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The Secret War of Julia Child

By: Diana R. Chambers
Narrated by: Candace Joice
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Publisher's summary

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 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Written with flair and charm, Chambers's novel really heats up whenever sex, danger, or dinner come into view." ---Library Journal

Dear Listener,

What do I hope you will take away from my story?
"As a girl, I’d often spin my world globe, and it often stopped on India. After drifting through my twenties, I finally reached Delhi in the middle of one very dark night. Years later, I discovered that Julia Child was also around 30 when she landed in Bombay Harbor, on a troop ship carrying 3,000 soldiers and two dozen members of her OSS team. The Allied forces intended to push the Imperial Japanese Army out of Asia—and the secret services were critical.
But Julia Child? I had to learn more! From girlhood, she’d dreamed of becoming a “famous woman writer.” Defying her father’s ultimatum, Julia McWilliams rejected the tall, rich, and handsome suitor who didn’t make her knees tingle. She kept searching for her creative path, even at the risk of “spinsterhood”—a brave choice then. Suddenly, Pearl Harbor launched her to Washington where the doors of opportunity were open to women—and Julia charged right through. Smart, hardworking, and determined, she was soon promoted to field work in India, then the front lines of China. In both posts, she had to confront the annoying Paul Child. “The war made me,” she would later say. This is the dramatic story I wanted to tell, the woman I want to introduce you to. I love Julia McWilliams Child for her courage, spirit, and appetite for life—and hope you will, too."– Diana R. Chambers, writer of The Secret War of Julia Child

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