My Life in France
Julia Child
Category: Nonfiction:
Memoir: Food & Cooking; France; Celebrities
Synopsis: Famous television
chef Julia Child recounts her life in France.
Date finished: 26
September 2013
Rating: ***½
Comments:
I've always wondered why would you write a biography when a
memoir has already been written? This book is my case in point. I read Dearie,
the biography of Julia Child, back in March. I’m convinced it ruined me for My Life in France. It was thicker,
covering Julia Child’s life before France and more of her life after France,
but basically? Same book. So this felt like a re-read. And not even a very
fascinating one.
My second beef about this book is that Julia Child didn’t
write it. Her nephew interviewed her and wrote the book. This is revealed to us
as early as the introductory pages, so I, skeptic that I am, spent the whole
book guarded. Did Julia really say that?
Was that an embellishment? Did Prud’Homme project there? I just wasn’t
convinced this was Julia’s book.
The good news is the cynic in me that read Dearie against the grain is now
satisfied that it’s probably a very faithful biography. It squares up nicely
with this book.
I have very little to say about the book itself. Frankly, I
think I might be Julia-ed out for a while. This is my third Julia book this
year, and I have two more on the TBR shelf. But I think I’ll take a break.
And I think I should have read this book first.
Would you recommend
this to a friend?
I could go either way.
You might also enjoy:
Dearie, Bob SpitzJulia’s Cats, Patricia Barey & Therese Burson
Julie & Julia, Julie Powell
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