Customer Reviews

Julia Child (Penguin Lives Biographies)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Having recently re-read "My Life in France" by Julia herself, I was disappointed that most of the information in this book is taken from Julia's book, with the exception, for example, of the fact that Julia was initially (and in common with American cultural norms of the time) an open homophobe and that she was against the emerging organic food movement, being more in sympathy with mass producers of meats, fruits and vegetables. While it might be important, for the historical record, to present a more rounded picture of Julia than she presents herself (and than we gained from watching her on TV), the effort to "bring her down a peg or two" seems almost contrived.

If you haven't read "My Life in France," buy it instead of this book. If you have, buy one of Julia's cookbooks that you don't already own. Both give more and longer-lasting pleasure.

Did you know that Julia Child had an eye job and three face lifts? That's not the only surprise that lurks inside this deceptively small book. Author Laura Shapiro has written a biography that is mostly sympathetic to its subject, but doesn't shrink from showing Child's less attractive qualities. She was opinionated and rarely shrank from saying what was on her mind. She had no patience for people who didn't agree with her about food. She had no use for vegetarians, organic food, or California cuisine. To friends, she made some homophobic comments. In public she did not.

Shapiro has managed to fit a lot of fascinating information into 181 small-format pages. Unfortunately, the Penguin Lives publishers didn't see fit to include an index, let alone notes. Shapiro addresses this in a note at the end of the book, offering to provide sources for anyone who requests them. It seems likely that most of the quotations she provides in the book were from letters Child wrote to friends or from published interviews.

Even if you've already read about Child's spy days, her introduction to French food, and the first TV shows, here's your chance to read about her breast cancer, how she coped with her husband's decline after a stroke, or what she really thought about McDonald's.

Did you know that Julia Child was a devout atheist? There are many details about Julia Child's life that her adoring public did not know. This small but comprehensive biography is an excellent overview of her long life and successful career. I had heard about her work during World War II, but I didn't know the details of her training, how her acclaimed first cook book came to be, or what went into the success of her TV shows. All these things and more are included here.

What shocked me the most was her siding with the food industry when radical changes in production came to be. She was against organic food, calling it "even worse than health food," and was quoted: "There is no room for the cult that regards `natural methods' as good, and all improvements on nature as bad." She called the genetic engineering of food "one of the greatest discoveries" of the 20th century, and spoke out in favor of irradiation while calling opponents "nervous nellies." She supported the food industry on changes such as pesticides, hormones in beef, and antibiotics in chicken. I would have imagined someone so enamored of food in its natural state would have been at the very least leery of such radical changes

To her credit, she encouraged new young female chefs, and did all she could to advance their careers through publicity and by funding scholarships for these female culinary students. As she advised all her students, she believed love for the food that went into preparing it is what made an exceptional meal. Interestingly, later in her career, she turned to more convenient methods, such as using frozen foods. She was a great fan of the American supermarket, and believed a good cook could create fine meals with all ingredients from a supermarket.

This little biography is a wonderful look into the life of this fascinating woman, and includes much about her exceptional qualities as well as her more controversial views. Laura Shapiro has created an enlightening narrative which gives a complete picture of our one and only Julia Child.

This biography of Julia Child reads like it was written for a junior high school term paper. Written entirely in unchanging third-person narrative, the reader sees, "Julia did this. Julia did that. She went here, and there. And then she went over here. To do that."
Sources are not cited in the text.
Lacking any photos except for the cover, this volume is a chore to read.

I thought this was a charming, delightful book. Nothing deep, just well done. I disagree with the reviewers who say that this was taken from "My Life In France." I have read both and Ms. Shapiro obviously had other sources as her book includes very different information, and I thought this book filled in many gaps left by Julia herself. There are DOZENS of quotes taken from Julia's letters to "Simca" which are clearly not in "My Life in France." Even better, there are quotes from Paul's letters to his twin brother--even about his initial friendship & courtship of Julia, including poems he wrote. There are quotes from Julia from magazine articles, from fan letters from the moment "The French Chef" went on the air, some delightful stories about when "The French Chef" first went on the air, and my personal favorite--Julia blowing up a duck in the oven when she's first learning to cook.

I found it much more charming and enjoyable than other Julia Child biographies, and was a bit shocked to see the harsh reviews it has been given on Amazon. I enjoyed Ms. Shapiro's writing, and laughed at such sentences as "Julia's mother used to say that she had raised eighteen feet of children." My Oh well, to each their own. BUT, had I listened to any of the bad reviews, I feel like I would have missed a delightful little book that I enjoyed immensely.

A delightful book that renewed my interest in food and got me browsing through the Julia Child cookbooks I own. One sees all the effort and hard work that she and her dedicated husband put into her TV shows. My husband and I enjoy cooking and since reading this book, we have regained some venture and enthusiasm in trying new dishes. And even if things don't always turn out, neither did Julia's. One learns from mistakes, goes on and tries again.

I am glad that I read Julia Child by Laura Shapiro for there were a lot of interesting facts within it. But there was something about the actually writing that disappointed me and I think it was the organization of the information. It seems like such a small book for such a large topic and left me thirsting for more information.

This book was exactly what I was looking for. It has just enough about Julia's background to let you know what lead her to become The French Chef without being overwhelmed with minutiae. The book focuses mainly on her love affair with food & its preparation and her drive to get people to go into the kitchen and cook. If you enjoy watching Julia, you'll enjoy this book.

Two big problems. One usually wants a biography to be interesting, to grab your attention, in either a positive or negative (or best, a nuanced) view of the person's life. This book is just dull and pedantic. Julia Child was a fun person who led an interesting life. There's more excitement in the cover picture than the whole rest of the book. (And yes, that is the only photo in the book.)

The second problem is that this volume seems to mostly be a retelling of Julia Child's autobiography with a few controversies (for balance I'd assume) added in. There are quite a few people who could be interviewed to add to it. What did the television folks working with her think of her? Other chefs? People who were inspired to cook by Julia Child's books and shows? They're not here in this book.

This short biography, one in the wonderful Penguin Lives series, is an excellent overview of Julia Child's life. Laura Shapiro writes well and keeps the narrative flowing. It was a joy to read.