Thursday, April 10, 2014

Julia, Child - a book review


Good day to you.   I want to give you the answer to the book title and author game we are playing.  The last book was:  "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman.  Today's excerpt is:

                             "Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baritipy, baripity - Good."

             What is the title of the book and the author who wrote that quote above?  Good luck.









Title:  Julia, Child
Author:  Kyo Maclear
Illustrator:  Julie Morstad

Julia and Simca are two young friends who agree that you can never use too much butter -- and that it is best to be a child forever. Sharing a love of cooking and having no wish to turn into big, busy people who worry too much and dawdle too little, they decide to create a feast for growing and staying young. A playful, scrumptious celebration of the joy of eating, the importance of never completely growing up, and mastering the art of having a good time, "Julia, Child" is a fictional tale loosely inspired by the life and spirit of the very real Julia Child - a story that should be taken with a grain of salt and a generous pat of butter.


My take on the book:

I love the flair of the two main characters,  Julia and Simca, both very good friends.  They are upbeat, creative and modern and do not want to get sucked into the every day, mundane world of the average, robotic, grown-up that surrounds them.  They love to experiment and cook with food and take the love of food to a whole new level.  The adults seem to go through life forgetting the importance of living it to its fullest. They are big, busy people who are worried, harried and do not remember how to play, relax and have have fun anymore.  They wander around in a robotic, trance-like fashion and are not grateful or happy.  Both girls decide to prepare a feast for them that will re-instate all the wonderment of their childhood and turn these zombie-like people into fun-loving "youngsters" once again.  The  elegant meal they prepare is fit for royalty and the adult commoners are drawn in from the street by the sight, sound and taste of the elegant food being prepared.  Then during the meal everything takes a drastic turn for the worst. Bedlam breaks out at this chic banquet and overtakes the once mannerly diners, turning them into an uncontrollable, ungrateful and greedy mob.  How the girl's handle this situation and bring calm once again is pure genius. This book is a celebration of fine, mouth-watering cuisine.  We can master the art of not becoming a dull, boring adult and learn to embrace life, enjoy each other's company and have a very good time with each other in the process. The illustrations are whimsical and fun and they drive the text perfectly.  Bien manger mes infants!  Le dรฎner set servi!


About the author:




KYO MACLEAR was born in London and grew up in Toronto as the only child of a foreign correspondent. Her father reported on some significant world events, including recording the first interviews with American POWs in North Vietnam. WhileStray Love is entirely a work of fiction, it is informed by her experiences living with her father. Her first novel, The Letter Opener (2007), was awarded the K.M. Hunter Artists Award and shortlisted for the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award. Maclear is also an award-winning visual arts writer and the author of two children’s books: Spork(2010) and Virginia Wolf (2012). Visit her online at Read the full biography of Kyo Maclear 








Book Review Rating:  8 ( Fantastic!)

Lire et toujours lire!  Have a wonderful day everyone.


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