My Life in France
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My Life in France
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Narrated by:
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Kimberly Farr
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 TapeListeners also enjoyed...
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)
What listeners say about My Life in France
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- miss r owens
- 02-05-17
Wonderful
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!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kim
- 20-07-22
Wonderful story
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.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Yan
- 03-10-22
Magic book
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
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- megrose
- 20-12-23
Absolutely inspiring and very brave
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 31-05-22
Brilliant
The mispronunciations of some of the English words were very odd. But great overall. I wish was twice as long.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 28-12-23
Excellent performance
Performance was excellent, expressive but not overdone or too loud. Will want to listen again in the future.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Penelope G.
- 22-09-15
Wonderful
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.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jane E
- 23-07-23
Good fun
I became aware of Julia Child comparatively recently, when I saw Meryl Streep’s great performance as Child in ‘Julie and Julia’, and wanted to find out more about the real person. This was a fun and interesting story that gives some insight into the world of French cooking. The narrator gives a lively and believable reading - with convincingly awkward French pronunciation! (I’m assuming that is deliberate!) I’m unlikely to experiment with serious French catering myself, but this enjoyable book should enhance my appreciation of any French dishes I will eat in the future.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CM
- 05-12-13
Lovely!
This has been on my to-read list for a while, and I'm so glad I picked it up. The narrator is wonderful, and just about every chapter made me hungry. It's one of the few novels I actually might leave on my phone, even though I've completed it. I keep getting the urge to re-listen to bits of it when I'm puttering around my kitchen and attempting to make something half as fantastic as Julia Child's dishes. It's one of those books I got completely absorbed in, which is rare for me with nonfiction. It's funny and sweet and made me want to book a holiday to France as soon as possible.
Oh, and a word of advice: if you're using Audible for Android, make sure you download the book as two parts. For some reason the download failed when I tried to download it as one part, and the customer service rep I spoke to had the same issue when trying to replicate the problem. I almost had to have it refunded since I couldn't get it onto my phone. The two-part download worked fine, though, so I was happy in the end.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- R. Nixon
- 13-05-21
Wonderful book, let down by performance.
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.
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