THE SECRET WAR OF JULIA CHILD

Candace Joice performs this fictionalization of Julia Child's overseas service in WWII with brio. While her narration can veer into the melodramatic, its eagerness matches the author's enthusiastic writing style. In conversational sections, Joice's delivery becomes more low-key as she creates nuanced vocal portraits of a range of characters. She also does an impressive job of sounding like Julia Child without going over-the-top with the chef's idiosyncratic voice. The story is inspired by Child's real-life service with the OSS (the precursor to the CIA) in India, China, and what was Ceylon. There's espionage, danger, heroics, and even romance with her future husband, Paul. Child always said that she was just an OSS file clerk during the war, but that's what a good spy would say. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2024]