30 day book challenge – #10 Book that changed your life

I thought that choosing a book that had made me feel sick was hard enough, but this next category was a killer. I can honestly say that a book has never really, actually, changed my life.

I’m not into self-help books, although I was lent one on audio when I couldn’t decide which university course to take. I wasn’t really having a crisis, I just didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life after education. These types of books undoubtedly do help people to get back on track but for me I was just a little overwhelmed by all the opportunities. I hadn’t lost my way. I just needed a push in the right direction, a personal epiphany. And I can advise that if you run out of time for a personal epiphany, then a degree in English Literature will not only keep your options open for another 3 years, but will be thoroughly enjoyable.

So – self-help books are out. Novels are also out because I think the plot, characters and themes will always be too dissimilar to a reader’s personal circumstances to be truly emotive, life affirming or life changing. So what do I do, what book can I talk about? I’ve decided to go with a book that a dear work colleague of mine gave me at the start of my writing and editing career. We would have wonderful chats about life, the universe and everything, and I guess I could have been a little offended when she gave me this book as a present. But after reading it, I see how perfectly it reflected the tone of most of our philosophical conversations. The book is called ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’ by Mireille Guiliano and it carries the tagline ‘The secret of eating for pleasure’.

The author works for Veuve Cliquot champagne producers and is always reiterating the French philosophy of joie de vivre (joy of living), which definitely goes hand in hand with champagne if you ask me. I’ve never seen this book in a book shop and I do often wonder on which shelf it would sit. I think it can be best categorised as a food memoir. It isn’t a diet book, a self-help book, an autobiography, or a sales brochure for Veuve Cliquot. It is simply, one French woman’s memories of reassessing her relationship with food following weight gain in the United States.

But has this book really changed my life? No, not really. I’ve taken on board a lot of Guiliano’s tips but I just couldn’t ever bring myself to do the initial  ‘recasting’ as she calls it (basically a 3 month detox and denial of all the naughty things you love to eat and you know are bad for you). The principles in this book are the usual ones, drink lots of water, eat naughty things in moderation, make sure you eat enough fruit and veg and get enough exercise. But what makes this book less of a self-help book is Guilano’s writing style. It is very conversational and relaxed. You do feel that she completely understands the relationship most women have with food, and she isn’t really saying that you have to change your diet. She is simply telling you what works for her and why. It isn’t about going on a diet, it is about having a healthy relationship with food that you can maintain and get enjoyment from. There’s no guilt and no retribution.

The book includes a few recipes which, again, I’ve never quite got around to trying, but I do like the sound of them (honest!). This book, for me, is perhaps the one book I’ve read that I wish had changed my life. Or maybe it has in a very subtle way. I agree with Guiliano’s principles, I do eat for pleasure, I know the secrets to eating healthily, I just haven’t managed to slim down to the size of a French woman. But then, I’m not French, so perhaps I’m not doing anything wrong after all.

As well as being difficult to categorise, I can see this book getting left on the bookshelves because of it’s uninspiring front cover. The font is attractive and friendly but the illustrated woman looks haughty and unapproachable and why is she standing at the end of a fork?