My Life in France

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Julia's story of her transformative years in France in her own words is "captivating ... her marvelously 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.

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Published Oct 9, 2007

368 pages

Average rating: 7.83

70 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

boyleschris
May 18, 2025
Bennie's recommendation
Khris Sellin
Jul 05, 2024
10/10 stars
Inspiring

Who doesn't love Julia Child?? Even tho I don't like to cook, I've always loved the IDEA of cooking. And lately I've been watching the Julia TV series with the amazing Sarah Lancashire, and so I'm back on a Julia Child kick.

Child takes us with her on not only her love of French food and the cooking process but also includes all of the beautiful places and people she encounters along the way.
wardbunch
Mar 26, 2025
10/10 stars
Luscious food
Liz Rudnick
Nov 14, 2024
10/10 stars
I loved this book. Julia Child is an inspiring woman!
Kristen5678
Jul 06, 2024
10/10 stars
Living, breathing and especially eating her work, Julia Child lived with a single-minded passion. It is exciting to learn about someone who is so clearly doing what they are meant to be doing. Hers was a passionate life, filled with curiosity, daring, and hard work.

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