Julia Child

Yesterday, I picked up My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme at my local library. It's my last summer read for 2012.

I'm excited to read about her adventures in Paris and Marseilles with her husband Paul, especially because even though she was from a fairly well-to-do California family, she spoke no French and was far less traveled than her husband, who was also ten years her senior.

Did you know that she was 36 when she arrived (by ship, with their blue Buick on board)? I love "second act" stories, and what is most intriguing is that by all accounts, cooking was actually her "first act". Because it was only in France that she discovered her life's work.

I think that's really interesting.

Here's a very fine article about Julia from Vanity Fair. It's three years old (I've never made any claims of being on the edge of things...).