My Life in France by Julia Child

Julia Child singlehandedly created a new approach to American cuisine with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show The French Chef, but as she reveals in this bestselling memoir, she was not always a master chef. Indeed, when she first arrived in France in 1948 with her husband, Paul, who was to work for the USIS, she spoke no French and knew nothing about the country itself. But as she dove into French culture, buying food at local markets and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu, her life changed forever with her newfound passion for cooking and teaching. Julia's unforgettable story -- struggles with the head of the Cordon Bleu, rejections from publishers to whom she sent her now-famous cookbook, a wonderful, nearly fifty-year long marriage that took them across the globe -- unfolds with the spirit so key to her success as a chef and a writer, brilliantly capturing one of the most endearing American personalities of the last fifty years.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Heavenly inspiration! I want to be just like Julia Child, not for her cooking but for her enthusiasm for life. She doesn't know things and isn't afraid to ask (huge failing of mine), and when she sets about learning things she does so whole-heartedly. Not just with cooking - she didn't learn to cook a drop until she was 36!! - but in art and world affairs and foreign cultures. Truly, she seems to have said yes to living life, and I think she would have been the best of fun to know.

My favorite bit of advice: “I don't believe in twisting yourself into knots of excuses and explanations over the food you make. When one's hostess starts in with self-depreciations such as “Oh, I don't know how to cook...,” or “Poor little me..,” or “This may taste awful...” it is so dreadful to have to reassure her that everything is delicious and fine, whether it is or not. Besides, such admissions only draw attention to one's shortcomings (or self-perceived shortcomings), and make the other person think, “Yes, you're right, this really IS an awful meal!” Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed - eh bien, tant pis!” (p. 77).

I've been watching Julia on HBO and have been thoroughly enjoying it. When this book was selected for a group read, I was super excited to read Julia Child's own words. I was moderately familiar with her growing up coming from a PBS family on both sides, but I never thought much about her on my own until I was older and then especially when Julia premiered.

Published posthumously, this memoir details Julia Child's life with her husband Paul throughout his career as a U.S. diplomat and some time after. The book largely takes place in France, detailing the food, lifestyle, and friends they experienced in post-war Europe. She also discusses the cookbooks written with her friend Simca as well as her trailblazing show on PBS.

I enjoyed this immensely. It made me wish I could taste the foods she was discovering and take in the ambiance of her surroundings. I also adore her and Paul's relationship. It was so precious and I was glad the way it's been portrayed on Julia seems in line with real life. An all-around lovely read!