quite by accident i have read three Julia Child books this summer, and each one was better than the last! and though my culinary tastes do not really tend toward French cooking, Julia’s story is irresistible.
first i read Julia’s Cats: Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats by Patricia Barey and Therese Burson . it started out strong, describing Julia’s Parisian kitties, but then rather ran out of material. still it was a fun book.
next came a children’s book also about her cat called Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat by Susanna Reich. the illustrations are lush in this book, though the star of the book, Minette, is drawn rather strangely. she looks as though she has a bit of the maniac in her. the title is a riff on the lovely, quiet food film called Babette’s Feast based on a story by Isak Dinesen. i must revisit that one this winter.
finally i came across Bon Appetit! the Delicious Life of Julia Child by Jessie Hartland. this one is a keeper! her style is very similar to Maira Kalman–heavy black outlines, twirly script, bright colors. she knows just which details to add to make the story pop! and there is a lot going on each spread. it’s not just the forward motion of the story that is of interest, but all the extra bits that keep you glued to the page. sort of sounds like deglazing a pan to get all the little flavorful bits into your sauce!
