My Life in France
Child, JuliaWhen American Julia Child arrives in France, little does she realise how her life is to change. Enraptured from the very first mouthful, Julia embraces French cuisine, rapidly becoming an international expert.
Related with an infectious enthusiasm, this story not only documents a passionate love affair with French cooking but draws the reader into a fascinating glimpse of post-war France and a life exuberantly lived.
Comments from Groups
A lovely read about a life lived to the full. Julia's enthusiasm and attitude and enjoyment of adventure is captivating. Tauranga 015 Polarising book, majority enjoyed it - even bringing to the meeting some baking done from her first book! Cromwell 005 A great account of Julia Child's adult life and how she came to cooking. We certainly admired her dedication, her perserverance and her commitment to learning about French food and its wine partner! We enjoyed her relationship with Paul and her frank description of her relationship with others ie her father, Simca etc. Dunedin 067
Pages
352
352
Year
2006
2006
Reviews
10-06-2024
We were not enamoured of this book. Members found it often boring, repetitive and unimaginatively written. Someone even said 'pedestrian'. But we were glad we had read it as it showed a woman of spirit conquering the French chefs. It had some excellent and endearing anecdotes.
22-05-2023
On the whole this book was well received by the group, with each person finding interesting stories throughout.
06-03-2023
We enjoyed the book and the fact we could pick it up at odd intervals over the holidays without losing the flow. However, we felt it could have been edited more carefully as the description of meal after meal became tiresome. We also felt the warmth and enthusiasm that Julia Child brought to all that she did and her joie de vivre didn't always shine through in the book.
08-11-2022
Loved the book, a very interesting read.
15-08-2022
Julia's life story provoked plenty of discussion, from the great love she had for French cuisine to the interesting life she and her husband led within the diplomatic communities of the European countries she and Paul lived in. Lively discussion on whether Julia furthered the cause of feminism!
10-08-2022
We did enjoy this book, especially the first half.
10-08-2022
All of us had seen the movie 'Julia & Julia', so certainly found the book interesting...a lot of reading and a lot of detail provided!!! Enjoyed having the pictures throughout as helped bring the story to life.
10-08-2022
We loved it.
10-08-2022
"Amusing, but somewhat over the top" was one comment. Generally most of the group only skimmed it, as it became a catalogue of dishes and books.
10-08-2022
Interesting. A real 'foodies' read. A bit long.
10-08-2022
Mixed opinions. Those who finished the book enjoyed the story, and especially the latter half of the book. One member could remember the TV screening of the cooking sessions. Lots of discussion was had.
10-08-2022
For people who have an interest in food and travel, especially France, this book is a great read. But it can be a bit tedious for anyone else.
10-08-2022
Good to read a non-fiction book for a change. Some found frustration in getting to the end of a cooking, housing or publishing problem. They felt Julia was very patient.
10-08-2022
This was a book our group either loved or hated. All agreed the writing was quite laborious, and we would have liked to see captions under all the photographs, and the writing in French to always be translated. Those that loved the book were self confessed 'foodies'.
10-08-2022
This book drew a range of responses. Most thought the level of detail about food and recipes was more than necessary, but we all appreciated the passion Julia Child had for food, and that this was her driving motivation. Fascinating historical tidbits about McCarthyism, and living in post-war France.
10-08-2022
Marvellous introduction to the life and times of Julia Child. We loved it. Animated discussion!
10-08-2022
Many of our group struggled to read this book, it was not an easy read. We certainly admired her commitment to French cuisine.