My Life in France by Julia Child, Alex Prud'Homme
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Book Reviews of My Life in France
Book Review: As Satisfying as a Hand Made Bowl of Julia's Potage Veloute au Champignons
Summary: 5 Stars
It all began with a new bride wanting to learn to cook and progressed to owning a share in a cooking school, writing classic cookbooks that will be in print for many years, and becoming a television celebrity.
During her last years, Julia Child and her husband's grandnephew, Alex Prud'homme, met frequently to record her memories. The heart of the narrative is her first years in France, where she arrived in 1948 as a newly wed whose cooking repertoire was comprised of a bad job of boiling water. The serious home cook, who has dabbled in a variety of cuisines (and most certainly French), may reap the most enjoyment, yet her story is intensely interesting, on a personal and public level, and very well written. There were moments when I wished I had a French dictionary at my side, but those moments weren't frequent enough to spoil a good read.
Considering her age at the time of the writing, Prud'homme most certainly would have been responsible for the organization and undoubtedly did the bulk of the writing. But his contribution and his great aunt's voice are seamlessly interwoven. As I read, I could hear her warbling, high-pitched voice and was reminded of her wit from her television cooking shows.
I read the last page with a smile, shut the book, and felt as satisfied as if I had just finished making her recipe for Cream of Mushroom Soup and found it to be perfect in every respect. I get the feeling that Julia looked back on her life with that same sense of satisfaction. She doesn't apologize for her privileged background, and she doesn't complain about being a somewhat homely, well-educated, quite bright, six-foot-two-inch woman who didn't marry until she was well into her thirties and never had the children she and her husband wished for. She mentions her sadness at not being able to share a close relationship, or even a viewpoint, with her father, but she doesn't wallow in it. She incorporates names, but never drops them. She is unpretentious, natural, and disarmingly honest.
So many people look back with harrowing tales of disappointment and unhappiness; Julia gave us her joys and successes to share. I liked her before I knew anything about her life; now I like her a lot more.
Book Review: An Enthralling Read
Summary: 5 Stars
Alex Prud'homme joined his great-aunt Julia Child to create this perfect memoir, based largely on family correspondence and Prud'homme's interviews with Child in the last year of her life. My Life in France works on a remarkable number of levels to create a complex, satisfying and enthralling read. Among other things, My Life in France is:
--A vividly-rendered travelogue that will transport you to the streets of Paris, the Marseille waterfront and the hills of Provence.
--A tour de force on the cuisine bourgeoise that Julia Child loved and popularized in the United States.
--The love story of Paul and Julia Child or, as they frequently referred to themselves, "PJ" or "Pulia".
--A publishing saga of the herculean efforts associated with the writing and publishing of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a process that took approximately a decade for volume one and eight years for volume two.
--An autobiography of Julia Child, revealed here as ebullient, dedicated, and almost ruthlessly single-minded in her mission to bring authentic French cookery to the American masses.
Any one of these subjects would be worthy of a memoir. To find them all explored cogently and completely in a single, comparatively slender, beautifully written volume is a marvel. Congratulations to Mr. Prud'homme for shepherding this book to completion, and a hearty 'Bon Appetit' to the memory of Julia Child, a woman who lived life well.
Book Review: A DELICIOUS MEMOIR
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, I have to say that I'm not into cooking or cookbooks, but after reading so many wonderful reviews on Amazon, I decided that I had to read it.
From all the great reviews that I had read, my expectations were pretty high, but the book actually exceeded my expectations. Where do I start? Julia Child along with her husband's grand nephew, who happens to be a good writer, Alex Prud'Homme, effectively draw the reader into a French life fully lived by Julia and her husband, Paul. The descriptions of the land, the food, the people and the way of life are beautifully described in this loving memoir. I also saw a different side of Julia, one that is playful, humorous and really down to earth, while at the same time she was very detail oriented and totally dedicated to her craft. The book also features lovely pictures of Paris and other places where she and Paul visited or lived taken by Paul, as he was a skilled artist and a photographer. There are words and phrases sprinkled throughout in French (some are translated in English, others are not) and it helped that I know some French. The story picks up right after Julia gets married and moves to Paris for her husband's job. She instantly falls in love with France especially its cuisine inspiring her to start cooking. What a wonderful life she had! A great read whether you're into cooking or not.
Book Review: Not who I thought she was
Summary: 5 Stars
I have always loved cooking, my mother was an amazing cook and I like to think I learned a thing or two from her. I bought my Mom this book and decided I wanted to read it myself. Before I picked up this book, I only had really thought of Julia Child in the past 20 years with her TV show. The dancing chicken, need I say more. I always had thought of her as a caricature of a person, more an American making fun of French cooking. I realize this is my naïveté but alas this was the impression I had from her TV show.
I am SO glad that I read this book. I know have a wonderful understanding of how she evolved into food, into a relationship later in life, into her love for France. All things that I can relate to as a woman who found love for a man and food later in life as well. I married at 38, we honeymooned in Paris and I now take great pleasure in cooking as I did previously but I appreciate the ingredients and how they go together. I felt a kinship with Julia as I read the book. I have to admit, I was envious, she lived a life I wish I had.
I want to apologize for not understanding who she really was but am eternally grateful for this book which introduced me to the real Julia Child. I am now eagerly waiting to buy both of her Mastering the Art of French Cooking books.
Enjoy, I did!
Book Review: Utterly Julia
Summary: 5 Stars
Absolutely heartfelt, charmingly candid memoir from the woman who practically single-handedly brought French cuisine to the American kitchen. It's how she became who she became, in her own words.
I read this concurrently with MFK Fisher's immortal The Gastronomical Me and Ian Kelly's biography Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Careme. Fisher was a gastronome, an appreciator and a highly sensitive writer; Careme was a showman and an innovator with a gift for the spectacular. There is no one definition for a foodie... they're as different as human beings. In this exalted company, Julia more than stands her ground.
Speaking in her own clear words, Julia stands out as a sensible, fun-loving, seriously dedicated chef, student and teacher whose passion for her subject carries over to, and is an offshoot of, her love of life in general. It's virtually impossible to read this autobiography and be downhearted. Her joie de vivre, sense of adventure, experimentation, wonder and simple delight in discovery and sharing are contagious and much needed in a chilly world.
I recommend this warm and engaging autobiography not just for those who enjoy cooking, but for anyone who would like a torch along the path to finding their own joy in life. Unmissable and life-enhancing.