I liked this book. I remember watching Julia Child on Public Television when I was a kid. Julia was one smart and talented woman. I watched the movie Julie and Julia and read Julie's book, but Julia's was so much better. After reading it I wanted to run right out and get the Art of French Cooking no matter how many volumes it has. ( )

This is an interesting insight into Julia's life and the times. She and Avis write back and forth about what food items are available in France vs the US, recipes, politics (both liberals - a lot of discussion about McCarthy), and about the process of getting a book published. ( )

Hardly a book I expected to find so engrossing and detailed and personal; with very minimal bridging materials and introductions, this collection of letters between the title women is engrossing for their discussions of cooking, writing, contemporary politics (fascinating looks at the McCarthy era on both their parts), and more. A book of interest whether you're a fan of cooking or not.

I'd picked this up on a whim at the library for my wife to thumb through, and insomnia (and a well structured book with great voices in the letters) had me finishing this before she'd even looked at it. ( )

I have been slowly picking away at this book. I love it while I am reading it but I think it is time to turn it in. I will come back to it, I love watching the friendship between these 2 women grow through letters. ( )

Really worthwhile but not a fast read. Through their correspondence, Julia Child and Avis DeVoto became not only the best of friends but also wildly successful publishing collaborators (in bringing to fruition arguably the most famous and influential cookbook of the mid-twenteth century). Reading these letters, which can feel uncomfortably intrusive at times, is a fascinating glimpse into their lives. Joan Reardon does an admirable job of filling in the background and including discreet footnotes identifying the many people who are mentioned in passing. The subject matter occasionally gets repetitive and tedious (particularly the political observations, which after a while tend to fall into the category of "more of the same"); personally, I would have been much more heavy handed about winnowing the letters. Nevertheless, the book is a real treat, a rare opportunity to observe the myriad circumstances which brought about publication of a seminal book and ultimately launched Julia Child into the public eye. ( )