Chic & Slim: How Those Chic French Women Eat All That Rich Food and Still Stay Slim

by Anne Barone

CHIC & SLIM takes a lighthearted look at how French women eat rich French cuisine and stay slim. And how American women eat diet food, yet struggle endlessly in their battle against fat.

Genres: Nonfiction, Lifestyle, Food

95 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 1997

Reviews

[Mary-Lisa Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original chic author... I have a bunch of her books and I finally got a chance to read this little cutie pie! Ms. Barone's book cover (in fact, ALL her book covers) are the cat's meow! Stylish, classy and timeless, and ME LOVE THEM!!! Think Audrey Hepburn and Coco Chanel...meow!

I jump into each book I read with a positive mindset, looking to be entertained. Anne Barone delivered this and much more- she made me laugh at quite a few sections in this book. I liked her carefree attitude and the little snippets of wisdom she sprinkled on the page. Her rendition is heartfelt, and I could really feel that which made it a down-to-earth read. Her weight loss journey is touching, and filled with humour. This book was written several year ago, so I took it with a grain of salt. I like delving into older books and breathing life back into them, giving them a new spark.

The author has a lovely website I visit from time to time as I respect her wisdom, the fact that she basically has no social media, didn't write a multitude of books that sound the same, and she is in her late 70s!!! Pretty awesome- and inspiring! She is an author I would love to sit with in a floral garden and have a delightful chat about life.

I recommend this lovely book to anyone who wants to read about a feel-good personal journey peppered with wisdom.

5/5

[Violet Kemnitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Informative Look at the French Mystique

As a relative today as it was when it was first published, this book outlines how French women are so slim and stylish. The author is originally from fried food country in the Bible Belt, which gives her an interesting perspective on the differences between French and American women. I can’t wait to read more of her books!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a very silly book. I was embarrassed to record it, but I wanted the credit. Turns out this book has a lot of very interesting arguments and ideas. It was just a little short. There are two sequels, but I wish she had just done it all in one.

[Melanie Rightmyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a real fondness for this series. I first read this book well over 15 years ago, around the time of my first trip to Paris. At this time there were not many books available telling us how the French women lived. Now, they are entire sections at your bookstore but back then it was harder to find this information.
Anne Barone's books really kindled my love affair for the French way of living and while there are many books available now that I enjoy immensely, this series will always have a special place in my heart. I periodically pick up the books and reread them because they take me back to that time in my life when I was first discovering France.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filled with sweeping generalizations, of course, and I couldn't tell if the author had actually been back to France since the sixties. Lots of antiquated ideas, especially in the chapter on relationships between men and women. The author clearly doesn't understand feminism at all. But I have to say I enjoyed it all the same.

[Claire Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this snippet of the author's thoughts on how French culture contributes to their healthy(er) eating habits in comparison to Americans. It is quite short and I enjoyed the follow-up book, Chic & Slim Encore, much more because it's so much longer and more thorough!

[Baroness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truthful and cute read.

[Kristi Peterman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do yourself a favor and read “French Women Don’t Get Fat” by Mireille Guiliano instead of this pretentious misogyny. This book is garbage.

[Synthia Skavdahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fun, easy adventure in French food/lifestyle

Although an older book, this is a quick reminder of what it takes to eat well, be slim and of course, chic!

[Angela Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Barone has clearly studied the French and their attitude to weight and style very well. I've been here years and only noticed half of this.

There are some amazing ideas in here that I never would have thought of and will last me my lifetime. I absolutely applaud her observant nature and ability to articulate these ideas to the people who need to know it (like me!).

PS. Yes, she also does offer a few "older" attitudes as to WHY women do what they do. But, she is an older woman and spent her time in France a long time ago. No doubt that was exactly what everyone told her at the time.

[Marjorie Elwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this had some handy tips for simplifying both what you eat and your home, the focus on pleasing men to the exclusion of all else lost me.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book on French eating habits. Good nuggests. I re-read this yearly.