it.
I still haven’t seen the movie, and I doubt I will re-read the book. I think all the criticism I’ve heard will make it less than delightful, you know?
October 1st, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I so wanted to love Eat, Pray, Love. And I absolutely hated it. Hated it. I can’t remember the last time I hated a book so much. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe the book was doomed from the start.
October 1st, 2009 at 3:24 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever read a personal blog with product reviews. But most of my favorite blogs are too small to make money anyway. Sponsor-purchased editorial content is a big no-no in traditional journalism. You have to make it clear — with a box or a different font and a “This is an ad” disclaimer — if anything resembling a story was actually paid for by its subject.
But I HAVE read some personal bloggers that seem to include outright fabrications in their “diaries” just to make themselves look quirky or make the entry more shocking. So I don’t really expect rigid ethical standards in this developing, uh, genre.
Sorry if I sound snobby, but this stuff is just scary to me as a traditional journalist who blogs for fun.
Oh, and if you think you can just TELL when content is compromised by sponsor loyalty: Never underestimate the skills and incentives of a smooth operator. Marketing is one of the most generously-rewarded skills on earth.
October 1st, 2009 at 3:35 pm
This is interesting, and I’m not totally sure of where I sit.
I liked Eat, Pray, Love more because she was travelling through Italy, and I was about to go on a holiday to Italy.
Also, the old man in Indonesia just made me smile. And, whether she was getting paid or not, that old man was still rad, and she still HAD those experiences.
Plus, her struggle was more emotional than financial. And to me an emotional struggle is still an emotional struggle if you’re getting paid while you have it.
(Another note – I have a REALLY bad memory for books, so there may be details that would have shifted my view on that one).
I haven’t read Julie and Julia, or seen the movie, so I can’t share a real opinion. BUT I have no problem with the process. She started off non-famous (as everyone does). She had an interesting idea, and started a blog about it (which quite a few people do). She was lucky enough to get noticed, and to be able to write a book about it (which few people do). If anything, I might be a bit jealous of her!
And to the above commenter who says that other bloggers should be getting book deals – this may be true, but to me it doesn’t totally relate to the situation at hand – she got lucky, they didn’t, and it happens all the time (in music, art, fashion, writing, everything…)
October 1st, 2009 at 3:40 pm
(PS – Sparkling Red really said a lot of what I wanted to say, but in a MUCH more succint way).
October 1st, 2009 at 3:59 pm
This post makes me realize how grateful I am to read sincere bloggers like you, kapgar, diane, tori, hilly, sizzle, etc. So many of the blogs I read that get tons of comments (but never comment back) are just there to push products. They’re really big, insecure, attention whores. Hmm. Did I just type that? Yep :)
October 1st, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I haven’t read Julie & Julia, but I can understand your reasons for not liking it. Everything goes into our impressions of a book – not just the words on the page.
When I started reading Eat, Pray, Love, I HATED the author. I thought she was a big spoiled baby. But I some point I stopped thinking about her in all these awesome locations, and pictured myself there. It helped me to love the book and make reading it much more enjoyable.
October 1st, 2009 at 5:15 pm
You know, it’s a ‘to each their own’ thing when it comes to books. I wasn’t a fan of Julie & Julia because I didn’t get drawn into the story. I did enjoy Eat, Pray, Love. (Though I didn’t know about the extent to which she was paid for it…)
Anywho, I suppose that’s what makes book clubs so interesting and why I like them so much! I often find when I’ve disliked a book, going to book club will make me appreciate it in some way.
October 1st, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I have not read either of those books. Now I won’t! ;-)
My book club is tonight. I’m predicting that one or none of us actually liked this book. We’ve *got* to find another way to pick classics that are actually decent!
October 1st, 2009 at 9:27 pm
I agree that Julie/Julia was okay but not great. I think the Julia Child book was better and a more compelling story.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:18 pm
I agree. Julie and Julia was all right. It was a good, easy summer read, but there was nothing special about it. I have yet to read Eat, Love and Pray, but I’m interested to see what I think about it.
I’ve recently picked up ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ and absolutely ADORE it. I definitely recommend it!
October 4th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
I know I have talked about “Eat, Pray, Love” in my blog (the one I deleted, but anyway) and I didn’t totally buy it either. I like Italy and I didn’t find her self indulgent, but I thought it seemed predictable and almost scripted. She ends up with the guy in the end. That seemed contradictory to the message of the book, even though I know it’s a memoir and her real life.
I liked “Julie and Julia” and read it long before the movie. I actually read “Petite Anglaise” which is another blogger-turned-writer and didn’t much like the character as she cheats on her significant other with a fellow blogger, but appreciated the real life journey. Anyway, as far as “Julie and Julia” I loved the cooking part as it is one of my passions and I can see “finding yourself” in something like cooking. I don’t really have an issue with her being paid. She blogged about something interesting, different. Then received a book and movie deal. I don’t see the issue.
October 5th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I really enjoyed Eat Pray Love (because my mom went to India a lot when I was little for the same self absorbed reasons and I’m kind of fascinated by how people do that) but Julie & Julia really rubbed me the wrong way.
Apparently in her new book she writes about how she became a butcher (ew…) and had an affair while she was going through the ‘julie & julia’ part of her life and wrote it out of her book. I don’t like to be judgey, but I was totally not surprised by that, if I was still creeped out.