My Life in France by Julia Child

I finished this book last week for the Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon, and it was such a fun read! I recently read Julie & Julia, and it left me very interested to learn more about Julia Child's life. She didn't disappoint in this fast-paced, fun-loving memoir.

In My Life in France, Julia Child details her years in France and her attempts to learn to cook, perfect her cooking, teach cooking, write a cookbook, and finally appear on American television.

I loved that this book had plenty about France itself (well, mainly the cuisine) to satisfy us travel junkies. However, the book was mostly about Child's experiences finding her passion, learning classic French cooking, and sharing it with the world. What I loved most about the book, actually, was Child's thirst for life and intense drive to fulfill her dreams. Julia Child never told herself she couldn't do it because she was too old or too young or too American or because she couldn't live in France all the time. She never let up and she just kept fighting, even when it seemed likely that no one would ever want to publish her book. (I bet the publisher that rejected her is still kicking themselves.)

Despite her many obstacles, Julia Child did it, and that's what I loved most about this book.