As always, Julia : the letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto : food, friendship, and the making of a masterpiece

A National Bestseller Winner of an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Literary Food Writing “An absorbing portrait of an unexpected friendship.” — Entertainment Weekly “Julia’s inimitable voice shines through . . . These letters offer [a] glimpse of how the truly great can merge heart and soul in the pursuit of excellence.” — Wall Street Journal Julia is known around the world by her first name alone. But how much do we really know of the inner Julia Child? Through this riveting correspondence between Julia and Avis DeVoto, her “pen pal” and literary mentor, we hear Julia’s deepest thoughts and feelings and witness the blossoming of a unique and lifelong friendship. We see, too, the turbulent creation of one of the most influential cookbooks ever written. Frank, bawdy, funny, exuberant, these astonishing letters show an America on the verge of political, social, and gastronomic transformation and two women deeply engaged in the making of that new world. “[Child] comes booming back to life in these dishy missives . . . A delicious read.” — People (31⁄2 of 4 stars) “Blazingly alive and entirely irresistible.” — Boston Globe This revealing correspondence between the legendary French chef Julia Child and her dear friend is “a delicious read” (People).With her outsize personality, Julia Child is known by her first name alone. But how much do we really know of the inner Julia? Now more than 200 letters exchanged between Julia and Avis DeVoto, her friend and unofficial literary agent memorably introduced in the hit movie Julie & Julia, open the window on her deepest thoughts and feelings.This riveting correspondence chronicles the blossoming of a unique and lifelong friendship between the two women and the turbulent process of Julia's creation of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, one of the most influential cookbooks ever written. Bawdy, funny, exuberant, and occasionally agonized, these letters show Julia, first as a new bride in Paris, then becoming increasingly worldly and adventuresome as she follows her diplomat husband in his postings to Nice, Germany, and Norway. With commentary by food historian Joan Reardon, and covering topics as diverse as the lack of good wine in the United States, McCarthyism, and sexual mores, these letters show America on the verge of political, social, and gastronomic transformation.“An absorbing portrait of an unexpected friendship.”—Entertainment Weekly“Two housewives, each in her 40s... let rip about all kinds of things, from shallots, beurre blanc and the misery of dried herbs to politics, aging and sex... Funny and forthright opinions about food and life.”—The New York Times “Entirely irresistible.”—The Boston Globe

A National Bestseller

Winner of an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Literary Food Writing

“An absorbing portrait of an unexpected friendship.” — Entertainment Weekly

“Julia’s inimitable voice shines through . . . These letters offer [a] glimpse of how the truly great can merge heart and soul in the pursuit of excellence.” — Wall Street Journal

Julia is known around the world by her first name alone. But how much do we really know of the inner Julia Child? Through this riveting correspondence between Julia and Avis DeVoto, her “pen pal” and literary mentor, we hear Julia’s deepest thoughts and feelings and witness the blossoming of a unique and lifelong friendship. We see, too, the turbulent creation of one of the most influential cookbooks ever written. Frank, bawdy, funny, exuberant, these astonishing letters show an America on the verge of political, social, and gastronomic transformation and two women deeply engaged in the making of that new world.

“[Child] comes booming back to life in these dishy missives . . . A delicious read.” — People (31⁄2 of 4 stars)

“Blazingly alive and entirely irresistible.” — Boston Globe

Winner of the 2011 IACP Cookbook Award for Literary Food Writing

With her outsize personality, Julia Child is known around the world by her first name alone. But despite that familiarity, how much do we really know of the inner Julia' Now more than 200 letters exchanged between Julia and Avis DeVoto, her friend and unofficial literary agent memorably introduced in the hit movie Julie ; Julia, open the window on Julia's deepest thoughts and feelings. This riveting correspondence, in print for the first time, chronicles the blossoming of a unique and lifelong friendship between the two women and the turbulent process of Julia's creation of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, one of the most influential cookbooks ever written. Frank, bawdy, funny, exuberant, and occasionally agonized, these letters show Julia, first as a new bride in Paris, then becoming increasingly worldly and adventuresome as she follows her diplomat husband in his postings to Nice, Germany, and Norway. With commentary by the noted food historian Joan Reardon, and covering topics as diverse as the lack of good wine in the United States, McCarthyism, and sexual mores, these astonishing letters show America on the verge of political, social, and gastronomic transformation A National BestsellerWinner of an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Literary Food Writing“An absorbing portrait of an unexpected friendship.” — __Entertainment Weekly__“Julia’s inimitable voice shines through . . . These letters offer [a] glimpse of how the truly great can merge heart and soul in the pursuit of excellence.” — __Wall Street Journal__Julia is known around the world by her first name alone. But how much do we really know of the inner Julia Child? Through this riveting correspondence between Julia and Avis DeVoto, her “pen pal” and literary mentor, we hear Julia’s deepest thoughts and feelings and witness the blossoming of a unique and lifelong friendship. We see, too, the turbulent creation of one of the most influential cookbooks ever written. Frank, bawdy, funny, exuberant, these astonishing letters show an America on the verge of political, social, and gastronomic transformation and two women deeply engaged in the making of that new world.“[Child] comes booming back to life in these dishy missives . . . A delicious read.” — __People__ (31⁄2 of 4 stars)“Blazingly alive and entirely irresistible.” — __Boston Globe__ The never-before-published fascinating correspondence between America's queen of food, Julia Child, and her confidante and mentor, Avis DeVoto