I found this book informative, as I have never been to France, nor studied French. I am, however, very interested in the lifestyle of a culture who takes pleasure in the simple, everyday 'pleasures'. I also love to cook and eat, and view food and wine as sensual pleasures to savor and enjoy, like the French do. I was hoping to get other ideas from the French to make everyday chores into something that delights me and makes me feel good.I did like the little boxed 'footnotes' Ollivier included all over. Most of them included movies or lists I want to commit to my file for examples of French and simple living...and I do love movies, books, and lists!The reason I gave the book 4 stars out of 5 is, though I really enjoyed the book and will keep it to reread, there are no color pictures. The book could have been so much better had there been photos to 'see', as well.