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My Life in France

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Julia Child's My Life in France recounts her transformative years after arriving in France in 1948, where she spoke no French and knew little of the culture. Through embracing French cuisine—from market shopping to classes at the Cordon Bleu—Julia discovered her passion for cooking and teaching. Her memoir reveals her struggles, successes, an enduring marriage, and the journey that led to her revolutionary contributions to American cooking.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$5100

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for fans of biography and memoir, especially those interested in culinary history, French culture, and inspirational personal journeys. Perfect for readers who appreciate heartfelt, engaging life stories told with wit and warmth.

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Exuberant, affectionate, and boundlessly charming ("The New York Times"), this is the delightful and highly acclaimed memoir from the woman who revolutionized American cooking in the 20th century.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

National Bestseller — Julia's story of her transformative years in France in her own words is "captivating ... her marvellously distinctive voice is present on every page.” (San Francisco Chronicle).

Although she would later singlehandedly create a new approach to American cuisine with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show The French Chef, Julia Child 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 the Childs across the globe — unfolds with the spirit so key to Julia’s success as a chef and a writer, brilliantly capturing one of America’s most endearing personalities.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as "a delight" by The New York Times and "what a joy!" by The Washington Post, this memoir is celebrated for its engaging, inspiring, and infectious storytelling. The San Francisco Chronicle highlights Julia's captivating and distinctive voice throughout, while other reviewers commend the lively, elegant prose and the joy that leaps from the pages.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780307277695

Publisher: Random House USA Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 October 2007

Country: United States

Imprint: Vintage Books

Illustration: 79 PHOTOS IN TEXT

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 202.0mm

Weight: 352g

Pages: 368

About the Author

Julia Child was born in Pasadena, California. She graduated from Smith College and worked for the OSS during World War II; afterward she lived in Paris, studied at the Cordon Bleu, and taught cooking with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, with whom she wrote the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). In 1963, Boston’s WGBH launched The French Chef television series, which made Julia Child a national celebrity, earning her the Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966. Several public television shows and numerous cookbooks followed. She died in 2004.

Alex Prud'homme is Julia Child's great-nephew and the coauthor of her autobiography, My Life in France, which was adapted into the movie Julie & Julia. He is also the author of The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Freshwater in the Twenty-First Century, Hydrofracking: What Everyone Needs to Know, and The Cell Game, and he is the coauthor (with Michael Cherkasky) of Forewarned: Why the Government Is Failing to Protect Us--and What We Must Do to Protect Ourselves. Prud'homme's journalism has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Time, and People.

Also by Julia Child

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  • Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol.1
    Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol.1 by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle is not merely a collection of recipes; it is an extraordinary guide to French culinary artistry. This seminal volume, first published in 1961, revolutionised American kitchens by offering detailed and accessible instructions on how to create classic French dishes at home. It is designed for...
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  • The French Chef Cookbook
    A beautiful new edition of the beloved cookbook capturing the spirit of Julia Child's debut television series. The French Chef Cookbook is a comprehensive collection of more than 300 classic French recipes. The series, The French Chef, which made her a star, is now featured as the centrepiece of the television series Julia. By 1963, Julia Child had already achieved...
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  • Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol.2
    Indulge in the culinary mastery of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol.2 by renowned chefs Julia Child and Simone Beck. This seminal work builds on the success of its predecessor, continuing to demystify French cuisine for home cooks with an accessible array of recipes and techniques. Volume 2 delves deeper into the rich tapestry of French culinary tradition, presenting...
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    When Julia Child arrived in Paris in 1948, a six-foot-two-inch, thirty-six-year-old, rather loud and unserious Californian, she barely spoke a word of French and didn't know the first thing about cooking. As she fell in love with French culture—buying food at local markets, sampling the local bistros, and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu—her life began to change forever. We...
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