February 2013 Book Club "My Life In France" by Julia Child and Alex Prud' homme

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Hi Everyone,

Tomorrow night, Monday at 6:30 PM, our March book club will meet again at Natilie’s Pizzeria on North Main Street in Butler as we did last month. I hope you enjoyed reading The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin, the story of Anne Lindbergh, the wife of Charles Lindbergh. I’m anxious to hear all of your opinions and interpretations of this book.

In attendance for our February meeting were Christine, Ginnie, Jody, Barb K., Mary Beth, Lori, Cheryl, and myself. We discussed the book My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud’ Homme. Julia’s easygoing and genuine personality comes through in her book like a tasty cinnamon roll dipped in a warm cup of tea. From the very first chapter, she became my best friend as she shared with me all of her memories of France, her life with her husband Paul, and her rocky road to cuisine success. I loved traveling with her to the France of post WWII, her descriptions of life as it was then: lack of public utilities, outdated appliances, shopping at specialty markets, traveling in their Buick station wagon “The Blue Flash.” Every story seemed to hark back to a memory my daughter Makenzie has related to me of her life living in Europe. Even my own visits to Italy and Portugal were relived through many of Julia’s very perceptive anecdotes of European life. I remember the many trips around Naples we had made two summers ago, and each time we awed at how the city still appears as if it was bombed by the Germans only yesterday. Streets thousands of years old are still used to support heavy traffic, and buildings that date back to the days of Caesar still stand crumbling in many neighborhoods. 

Julia’s amazing biography offers a profound perspective on life, something all great books should do. Through her story, Julia teaches us to love and accept our family and friends, to find what makes us happy and work hard at it, to never give up on our dreams, but most of all to be ourselves. I admired her craziness, like the holiday postcards, especially the Valentine card of her and Paul in the bathtub. I admired her complete honesty as she shared her failures with her early experiences at the Cordon Bleu and in her efforts to write the cookbook. We even learned a bit of history on the Cold War Era as Julia enlightened us on the mentality of that time through the personal trials Paul had faced working with a government provoked by McCarthyism.

I really wish I had asked Jody to write this email because her perspective would be so much more enriching for all of us. Did you know that Jody is interning at the Heinz History Center? Did you also know that her job is archiving Pittsburgh cookbooks and recipes? You are my idol right now Jody; you and Julia Child of course! Please, Jody, offer additional comments to this email and I will post them on our blog: http://tsmithkcwwbc.blogspot.com/  

For homework tonight, think about your own relationship with your husband. As Anne Lindbergh spent much of her life in the shadow of Charles, nevertheless, she accomplished much. How do you feel about her willingness to be subservient? Can you compare Anne’s relationship with her husband to your own now or at any time in your life? See you tomorrow at our secluded spot to discuss this riveting story, and for some good girl talk.

Yours in reading,

Tammy

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