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I found this book to be true to life, kindly and helpful A remembrance of things past.... Okay, bear with me here people, because I can't do my review of this book without first relating to you a true sea story: Many years ago, while serving with the U.S. Navy onboard an aircraft carrier embarked on a deployment in the Mediterranean Sea, we pulled into Toulon, France, where we had been scheduled for an official port visit. Our first night of "liberty" was marred by a major problem with the liberty launches (the boats that were intended to ferry the sailors back and forth to the carrier, which was anchored out in the harbor). As a result, late in the evening hundreds and hundreds of sailors were piling up dockside, waiting for boats, and unlucky me, I was on Shore Patrol duty, so I had to stand my post and monitor what was becoming a very unruly crowd. Hours and hours went by, and those of us stuck on SP duty were unable to go get anything to eat, and quite frankly we were really getting tired, stressed out, and hungry! Eventually, in the wee hours of dawn, after what seemed an eternity, somebody from amongst our French hosts brought us some food - which consisted of nothing more than French bread baguettes, which had been sliced in half and lightly buttered. I was very downcast to see that this bread-and-butter sandwich was "all" we were being given to eat, since, as a well-fed American Navy man, I expected more.... Well, to make a long story short, it proved to be the best sandwich I've ever eaten in my life, and even to this day, nearly 3 decades later, I still marvel at how something so simple as a small butter sandwich could have been so tasty and so magically satisfying. (It really helped too that the bread was better than any American bread I'd ever tasted, ditto for the butter.) I tell this story because it precisely backs up one of the things that Madame Guiliano is trying to convey: excellent, tasty food IS capable of satisfying you - even (or perhaps especially!) when served in small portions. If you put this concept into practice on a daily basis, you are virtually guaranteed to slim down and stay slim, and probably be a happy person, too. I've read this book from cover to cover several times. It's got loads of interesting stories, great recipes (genuine a la Francais croissants, anyone?) and other information. One drawback, though, is that I fear that it doesn't do enough to castigate our (American) mass-produced, mass-marketed and, of course, corporate-controlled food and beverage system - nor does it adequately point out that many nonconformist Americans (since about the late 1960's) have been bucking the 800-pound corporate gorillas and actively purchasing and supporting small-farm-based organic meat, dairy and vegetable products - which is to say that many of my fellow Americans have been anti-corporate and pro- taste, quality and nutrition a lot more and a lot longer than we're being given credit for. (We are not only usually the slimmer ones, but also the ones who vehemently disapprove of the installation of, say, soft-drink machines in our kids' schools, but alas, are often powerless to do anything about it!) In any case, the book literally prods you into doing a thorough examination not only of your own personal dietary and eating habits, but also makes you take a good critical look at your whole surrounding food marketing system and culture to boot. If you're serious at all about what (and how much) you put into your mouth, this book WILL make you think, and for that alone I give it high marks. I had to remove a few marks in a few areas, though: as others have commented, I too could have done without what I felt was an excessive use of French words and expressions. Cute and charming at first, it eventually gets to be a bit cartoonish. I also had to question the shameless plug for the Veuve Cliquot brand of Champagne, which, though I'm sure it's "the good stuff", is nevertheless quite pricey (a HALF bottle (375 mils, which is roughly 13 ounces) will run you about 27 US dollars or more). I don't see that many of us can justify that kind of expenditure for the sort of frequent Champagne imbibing that she seems to recommend. I also believe it would have been fair to address the influence of smoking on French peoples' diet and weight, as I have observed the heavy amount of smoking by Europeans in general, the French in particular... But generally I give the book high marks for conveying a lot of sincere and heartfelt information. True, it's easy to dismiss the book because much of it may seem so "common sense" to you that you will sarcastically want to say "Well, duh!" more than once. But... Hold it! Don't throw the baby out with the bath water! I would like to refer you back to my own experience from many years ago while being stranded on the docks of Toulon, France: sometimes you don't really "know" what you *think* you know, until you've actually lived it, felt it. And to me, anyway, that's all Madame Guiliano is saying: Try it, put it into actual practice - you may "learn" what you already instinctively know. And with that knowledge, you will go far! I'm a bit baffled by so much mean spirit I've seen in some of the reviews herein being directed towards Madame Guiliano and her book. I can only say: read this book, enjoy it, savor it, practice it, and try to have some kindness towards Madame Guiliano - even if you don't ever buy her particular brand of Champagne. Apropos this book, I leave you with a quote from the movie FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH: "Learn it. Know it. Live it." Johnny Tomahawk and the Red River Raiders