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 - Vivienne is absolutely right!Being born and raised French and now living in Chicago, I can completely relate with Veronique Vienne and this great book. Yes, French women are raised very differently, and from that their regards towards food, cooking, working, cleaning, dressing up, and being sexy is based on different beliefs from the Americans. When Vivienne recommends to cherish your home and clean in it in your best outfit, that doesn't mean literally in high heels, of course, that means you know those chores are beneath you intellectually, but every action has its beauty, its purpose, its grace, its honorable simplicity, therefore its not a chore anymore, it's a service to yourself, so you don't have to turn yourself into the completely ridiculous sweatpants and oversized t-shirt person you despise in you. And when she talks about cooking to loose weight, well same thing applies here. I personally don't cook much but I know my ingredients and what is right and good for me to eat. Most americans sadly are not raised with the knowledge of quality eating for their own body needs. They don't know the difference of what is a proper lunch dessert and dinner dessert for example, right for a good digestion. Fast food and junk foods have jinxed most of their taste buds and cravings from childhood. So Vivienne advises to reduce your portions, sure, but mostly to discover, analyse and eat the right stuff (fresh and clean food) and it will elevate you. And from a woman stand point, don't go and think French women are perfection, far from it, they aren't as ambitious, as gender-aware and as friendly to each other as American women, but their appreciation of variety of styles, from antique to modern, of fashion, of manners, and of self-respect and self-indulgence is what has made them distinct and widely admired. This book goes way beyond that, is an easy read and I have been offering it to my very best friends so they can realize what a privilege it is Being a Woman. Rating: - Delightful and the perfect gift for a favorite femaleAlthough this is lightly written, the information inside is a fabulous celebration of how to live and celebrate the life of being female. Lots of the information is original, clever and makes you both smile and nod in agreement with the wit and wisdom of the author. Because of its smaller size, high quality paper and charming illustrations this is a perfect gift for a female friend, girl graduating high school/college or anyone in need of a lovely pick-me-up. Rating:  - Guidebook on How to Be a ClicheBeing a fan of Vienne's other delightful, playful yet wise books, I was sad to discover that this was nothing more than a long-in-the-tooth collection of twee observations and gender stereotypes. Aside from being subjected to writing that was ridden with cliches and sounded like it was the result of an editorial rush job, I was disappointed in the utter inaneness of some of Vienne's advice. Do housework in your best attire? Lose weight by cooking? Be a vapid adornment for the pleasure of passers-by? Since when did regressive 50s-era ideas of womanhood become stylish? And what about women who are actually well-rounded and not one-dimensional flipperty-gibbets--you think we care to open the table of contents only to uncover a narrow smattering of topics (ostensibly belonging to the female domain) like housework, beauty, fashion, sex, and everything else covered by Cosmo for the last umpteen years? The old world charm was equally superficial (I'm sure other French people would think so too)...I couldn't help but feel like I was reading an antiquated book on ladies' etiquette, complete with frothy, bend over backwards to feel good notions. For a more useful and intelligent book on how to survive modern womanhood with elan, read Anna Johnson's Three Black Skirts instead of this doggerel. Rating: - Exactly what I was expectingThis is the first of Ms. Vienne's books that I have purchased. She was recommended by Anne Barrone because she brings the French joie de vivre to American women. It is a very easy and quick read, it is very uplifting and the language is smooth and pretty. I have not actually done much in applying the philosophies for any period of time, but I did get a joie de vivre while reading it. She talks about house cleaning and men and her words make both seem charming and enjoyable, even the most irritating things. I highly recommend this book to bring joie de vivre to every woman. page 2 of 2
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