About the Book
As Paris rebuilds in the aftermath of World War II, one ex-pat uses the skills she learned in French kitchens during the war to bring long-held secrets to light.
Paris, 1952 -- An ex-pat wife living in Paris signs up for a cookery class taught by an American chef with an indomitable wit and decidedly French airs--an instructor by name of Julia Child. Amongst classes of the L'Ecole des Trois Gourmandes, with pots and pans and prim Paris wives learning to sauté in the French way, Kat Fontaine learns much more than she bargained for.
Still haunted by the years she spent serving in the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII, Kat soon finds a simple cookery class unearths the tangle of gut-wrenching memories of war and questions about the high-ranking society husband whose past is as murky as her own. But when the puzzle pieces start to come together--and her carefully crafted Paris world begins to fall apart--Kat must confront her own secrets against the mounting suspicions of the husband she thought she knew . . .
Rue, 1943 -- Deep in the heart of Nazi-controlled northern France, Manon Altier shifts between working for the enemy by day--as a French chef at the famous Château du Broutel, where names like Himmler, Rommel, and Goebbels frequent the guest list--and running with underground networks against the Vichy regime at night. Working undercover to filter information to agents within the burgeoning OSS, Manon digs deep into the glitz and glamour of a Nazi stronghold that has her teetering on the edge of being discovered at any turn. But when an intriguing stranger appears at the chateau claiming to work with the French Resistance, Manon must lean on her instincts to judge whether to run and hide or stand firm--even as a terrifying discovery tests her resolve to continue the fight.
From the heights of culinary cuisine in 1950s Paris society to the underbelly of a WWII spy network embedded deep within Nazi-controlled Vichy France--and the spy backstory of the world's most famous would-be French chef, Julia Child--The French Kitchen turns up the heat on the pasts of women whose worlds collide, and forces each to question what she thought she'd planned for a perfect future. (Goodreads)
My Thoughts
To start with, I think the cover of this book is stunning! This story is mainly set during WWII and the lives of undercover spies. There are multiple time lines to follow in typical Cambron style. At first I wasn't sure I would ever be able to keep the many characters and timelines separate but a few chapters in and I realized how the author was tying things together so it made a lot more sense. I enjoyed all of the perspectives shown during heavy war time and also after the war which I thought was a unique perspective. What did these people who were so pivotal to the war effort do once it was over? Did they have regrets? Were they still trying to right wrongs? Could they trust anyone?
So many things are touched upon between these pages that it makes for quite a captivating story. It was really interesting to read about the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and what they did to help the war effort. It truly is astounding. There is a romance that you really don't expect and it added a sweetness to the plot. Julia Child makes an appearance which made for a fun plot twist. While a little slow to start, this book had my full attention and was difficult to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend if you enjoy historical fiction. This is one of Cambron's best!
Five Stars.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
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