Before she mastered the art of French cooking in midlife, Julia Child found herself working in the secrets trade in World War II Asia, a journey that reveals how the war made her into the icon we know now.
An instant international bestseller!
A Washington Post Best Book of 2024!
A New York Post Book of the Week!
A People magazine Best Book of Fall!
Single, 6 foot 2, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams found a job at 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 Registry of secret files inside the Office of Strategic Services.
The wartime journey takes her to the remote front lines of then-Ceylon, India, and China, where she finds purpose, adventure, self-knowledge—and love with mapmaker Paul Child. Not only do we see Julia’s origin story, but also the “Forgotten War” in Asia, where themes of empire and colonialism enrich the story, and deepen Julia’s perceptions of international culture. The spotlight has rarely shone on this fascinating period in the life of “I was only a file clerk” Julia Child, and this lyrical story allows us to explore the unlikely world of a woman in a WWII spy station who has no idea of her eventual impact.
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Listen to a Spotify playlist of World War II songs, find recipes, and see photos on The Secret War of Julia Child page!
PRAISE FOR THE SECRET WAR OF JULIA CHILD
A Library Journal BEST BOOK of 2024
“Chambers invites readers on adventures in espionage and romance with Julia Child before she became a beloved TV chef…A well-researched fictionalization of Child’s activities during World War II.”
—Liz French & Lesa Holstine, Library Journal
A Shelf-Awareness BEST BOOK, November 2024
“A riveting novel set in World War II’s Southeast Asian theater imagines critical contributions by the United States’s most unlikely intelligence officer: Julia McWilliams Child, beloved chef of French cuisine. The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers is well-documented historical fiction that pays credit to Child’s brave and clever intelligence work for the Office of Strategic Services…A fascinating glimpse into a little-known side of a famous personality and a revealing history of nations often not highlighted in books about World War II.”
—Cheryl McKeon, Shelf-Awareness
A Historical Novels Review EDITORS’ CHOICE, November 2024
“Before Julia Child was Julia Child, she was Julia McWilliams, who served in the OSS (predecessor of the CIA) in the Far East during World War II. Afterwards she always claimed she was just a file clerk, but in Diana R. Chambers’ exciting new novel, she is an active secret agent…in Asia. Although Chambers emphatically declares this is a work of fiction, she has done extensive research on the places and the times and produces a convincing picture of wartime Washington, DC; India; Burma (Myanmar); Ceylon (Sri Lanka); and China, where Julia Child did indeed operate…Chambers paints an interesting, complex portrait of Paul Child along with a scintillating one of intrepid, 30-year-old Julia, six foot two and afraid she’ll be single and underemployed forever.”
—Susan Lowell, Historical Novels Review
“Chambers excels at explaining the complex geopolitics of wartime Asia and describing the landscape and delicious foods found there.”
—Booklist
“A well-researched and exhilarating read, The Secret War of Julia Child is a novel that is both sweeping in its scope, yet highly personal for Julia Child. Deftly portraying both Ms. Child and the India-Burma-China theater of war, The Secret War of Julia Child is an exploration of freedom and the importance of fighting for it.”
—New York Journal of Books
“Deeply researched and written with verve, this imagining of a little-known part of chef Julia Child’s life—one rife with courage and resilience—shines.”
—Janet Somerville, Special to The Toronto Star
“At turns charming, funny, and inspiring, The Secret War of Julia Child is a vividly written and deeply imaginative new take on World War II. By letting us see this historic moment through the eyes of a beloved American icon, Chambers beautifully captures the spirit of the women of the greatest generation.”
—Dr. Lena Andrews, bestselling author of Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II
“Fans of romance novels will spot the makings of an enemies-to-lovers tale…the sweet, slightly old-fashioned romance is fueled by lots of spicy, delicious-sounding food.”
―Minnesota Star-Tribune
“An exciting, little-known reveal of the story behind Julia Child’s WWII service, showing her resilience and bravery in the spy world as well as giving fascinating insights into the war being waged in Asia. A must read.”
—Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author
