A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS
Written by Jennet Conant
Narrated by Jan Maxwell
3/5
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About this audiobook
Bestselling author Jennet Conant brings us a stunning account of Julia and Paul Child’s experiences as members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the Far East during World War II and the tumultuous years when they were caught up in the McCarthy Red spy hunt in the 1950s and behaved with bravery and honor. It is the fascinating portrait of a group of idealistic men and women who were recruited by the citizen spy service, slapped into uniform, and dispatched to wage political warfare in remote outposts in Ceylon, India, and China.
The eager, inexperienced 6 foot 2 inch Julia springs to life in these pages, a gangly golf-playing California girl who had never been farther abroad than Tijuana. Single and thirty years old when she joined the staff of Colonel William Donovan, Julia volunteered to be part of the OSS’s ambitious mission to develop a secret intelligence network across Southeast Asia. Her first post took her to the mountaintop idyll of Kandy, the headquarters of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, the supreme commander of combined operations. Julia reveled in the glamour and intrigue of her overseas assignment and lifealtering romance with the much older and more sophisticated Paul Child, who took her on trips into the jungle, introduced her to the joys of curry, and insisted on educating both her mind and palate. A painter drafted to build war rooms, Paul was a colorful, complex personality. Conant uses extracts from his letters in which his sharp eye and droll wit capture the day-to-day confusion, excitement, and improbability of being part of a cloak- and-dagger operation.
When Julia and Paul were transferred to Kunming, a rugged outpost at the foot of the Burma Road, they witnessed the chaotic end of the war in China and the beginnings of the Communist revolution that would shake the world. A Covert Affair chronicles their friendship with a brilliant and eccentric array of OSS agents, including Jane Foster, a wealthy, free-spirited artist, and Elizabeth MacDonald, an adventurous young reporter. In Paris after the war, Julia and Paul remained close to their intelligence colleagues as they struggled to start new lives, only to find themselves drawn into a far more terrifying spy drama. Relying on recently unclassified OSS and FBI documents, as well as previously unpublished letters and diaries, Conant vividly depicts a dangerous time in American history, when those who served their country suddenly found themselves called to account for their unpopular opinions and personal relationships.
Jennet Conant
Jennet Conant is the author of Man of the Hour: James B. Conant, Warrior Scientist, and the New York Times bestsellers The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington and Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II. She has written for Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, Newsweek, and The New York Times. She lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York.
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Reviews for A Covert Affair
51 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Billed as the story of how Julia and Paul Child met while in the OSS during World War II, this books is really only tangentially about them. The focus of the book is really on one of their OSS colleagues, Jane Foster, and her flirtation with left wing organizations in the 1930's that led to her being investigated by the FBI during the McCarthy "Red Scare" in the 1950's.Author Jennet Conant tells a fascinating story (and cautionary tale) about how being outspoken and dabbling in leftist politics could get one into serious trouble in the 1950's. However, as I had bought the book to red about Julia and Paul Child, I couldn't help but be disappointed to see them pushed into the role of minor characters as someone else took center stage.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed that there was not more about Julia and Paul Child in the book. However, I was happy to learn so much about the formation of the OSS and its earliest recruits. What a fascinating crew and time period! What a sad commentary on the events and lack of integrity during that era. World history would have progressed so differently if the advice of these early intelligence agents would have been followed. We'll never know what kind of world we would have today if the US had backed democratic movements around the world following WWII. I personally believe it would be better in many ways.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book could have been a little bit better blurbed. The focus of the title is really Jane Foster and how knowing her and being friendly with her affected the Child's. About half way through I found myself getting frustrated with the focus on Jane Foster and the lack of information on Julia and Paul. If I'd had more realistic expectations regarding what the title was about I would have been happier with it (and possibly given it another star.)
The work this group did was definitely interesting and the work gives you a lot of insight into the development of Paul and Julia's relationship and eventual marriage. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A decidedly unsatisfying reading experience.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I was more interested in the OSS than in Julia Child, and so didn't mind that the book was largely about other people. I did mind that a fascinating topic was reported in a less than engaging way. Nevertheless, this book provided insight into aspects of the war and post-war era that I had been unfamiliar with.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Marking the rating down for blatant false advertising. This book is not REALLY about Paul and Julia Child, it is about Jane Foster and her husband who were accused of being Communist spies during the McCarthy era. An interesting topic in its own right, yes, but not what was advertised by the title. Change the cover and title and I'd give it a 3 1/2.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I think this author should be charged with misleading advertising. The subtitle "Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS" makes it sound like this book is about the two of them and what they did during the war. That's what drew me to read this book. Ever since I learned that Julia Child was with the OSS during the war I have wanted to know more. There is a little bit about them and their Asian experiences during World War II while working for the OSS but really the book is about one of their counterparts, Jane Foster, who was charged with spying for the Russians during and after the war. Julia and Paul were friends of hers but really didn't know much about her. When they lived in Paris they were quite friendly with Jane and her husband. Paul, who was a government employee, was questioned/interrogated about Jane but since he really didn't know much he was eventually cleared.It's not that I didn't find the details about Jane interesting because I did. I just felt that the author used the Julia Child name to sell the book and I think that's sleazy.