Julia's Child

by Sarah Pinneo

[Leah]

When you see a novel titled Julia’s Child you’re going to assume it’s going to be a) about food and b) perhaps somehow related to the real Julia Child, a chef and television personality. Julia’s Child is indeed about food, but not as I expected it as rather than being about the type of food Julia Child herself produced, it’s instead a novel about children’s food, as Julia Bailey cooks organic treats and snacks for children. It wasn’t necessarily what I expected and when I saw it was a novel about a mother who’s a bit of an eco-warrior, I was terrified I’d hate it. I’m not a big fan of baby novels – I like them well enough, but sometimes they can be a bit over the top and as I’m not yet a mother I can’t exactly understand the craziness. Secondly, I am the worst eco/green person in the world. That’s probably not something I should admit out loud, but it’s true. So eco novels always set me on edge, always make me feel as if I’m not doing enough (though I’m not) and they come across as preachy.

As soon as I knew Julia’s Child was about the two things I really can never seem to get on board with, I was scared, but I persevered. Because it is possible for me to change my mind and I’m pleased to say Julia’s Child did indeed prove me wrong. Yes, Julia Bailey is a mother (a somewhat neurotic one, at times) and sure, she’s trying to make the world a greener place with the way she lives, the way she makes her products for children, but it’s a nice mix of the two. It isn’t over the top, it isn’t preachy and I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny as the blurb suggests, but it was warm-hearted, it was fun, and it was an interesting tug of war between Julia having a successful business and Julia keeping her family in tact. I was pleasantly surprised and I’m glad I hadn’t read the blurb before hand because I probably wouldn’t have read it then and I’d have missed out massively.

This is really a special debut novel, and I enjoyed every page. I even stayed up past midnight to finish it because I wanted to know what Julia was going to do with her company, whether it was going to survive. It’s not a typical Chick Lit novel, there’s no relationship drama (huzzah, there CAN be happy marriages in Chick Lit! Although there was a slight moment where I thought it was going to all pear-shaped… However that was quickly resolved), it’s not overly focused on Julia’s family, either – she’s not weighted down by guilt, spending pages and pages feeling bad about how busy she is. Instead, it’s a novel about a woman starting her own business and trying to make it work. The family stuff is there, obviously, but it’s not OTT and it didn’t make me angry, as mother novels are wont to do sometimes. I loved Julia’s business savvy, I loved reading about her struggles because she was just so passionate about her muffets, about making her business succeed when all around the world companies and businesses are failing exponentially.

The characters, particularly Marta, Julia’s partner in Julia’s Child who was awesome; the writing; the plot… It was all just one big, happy, warm novel. It has its ups and downs, of course it does – Julia’s Child isn’t a perfect business and a lot of time is spect as Julia tries to drum up business, but overall it’s warm and happy. I loved reading it, I loved racing to the finish and wondering how it would all pan out. Sarah Pinneo has written a very engaging debut novel, one that will resonate with mothers everywhere who struggle every day to make sure their kids eat the right foods, but it’s also one single people can enjoy, people who don’t have kids, because it’s not all about being a mother, and I was able to understand Julia’s issues, understand why Julia was so passionate about Julia’s Child. I totally recommend the novel, and I can’t wait for Sarah Pinneo’s second novel, because Julia’s Child is a triumph!