People are often asking how European women can stay so thin eating what they do. This book is one woman's anecdotal response to that question. You should read it, but take it with a grain of salt. The advice in this book is not based on science. 
 Eat and enjoy everything in moderation, drink plenty of water and take a walk each day. That's the core of Guiliano's advice. There are other points--eat a lot of soup, cook often, eat locally-produced, seasonal produce and plenty of it, and enjoy a glass of wine often. Some of it is sound advice and some of it misses the mark. 
 Science tells us that she's probably right about the things she says you should restrict the most: desserts, beer, bread, pastries, and chocolate. And guess what? They're all high-carb foods. Guiliano dismisses low-carb eating as "ridiculous," but all of the foods she suggests eating in extreme moderation are high in carbs. The one exception is meat; Guiliano suggests limiting meat to very small portions, where in actuality meat is the most useful food for controlling the appetite, keeping a person from gorging on carbs in order to feel satisfied. 
 Guiliano dismisses hard exercise as detrimental to losing weight because it increases the appetite, and she's right about that. But she also recommends taking a daily walk, because burning a few extra calories "really adds up." Staying active is not bad advice, but twenty minutes a day will not help anyone lose weight. It's the diet that will slim your waistline, not the evening stroll. 
 The book veers a little off-topic from time to time. It's not just about staying slim, but about living the most fabulous life possible (Guiliano's). It's clear that eating is tied in with her whole life-philosophy, which is interesting, if a little uncalled-for. 
 I highly recommend that you also read Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes if you want to see the facts behind what i've written here. I know it sounds weird, but the book is well-researched and quite convincing. I found it interesting to compare & contrast these two books.