My Life in France by Juila Child // Review

 

Just speak very loudly and quickly, and state your position with utter conviction, as the French do, and you'll have a marvelous time! - Julia Child on French dinner parties.

I have loved Julia Child ever since watching Julie and Julia several years ago,  and falling so in love with it and both women, and as a result, I ended up hosting an elaborate French party just to have an excuse to show the movie to friends. Earlier this month I was catching up with a favorite youtube channel, and Petie heartily recommended "My Life In France." I've read several other books per Petie's suggestions on her blog, and loved every single one of them. So I ordered "My Life In France" from the library and was excited to read it. But I wasn't expecting to fall quite so in love with it. How could a book rival Julie and Julia? But this book is insanely adorable. One of the things I loved the most was the way Julia describes her experiences with food. She's not just telling stories about food, but she makes it almost as though the reader is experiencing the dishes with her, through her pen. It's not just a meal, but every bite of food was an exquisite experience for her. I find it amazing how she remembers every detail of different meals and dinner parties, right down to the sauces and particular bottles of wine.Another favorite aspect was Paul and Julia's relationship. It was interesting, because they met later in life, and married around 35 and 45, but never had children. But their relationship was sweet, fun and inspiring. She whole-heartedly supported him in his work and dreams, while he cheered her on right from the beginning. (He wrote to his twin Charlie, "Julie's cookery is actually improving. I didn't quite believe that it would, just between us, but it really is.") And they seemed so compatible. They both had their separate talents, interests and dreams, but they also shared a lot of the same interests, and they found great ways of meshing together and complementing each others strengths and weaknesses. Julia had so much energy. She was always off attending a professional lecture by some renowned Chef, exploring through the marketplace for the absolutely perfect mortar-and-pestal, or starting her own private cooking school, or a tv series, or traveling back and forth from the States and France. (Not to mention perfecting her mayo recipe, and using 200+ lbs of flour to find the perfect way to make french bread in a standard American oven. :) All in all, I loved this book so much. It was entertaining, funny, inspiring and entirely enjoyable.  {5 stars}