Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child (edition 2012)

"Dearie" covers Julia Child's *entire* life, accomplishments, and relationships, to a degree I would not have previously thought to be interesting - the author is clearly a big fan, without being fawning, and covers some fairly dark topics in a respectful manner. I grew up with Julia Child being part of what TV *was* and it was fascinating to see how much that impression was sheer force of will on her part - and how much of an outright *troublemaker* she was :-) It also gets across the ludicrous amount of work that went into producing those "effortless" presentations, balanced with the self confidence to be able to carry off "disasters" on live TV - "Never apologize for the food!"

I would also recommend the book to any fan of modern cooking shows, there's a great deal of information on how we got where we are today. But primarily, if you "grew up with Julia" and haven't dug in to her life before, I found this book to be an excellent place to start.

Bon apetit! ( )

I really enjoyed this biography. I've read a number of biographies and memoirs featuring Julia over the years, but this one gave me a real sense of her personality and character. There was more about Paul Child too, his childhood and family. Also, I did not know that Julia and her assistant were scheduled to be on the 9/11 plane that took off from Boston to LA, or that she had a wee romance after she was 80!!
Good fun. ( )

An exhaustive biography of Julia Child, maybe a bit too exhaustive. But interesting for sure. ( )

I enjoyed reading this biography although found it funny that the author of a book about Julia Child also wrote a bio on The Beatles. I loved reading about her childhood in California, her days at Smith and in the foreign service, and her early life in France with Paul. Although I do love cooking and found it interesting how fastidious she was about testing recipes, I thought too much time was spent on writing her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. ( )

This is a wonderful, loving portrait of a real American character, Julia Child. Julia, nee McWillliams, came from a prominent and well-off Pasadena "pioneer" family. Her father was a curmudgeon and her mother was free-spirited and eccentric. Julia was an energetic tomboy with a brother who was somehow not quite capable or hardy enough in this family, and a sister, Dort, who grew to be 6"5"" tall. Brother John was sent back to New England to run the paper company that was the source of his mother's family's original fortune. It is suggested that he was dyslexic and shy, which must have made life difficult for him in his boisterous, opinionated, high-energy family. During her grade school years, Julia spent her free hours leading a neighborhood gang of miscreants whose activities sometimes crossed the boundary between endearingly mischievous and dangerously delinquent.

She was sent to boarding school as a teenager, and then went on to Smith, where she earned respectable C grades, but didn't find her calling. Although the author didn't emphasize her drinking, Julia's enormous energy found both productive and unproductive outlets, and he mentions a few episodes when Julia overindulged during these years, and in later life. After a brief stint as a copywriter in NYC, Julia returned home when her mother became itll. Caro McWilliams died in 1937. Julia remained in California with her grieving father, but was at loose ends. She tried a few things, but nothing thrilled her and she fell into a rich girl's life, socializing and playing golf until WWII gave her a chance to live a bigger life.

Julia went to Washington and got a job with the OSS as a file clerk. In 1944, she was sent to Ceylon where she met Paul Child, who became the love of her life. Julia apparently had a zest for sex as well as for wine. She and Paul started off slowly, but became a life-long love match. When the war ended, Paul accepted a job in Paris, and Julia had no idea what she would do next. She stumbled into her love for food when Paul introduced her to French cuisine. Julia's enormous energy needed an outlet, and cooking became her saving interest. She eventually met two women with whom she would undertake to write a book for Americans about French cooking, which became a huge success, opening up opportunities for Julia, who despite her gangly, awkward appearance and odd voice, became an immediate TV star.

Julia was by all accounts a very warm and generous friend, but she could be cold-blooded in business matters, and in later years, was extremely devoted to maintaining her image. She was a Democrat and person who was never grasping for money (perhaps because she'd always had some), but who certainly knew how to maximize her earning power by coordinating TV series with the publishing of books. She was not hesitant to squeeze her publisher for a better deal using a lawyer who was thought sleazy by most. Julia was always admiring of handsome men, and was susceptible platonically to their attentions. When in later years Paul suffered a series of strokes, Julia missed the companionship they had shared for so long. When he finally had to be put in a home, Julia found another companion (platonic). She refused to nurse him through his final illness, though!

I enjoyed this very positive portrait of Julia Child, and feel prepared to read more critical views which I'm sure are available. She was a remarkably singular individual who had an enormous cultural impact.