Description

An instant international bestseller and a USA Today bestseller.

Selected as a Washington Post Best Historical Fiction Book of 2024, recognized by People magazine as a Best Book of Fall, and featured as a New York Post Book of the Week!

Before she famously introduced Americans to the exquisite flavors of French cooking, Julia Child led a remarkable and little-known life as part of the secret intelligence efforts during World War II. This captivating novel will charm historical fiction readers and fans of the renowned culinary icon alike, revealing the extraordinary adventures that shaped Julia Child into the beloved figure we cherish today.

Single, 30 years old, and standing 6-foot-2, Julia McWilliams never imagined espionage would become part of her story. But years before Paris or cooking entered her life, she joined America’s first spy agency, evolving from an eager, well-bred young woman in Pasadena to a determined file clerk in wartime Washington, DC—and eventually rising to head General “Wild Bill” Donovan’s highly classified File Registry at the Office of Strategic Services.

Julia’s wartime journey carries her to the remote front-line outposts of South Asia—from the lush island of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to the bustling cities of India and China. Along the way, she discovers purpose, thrilling adventure, deep personal insight, and romance with Paul Child, a talented mapmaker. Rarely illuminated in histories of Child’s famed career, this fascinating chapter in her life (“I’m not a spy,” she’d claim) offers readers a lyrical exploration of the wartime experiences and unexpected events that paved the way for her tremendous legacy.