Backstage with Julia: My Years with Julia Child [Paperback]

Nancy Verde Barr (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 14, 2008

You’ll love this intimate portrait of the inimitable Julia Child by Nancy Verde Barr, her executive chef and friend for twenty-four years. Brimming with anecdotes, memorabilia, and snapshots, Backstage with Julia conveys Julia’s generosity, her boundless energy, and her love of food and life. This loving memoir celebrates the adventurous, unassuming essence of the chef who seasoned American palates and heightened our appreciation of food.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Barr (We Called It Macaroni) worked with culinary icon Julia Child for 24 years, starting in 1980 as an assistant to Child's monthly live segment on Good Morning America and remaining until Child's death in 2004. This delightful and sprightly backstage look at life with Child (a "Lucille Ball-with-a-rolling-pin character in the kitchen") describes Barr's work as an integral member of "the Julia team" that supported Child's "mind-boggling" schedule of demonstrations, media appearances and book signings. Barr skillfully illustrates Child's "extraordinary drive" in business, showing how "she never took her success or her audiences' acceptance of her work for granted," and how throughout her many ventures, "she maintained the integrity of what she was doing—teaching cooking." A delightful description of a day when the pair "gobbled down Double-Double burgers at the In-N-Out drive thru" illustrates how Child was "as down-to-earth, unguarded, and unselfconsciously outspoken in the company of friends as she was with the cameras rolling." By concentrating on the "memories of the Julia who was my mentor, my colleague, my friend; my story of what made her so special," Barr provides a sweet addition to Noel Riley Fitch's biography Appetite for Life and, recently, Child's autobiography with Alex Prud'Homme, My Life in France. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Backstage With Julia" is packed with endearing anecdotes, like the time Julia got herself and friends into La Grenouille not by dropping her own name but by calling her hairdresser, whose brother was a dishwasher there; how Julia would serve Pepperidge Farm Goldfish for hors d'oeuvres; and Julia on low-fat food: "The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook." Barr's voice is breathless. Her one true revelation? Julia didn't love pasta. But we'd trade a chirpy tale or two for just some good plain writing. ("New York Times Book Review," August 26th, 2007)

Barr (We Called it Macaroni) here offers a lovingly written memoir of her years working with and learning from Julia Child. As Child's executive chef for almost 20 years and a producer for Good Morning America and Baking with Julia, she is able to provide a unique glimpse into the early world of culinary television. Of course, she also reveals Child, who comes off witty, warm, and dedicated-to her people and her profession. It was Child's support and encouragement that enabled Barr to form a successful career out of a passionate hobby. The book's greatest strength lies in how Barr has captured the voice and personality of her friend and mentor; her stories about the woman, whether involving a stop for a hot dog at a roadside stand or the graceful way that Child handled mistakes, will enable readers to make a new connection to this larger-than-life figure who did so much to change the perception of food and cooking in America. Recommended for most public libraries. (Photographs not seen.)
--Rosemarie Lewis, Broward Cty. P.L., Fort Lauderdale, FL ("Library Journal," May 1, 2007)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (April 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470276371
• ISBN-13: 978-0470276372
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.8 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #648,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant, powerful and lyrical June 18, 2007

By Martha Grace Reese

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Nancy Barr writes beautifully. This sweet-spirited account of her decades with Julia Child provides an insightful, well-integrated, honest, clear lens with which to get one more glimpse of the beloved Julia who inspired and taught so many of us, so well, for so long. Backstage with Julia is a joy to read. Then I headed to the kitchen and started pulling out copper pans, a chickeny chicken, herbs and quantities of butter. Thank you, Ms. Barr!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Easy read, feel good book December 20, 2007

By Keith Hermiz

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ages ago I attended the cooking demonstration that Julia Child gave at the Rhode Island School of Design mentioned in this book, the event that was the beginning of the author's relationship with Julia. In a fit of nostalgia I was recently looking for the recipes from the program book that I lost along the way. I "accidentally" bought this book because it appeared it might have them documented since they are mentioned under "Recipes" in the index. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of recipes in the book and these were not among them. The index is misleading that regard. But the book was a light, entertaining read anyway. It charmingly portrays Julia as I would like to remember from seeing her on TV and at this one memorable live encounter: a warm, fun loving person who just loved to cook and wanted everyone else to fearlessly share her passion. If you want a gritty, in-depth expose of Julia's life, this isn't it. But if you remember Julia fondly this will leave you feeling good.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What a surprise! October 14, 2007

By TLM

Format:Hardcover

The book caught my eye in the library, and I read it in a couple of sittings over a weekend (a speed I rarely attain). Though the auther clearly adored Julia, I felt it was nevertheless a transparent view. I found the humor in particular delightful: like the time they became lost together on an auto trip following Julia's road map skills (from a 40 year old map), and, when confronted with a street that ended abruptly with a large rock outcropping Julia exclaims "meteors!"

A great read on a relationship between genius and her clear headed "straight man."