My Life in France by Julia Child, Alex Prud'Homme Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of My Life in France
Book Review: A Nice Glimpse Into the World of Julia Child
Summary: 5 Stars
After seeing the movie about Julia Child, I became curious about her life in France. Julia imposed the same energy and wit into the book as she did in real life. This was an introspective story of her life with her devoted husband, Paul, and their experiences in France. She interjects some interesting events involving the McCarthy era and post-WWII France. She freely offers her impressions and experiences with family, politics and Europe. A good read with more depth than one would imagine. Book Review: Big Surprise!
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw the movie "Julie & Julia" on opening day and immediately had to buy both books that the film was based on. No offense to Julie, but Julia's story is much more fun to read. I never thought in a million years I would read Julia Child's biography...but I am enjoying it thoroughly! The photos in the book help to put things into the right era. Thanks to Meryl Streep for making Julia someone I wanted to know more about!Book Review: I wish I could speak French!
Summary: 3 Stars
Julia was definitely a trail blazer, a unique individual the book was enjoyable. Although Julia is all about the food I wish the book had been more about her and her family. It would have been an easier read for those of us who are French deficient to have more translations. Book Review: My Life in France
Summary: 5 Stars
I never really watched Julia Child's program but absolutely love her book. I was turned on to it, like so many other's, because I saw the new movie (Julie, Julia) which got me curious about her life and about authentic French food.
Her nephew, a writer, helps her with the book and the results are, well I feel like I've visited France again, but got to see much more than ever before. The words used are very discriptive and you can almost taste what she tastes, smell the scents, etc. She and her husband have a love of life and the better things in such a fun and unassuming way you have to love them and their experiences. i recommend this book to anyone. Everyone I know who has read it says the same. There are alot of rembrances of what they ate and drank, places they visited and lived so vividly because she kept extensive journals and her husband wrote letters to friends and family daily, so there is a thorough paper trail. Both are intelligent and rubbed elbows with well known people as friends. mostly, they just loved life so big it makes me look at everyday things for more than I usually do or take for granted. A good read.
Book Review: Charming story of Julia Child's love affair with cooking while living in Europe.
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this book after seeing the movie JULIE & JULIA while visiting friends in Florida. I was glad to find out that one can also purchase it through Amazon.com. It is a real treasure. I can't imagine how anyone could be critical of it. It is simply a delight to read and wonderfully helps me remember how pleasant it was to watch the movie. To read the story of an individual who came to really enjoy her life by pursuing her passion was truly inspiring.
Like many a military wife, Julia first came to Europe (Paris, France to be exact) as the wife of a federal civil servant. Rather than letting what could have been (and remained) a foreign environment defeat her, she went about the business of learning the language and the culture, shopping on the economy and learning to cook like the locals. Rather than letting others' bad experiences cause her to become prejudiced to an area in advance, she recognized the treasure it was to even BE stationed abroad: "In Paris and later Marseille, I was surrounded by some of the best food in the world, and I had an enthusiastic audience in my husband, so it seemed only logical that I should learn how to cook la cuisine bourgeoise--good, traditional French cooking. It was a revelation. I simply fell in love with that glorious food and those marvelous chefs. The longer we stayed there. the deeper my commitment became." Julia then continues to write about her life in Paris and Marseille, the necessary move to Bonn, Germany and in the end to Oslo, Norway. Although she admittedly loved Paris the most, she so very positively found something good about every country she lived in. For instance she couldn't understand why the Americans she met in Germany were so conservative in their choice of brewed beverages: "They drank beer, but only the lighter, American-style beers. What a shame! They were surrounded by some of the most wonderful beers in the world--and with a 13.5 percent alcohol content, some of the strongest, too--but they deemed the traditional German ales 'too heavy'. We quite liked German beers. Our favorite was a flavorful beer called Nuremberger Lowenbrau."
I think anyone who would read this book would find it very entertaining. Personally I got lost in some of the French words for the various dishes Julia produced but fortunately she always gave an English translation so I knew what she was cooking. Additionally (opposite the cover page) there was a list of books by Julia Child from Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One (1) (Vol 1) (1961) to Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking(2000). These are books I also plan on reading.
The book concludes with one of my favorite passages: "Such was the case with the sole meuniere I ate at La Couronne on on my first day in France, in November 1948. It was an epiphany. In all the years since that succulent meal, I have yet to lose the feelings of wonder and excitement that it inspired in me. I can almost still taste it. And thinking back to it now reminds me the pleasure of the table, and of life, are infinite--toujours bon appetit!