
The Secret War of Julia Child
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
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...
-
The Last Light over Oslo
- A Novel
- By: Alix Rickloff
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cleo Jaffray was an American. A war in Europe had nothing to do with her. She told herself that right up until the man she loved went missing in Poland and Cleo was forced to turn to the only person who might be able to help—her aunt Daisy, the US Minister to Norway. Daisy Harriman has never shied away from a challenge, be it canvassing for women’s suffrage or driving Red Cross ambulances in WWI, so as only the second woman ambassador, she is determined to prove the naysayers wrong and succeed in her post.
-
-
History & Great Story Combo
- By Ann on 04-08-25
By: Alix Rickloff
-
The Thirteenth Husband
- By: Greer Macallister
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tearing through millions of dollars, four continents, and a hearty collection of husbands, real-life heiress Aimée Crocker blazed an unbelievable trail of public notoriety, private pain, and the kind of strong independent woman the 1880s had never seen. Her life was stranger than fiction and brighter than the stars, and she whirled through her days as if she was being chased. Greer Macallister brilliantly takes us into a world you won’t soon forget.
-
-
Unbelievable but compelling listen!
- By Reading Grandma on 09-27-24
-
The Colony Club
- A Novel
- By: Shelley Noble
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Nicely done!
- By Kristyn Rose on 02-02-25
By: Shelley Noble
-
Mademoiselle Eiffel
- A Novel
- By: Aimie K. Runyan
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Claire Eiffel, the beautiful, brilliant eldest daughter of the illustrious architect Gustave Eiffel, is doted upon with an education envied by many sons of the upper classes, and entirely out of the reach of most daughters. Claire’s idyllic childhood ends abruptly when, at fourteen, her mother passes away. It’s soon made clear that Gustave expects Claire to fill her mother’s place as caregiver to the younger children and as manager of their home.
-
-
The narration had me speeding up to get through it.
- By Hawk on 11-09-24
By: Aimie K. Runyan
-
The Hidden Book
- A Novel
- By: Kirsty Manning
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Nabben
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From bestselling author Kirsty Manning comes a stunning novel based on a true story of clandestine courage in World War II as prisoners of war risk their lives to secure evidence of Nazi atrocities—and how one man concealed it for decades before passing it on to his family who struggle to understand their inherited legacy of trauma.
By: Kirsty Manning
-
Lady Flyer
- By: Heather B. Moore
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the quiet town of Houghton, Michigan, sixteen-year-old Nancy Harkness discovers a passion that ignites her heart in ways she never expected. The arrival of barnstormer pilots brings more than just the thrill of their daring stunts; it brings the promise of adventure. Nancy vows she will be a pilot someday. Years later, as the dark clouds of World War II gather on the horizon, Nancy’s dreams take a new and daring turn. With unwavering determination, she envisions a squadron of female pilots. Yet, her path is far from clear.
-
-
Excellent historical book!
- By sherri e. on 09-24-24
By: Heather B. Moore
-
The Last Light over Oslo
- A Novel
- By: Alix Rickloff
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cleo Jaffray was an American. A war in Europe had nothing to do with her. She told herself that right up until the man she loved went missing in Poland and Cleo was forced to turn to the only person who might be able to help—her aunt Daisy, the US Minister to Norway. Daisy Harriman has never shied away from a challenge, be it canvassing for women’s suffrage or driving Red Cross ambulances in WWI, so as only the second woman ambassador, she is determined to prove the naysayers wrong and succeed in her post.
-
-
History & Great Story Combo
- By Ann on 04-08-25
By: Alix Rickloff
-
The Thirteenth Husband
- By: Greer Macallister
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tearing through millions of dollars, four continents, and a hearty collection of husbands, real-life heiress Aimée Crocker blazed an unbelievable trail of public notoriety, private pain, and the kind of strong independent woman the 1880s had never seen. Her life was stranger than fiction and brighter than the stars, and she whirled through her days as if she was being chased. Greer Macallister brilliantly takes us into a world you won’t soon forget.
-
-
Unbelievable but compelling listen!
- By Reading Grandma on 09-27-24
-
The Colony Club
- A Novel
- By: Shelley Noble
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Nicely done!
- By Kristyn Rose on 02-02-25
By: Shelley Noble
-
Mademoiselle Eiffel
- A Novel
- By: Aimie K. Runyan
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Claire Eiffel, the beautiful, brilliant eldest daughter of the illustrious architect Gustave Eiffel, is doted upon with an education envied by many sons of the upper classes, and entirely out of the reach of most daughters. Claire’s idyllic childhood ends abruptly when, at fourteen, her mother passes away. It’s soon made clear that Gustave expects Claire to fill her mother’s place as caregiver to the younger children and as manager of their home.
-
-
The narration had me speeding up to get through it.
- By Hawk on 11-09-24
By: Aimie K. Runyan
-
The Hidden Book
- A Novel
- By: Kirsty Manning
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Nabben
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From bestselling author Kirsty Manning comes a stunning novel based on a true story of clandestine courage in World War II as prisoners of war risk their lives to secure evidence of Nazi atrocities—and how one man concealed it for decades before passing it on to his family who struggle to understand their inherited legacy of trauma.
By: Kirsty Manning
-
Lady Flyer
- By: Heather B. Moore
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the quiet town of Houghton, Michigan, sixteen-year-old Nancy Harkness discovers a passion that ignites her heart in ways she never expected. The arrival of barnstormer pilots brings more than just the thrill of their daring stunts; it brings the promise of adventure. Nancy vows she will be a pilot someday. Years later, as the dark clouds of World War II gather on the horizon, Nancy’s dreams take a new and daring turn. With unwavering determination, she envisions a squadron of female pilots. Yet, her path is far from clear.
-
-
Excellent historical book!
- By sherri e. on 09-24-24
By: Heather B. Moore
-
On What Grounds
- By: Cleo Coyle
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clare Cosi used to manage the historic Village Blend coffeehouse…until she opted for quieter pastures and a more suburban life. But after ten years and a little friendly cajoling from the owner (a fresh pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain was all it took), she's back to the grind. With a sprawling rent-free apartment directly above the Village Blend, her cat Java by her side, and plenty of coffeehouse redecorating ideas, Clare is thrilled to return to work. Until she discovers the assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere.
-
-
Stands out
- By Pam on 06-07-13
By: Cleo Coyle
-
Code Name Edelweiss
- By: Stephanie Landsem
- Narrated by: Cady Zuckerman, Neil Hellegers
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1933, a man named Adolf Hitler is the new and powerful anti-Semitic chancellor of Germany. But in Los Angeles, no-nonsense secretary Liesl Weiss has concerns much closer to home. The Great Depression is tightening its grip, and Liesl is the sole supporter of two children, an opinionated mother, and a troubled brother.
-
-
Fantastic WW2 Story
- By Anonymous User on 03-14-23
-
The Medicine Woman of Galveston
- By: Amanda Skenandore
- Narrated by: Amanda Stribling
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once a trailblazer in the field of medicine, Dr. Tucia Hatherley hasn't touched a scalpel or stethoscope since she made a fatal mistake in the operating theater. Instead, she works in a corset factory, striving to earn enough to support her disabled son. When even that livelihood is threatened, Tucia is left with one option-to join a wily, charismatic showman named Huey and become part of his traveling medicine show.
-
-
Brilliant Writing As Always
- By 20eagle16 on 06-21-24
-
The Lost Passenger
- A Novel
- By: Frances Quinn
- Narrated by: Heather Long
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An immersive historical drama about a young mother who starts a new life with her son in New York after faking their deaths on the Titanic—the U.S. debut of acclaimed British novelist Frances Quinn.
-
-
Very inspiring
- By Lifewithtiff7 on 04-15-25
By: Frances Quinn
-
The Direction of the Wind
- A Novel
- By: Mansi Shah
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sophie Shah was six when she learned her mother, Nita, had died. For twenty-two years, she shouldered the burden of that loss. But when her father passes away, Sophie discovers a cache of hidden letters revealing a shattering truth: her mother didn’t die. She left.
-
-
As wordy & predictable as they come
- By AlexWals on 03-12-23
By: Mansi Shah
-
The Girl with No Name
- By: Diney Costeloe
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 18 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirteen-year-old Lisa has escaped from Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport. She arrives in London unable to speak a word of English, her few belongings crammed into a small suitcase. Among them is one precious photograph of the family she has left behind. Lonely and homesick, she is adopted by a childless couple. But when the Blitz blows her new home apart, she wakes up in a hospital with no memory of who she is or where she came from. The authorities give her a new name and dispatch her to a children's home. With the war raging around her, what will become of Lisa now?
-
-
Omit the “f” words!
- By NanaB on 09-26-19
By: Diney Costeloe
-
Women in the Valley of the Kings
- The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age
- By: Kathleen Sheppard
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The history of Egyptology is often told as yet one more grand narrative of powerful men striving to seize the day and the precious artifacts for their competing homelands. But that is only half of the story. During the Golden Age of Exploration, there were women working and exploring before Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tut. Before men even conceived of claiming the story for themselves, women were working in Egypt to lay the groundwork for all future exploration.
-
-
Nothing really
- By John Harley on 12-09-24
-
The Girls in the Attic
- By: Marius Gabriel
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Max Wolff is a committed soldier of the Reich. So when he is sent home wounded, only to discover that his mother is sheltering two young Jewish women in their home, he is outraged. His mother’s act of mercy is a gross betrayal of everything Max stands for. He has dedicated his life to Nazism, fighting to atone for the shame of his anti-Hitler father’s imprisonment. It’s his duty to turn the sisters over to the Gestapo. But he hesitates, and the longer Max fails to do his duty, the harder it becomes.
-
-
impact of The War in Germany on Germans
- By Florida girl on 11-02-21
By: Marius Gabriel
-
The Face of a Stranger
- A William Monk Novel #1
- By: Anne Perry
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
His name, they tell him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detective. But the accident that felled him has left him with only half a life; his memory and his entire past have vanished. As he tries to hide the truth, Monk returns to work and is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a Crimean War hero and man about town. Which makes Monk’s efforts doubly difficult, since he’s forgotten his professional skills along with everything else.
-
-
promising start to the series
- By connie on 01-09-10
By: Anne Perry
-
The Invincible Miss Cust
- A Novel
- By: Penny Haw
- Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aleen Cust has big dreams. And no one―not her family, society, or the law―will stop her. Born in Ireland in 1868 to an aristocratic English family, Aleen knows she is destined to work with animals, even if her family is appalled by the idea of a woman pursuing a veterinary career. Going against their wishes but with the encouragement of the guardian assigned to her upon her father’s death, Aleen attends the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh, enrolling as A. I. Custance to spare her family the humiliation they fear.
-
-
Unassuming
- By Candace Bank on 04-19-23
By: Penny Haw
-
The German Daughter
- By: Marius Gabriel
- Narrated by: Hannah Brown
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Norway, 1940. Liv has lived a quiet life on her family farm, dreaming of a happy life after the war is finally over. But all of her dreams vanish when the Nazi soldiers arrive in her village and a senior officer see something special in her... something that Hitler and the high command in Berlin is desperate to have at any cost. England, 1968. Agnes, although made orphan from the war, has grown up happy in the quiet wealth of the English countryside, raised by her adoring grandfather to be a perfect lady.
-
-
Seeds of Emotional Hope
- By Theo on 01-20-25
By: Marius Gabriel
-
The Windsor Conspiracy
- A Novel of the Crown, a Conspiracy, and the Duchess of Windsor
- By: Georgie Blalock
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
American Amelia Montague defied her family five years ago to marry the man she loved, but that decision cost her everything. Disowned by her family, and left a penniless widow after her husband’s death, Amelia becomes her cousin Wallis Simpson’s private secretary in France. With no other prospects available, Amelia has no choice but to succeed, and under their Aunt Bessie’s direction, hopes to have a positive influence on Wallis and the Duke of Windsor. During the next two years, Amelia realizes that not everything with the Windsors is glittering happiness.
-
-
Good book felt true to history
- By Catherine Severson on 12-04-24
By: Georgie Blalock
Critic reviews
Dear Listener,
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Dearie
- The Remarkable Life of Julia Child
- By: Bob Spitz
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Pasadena to Cambridge to New York, Washington, D.C., India, Ceylon, Paris, Marseilles, Santa Barbara, and Maine, Bob Spitz re-creates an extraordinary life. He takes us beyond the image of Julia as the tall, eccentric woman with a funny voice who taught America how to cook, to establish her as a genuine rebel and beloved icon, a woman who redefined herself in middle age, helped to change the role of women in America, set the standard for how to create a public personality in the modern media world.
-
-
Deeply mixed feelings
- By S. Vann on 08-17-12
By: Bob Spitz
-
A Covert Affair
- Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS
- By: Jennet Conant
- Narrated by: Jan Maxwell
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Jennet Conant brings us a stunning account of Julia and Paul Child's experiences as members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the Far East during World War II. She also details the tumultuous years when they were caught up in the McCarthy Red spy hunt in the 1950s and behaved with bravery and honor. It is a fascinating portrait of a group of idealistic men and women who were recruited by the citizen spy service, slapped into uniform, and dispatched to wage political warfare.
-
-
Julia and Paul?? Not in this book
- By Marsha on 11-02-11
By: Jennet Conant
-
The Thirteenth Husband
- By: Greer Macallister
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tearing through millions of dollars, four continents, and a hearty collection of husbands, real-life heiress Aimée Crocker blazed an unbelievable trail of public notoriety, private pain, and the kind of strong independent woman the 1880s had never seen. Her life was stranger than fiction and brighter than the stars, and she whirled through her days as if she was being chased. Greer Macallister brilliantly takes us into a world you won’t soon forget.
-
-
Unbelievable but compelling listen!
- By Reading Grandma on 09-27-24
-
Julia Child’s Kitchen
- The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space
- By: Paula J. Johnson, Jacques Pépin - foreword
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley, Jacques Pépin
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julia Child's 20' x 14' kitchen was a serious workspace and recipe-testing lab that exuded a sense of mid-century homey comfort. Now, it has been on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, for most of the past twenty years. Between lively narrative and detailed commentary on Julia's favorite kitchen gadgets, Julia Child's Kitchen illuminates the stories behind the room's design, use, significance, and legacy, showing how deeply Julia Child continues to influence food today.
By: Paula J. Johnson, and others
-
My Life in France
- By: Julia Child, Alex Prud'Homme
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia Child embraced so wholeheartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.
-
-
What a pleasure!
- By Sara on 07-03-08
By: Julia Child, and others
-
A Time for Defiance
- By: James D. Shipman
- Narrated by: Stephanie Einstein
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Another country’s viewpoint of WWII
- By Roger D Bartlett on 01-10-25
By: James D. Shipman
-
Dearie
- The Remarkable Life of Julia Child
- By: Bob Spitz
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Pasadena to Cambridge to New York, Washington, D.C., India, Ceylon, Paris, Marseilles, Santa Barbara, and Maine, Bob Spitz re-creates an extraordinary life. He takes us beyond the image of Julia as the tall, eccentric woman with a funny voice who taught America how to cook, to establish her as a genuine rebel and beloved icon, a woman who redefined herself in middle age, helped to change the role of women in America, set the standard for how to create a public personality in the modern media world.
-
-
Deeply mixed feelings
- By S. Vann on 08-17-12
By: Bob Spitz
-
A Covert Affair
- Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS
- By: Jennet Conant
- Narrated by: Jan Maxwell
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Jennet Conant brings us a stunning account of Julia and Paul Child's experiences as members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the Far East during World War II. She also details the tumultuous years when they were caught up in the McCarthy Red spy hunt in the 1950s and behaved with bravery and honor. It is a fascinating portrait of a group of idealistic men and women who were recruited by the citizen spy service, slapped into uniform, and dispatched to wage political warfare.
-
-
Julia and Paul?? Not in this book
- By Marsha on 11-02-11
By: Jennet Conant
-
The Thirteenth Husband
- By: Greer Macallister
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tearing through millions of dollars, four continents, and a hearty collection of husbands, real-life heiress Aimée Crocker blazed an unbelievable trail of public notoriety, private pain, and the kind of strong independent woman the 1880s had never seen. Her life was stranger than fiction and brighter than the stars, and she whirled through her days as if she was being chased. Greer Macallister brilliantly takes us into a world you won’t soon forget.
-
-
Unbelievable but compelling listen!
- By Reading Grandma on 09-27-24
-
Julia Child’s Kitchen
- The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space
- By: Paula J. Johnson, Jacques Pépin - foreword
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley, Jacques Pépin
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julia Child's 20' x 14' kitchen was a serious workspace and recipe-testing lab that exuded a sense of mid-century homey comfort. Now, it has been on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, for most of the past twenty years. Between lively narrative and detailed commentary on Julia's favorite kitchen gadgets, Julia Child's Kitchen illuminates the stories behind the room's design, use, significance, and legacy, showing how deeply Julia Child continues to influence food today.
By: Paula J. Johnson, and others
-
My Life in France
- By: Julia Child, Alex Prud'Homme
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia Child embraced so wholeheartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.
-
-
What a pleasure!
- By Sara on 07-03-08
By: Julia Child, and others
-
A Time for Defiance
- By: James D. Shipman
- Narrated by: Stephanie Einstein
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Another country’s viewpoint of WWII
- By Roger D Bartlett on 01-10-25
By: James D. Shipman
-
Appetite for Life
- The Biography of Julia Child
- By: Noel Riley Fitch
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 23 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Her name is synonymous with the art of cooking. Yet few know the richly varied private life of the legendary Julia Child. Go beyond the kitchen to discover a truly American icon in Appetite for Life.
-
-
If You Think You Know Julia Child, You Don't ...
- By Robert R. on 08-17-12
By: Noel Riley Fitch
-
The Butterfly Garden
- By: Rachel Burton
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
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
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Very good WWII resistance tale, but girly in places
- By YodaMaster on 12-14-24
By: Alan Hlad
-
The French Chef in America
- Julia Child's Second Act
- By: Alex Prud'homme
- Narrated by: Alex Prud'homme
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julia Child is synonymous with French cooking, but her legacy runs much deeper. Now, her great-nephew and My Life in France coauthor vividly recounts the myriad ways in which she profoundly shaped how we eat today. He shows us Child in the aftermath of the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, suddenly finding herself America's first lady of French food and under considerable pressure to embrace her new mantle.
-
-
Not the best
- By Carter W. MacKey on 10-13-16
By: Alex Prud'homme
-
The Colony Club
- A Novel
- By: Shelley Noble
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Nicely done!
- By Kristyn Rose on 02-02-25
By: Shelley Noble
-
The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club
- A Novel
- By: Martha Hall Kelly
- Narrated by: Martha Hall Kelly, Mary Elizabeth Kelly, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, and others
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
2016: Thirty-four-year-old Mari Starwood is still grieving after her mother’s death as she travels to the storied island of Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. She’s come all the way from California with nothing but a name on a piece of paper: Elizabeth Devereaux, the famous but reclusive Vineyard painter. When Mari makes it to Mrs. Devereaux’s stunning waterfront farm under the guise of taking a painting class with her, Mrs. Devereaux begins to tell her the story of the Smith sisters, who once lived there.
-
The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson
- A Novel
- By: Ellen Baker
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Interesting story took a while to get into.
- By Kayla B on 03-13-24
By: Ellen Baker
-
The Last Light over Oslo
- A Novel
- By: Alix Rickloff
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cleo Jaffray was an American. A war in Europe had nothing to do with her. She told herself that right up until the man she loved went missing in Poland and Cleo was forced to turn to the only person who might be able to help—her aunt Daisy, the US Minister to Norway. Daisy Harriman has never shied away from a challenge, be it canvassing for women’s suffrage or driving Red Cross ambulances in WWI, so as only the second woman ambassador, she is determined to prove the naysayers wrong and succeed in her post.
-
-
History & Great Story Combo
- By Ann on 04-08-25
By: Alix Rickloff
-
The Haunting of Moscow House
- By: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
- Narrated by: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the summer of 1921, and a group of Bolsheviks have taken over Irina and Lili Goliteva’s ancestral home in Moscow, a stately mansion falling into disrepair and decay. The remaining members of their family are ordered to move into the cramped attic, while the officials take over an entire wing of grand rooms downstairs. The sisters understand it is the way of things and know they must forget their noble upbringing to make their way in this new Soviet Russia. But the house begins to whisper of a traumatic past not as dead as they thought.
-
-
The Elegant Horror HF+F Gothic Tale You Need Right Now
- By Syd Young on 11-11-24
-
Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
- By: Evan S. Connell
- Narrated by: Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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
-
The Kamogawa Food Detectives
- A Kamogawa Food Detectives Novel, Book 1
- By: Hisashi Kashiwai, Jesse Kirkwood - translator
- Narrated by: Hanako Footman
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that's not the main reason customers stop by. The father-daughter duo are 'food detectives'. Through ingenious investigations, they are able to recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories—dishes that may well hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness. The restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to vanished moments, creating a present full of possibility.
-
-
Combines two of my favorite things
- By Anonymous on 03-25-24
By: Hisashi Kashiwai, and others
-
The Children's Train
- A Novel
- By: Viola Ardone
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Great read
- By kc on 01-19-23
By: Viola Ardone
What listeners say about The Secret War of Julia Child
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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😊
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jakob Hendrik Kuiper
- 02-16-25
Melodramatic voice of the main character is annoying
Not a great story-line, performance of the narrator where it concerned the main character (Julia) was pathetic. Complete waste of time, this audio-book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful