Thanks to NeGalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers. A fascinating fictionalized story about Julia Child's WWII service in the OSS.

Sadly, I did not love this one. I love Julia Child and her book, My Life in France, so I hoped that this would give me insight into her life before France and her time serving in WWII. It started off so well, with Julia efficiently saving an intel package from an operative detained in the hospital, delivering the package just minutes before the train and her counterpart departed. She fought for, and received, an assignment in India from her boss, Wild Bill Donovan. Her ship voyage was adventurous, narrowly escaping an incoming German torpedo, and upon her arrival in Bombay they were met by an explosion in the port. But then she arrived in Kandy and the book slowed to a crawl. She is supposed to spy on the British and ferret out a mole but a lot more time is spent covering the flirting and romantic entanglements of the various women that Julia worked with. This is also where we first meet Paul Child, Julia’s future husband, and too much is made of his awkward ways and her instant dislike of him. There were far too many characters to keep track of and the dialogue felt unnatural and it was often unclear what character was speaking. The plotting was uneven and in need of editing. In one chapter, Julia is released from the hospital after a bout with dengue fever while her colleague, Jane, was entering the hospital with the same illness and yet just a few paragraphs later Jane is found back at the base speaking with Julia in the office. I thought I had missed something but then realized that it was an editing error when, several pages later, Jane is released from the hospital after a weeks stay. I skimmed much of the rest of the book. Sadly it wasn’t for me.

Every I knew about Julia Child was about her love of French cooking. O had no idea how important her role was in the military during World War 2. She spent a lot of time in Asia working for our government and met her beloved Paul. Truly immeraive and wonderful to read.

I couldn't be more impressed with Diana R. Chambers' The Secret Life of Julia Child. Through many years of extensive research, and utilizing an active imagination, she has created a thrilling, fictionalized account of Julia Child's experience as an intelligence officer for the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in Asia. The book is set during World War II, many years before Child's stunning success as a celebrated chef and TV host. Starting as a very efficient file clerk, Julia finally convinces her boss to allow her to take on increasingly more important responsibilities, leading her to highly challenging--and often hair-raising--assignments in India, Ceylon, Burma, and eventually China.

Reading this book is an immersive experience. I felt many times that I was there with Julia, experiencing the sights, smells, language, and culture of the places she travels for her job during WWII. It becomes more of a mission than a job for Julia, as she observes deep suffering and unlikely joy, friendship and betrayal, and spends time with many memorable characters. Some will prove loyal, while others have their own agendas.

The prose is dense, the dialogue believable, and the stories unforgettable. I truly enjoyed learning about this lesser-known part of Julia's life. It was also entertaining to read about her early days with the man who would eventually be her husband, Paul Child (she didn't care for him at all when she met him!). The author is quick to emphasize that the book is, indeed, fiction, although based on solid, detailed research, but she has succeeded in writing a suspenseful, entertaining book that will appeal to both Julia Child fans and fans of historical novels.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Thank you so much for the ARC! I thought the storyline was great and loved this topic because it was something new to me. As a fan of Julia Child I felt like I learned so much while still being able to be immersed in a novel and not a history book. I enjoyed the descriptions but I did find the writing to lack cohesiveness and it felt disjointed.

Thank you so much for the ARC! I really enjoyed this book as it had me hooked from the beginning. This was such a beautiful story and I loved the storyline. It was very well written and the description of the main characters was amazing. I cannot wait to read other books written by this author.

There simply aren't enough stars to give this stunning book. It was not at all what I expected...it was so much more and I savored every page. Julia McWilliams Child was full of surprises, like being a terrible cook! I expected a love-at-first-sight tale of when she met Paul Child but she couldn't stand him. And those pearls she always wore? I now know where she got them and why she always wore them. Julia was so much more than the world-renowned chef we know and love.

This book is a deep dive into the Forgotten War in Southeast Asia that was brutal and lasted far longer than the war in Europe. The story is action-packed as Julia sails to India with some OSS compatriots for her first overseas posting. The descriptions of the sights and smells that caused Julia's senses to explode are beautifully detailed. She continues to Ceylon where there is intrigue and treason in the intelligence community. From there she goes to Burma and finally over the Himalayas into China where the politics of Chiang Kai Shek, Chairman Mao, and the warlords complicate the allies' war plans. The writing is exquisite, with detailed observations of each country's beautiful landscapes, biodiversity, incredible culinary dishes, and the local people. Julia loved it and thrived, never settling for anything less than a life well-lived. As spectacular as the settings are, this story is character-driven with the men and women who served in the OSS during World War II in far-flung places. The author's detailed, diligent research and writing skills made reading this book a privilege. For me, a U.S. State Department Foreign Service brat whose childhood was spent in India, it felt like going home.