
The Secret War of Julia Child
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Candace Joice
About this listen
Before she mastered the art of French cooking in midlife, Julia Child found herself working in the secrets trade in Asia during World War II, a journey that will delight both historical fiction fans and lovers of America's most beloved chef, revealing how the war made her into the icon we know now.
Single, six foot two, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams took a job working for America's first espionage agency, years before cooking or Paris entered the picture. The Secret War of Julia Child traces Julia's transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to Washington, DC file clerk, to head of General "Wild Bill" Donovan's secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services.
The wartime journey takes her to South Asia's remote front lines of then-Ceylon, India, and China, where she finds purpose, adventure, self-knowledge-and love with mapmaker Paul Child. The spotlight has rarely shone on this fascinating period of time in the life of ("I'm not a spy") Julia Child, and this lyrical story allows us to explore the unlikely world of a woman in a World War II spy station who has no idea of the impact she'll eventually impart.
©2024 Diana R. Chambers (P)2024 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
No one is more surprised than Meredith when she’s bequeathed a cottage by a great aunt she’d never heard of. She hopes, briefly, that the inheritance could be the answer to her financial problems. But when she arrives in Suffolk, she is shocked to discover a man is already living there. A young gardener, who claims he was also bequeathed half of Butterfly Cottage. As the pair try to unravel their complicated situation, they unearth a decades old mystery involving Clara, the garden, and a stack of letters left unread for over 50 years.
By: Rachel Burton
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Katharine's Remarkable Road Trip
- By: Gail Ward Olmsted
- Narrated by: Lisa Bozek
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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If you loved Landscape of a Marriage by Gail Ward Olmsted, you'll absolutely adore Katharine's Remarkable Road Trip. In the fall of 1907, Katharine decides to drive from Newport, Rhode Island to her new home in Jackson, New Hampshire. Despite the concerns of her family and friends that at the age of 77 she lacks the stamina for the nearly 300-mile journey, Katharine sets out alone. Over the next six days, she receives a marriage proposal, pulls an all-nighter, saves a life or two, crashes a high-society event, meets a kindred spirit, faces a former rival, makes a new friend, takes a stroll with a future movie mogul, advises a troubled newlywed, and reflects upon a life well lived: her own!
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A Very Remarkable Woman
- By BonnieD on 06-25-24
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The Keeper of Lost Art
- A Novel
- By: Laura Morelli
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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As Allied bombs rain down on Torino in the autumn of 1942, Stella Costa’s mother sends her to safety with distant relatives in a Tuscan villa. There, Stella finds her family tasked with a great responsibility: hiding nearly 300 priceless masterpieces from Florence, including Botticelli’s famous Primavera. With the arrival of German troops imminent, Stella finds herself a stranger in her family’s villa and she struggles to understand why her aunt doesn’t like her. She knows it has something to do with her parents.
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Another Beautiful Book!!
- By Rhonda Willis on 05-03-25
By: Laura Morelli
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A Time for Defiance
- By: James D. Shipman
- Narrated by: Stephanie Einstein
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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May 1940: In the months since the war in Europe began, nineteen-year-old Aafke Cruyssen and her family have tried to carry on as normal—running their modest grocery store in Eindhoven, hoping that Germany will leave Holland alone as it did during the Great War. But this time, Holland will not be spared. The invasion comes, swift and merciless, and Dutch forces are easily overpowered. Aafke's one glimpse of humanity comes from a young German corporal who intervenes when a gang of looters tries to rob her family's shop.
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Another country’s viewpoint of WWII
- By Roger D Bartlett on 01-10-25
By: James D. Shipman
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The Colony Club
- A Novel
- By: Shelley Noble
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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When young Gilded Age society matron Daisy Harriman is refused a room at the Waldorf because they don’t cater to unaccompanied females, she takes matters into her own hands. She establishes the Colony Club, the first women’s club in Manhattan, where visiting women can stay overnight and dine with their friends; where they can discuss new ideas, take on social issues, and make their voices heard. She hires the most sought-after architect in New York, Stanford White, to design the clubhouse.
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Nicely done!
- By Kristyn Rose on 02-02-25
By: Shelley Noble
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The Children's Train
- A Novel
- By: Viola Ardone
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on true events, a heartbreaking story of love, family, hope, and survival set in post-World War II Italy - crafted with the heart of Orphan Train and Before We Were Yours - about poor children from the south sent to live with families in the north to survive deprivation and the harsh winters.
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Great read
- By kc on 01-19-23
By: Viola Ardone
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Fleeing France
- A WWII Novel of Sacrifice and Rescue in the French Ambulance Service
- By: Alan Hlad
- Narrated by: Moniqua Plante
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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France, 1939: A talented singer, Ruth Lacroix has left Maine to live with her aunt and uncle, dreaming of performing at the Casino de Paris. But with the outbreak of war, and the heartbreaking news that her cousin has been killed by German forces, that goal is supplanted by another—to support France in any way she can.
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Very good WWII resistance tale, but girly in places
- By YodaMaster on 12-14-24
By: Alan Hlad
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Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
- By: Evan S. Connell
- Narrated by: Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Abridged
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For Walter Bridge, an ambitious lawyer, and his wife, whose focus is her household, affluence and material comforts create a cocoon of community respectability that cloaks the void within. Mr. Bridge is dominated by reason and common sense but is vaguely aware that something is missing from his life. Mrs. Bridge, now that her children have grown up, is slowly going mad from boredom. They wonder why there is no joy. As adventurous, free-thinking friends introduce new ideas into their household, they come close to making tiny steps toward change.
By: Evan S. Connell
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The Sunflower House
- A Novel
- By: Adriana Allegri
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik, Dallin Bradford, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé. But it's 1939, Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, and Allina’s family hides a terrifying secret—her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling. One fateful night after losing everyone she loves, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at a state-run baby factory called Hochland Home. There, she becomes both witness and participant to the horrors of Heinrich Himmler’s ruthless eugenics program.
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Another WW2 book
- By Cathyst on 05-02-25
By: Adriana Allegri
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The Weight of Goodbye
- By: Eliza Graham
- Narrated by: Naomi Frederick
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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1937. On the eve of her debutante season in London, Lucia Blake rebels against her domineering father and his fascist politics and runs away to France. Breaking the promise to always look after her, she leaves behind her adored younger sister, Della. Seeking freedom Lucia finds unexpected passion in the arms of a charming French archaeologist. But as war looms over Europe, their idyllic love is shattered by an unspeakable tragedy.
By: Eliza Graham
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The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson
- A Novel
- By: Ellen Baker
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago, promising to be back once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns, and shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she is sold to a traveling circus to perform as the “little sister” to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde. With Isabelle and the rest of the circus, Cecily finally feels she’s found the family she craves.
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Interesting story took a while to get into.
- By Kayla B on 03-13-24
By: Ellen Baker
What listeners say about The Secret War of Julia Child
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Cheryl
- 02-25-25
Drama of Julia
Misinformation about events inherent life during her service interesting until I learned that a lot of it was made up. I guess the author felt she needed to do that to enhance the drama in the life of Julie Child during her service.
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- Reading Grandma
- 03-25-25
Excellent in every aspect!
Well documented in reality even though a work of fiction. Supported with years of research as well as beautifully presented!
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-04-25
Great book! Very entertaining!
The story was great and I was completely entertained and amazed the whole time. I will say I felt like they should have put a small disclaimer up front about what was fiction instead of waiting until the end because as I was reading it I was really envisioning Julia in those situations. It was historically accurate and an amazing read though! Just don’t totally go on thinking that Julia escaped Japanese soldiers in the jungle on an elephant.
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- Kristyn Rose
- 01-05-25
Remember, this is fiction
The story is well-told and does give homage to a strong, brilliant woman. It’s too bad that it’s so heavily embellished, though, as to bury her true story. I read a lot of historical fiction and am fine with small embellishments that help a story flow. Making up significant events, though? Surviving ship sinking and airplane crashes is too far. The author’s notes emphasize this is a work of fiction amd makes an attempt of justifying the liberties taken, but it is still irresponsible and disrespectful. Inevitably, someone will skip those notes and perpetuate the idea that Julia Child flew into a jealous rage and tore up a map Paul had made, after seeing him pay attention to another woman. And this is how fake news starts. When reading this, keep Google close at hand and use it liberally to find out which major events that allegedly formed Julia’s experiences actually happened.
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1 person found this helpful
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- SuziQ
- 12-21-24
Early Julia Child
I admire Julia Child and I loved this book about her life before French cooking. Though the account sticks closely to actual events, they are fictionalized in places to move the story line along.
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- Heidi McDow
- 03-04-25
Fascinating, delightful book about one of my favorite historical figures.
I love the storytelling, fully knowing that this is a work of fiction, It was fun hearing how the author wove historical facts to a really intriguing tale. Though the author fully admits that some of the more adventurous things may or may not have happened, it’s fun to imagine that who we know as the French Chef had a fascinating, secret past. Absolutely worth the read. And I recommend the audiobook. She captures Julia‘s voice, almost perfectly😊
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- DQmaine
- 11-14-24
Julia Child, more amazing than ever
I didn’t love the over-the-top breathy narration. It was “overacted” and took away from the story.
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2 people found this helpful
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- J. Clark
- 01-14-25
Don’t pass this up!
The audio version is wonderful and they have captured Julia child’s voice well. This is an interesting piece of historical fiction. The author‘s notes at the end detail which parts are factual, which parts are fictional, and which parts are debatable.
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- Sandra Tomaszewski
- 02-20-25
Too soon…
IMHO, the book/movie “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer” kept resonating…
Maybe if I didn’t remember the real Julia so well I could’ve gotten more into this confabulation but, a good deal of this story just seemed wrong and, for me, felt weird.
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- Anonymous User
- 05-08-25
The historical information concerning India and China in WWIi
I liked the evolving love story between Julia and Paul and the terror experienced during bombings and travel trauma.
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