Child didn’t stumble into the world of French cooking until she was 36, when she moved to Paris with her husband Paul, who worked for the U.S. Foreign Service. It was 1948. Since she had no job and nothing else to do, she began shopping the French markets, learning the style, and taking cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu. Julia’s tales will entertain, inspire, and make you laugh out loud.

[Trigger warning: Eating disorder]

I credit Julia Child for helping me start to love food again, and saving me from going into the deep end of an eating disorder this summer. Ever since I gained weight last summer, I was controlling the amount of food I ate, and sometimes didn't eat all day. I felt that feeding myself was some sort of burden, that cooking was too laborious, that it was too difficult to control a good diet, and no food could taste good enough for me to gain weight. If anything, I hated food, as I felt it caused me more problems than it could give me any pleasure. However, I knew this mentality was dangerous and unhealthy, and I've been working on myself this summer to improve my eating habits.

One idea I had to solve this was to read and learn why cooks enjoy their profession and enjoy food, so that I could learn to appreciate food as well. I picked this book up, curious about Child's life in France and also curious as to why she loved cooking so much.

The way she talked about cooking, eating food, ingredients, and most of all, the joy of sharing good food with family and friends was inspiring. Some part of me couldn't believe good food could bring much joy to a person's life. Before reading this book, I couldn't really imagine certain techniques or variations in recipes could make that much of a difference in the taste of food. Encouraged and with some enthusiasm, I decided to see this for myself. There is a passage in this book where Child discusses how she learned to make proper scrambled eggs at Le Cordon Bleu. I used to crack eggs, season, and stir, all the in the pan with olive oil. Using Child's method, I cracked eggs, seasoned, put a bit of milk, and stirred it all in a separate bowl. I heated a pan and melted a pat of butter in it, and then quickly, right after pouring the eggs into the pan, I stirred with a fork, and took it off the heat after a couple of minutes. The difference in taste and texture was astounding. For the first time in my life, I had not only cooked something edible, but something that I loved eating. I made it several more times for following breakfasts. The joy I felt from cooking and eating them was tremendous. I finally understood the value of good cooking.

What also surprised me was how much Child loved life. Maybe the joy I read about could have come from nostalgia in her old age, from her looking back at her life. However, I think she truly did love every part of life, even in the difficult times. She loved making friendships, socializing with townsfolk, learning languages, learning about different cultures, being with family and friends, and learning and being among educated, open-minded people. In fact, she says in her book that she didn't really miss France so much as she missed the people there. Her ability to make connections with others and find joy in friendships is what is remarkable to me. I have always had trouble making lasting friendships, and a large part of me has believed that true friendships don't exist, and in fact, most people don't care about others. Child has shown me, though, that bringing joy into other people's lives brings joy into your life.

To conclude, all I can say is that reading this allowed me to have learning experiences, and has encouraged me to become a better person. I thank Julia Child for her positive impact.

What a light and beautiful book. I love a good food / travel-based book and this one hit the spot perfectly. The book still reads like it’s her talking, which was adorable and funny. And the fact that she didn’t even pick up cooking until her mid-thirties gives me hope???

I think the reasons I wanted to read this book are that Julia's always thought of as a late bloomer, and because her travels were so influential in helping her discover herself.

Certainly, her life had great adventure.

Highlights: p. 268

Too tired and busy to go to France. "But then we looked at each other and repeated a favorite phrase from our diplomatic days: "Remember, 'No one's more important than people.'!" In other words, friendship is the most important thing - not career or housework, or one's fatigue - and it needs to be tended and nurtured. So we packed up our bags and off we went. And thank heaven we did!"

Her description of Provence, which she admits has changed since: "It was the cool, early-morning layers of fog in the valleys; Esterel's volcanic mountains jutting up out of the glittering sea; the warming Provencal sun and bright-blue sky; the odor of earth and cow dung and burning grapevine prunings; the colorful violets and irises and mimosas; the olives blackening; the sound of little owls talking back and forth; the sea-bottom taste of Belon oysters; the noisy fun of the marketplace; the deeply quiet, sparkling nights with a crescent moon hanging overhead like a lamp. "

What does it mean that the prose gets better near the end? I want to sail to Europe; how much more fun than flying! I want to see my car brought out of the cargo hold on by a crane.

I just saw a biography about Julia. It really was Paul who introduced her to food. But should you fault where you hear about that which you're destined to know of? And she pretty much comes out and says he dated every woman in Ceylon before he considered her. The biography used his letters to show how he was critical of her at first and then warmed up. What am I supposed to feel about this? I admire her tenacity; yet I'd be unwilling to date someone who noticed me as late as second. She has a different kind of attitude about life that really makes me think. She mentions that they would have welcomed children. I think, though she was very liberal, you couldn't call her modern. Maybe that's not so bad; I just don't think most people would do things this way. And maybe she stayed up nights crying, but she really seems too no-nonsense for that. Meanwhile, knowing I'm fairly young, I still worry about the appropriate time to have children, oh, nonstop. I kinda wish I could just make that kind of commitment to my own husband, so that I could focus on something else. But, for me, I always am never really sure if I'll want to be with him in five years. What do you think it's like to be not restless? But maybe she finally found that in cooking? Maybe I'll find myself someday.

FULL REVIEW HERE: meganprokott.com/my-life-in-france-ju...

I knew I would love this book from the second I bought it at a thrift store 3+ years ago. I’ve been saving it for the right time for that exact reason and I am very happy to report that it lived up to my expectations. I’ve always loved reading about food, especially from the perspective of a chef, but have never been an amazing cook myself. However, reading about the famous Julia Child’s beginnings was so special. She knew almost nothing about cooking when she got to France, only that she loved to eat and eat adventurously. To read about someone’s entire career taking shape was such a treat!

In this joyful memoir, Julia Child recounts her time living in France after WWII with her diplomat husband, discovering a passion for food, and then turning that into a wildly successful career as a middle-aged woman. Her love and joy jump off the page, not to mention her personality and voice. It’s a window into a fascinating time and place and a lovely, intelligent, adventurous woman who was not what I expected.

This probably isn’t something I would have picked up on my own, but I’m glad Mara https://youtu.be/q1E83PWSU5U made me read it for a video project. One thing that was interesting for me (though perhaps not for everyone) is I’m pretty sure I read about Julia’s husband, Paul Child, in textbooks while getting my Masters in Public Diplomacy. He was a significant figure in the U.S. State Department, as well as an artist. Reading about his career and experiences through this more personal lens was really fascinating, and it’s clear that his constant love and support of his wife and her pursuits were instrumental in allowing her to achieve the success that she did.

I’ll be honest, for the all the details on food preparation got to be a bit too much for me, but I think that will vary from person to person. (And honestly, it’s not surprising given that’s what she’s known for!) Sometimes that slightly dragged the pace for me, but overall this was such a pleasant surprise. Note however that vegans or vegetarians might struggle with some of the descriptions of preparing certain dishes. I am neither of those things, but a couple of them were a bit much even for me, such as specific methods of killing a bird for a certain dish etc. However, I’m glad to have read this and enjoyed reading about these periods in history where a great deal was in flux.

An absolutely delicious read! I seriously loved this and it surprised me with just how much I did. I purposely read this as slowly as I possibly could restrain myself, mulling over and savoring each aspect to its fullest.

The writing was exquisite, rich in description and vocabulary, and making French cooking, and France itself, utterly mouth watering and tantalizing! The food was detailed divinely; I could almost taste some of the classic French dishes described. And living abroad never sounded so serene and romantic!

I now want to get Mastering the Art of French Cooking, watch The French Chef and visit Paris (a city this travel-loving gal never cared to visit until now).

Read the book and as Julia would say, “Bon appetit.”

Cleanliness: the words “h*ll” and “d*mn” are used three or four times. B*st*rd is used once. Bl**dy is used once. “Kick him in the b*lls.” Mentions naughty pictures of women, “virginal nudes” a couple of times - only one picture is detailed: picture is women lifting their skirts up to show their behind. Mentions the red light district, brothels, whorehouse, and prostitutes a couple of times - no details. Mentions sex twice in the context of: people talking of sex and drink. A picture of a man and women in a tub together is in the book - you can’t see anything. There is a LOT of mention of wines and drinking.

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The French food and ambiance described on these pages was sublime and provided the escape I sought. Additionally, I enjoyed learning more about Julia Child and her life in la belle France, as remembered and written with her great nephew. Julia & Paul's journey was reflected upon in a lovely series of vignettes, letters, photos, and stories that carried them through years of living around Europe and the US. The historical & literary references sprinkled therein have inspired me to learn more about a few topics, including the writers Colette and Alice B Toklas, the Marshall Plan, and McCarthyism.

It never occurred to me that a cookbook that has been on my shelf for decades had such a rich backstory to its creation. Bon Appetit!

A nice window on Child’s love affair with France and its food starting in the post war period. Her relationship with her husband Paul was a high point of the book. I appreciated her practical and good humored approaches to the challenges and solutions to helping the average household achieving quality meals. Some of her friendships and conflicts have some life and color, but for the most part the story came across as bland and sanitized. Some of her passion for particular foods comes through, such as for home-made mayonnaise and French bread. Ultimately, there was not enough real life drama (e.g. the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”), and I expected more humor. Maybe I was spoiled by the great channeling of Child by Meryl Streep in the movie “Julie and Julia.”

This was such a lovely reading experience, for lots of reasons. I felt refreshed while reading it, and afterwards. I’ve since made a little hobby of revisiting old episodes of The French Chef on YouTube because they are calming and delightful (and I can make a French omelet now!).

I spent a lot of time in my childhood watching PBS because my dad was cheap and wouldn’t pay for cable, so that meant lots of Julia Child. I remember not caring so much about the food but loving how goofy and unpretentious Julia was as the host. I loved the timbre of her voice. It was simultaneously over the top and soothing. I remember loving it when she messed up, which happened often, and she just owned it. Anyway, except for watching Julie & Julia twice (the Julia parts are far superior to the Julie ones) I’ve barely thought of Julia Child since I was a kid, and that turns out to be a shame.

This is a memoir of Julia’s life, focusing largely on her time spent in France (if the title didn’t give it away). She and Paul lived in Paris for about a decade after WWII, which is where Julia fell in love with cooking, and with France itself. The majority of the book, about 60%, chronicles those ten years as she discovers herself relatively late in life, her marriage with Paul (which is #relationshipgoals), and the development of her career as a cook, a bestselling author, and a TV personality. Her love for food, her husband, for France, just falls off the page. She’s very introspective as a writer (although, the book was co-written with her nephew Alex Prud’homme, so I’m not fully clear on how much of the book was influenced by him).

I knew I would enjoy learning about Julia’s life, and the endless descriptions of rich, delicious foods that I’m sure would make me very ill if I ate them (sad tummy), but what really surprised me is how much I enjoyed this book as a sort of historical document. There are some instances where she quotes letters written at the time, but it’s not a true primary source document because it’s mostly told from her recollections. (Apparently someone published a book of letters between Paul and Julia, though, which I might be interested in reading–they both had terrific senses of humor and were very intelligent people. Nora Ephron used these letters as a source for Julie & Julia, and one of them has one of funniest and raciest lines in the film.) But, still, the insight into post-war American (and French, obviously) culture was fascinating. Julia’s fraught relationship with her very Republican father felt extremely familiar (she spends a not insignificant amount of time mourning their lack of connection, which she attributed to his incurious, close-minded personality), and she often muses on what was going on politically at the time, because it affected Paul’s job.

Overall, though, what you get when you read this book is a sense of a life well lived, full of learning and love and cooking. Julia Child seems to have been a person who did things because she liked them, and not for many other reasons. Her love of teaching on TV took her by surprise, as did her passion for cooking, but she ran with it, and her enthusiasm and hard work carried her through. I highly recommend reading this, even if you aren’t at all familiar with Julia Child.

Also, did you know that garlic soup (Aigo Bouido) is a thing? I’m going to make some, but first I have to master Julia’s recipe for mayonnaise. As much as her career was based on encouraging Americans to cook things from scratch, she was also very practical, so I’m sure she wouldn’t really mind, but I would still feel bad using Best Foods or whatever in her recipe. Garlic soup!

I didn't know anything about Julia Child apart from having heard her name and that she was 6' tall until the book Julie and Julia. I read that and whereas I didn't think much of Julie at all (I think she should go back to blogging, a book's a bit much for her) I was curious about Julia.

The book is beautifully written by her nephew Paul Prud'homme and illustrated with many photographs from her talented ex-diplomat husband Paul. Its a lovely story of a life through cooking and inspired by France and full of surprises that you wouldn't expect for someone of her monied, patrician background.

One one of the Goodreads groups I belong to, where everyone besides me is American and, it seems strongly Republican, the book Julie and Julia got many negative comments owing to Julie's total disrespect of Republicans and not being respectful enough of the construction of a memorial to 9-ll (I didn't feel that, I thought she was just pissed off with her job, but I'm not an American and there may have been nuances I missed). Needless to say, I don't think that group would enjoy My Life in France either - Julia Child is fiercely anti-Republican and critical of many aspects of American politics which she sees as hypocritical. This causes if not a rift in the family, then her father's coldness and uninterest in her life and husband, as he saw anything less than full enthusiasm for all things Republican (and racist, anti-academic, anti-semitic and xenophobic) to be a betrayal by her of his and his friends' lives and the cultural millieu he had brought her up in. Julia's politics were important to her and she studied assidiously so that she could hold up her end in dinner-table debates with her more knowledgeable friends, often over one of her wonderfully-cooked meals.

The story of how she learned to cook and the various places she and Paul lived in, is beautifully told without either undue self-praise or false modesty. She had a lovely personality, a burning drive to educate people as to how good food (French food) could be and why it was worth the time and effort to make it, and attracted a rich variety of friends whose only link seemed to be they really, really liked food. But it was just as interesting viewing American politics and France through the half century of her life from the 50s until her death five years ago in 2004.

I'm so enthusiastic about reading Julia Child that I've ordered Mastering French Cooking, a huge and expensive tome, and I don't cook, not ever, but I do want to read it.

I've never been a fan of Julia Child, and whenever I ran across her show on PBS I'd make a conscious effort to change the channel, which was why I was surprised when My Life in France turned out to be one of the most well-written, engaging Autobiographies I've read in quite awhile. The book covers roughly the same time period as the movie Julie & Julia except that it extends into the mid-70's and discusses the beginning of her TV career and the writing of her second book. Even though it was completed by her great-nephew and published after her death, Julia's unique voice and enthusiasm shine through. The reader will feel as if they are having a conversation with her over lunch. Julia's love of the food and people of France, as well as her husband Paul, permeate this book, and allow the reader to get a feeling for her as a person, rather than just an imposing, 2-D TV personality.

Like a hearty meal or a rich dessert, this is a book to be savored until the very last bite..Bon appétit!