My Life in France

"Every field was an explosion of fragrant and colorful bougainvilleas, brooms, mimosas, or daisies. Warm, salty breezes blew off the Mediterranean. There were dramatic rocky cliffs along the coast, snow-topped Alps looming in the background...I found my senses were nearly overwhelmed." ~ pg. 49 When friends started to tell me that I must watch "Julie and Julia" I put the movie on my Netflix list and didn't think too much about it. Then a friend sent me a recipe adaptation of Boeuf Bourguignon and I adapted the recipe even more (I use less Burgundy). After trying that recipe I became even more interested in the movie and recipes. I had actually reviewed Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home the year I started reviewing and had watched a special on Julia Child's life sometime before. At one point (I think because of my reviews) I was invited to see Julia Child. I think it was around $400 so I wasn't able to meet her because at the time all my money was going into testing recipes for my own cookbook. However it wasn't until I watched the "Julie and Julia" movie that I became very interested in Julia Child's life. "My Life in France" is completely charming in every way. Since I visited France in 1996 I could relate to Julia Child's love of Provence and her love affair with Paris. I loved reading about Cassis and Marseille as it reminded me of the bakery we found and how delicious the fresh fish was at a restaurant by the Mediterranean Sea. Alex Prud'homme effectively captures Julia Child's voice by interviewing her and by obviously reading many of Paul and Julia's letters. There is probably no way anyone could remember such an amazing amount of details like the exact weather and the menu at restaurants. All these details about food make the book absolutely tantalizing. Julia's love of life comes through so well in the captivating warm prose. I could relate to the years Juila Child spent working on her cookbooks to the point of obsession. Her second book took nine years to produce. She really struggled to birth her books and had to deal with moving from country to country with all her kitchen equipment. It is fun to read about her rhapsodizing over kitchen stores. She was fascinated by kitchen gadgets. Once Juila Child discovered her love of cooking she never looked back. It is amazing how her entire life revolved around cooking. She made writing recipes into a total adventure. At one point she does some investigative reporting when she wants to learn to make beurre blanc. Somehow she had the money to go to some of the best restaurants in France. The main thing I loved about this book is how it effectively documents the stages Julia Child went through to become an icon. She truly had to work for her fame although at times it seemed like she was just at the right place at the right time. My only complaint about the book is that some of the French words don't come with any translation. You are at times left to imagine what was said. ~The Rebecca Review

This beautifully written and completely charming memoir captures Julia's unique and genuine personality. This is one of the most delightful, happy books I've ever read! Julia admits complete ignorance at the beginning of her story, which attests to her most unusual gift for blending self-deprecation with charming self-confidence, and it is her natural curiosity that led her to collaborate with master chefs, true to her non-condescending and bubbly personality. There is a heavenly breathless spirit about this book that captures her earthiness and integrity and complete emotional fulfillment that is absolutely contagious. This is the most beautiful love story between kindred spirits. Her husband, Paul, who clearly shines throughout, worked for the US State Department, and it was he who encouraged Julia's exploration and interest in fine cuisine and his transfer to Paris began her legacy. What a wonderful marriage they must have had! They shared an extraordinary life of love and passion, not only for each other but for travel and the tastes to explore other cultures. Her colorful and bright and cheery account of her 1940's life-changing stay in France is one of the most cherished, enjoyable and interesting books I've had the pleasure of reading. I wanted to sing. This book is a great biography, as well as a historical account of a nation, as instruction of the refined culinary arts, and it works well as the travelogue that evokes the locations being described. My senses were titillated; I could smell the baking bread, lavender fields, leg of lamb cooking in sumptuous herbs; I could taste the magnificent, succulent dishes; I could see the lush countryside, the cobblestone roads and streets. The laughter, the wit, the union, their lives together had to be Heaven on earth. This is beautifully told, brimming with life, just as Julie Child lived during her years in France, and as compelling as a great novel that you know has a happy ending. Because the family kept all of Paul and Julia's letters home, primarily Paul's twin brother, Charlie and his wife, the detail is as fresh and fun as when it first happened. Julia lived a "joie de vivre", loved a new adventure and took life on with an incredibly open mind. She seized opportunity with great zest and had the confidence that she could achieve her goal. She was real and fun and didn't take things too seriously. One of Julia Child's most compelling attributes was her ability to share her knowledge without being intimidating. She gave you the sense that she was as accessible and as friendly as if she'd known you all her life, although infinitely more interesting. She truly cared about people, all people. With class, charm, enormous magnetism, and great determination this remarkable woman had turned French cooking into an American fascination. This is not a book about food; this is a book about life, full of passion and love and wisdom, beauty, art and creation. You can learn a lot from a life like that. This should be on everyone's reading list.

I have really enjoyed reading about Julia Child's inspiring trip to Paris and Marseille. She is so passionate about food, restaurants and storekeepers that I feel like I have strolled with her in the streets of Paris we both know so well. As a Parisian, I grow nostalgic of that time when life seemed a lot easier!

This culinary glimpse into life in France before supermarkets gobbled up individual shops, feels important. Something lost and also charming in how we used to shop and eat. Savouring the recipes is possible just from her telling the story of creating and eating the dishes. Bon appetit

You can't help but to fall in love with Julia Child, she seemed such a nice lady who never let fame change who she was and affect her zest for life Reading this book made me want to go to France and experience the great cuisine francaise, I wish I could have been there along with Julia. I love how she and her husband Paul had this great bond, they loved each other deeply, were friends, did everything together and cheered each other on every step of the way. The movie inspired by this book had a few exaggerations but none had big as Meryl streep's representation of Julia, Meryl Streep is way overrated. No wonder Julia was deeply loved by her legion of fans, I too am guilty of that, I loved the book and love Julia Child now.

My Life In France is a biography of Julia Child, one of the key figures in bringing French cuisine to America, and one of the first TV chefs. Written jointly with Alex Prud’homme, the great-nephew of Julia Child, the story starts in Paris where Julia and her husband Paul resided. As Paul worked for the US government, Julia developed an interest in cooking, eventually studied at the famous French cooking school Le Cordon Bleu. The book takes you through the culinary successes (and occasional failures), restaurant meals eaten in Paris, and the habits of other gastronomes of Paris at that time, as well as illustrating some time spent in Provence, Germany, Norway, and of course the USA. All of these experiences well-equip Julia, and her collaborators, to begin working on a cook book, which became a classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Eight years of hard work went into the cookbook, and the love and devotion towards it are evident. What struck me most about My Life in France was the relentless enthusiasm about French food, wine, and gastronomy. Exact menus of meals eaten forty years ago can be recalled, with the Chateau and vintage of the bottles of wine drunk with them. Anecdotes about pots and pans and the attention given to shopping in markets help relay such passion, that it would be hard not to become more excited about food after reading this. Another enjoyable aspect of the book is the insight given on cooking at different parts of the 20th century. From cooking with different kind of stoves, to the availability of ingredients and recipes, or just the changing of attitudes towards food and cooking, you learn a lot of cultural history through considering gastronomy. A few of the couple’s photographs are printed, which help give a better sense of their experiences. Overall, the book is well written, clear, very enjoyable to read, and so comes highly recommended.

Arrived in excellent condition.