Julia and I would have been best friends…or I would have been an unwanted hanger-on.

I will say that this book made me want to buy her cookbooks, because it is clear that she painstakingly researched recipes to make them foolproof and accessible to the American chef. However, by the time this book was over, I didn't like Julia at all. She seemed more focused on her Dad's narrowmindedness (don't understand why this was relevant), her co-author's stubbornness (when it was clear that she had plenty of it herself) and the superiority of her cookbook to all others than the eagerness, joy and energetic manner she conveyed at the beginning of the book. It was like you could feel her getting old, annoyed and proud (in a not positive way) as the book wore on. I was interested at the beginning. By the end, I just wanted it to be over. Ah well, maybe I'll find her cookbook to bring some joy to my own kitchen.

If you're a fan of Julia Child or French cooking, or love France, you'll love this witty book. Co-written near the end of her lifetime, My Life is France gives an intimate perspective of Julia Child's joy with life, France, and cooking. If you own Mastering the Art of French Cooking, this is a perfect companion piece. It's also a great gift for good and/or aspiring cooks. It might even inspire the poor or non-cook.

I am so sad this book is over! Five sugar-crusted, caramelized delicious stars. I felt such a kinship with Julia Child. About how one life-changing experience can be the small seed that launches the entire trajectory of your life. Yes, this book was about her time in France and her gradual rise to stardom, but more than that it was a book about following one's passion! And that translates to anyone.

From her first meal in France, she knew she had stumbled upon an art that lit her fire. I felt the same way when I read The Grapes of Wrath. I had never felt that way about a piece of literature. She had never felt that way about a bite of food. I also love cooking and food and have a tremendous desire to learn more about it now. Her enthusiasm is contagious! Oh, life is too short! So much to taste and learn and appreciate!

As a side note: Her house in France is available to rent on Airbnb. Oh, my heart is about to break with longing over this fact.

My takeaways:

Greatness requires years of practice and mastery. It took her over two years to perfect the method of making French bread in an American oven with American flour. Two years!

People are more important than anything else. Make time for your people.

"You never forget a beautiful thing you have made."

Remain active and interested in your passions!

I read half and audio-booked half. I can see myself listening to this again because of how motivational her life philosophies are to me. I used to love watching her program as a small child. My mother would laugh when she would find me glued to the tv. Now as an adult, understanding all of the things that went in to her development on these treasured recipes, I appreciate her life's work even more. Fantastic. Tonight: Quiche Lorraine and Orange Bavarian Cream! Thank you, Julia! Bon Appetite!

This book was largely ghost-written by a nephew of Julia's husband. Despite that, it was really quite good, and he spent hundreds of hours with her, listening to her stories and capturing her distinct vernacular. I had always suspected that Julia was an exceptional woman, and this book verified that for me. I expected a limited memoir of her years in France after she and Paul married, but it covered her time from then until around the time of her husband Paul's death in 1994. She arrived in France knowing nothing about food or cooking, and this book is first and foremost about her learning process as a cook (and a chef, an author, and a TV personality). Second, though, it's a story of her life with Paul. I'm inspired by this story of a woman who worked for the OSS (forerunner to the CIA) after WWII in Asia, and got married in her mid-30's (unheard-of in the late 1940's!) to the genuine love of her life.

Anecdote: She arrived in France a fairly new bride, very nervous, speaking minimal schoolgirl French, and knowing nothing about food. They got off the boat, and started their drive to Paris, stopping for lunch on the way. She let Paul order, due to her terrible French and her feelings of unworldliness. It was a transformative meal. And the waiter brought the lunch, set it down in front of them, and exclaimed, "Bon appetit!"

I love Julia, so I loved this book. It might be a tougher read for people who aren't genuine fans (my mom: "That sounds really boring"), but the themes of finding one's talents and lifelong development and learning can appeal to everyone.

This was a whim. During the lockdown we watched the movie “Julie and Julia” and I was thinking about this book. It took awhile to get from the library and I finally sat down to escape from the Covid blues. I went back to Paris in 1948 and saw it from Julia’s eyes. Food, wine, and an exciting new life in the city of lights.

Paris, despite the hardships of the war, seemed to bounce back through its food. In a way it all seemed too rosy; perhaps a little too good. But this is the Paris narrated through the eyes of someone who lived it (and loved it). Ah, c’est bon!

If you are a foodie, and I admit I am, this is your kind of book. The food; incroyable! The wine; ravissant! The markets; délicieux! French cooking; savoureux! Paris; enchanter! The French; joie de vivre! The Americans; rudesses!

Paul and Julia Child were quite the couple. Paul worked for the foreign service while Julia learned to cook in the classic French style, and of course, wrote her famous book. The book covers those early years, the book years and of course the fame that the book and her television shows brought them.

For me I enjoyed the escapism of the early years but lost some interest in her fame. Tant pis.

My surprise was their more liberal left-centric thinking, which was opposite her right-wing loving father (why didn’t she marry a good Republican business man like all good girls in California?). This was the time of the McCarthy witch hunts and the American fear of Communism, which dragged in Paul for questioning. By bringing in this political aspect one cannot forget how the world thought during the 1950s.

My other surprise was the photographs that fill this book by a Paul, her husband. They are remarkably good and really bring out some of the visual images described in words.

It was a charming flight of escapism. But the food. Ooh la la. As Julia would say, bon appétit!

3.5 rating

Откакто гледах филма "Джули & Джулия", личността на Джулия Чайлд ме интригува - във филма тя бе представена като толкова слънчева, ведра, искрена, отворена и вдъхновяваща жена, че още тогава си набелязах автобиографията й. Тя се казва "Моят живот във Франция", но реално обхваща периода от пристигането й в Париж със съпруга й Пол през 1948, където той работи като културен аташе, където тя се влюбва във френската кухня и се учи да готви професионално, до почти последните й дни, десетилетия по-късно, през което време двамата - хармонична и винаги подкрепяща се двойка - живеят в Марсилия, Бон, обратно в Щатите, Осло и впоследствие непрестанно пътуват между САЩ и Франция. Всъщност заглавието е и метафорично, защото през цялото време тя някак винаги е във Франция чрез кулинарията си.

Готвенето е и голяма моя любов, затова ми беше приятно да чета малки детайли около философията на храната, въображението при измислянето, принципите при приготвянето, дълбочината и богатството на вкуса и споделянето й с други от такъв ценител и талант ;-) Раждането и израстването на един голям готвач, един от най-популярните и влиятелни на 20 век, бе несъмнено вдъхновяващо за мен и нямам търпение да се запозная по-подробно с работата на Джулия Чайлд (книги, телевизионни предавания).

Самата тя много ми допадна като личност, или поне както бе представена - тя просто живее и работи както намира за добре, без да възлага големи надежди, без много да (се) бута и оставя нещата сами да се случват, като и проявява завидни упорство и смелост, когато се налага - започва да води кулинарен курс, пише и издава един от най-големите кулинарни бестселъри в САЩ (и до днес), води едно от първите кулинарни предавания по телевизията, става истинска кулинарна звезда... И всичко това без да се взема много насериозно, без да преиграва, без да се самозабравя.

Допълнителен плюс за книгата бе, че включва красиви фотографии, направени от съпруга й, Пол Чайлд - документални и художествени.

И за финал - ето една корица на TIME от 1966 + обемна статия вътре в броя - http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,166...

n  ***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***n

Reading Prompt: Book with the name of a country in the title
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 10

I have fond memories of watching Julia Child’s television show when I was a kid. I loved her voice and her confiding approach to her audience. Perhaps part of my own enthusiasm for cooking can be attributed to Mrs. Child. I've been meaning to read this memoir for ages and finally took the bull by the horns!

Julia seems to have been an extrovert and an optimist. Nevertheless she had her frustrations in life. She and her father couldn't see eye to eye on American politics which seems to have prevented a close relationship. Her husband Paul's government job was unpredictable, not as well paid as they could have hoped, and was made uncomfortable by McCarthyism. However Julia seems to have focused on the positives in her life: a good marriage, her love of France, and her French cookbook project.

Lucky is the person who discovers a subject which enthralls them! And to have a supportive spouse who shares your interest is a bonus. A lot of Paul Child comes through in this memoir too. His lovely photos illustrate the book. His love of France took the couple to Europe, where Julia discovered herself. Paul was not a controlling husband, rather he was an adventurous man who appreciated having a partner in crime. They seem to have been extremely well suited as a couple.

Reading this book most definitely inspired me to return to the kitchen, although not to practice the art of French cooking. But I did enjoy a lovely Carrot and Lots of Garlic Soup last night, accompanied by a gluten free Olive Bread with Parmesan and Sun Dried Tomatoes. Julia would likely disapprove of my use of pre-shredded cheese, but the results pleased me and that's what counts.

I loved her chatty, jaunty style of writing. It felt rather like sitting at the kitchen table, visiting with a friend. Her descriptions of the French countryside and of her local stomping grounds were poetic and clearly revealed her love of her adoptive country. What a wonderful life Julia lived!

How can one not love Julia Child? I blazed this book and became ever more inspired by her will, tenacity and groundbreaking ways, which enabled her to change the way we cook in America. She was a late bloomer in her career demonstrating that anything is possible at any age. From the way cookbooks are laid out - instructions, images, etc., to her inventive television show, The French Cook, showing how to cook at home and even from abroad, which had never been done before and has spawned and inspired much of what we see today. I am ready to head back oversees for my own inspiration. Je ne sais pas! I don't know what else seems fitting to say except . . . Bon Appetite!

As I have noted elsewhere, I believe I have all of Julia Child’s solo cookbooks and some, but not all, of the remainder. I include in that list the incomparable, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” Volumes 1 and 2, which I was lucky to by new at a hugely favorable price many years ago.

Although My Life in France is not solely about the writing of that cookbook, much of Julia’s energy and time were consumed with the creation of the first volume while she lived in France. This book is more than just those days when she and Paul lived there; it spans her life from her original posting to Ceylon for the OSS (where she and Paul Child met) all the way through until she closed up and sold their home in Provence 40-odd years later.

It is a warm, engaging, and personal book and I think we can grant her and her co-author a bit of liberty in what it covers. People that know of her always knew a bit of the story: how she came to cooking later in life, did not consider herself a natural, but became one of the foremost teachers and popularizers of cooking in America. Indeed her renown stretched across the globe. For the curious, this book fills in every blank about her progress from housewife to icon. For the voyeur, there isn’t much here: she talks about her husband and marriage, but it is (as one would expect) completely G-rated.

Back in the 90s I travelled more often. Being from Boston, I had watched and admired Mrs. Child from the 70s on through. Since she herself did a fair amount of travelling, it should not have been surprising to find her at the airport on a day that I was. I managed to stammer out a worshipful greeting in front of the United counter. Later on, I was much more composed when most of my fellow travelers suffered self-induced whiplash as she boarded my flight to the West Coast. I assume she was going to Pasadena, but I was merely changing planes for the longer flight off to Asia. I’ve met “captains of industry”, politicians, and other celebrities on planes, but SHE was something special.

Although I read this book with a completely biased eye, it is nicely written and organized. I think some of the photos would have benefitted from better descriptions, but that’s a very minor complaint. She worked on this right up until her death and the finishing touches were done posthumously. It’s a terrific look into her life and I gobbled it up in about one day. From sentimentality alone I would give it five stars, but in fairness to other authors I can only give it Four well-seasoned (4) Stars. I hope you like it. Bon Appetite!

I picked up this book in advance of the film's release, but I read the book slowly, and in the course of it, did see the film. What strikes me comparing the two is that the film sentimentalizes Julia Child, and romanticizes her marriage to Paul Child. Her memoir reveals her to be someone who was, at least in the last forty years of her life, utterly work-focused, to the exclusion of most everything else. She has no problem at all dropping people, or recipes, when necessary, and while she and her husband clearly had a very close marriage, she writes of him in terms that are at times cold-blooded, as when, in the memoir, she mentions that he is in a nursing home at the end of his life, while she is in France.

I very much enjoyed the book in the sense that you get a real glimpse of what made Julia Child tick, and that one also gains a real understanding of how a middle-aged woman with very little in the way of standard good looks etc, by sheer hard work, passion, and focus, became a living legend though past her 'prime', by society's usual standards.

I struggled over how many stars to assign the book, because it is not a literary masterpiece by an stretch, at least in terms of language. Childs's writing style is breezy and unadorned, and often quite choppy. Still, it is a unstinting portrait of a woman's career, and an incredibly entertaining foodie, francophile piece of fun. I just can't get out of my head, though, how much the earthy, sexy, loving, warm Meryl Streep seems so different from the Julia Child of My Life in France....

If you love books about food or about living in France, this is a must-read. It's the story of how Julia Child learned to cook French food and how she came to write that famous cookbook. (The movie "Julie & Julia" was partially based on this memoir.) The book is filled with charming anecdotes about Paris and Marseille, and includes dozens of photographs that her husband, Paul, took. It's one of the most delightful travel books I've read in years.

What's wonderful about Julia Child is the confidence she can inspire in a new cook. I liked this quote toward the end of the book:

"The great lesson ... is that no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing. This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook -- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun!"