There's a first time for everything...

And my first time for my blog today is a book report for you all. Yes, I know a boring book report based on a book you may or may not have liked and a book that you were probably forced to read. Fortunately, I am not in elementary school anymore because that would just be weird, pregnant and in elementary school, yah weird...
A few weeks ago, I found Julia Child's book, My Life in France at a local thrift store. 
I admit what I knew of Julia Child was from the movie Julie and Julia, which was that she was older when she started cooking, she married when she was 34 years old and her husband was 10 years her senior. And that she was extremely tall (6'2") and that she was born and raised in Pasadena, which is about 20 minutes from where I live. 
This book commences right when she and Paul, her husband, arrive in France. Right from the beginning, you understand the purpose of the book. 
The detail of the meals, their apartment, the market, the French people they came into contact on a daily basis was very descriptive. 
Julia Child thoroughly described from her first day of being at Le Cordon Bleu, to opening up a cooking school with two other French women who would later be co-authors of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Throughout the book, Julia showed her determination to assimilate with the French culture by learning their language, their customs, and their way of living post World War II. 
My Life in France did a great job of detailing the hard and endless work Julia Child endured to write a cook book that no author had done before, take recipes from one culture and translate them into another culture. She tells of their many travels while stationed in Europe and how after France, her TV cooking show began. 
The book is an easy read and if you are looking for an in-depth book on Julia Child read this book for sure. 
Now I just want to make Julia Child's beef bourguignon, eat croissant and fromage. The wine part of my meal will have come in a few months ;-) Don't be surprised if you get hungry too while reading this book. 

I'll leave you with a few words of wisdom Julia...


26 comments:

Simply LKJ said...

Love Julia Child! Thanks for sharing Meg. Great quotes!!

Amy Breckenridge said...

thanks for sharing the review - i'm going to add this to my "to read" list!

whit | Black Little Button blog said...

love love the quotes my dear
-wHiT

Unknown said...

Great quotes, Julia Child is an inspiration~

always, koru kate

Unknown said...

i LOVE julia child. she is such a fascinating person! She and her husband had this beautiful life long love affair and she was a freaking SPY in world war two? The Dan Aykroyd SNL Julia Child skit is also one of my faves.

She's my kinda lady.

I'm not typically so into nonfiction, but for Jules, I might just have to check this one out.

<3becky
www.loosefromthezoo.com

Always Maylee said...

I used to really like Julia Child! Love these quotes.

xo, Yi-chia
Always Maylee

Unknown said...

I love this book. I read it last year while I was also living in Paris. I love her and her story. I even went and searched out her apartment on rue de l'universite!

Heather said...

Sounds like a great book, and I love those quotes!

Michelle said...

I enjoyed that book (and love that movie too!).

birdie to be said...

I love those quotes! And I would love to get my hands on that book! Love that you found it at a thrift shop!

brooke lyn said...

i love that last quote. she is wise lady :)

Unknown said...

Julia child is the best and I love this book! I'm glad you enjoyed it too! It definitely outed you in a mood to bake and cook delicious food doesn't it?

Happily Ever Parker said...

Yum this review left me craving croissants and fromage!

Jaclyn Y said...

I love Julia Childs...and her food is just superb. You have my appetite all worked up now!

xxx
Jaclyn
http://www.loveandbellinis.com

Unknown said...

Love the quotes.

Nicole Michelle Centers said...

Ah I must read this I love Julia Childs!

Nicole
www.eleganceandclutter.com

awhite said...

Cute quotes- and so true! :)

Happy Tuesday, darling!

-Ashley
http://lestylorouge.com

Unknown said...

ah love this! I have always loved Julia - I need to read this book!

Ashley said...

All I really know about Julia is also from the movie and this sounds like a great read. Love her quotes!

Allison said...

I love Julia and cooking and biographies so I will definitely be adding this to my list! :)

still being [molly] said...

i LOVE Julia!!! i totally want to read this!

LeeLee said...

Great book review. I will definitely check out this book after reading your review.

Amanda || Eclectic Snapshots said...

I have this book! I also picked it up at a discount book store and it's still on my list to read.
Thank you for the review!

Chelsea E. said...

I absolutely loved this book. I read it earlier this year on vacation. I felt so inspired by it. It's just such a wonderfully written book that captures her so well! I really want to see her kitchen in the Smithsonian!

Leslie said...

I like her so much.. I have a couple DVD's about her life and some of her original cooking shows. It's so fun to see the scale of her kitchen compared to today!

Jane said...

What a great find! And great quotes as well! I remember seeing that movie and enjoying watching it. There was also a display of Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in DC a few months back that I went with my husband. It was pretty awesome! (http://amhistory.si.edu/juliachild/)