The Secret War of Julia Child: A Novel

Diana R. Chambers

Oct 2024 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

An instant international bestseller and a USA Today bestseller!

A Washington Post Best Historical Fiction Book of 2024!

A People magazine Best Book of Fall!

A New York Post Book of the Week!

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, 6 foot 2, 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.

Ratings and reviews

Two and a half stars. This reads like a slightly superficial factual account, maybe an outline for a film, or a historical text written for a younger audience. So now I don't know how much (if anything) is real and how much is fiction, and if it is fiction why is it so dry? I didn't learn anything about Julia Child's earlier life because I can't tell what the author made up, and the fiction wasn't enjoyable. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

About the author

Diana R. Chambers was born with a book in one hand and a passport in the other. Her first explorations were in the library, plotting adventures on her world globe. She went on to study Asian art history at university, work at a Paris translation agency, and begin an export business in India. Then somehow she found herself in Hollywood writing scripts—until her characters demanded their own novels. Her latest is The Secret War of Julia Child. Diana lives in Northern California and Aix-en-Provence, France, with her husband, daughter, and cat, Marco Polo.