Book Review: Julia Child
Friday, August 21, 2015
One of the items on my 101 in 1001 list is to read three biographies and I just finished my first one. When I wrote that list item I figured I'd be reading the biographies of Queen Victoria or Winston Churchill or something, but my first one had an unlikely subject: Julia Child.
It happened by accident really. I visited my brothers up in Boston a few months ago and stumbled into a bookstore in Concord, MA, which, by the way, is the cutest little town. I walked among the shelves, trying not to look too closely at one book because I knew I'd have to take it home. But then I saw My Life in France and it was all over.
I immediately dove in and was hooked. Julia is my hero. I had no idea that she could hardly boil water before she turned 40. Working for the OSS during WWII, she didn't even attend culinary school until her late 30s. And her work ethic was off the charts. When writing a chapter for her now classic cookbook, she'd spend months researching everything there was to know about chicken or fish or bread. The amount of effort that went into that cookbook is simply amazing.
Julia Child was known for her gregarious attitude and that spirit spills onto the pages of her autobiography. She tells funny little ditties of the 'charm' of their apartment in Paris and tales of cooking gone wrong that are much more reminiscent of my dalliances in the kitchen than those associated with the great Julia Child.
Easy to digest (pun intended) and full of a healthy dose of laughter and inspiration, I cannot recommend My Life in France enough. It's simply delightful!
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