French Women for All Seasons

October 16, 2006
Guiliano serves up second helpings of her popular approach to healthy living in this gracious outing (following 2005's French Women Don't Get Fat
), framed with an emphasis on the pleasures of seasonality, local produce and personal style. Everything in moderation is this New York City–based Frenchwoman's secret to staying slim and bien dans sa peau
(comfortable in one's skin). Always with a mind to portion control, she presents weekly menus and over a hundred recipes organized by season and sauced with casual, idyllic culinary reminiscences. Some of her simple, appealing recipes tap her French origins (Potato Gratin à la Normande calls for apples and soft, ripe Pont l'Évêque cheese), others nod to Americanized calorie-conscious taste (Turkey Scaloppine with Pesto) and some recipes reflect her proximity to New York City's Union Square Greenmarket (sautéed fiddleheads). A holistic fitness strategy (e.g., cycling as a mode of transportation) remains a theme and Guilano expands l'art de vivre
to aging gracefully, entertaining and tying one's scarf with flair. The CEO of Champagne Veuve Clicquot, she also offers an excellent primer on wine. Guiliano's debut, which laid out a program, is more instructive, but the legions of readers fond of her encouraging, urbane voice will be happy to hear from her, though they won't learn any new secrets. 750,000 announced first printing; 12-city author tour.

October 1, 2006
The author of the surprise best-seller " French Women Don't Get Fat" (2004) delves more deeply into her criticism of Americans' reckless consumption, encouraging them to eat for good health, for a slender figure, and for the happiness that springs from enjoyment of truly delicious food and wine. For Guiliano, worthwhile eating is inseparable from one's quest for honest pleasure. She believes most diets are self-defeating because they fail to appreciate one's need for the flavors and textures of good food; moreover, such diets tend to generate both poor nutrition and unappeasable appetites. Much more sustainable is a relaxed but intentional routine of three meals each day, where each mouthful gets savored for optimum delight. Avoiding snacks, especially ones high in sugar or salt, helps control appetite, as does regular drinking of water. Wine sipped with food, never by itself, also increases pleasure while providing some necessary nutrients, and cheese perfectly complements wine. Guiliano introduces a host of stimulating recipes emphasizing seasonal fruits and vegetables. Chicken cooked in pastis, leeks mozzarella, and figs with ricotta give some idea of the creativity at work here. Weeks' worth of seasonally informed menus ensure that even the most kitchen-challenged dieter can easily follow this Frenchwoman's generous, life-affirming regimen. Expect much demand. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)