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My Life in France

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My Life in France

By: Julia Child, Alex Prud'Homme
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
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About this listen

In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child’s years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found her “true calling.”

From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre, en route to Paris, in the fall of 1948, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn't speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu.

This memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so wholeheartedly. Here, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.

©2006 Alex Prud'Homme (P)2006 Books on Tape Cooking Culinary Entertainment & Celebrities Food & Wine Gastronomy Professionals & Academics Women Celebrity France Inspiring

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Critic reviews

"This is a valuable record of gorgeous meals in bygone Parisian restaurants, and the secret arts of a culinary genius." (Publishers Weekly)

“Exuberant, affectionate, and boundlessly charming...It chronicles, in mouth-watering detail, the meals and the food markets the sparked her interest in French cooking...It also tells the story of the inspired partnership between Child...and her husband, Paul...Every day in France brought a thrilling new discovery, but Child’s capacity for wonder and delight co-existed with "show me" skepticism...It is a wonderful picture of the most successful American export to France since Benjamin Franklin.” (William Grimes, The New York Times)

“Like a surprise nougat bursting from the center of a chocolate truffle, My Life in France also serves up her moving romance with the Renaissance man of her life...her husband, Paul Child.” (Andrew Marton, The Philadelphia Inquirer)

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This book transported me to the streets of Paris and compelled me to devour her cook books. The story of her life is captivating, as is her food! I couldn't leave this alone!

Wonderful

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I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Julia’s story. It’s perfect holiday reading, her descriptions of France through the years just swept me away. I liked how candid she was, for instance when she told of her difficult relationship with her father. Even if you don’t know Julia that well (I was born in the early 80s myself), the book is still very interesting and fun to listen to.

The narrator has a pleasant voice. Too bad that they did not do more research into French pronunciation as this plays rather an important role in in the book. Most of it is so easy to look up, for instance the town of Biot is pronounced with the t at the end, rather than her Bee-oh. If you don’t know French or its geography this won’t bother you but the carelessness of not looking it up certainly bothered me.

Wonderful story

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Amazing book - as if you travel in time and to France, meeting all the same people in person, seeing the places and enjoying the flavors

Magic book

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What a woman. She knew her own mind and took everything that life had to offer. From government work at the time of MacArthur to searching for ‘something to do’ she discovered her true metier- her abiding love of France and food.
France jumps out of every line she wrote. Her passion for La Belle France and great food is infectious. Read this then listen again.

Absolutely inspiring and very brave

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The mispronunciations of some of the English words were very odd. But great overall. I wish was twice as long.

Brilliant

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Performance was excellent, expressive but not overdone or too loud. Will want to listen again in the future.

Excellent performance

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I wouldn’t expect fluent French. But the pronunciation of very common French place names and expressions is terrible. (Embarrassingly so - Seine? Montmartre? Not complicated.) It really needs re-reading.

Wonderful book, let down by performance.

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This book focuses on Julia Child's life from the time that she moved to Paris with her husband; the rest of her life (childhood, and to an extent, life in old age) is dealt with in efficient and brief summaries which is good because this leaves us with the most interesting bits: what drove her to become obsessively interested in French cooking, and the journey that took her on.

Clearly, Julia always led a fairly charmed and comfortable life. She had the leisure and money to explore what began as a hobby and became an all-encompassing passion. I very much enjoyed the matter-of-fact approach (it was really written by her relation, Alex Prud'Homme) because I think that reflects what comes across of her character. She is conveyed as an amusing woman, clever, driven, very out-going - but rather cold in some ways and not always 'kind' about people.

The narration was just about alright and I think the performance captured Julia's character - rather braying and clipped; but some of the pronunciation was odd, for example culinary is always pronounced queue-linary and it started to get on my nerves.

What the listen did do, was send me back to my Julia Child book and explore some more of its incredibly varied and detailed contents.

Sent Me Back To My Cook Book!

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I love it so much,it brings your heart & soul to life.I definitely consider it to be the fresh breath of inspiration in this modern world. Viva Julia Child, the greatest chef and woman! 5 stars! It is worth of every minute of my life.

It's Eternal Masterpiece!

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Wonderful story of the making of a culinary classic and masterpiece. Ordered a copy of both of Julia Child's books as soon as I'd finished this.

Beautifully narrated by Kimberley Farr - but oh the DREADFUL pronunciation of many French words and place names! Why do narrators not check with someone who speaks the language before they embark on reading? Ms Farr is far from the only culprit in this.

Wonderful

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