My Life in France
by Alex Prud'Homme, Julia Child
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Book Reviews of My Life in France
Book Review: Faithfully captures Child's lively personality and her distinctive voice
Summary: 4 Stars
Alex Prud'homme (Julia Child's husband's great-nephew) wrote My Life in France in the voice of his great-aunt after spending many afternoons interviewing Child, then in her nineties. This "memoir" faithfully captures Child's lively personality and her distinctive voice, down to her idiosyncratic expressions: "Phooey!" "Ouf!" and "Bravo!" The photographs included in the book add further authenticity.
My Life in France is not a complete life story. Rather, the focus is on Child's time abroad with her husband, Paul, who worked in various diplomatic capacities over the years. During this time, Child shed her provincial ideas and discovered her love of gourmet cooking and French food. The book includes a detailed account of the genesis and the sometimes frustrating development of Child's masterpiece, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This cookbookbrought French cooking within the grasp of American home cooks and is now widely regarded as a catalyst in the development of the appreciation of good food in America. My Life in France will appeal to lovers of French food and will inspire those who enjoy cooking.
Book Review: Bon Appetit!
Summary: 4 Stars
Published a couple of years after Child's death, "My Life in France" is a great book for anybody to read, whether you have been a lifelong fan of Child or are just learning about her. My only real memories of Child are from watching her PBS shows in the 70s when I was a kid and marveling at the tall chef with the distinctive voice.
The book is entitled "My Life in France" but is also about Child's time spent in Germany, Norway (which Child seems to love and I wish she's written more about her time in Oslo) and the United States. We learn about her family - her conservative father and spirited sister- life with her husband Paul and all the friends she makes along the way as she learns to cook and becomes the legendary chef.
I am not much of a non-fiction reader (maybe the last non-fiction book I read cover to cover before this one was 17 years ago) but this book is a fun read. Child makes a great, engaging narrator and I read this book in only a few days. Since I'm now inspired now to try my hand at some recipes by Child, I think this book did the trick.
Book Review: My Love of Julia Child
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this book sometime ago meaning to read it. But as I am in the 1st year of starting my new business (a pastry shop) I have not had time. But then I remembered Audio Books so I downloaded it and I am now in the process of listening to it. Julia's love of food is contagious if I was not already a lover I would be signing up for the next Cordon Bleu Class booking a plane ticket and flying to France. Her story makes me envious that I was born at the very end of 1969 and not much earlier and to experience Paris right after the war.
Her description of sole meuniere made me crave it that I began planning my next restaurant outing as a way to un-wind. Her determination to make a perfect mayonaise made me smile and relief to know that I am not alone in becoming obsessed in creating the perfect recipe.
If you love a good read (or listen) love food and you are a big fan of Julia Child this is the perfect book for you. It gives you insight into the woman who single handly changed how America's eat.
Bon Appetite!
Book Review: A delicious blend of food, cooking, travel, publishing, and most of all, life!
Summary: 5 Stars
Upon seeing the movie "Julie and Julia" last summer, I immediately added both "My Life in France" and "Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen" to my to-read list, the two books that the film's screenplay was based on. I found Julia Child's memoir of her years spent in France totally engaging. As a true foodie myself, I was hooked from the moment she described her first taste of French cuisine, a dish called sole meuniere (or as she puts it, a "morsel of perfection"). But what I loved most about this memoir was that it really gives the reader a glimpse into what Julia's life was like, even before she acquired celebrity chef status. The book, a collaboration between Julia and her husband's grand-nephew Alex Prud'Homme, is very well-written and I felt as if I nearly hear Julia's distinctive voice reading certain passages aloud to me. This memoir is a delicious blend of food, cooking, travel, book publishing, and life...I only wish more memoirs and biographies could grab me as this one did!Book Review: So good, I was sad to reach the last page.
Summary: 5 Stars
I LOVED this book. With my continuing growth and love of cooking, Julia Child has become positively one of my favorite people on Earth. I had no idea what I was getting into with this book when I picked it up. I knew I wanted to read this specifically because it was really coming straight from her and not some researcher. These pages brought to me the real Julia. I never knew all the details of her French living life with her husband Paul. I now know that she and Paul clearly had such an amazing friendship and special bond with each other. One thing I hoped to see in this book was a lot of food talk. I was thrilled that so much of it revolved around meals she prepared, down to the exact ingredients each time. Hearing about her friends, her parties, her writing, her political views, I feel like she is someone I would love to have known and been friends with. If you like Julia Child and appreciate all her quirks, this book will make you love her. Read it.