kevin5c71

** spoiler alert ** Right off, this book was a great read. I absolutely loved this story. (If Giovanni is reading this, be warned: this book is written in second person) ....mostly. It is very different from Julie Powell's first book which was all about cooking and the devotion of her husband and her nearly "Perfect marriage". This book twists what we knew and rings it out. I can't believe what She and Eric have done, and more or less, how they deal with it and what they do about it. Julie's obsession about becoming a butcher was intriguing and entertaining. I loved reading about Fliesher's. I really like Juan, he was a funny guy and reminded me of a Juan I know of within my friend's lives. Josh reminded me of my old boss. It made me cringe, but this Josh seemed a decent enough guy. He had the exact kind of outlook as my boss did when it came to food, but at least this Josh was more of a friend than a co-worker/boss. The best part for me was reading about Julie and Jessica going to one of the restaurants they supply and having chocolate covered beef heart. I've never had heart, but I love new food opportunities. This book was less graphic in terms of blood and guts than I thought it would be, but it still had moments when I was cringing uncontrollably. I'd have to breath heavy and fast, then have a glass of water to get over it. Traveling the world is something I have imagined doing, and this documentation of Julie's experience was exciting to read about. Her encounter's in Africa had me writhing with disgust at one time, and laughing like a hyena (ironic?) for a few others. D or as he is later called: Damion, was a large dislike. I really just wished he stayed out of the picture, but that all comes back to Julie's obsession with him. She needed to get him out of her head. She needed to just stop, but being Julie, she went on a grand tour of the world and the world of butchery. Was this some way of expressing her frustration, that she just wanted to hack away at everyone until she was covered with raw meat, bits of marrow and blood? When D is finally gone "flown the coop" as Powell writes, I was satisfied and happy that it was over, even though it really wasn't. What I really didn't like about the book, besides the descriptive gore, was that she "especially" thanked Eric AND Damion in her acknowledgments. It should have been just Eric. He is her husband, he is the one who was the victim. But he did cheat too, so he has some things to confess and be ashamed of, but in the end. The reader must come to their own conclusion of the book. What really happens between Julie and Eric? Not just the marriage, meat, and obsession, but the Cleaving.

2023-07-12 21:25