 Appetite
for Life : The Biography of Julia Child
Noel
Riley Fitch's savory new biography, Appetite for
Life, reveals a woman as appealing as the good food
and serious cooking she popularized. As a California
girl and Smith College undergraduate, Fitch writes,
Julia McWilliams was notable for her high spirits
and voracious appetite. Performing intelligence work
in Asia during World War II, she met Paul Child, and
their marriage of mutual devotion and affection
endured until his death in 1994. His postwar
assignment took them to France, where she discovered
her true calling.
Fitch reminds us that Child championed
fresh ingredients at a time when frozen foods and TV
dinners dominated American supermarket shelves, and
that she demystified haute cuisine with her earthy
humor and casual attitude toward mistakes. This
affectionate portrait of the remarkable Julia
Child reflects her fervent belief that the
pleasures of the table are a natural accompaniment
to the pleasures of life.
Review written by Amazon. |
