My Life in France

From Strand Bookstore

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 the bestselling memoir, she was not always a master chef. Her unforgettable story - struggles with the head of the Cordon Bleu, rejections from publishers to whom she sent her now-famous cookbook - unfolds with the spirit so key to her success as a chef and a writer. One of the most endearing American personalities of the last fifty years. Index. Illus., b&w photos. 352p.

From the Publisher

A memoir begun just months before Child's death describes the legendary food expert's years in Paris, Marseille, and Provence and her journey from a young woman from Pasadena who cannot cook or speak any French to the publication of her legendary Mastering cookbooks and her winning the hearts of America as "The French Chef." Reprint. 175,000 first printing.

Review

Alan Riding - New York Times Book Review
"MY LIFE IN FRANCE," is an affectionate merci for all that France gave her...a delight...."

Review

Matthew Debord - Nation
[A]n enchanting book, a love story on several levels."

Review

William Grimes - New York Times
"Mr. Prud'homme...managed, by stitching together interviews and letters, to construct a coherent, fluid narrative, much of it edited by Child, that rings absolutely true to the sound of her voice. It is a wonderful picture of the most successful American export to France since Benjamin Franklin."

More about the book

Written with her grandnephew, Julia Child's infectiously readable memoir uses years of letters to create a wonderful narrative both about her love affair with the food and culture of France, and as homage to the warm, loving relationship with her husband, Paul. Beginning with the awakening of her taste buds during a flavorful meal of oysters and deceptively simple Dover sole in butter en route to Paris, the story follows Julia Child's six-year stint in France, the process of writing MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, and her fame as a television chef. Lessons at the Cordon Bleu, meals all over France, and the Childs' globe-trotting lifestyle are woven in with care, showcasing Julia Child's intense enjoyment of everything life had to offer. With Paul Child's B&W photographs. A 2006 Publishers Weekly Book of the Year.

First Line

At five-forty-five in the morning, Paul and I rousted ourselves from our warm bunk and peered out of the small porthole in our cabin aboard the SS America.