The Secret War of Julia Child, a novel by Diana R. Chambers, is a lively story based, though embellished, on true events. This is a story about Julia Child long before she became known for her French cooking.

Julia McWilliams, a Pasadena, California blue blood, grew up in privilege and wealth. But she yearned for a life of adventure. And she found it.

This part of the story is based on actual facts: During World War II, Julia, then 32, wanted to be a part of the war effort. At 6 feet, 2 inches, she was denied joining the WAVES because she was too tall. She took a job working for America’s first espionage agency. As a Washington, DC file clerk she was promoted to General “Wild Bill” Donovan’s secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), where she collected and analyzed top-secret intelligence. At the close of 1942, Child took up the position of junior research assistant with the Secret Intelligence Branch of the Office of Strategic Services, a forerunner to the CIA. She undertook a variety of positions at the OSS, including clerk at the director’s office and administrative assistant in the Registry of OSS. She also eagerly volunteered to work for OSS overseas. From 1944-1945, she kept intelligence files for the OSS in India. The following year, she worked for the organization in China.

In The Secret War of Julia Child, Julia’s wartime job entails overseas work in remote front lines, first in India, then later China where she finds purpose, adventure, and self-knowledge. Along the way, she meets Paul Child, a map maker. Her first impression of Paul was that he was rude, arrogant, thoughtless, and didn’t care about anyone but himself. Later she realized that he was totally engaged in his important work. Lives depended on the accuracy of his maps.

In carrying out her duties, Julia experiences many adventures, some extremely dangerous. She encounters Paul in many of her situations and their involvement gradually blossoms into love.

The Secret War of Julia Child is a fascinating story that smoothly blends facts with fiction. In the beginning of the book the author lists many acronyms our government uses, which I greatly appreciated. Much of the story rings true: war-time attitudes and conditions in India and China, and the important part the United States played in World War II overseas. I hadn’t known of Julia Child’s involvement in the war effort, and was impressed with her generally unknown past. The author has masterfully combined likely happenings with actual facts of WW II and Julia Child’s participation in it.