Synopsis
Written with her grandnephew, Julia Child's infectiously readable memoir uses years of letters to create a wonderful narrative both about her love affair with the food and culture of France, and as homage to the warm, loving relationship with her husband, Paul. Beginning with the awakening of her taste buds during a flavorful meal of oysters and deceptively simple Dover sole in butter en route to Paris, the story follows Julia Child's six-year stint in France, the process of writing MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, and her fame as a television chef. Lessons at the Cordon Bleu, meals all over France, and the Childs' globe-trotting lifestyle are woven in with care, showcasing Julia Child's intense enjoyment of everything life had to offer. With Paul Child's B&W photographs. A 2006 Publishers Weekly Book of the Year.
| Details | | Narrated by: | Flo Salant Greenberg |
Publisher's Note
In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child's years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found "her true calling".From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigne meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn't speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu. After managing to get her degree despite the machinations of the disagreeable directrice of the school, Julia started teaching cooking classes herself, then teamed up with two fellow gourmettes, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, to help them with a book they were trying to write on French cooking for Americans. Throwing herself heart and soul into making it a unique and thorough teaching book, only to suffer several rounds of painful rejection, is part of the behind-the-scenes drama that Julia reveals with her inimitable gusto and disarming honesty. This memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so wholeheartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became. Le voici. Et bon appetit!
Industry Reviews
"MY LIFE IN FRANCE," is an affectionate merci for all that France gave her...a delight...."
(05/28/2006)
[A]n enchanting book, a love story on several levels."
(09/11/2006)
"Mr. Prud'homme...managed, by stitching together interviews and letters, to construct a coherent, fluid narrative, much of it edited by Child, that rings absolutely true to the sound of her voice. It is a wonderful picture of the most successful American export to France since Benjamin Franklin."
(04/08/2006)
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