My Life in France

Interesting book. Too much detail presented on the meals. The pictures give it a personal touch and help to put the characters into context.

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.

Julie Child taught us all how to enjoy food and the world of french cooking in depth. This story tells us so much more-a nice bedside book.

I loved this book and told several people about it. My sister is borrowing it and says she's enjoying listening while commuting to work. France is awesome and listening to this book makes you feel as if you are there sitting in the restaurants and tasting the food. Julia Child was hardworking and honest about her abilities. She was able to laugh at herself and invited us to laugh also. The book was written by her husband's brother's son. He did a fine job. I highly recommend this book to those who love Paris, good French cooking, and interesting biographies.

What a fantastic, adventurous life Julia Child had the great fortune to lead! I learned so much about Julia as a person by reading My Life in France, and the details in this book made it that much more fun to go back to her first cookbook (I have a copy from 1965) to create more of those wonderful French dishes. The inspiration really came when I discovered that Julia didn't even take her first cooking school until the age of 37! As a 37 year old myself, it truly opened my eyes to the possibilities that are on the horizon. Julia passed away before the book was finished, which made me recognize how Alex Prud'homme's writing captured the very essence of Julia in this wonderful work. Don't worry if you are not into food, wine, or cooking, if you love the human spirit you will love this book. I'll never make scrambled eggs any other way....