Dearie

The Remarkable Life of Julia Child

By: Bob Spitz

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

The definitive biography of Julia Child - with access to Julia's diaries and letters - written by the author of the best-selling and critically acclaimed The Beatles and timed to Julia's 100th birthday.

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, and altered the way America eats and thinks of food. There might not be a Food Network or even a PBS if Julia had not blazed the trail.

Spitz chronicles Julia's friendships, her struggles, her heartwarming romance with Paul, and of course, the story of the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her triumphant TV career. A thorough, surprising, affectionate, and extraordinarily entertaining account of a truly remarkable life.

©2012 Bob Spitz (P)2012 Random House Audio

A great read

What made the experience of listening to Dearie the most enjoyable?

It was fun to learn about the life and challenges of Julia Child

Who was your favorite character and why?

Julie - it was her biography

Have you listened to any of Kimberly Farr’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No. Good all the way through

So darn good, a feast!

I listened to my life in France and then 6 mos. later I listened again. I craved more, finding myself fascinated by Julia Child and also enjoying tinkering with my own cooking. I stumbled on Dearie and I’m so glad I did. This book is a joy and meeting Julia and her supporting players in all their glorious real humanity was a feast!

lovely story

gift from my sister. almost didn't listen as I never watched or read julia child. glad I decided to give it a go! i couldn't stop listening once i started it! what a wonderful life she had. I may even try my hand at french cooking . . .

Delicious story, richly told

The 25 hours I spent with Julia Child were endlessly entertaining and flavorful detailed. With so many interesting discoveries and realizations about this remarkable and highly original woman, I “close” the book feeling quite inspired and knowing I will miss spending more time together. Cheers to author Bob Spitz for sharing the life of this American icon so beautifully and truthfully.

Dearie

This book tells the story of a women and a man that achieved greatness beyond measure. Everyone that likes to cook should have mastering in their library
I am so happy to have a look beyond the pages to see The real Julia snd company. So we’ll written that I could not put it down.

Lovely Tribute to an amazing lady!

Enjoyed every chapter of this book. Some overlaps from some of the French Chef and Life in France books but you don’t mind because they are great stories to listen to again and again.

Delicious!

I absolutely loved this book. I think the author gave the readers a true picture of Julia Child - warts and all. She was an amazing character, someone I would love to have met.
This is a very long book but that was one of the things I enjoyed most. When I knew I was getting close to the end I was wishing it could go on.
One thing I would say is that "don't listen to this book if you are hungry"! The descriptions of the recipes and the food had my drooling all over my car!
If you are at all in to food, cooking or just remember Julia from your childhood I think you will enjoy this book.

Delightful Dearie!

Having become addicted to the movie Julie & Julie, when I saw this I knew it was a must read. I love to cook but don't do much anymore, not much into cookbooks or fine dining, and never really was a fan of the only side of Julia Child I ever knew - the TV cook show persona but now, well into the second third of this book, I wish I had paid more attention to those cooking shows of hers. A delightful book about a delightful woman, The reader Kim Farr at times, either intentionally or naturally, hits that quirky falsetto voice of Julia and reads so well that I seldom even think about the voice but can picture Julia moving along in her life, getting to know her family, what an adventuresome woman she was for her time, seeing her in a kitchen, taking classes with GIs at the Le Cordon Bleu, her personal and spiritual growth through her life, etc, much gleaned from correspondence between Julia and others and Julia's husband, Paul Child, and his brother. A passing reference was made to a prior biography, which I might attempt to locate after finishing with this one. And finish every word I will and with great pleasure.

Learn about the real "Julia"

Where does Dearie rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the better audiobooks, given the fact that I listened to every minute of it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dearie?

Many examples of her perseverance...years to finish the cookbooks, the book tours and fund raisers into her 80s were most impressive.

What about Kimberly Farr’s performance did you like?

Pacing was good, as was her attention to correct pronunciation of non-English terms.

Any additional comments?

The book repeats itself in places, but overall it's an interesting story of a life full of variety. I also liked that the author explained the historical context of the times that influenced Julia's choices (or lack thereof). We also get to see a side of Julia Child that one never saw on the "French Chef", i.e. her penchant for risqué comments.

Loved it

Such an interesting accidental life- fascinating story. I enjoyed learning about the impact Julia had on American cuisine, and her stubbornness as well as her ability to change with the times.