My Granddaughter received this book for Christmas two years ago when she was two. She still enjoys hearing the stories about Budgie. It is a throughly enjoyable book for children. The video is great too. Wish there were more of them.

Budgie: The Little Helicopter is wonderfully illustrated and catches the child's eye with all it's bright colors. The story is intriguing and my two children, 5 & 6 at the time (now 7 & 8) were totally absorbed by it. My son slept with the book for weeks.

I have enjoyed reading your book The Royal Switch. I am 12 years old and I would like to read more of your fiction books like The Royal Switch and Bright Lights the characters in this book are very interesting and have kept me spell bound while reading them. I would highly recommend that everyone would read them.

I am looking forward to reading more of Sarah York's books. I am adding them to my library and am excited about the prospect of adding even more to my collection.

The Duchess of York has done her finest work in this elegant and collectible book. It contains very carefully documented and well written information on Victoria and Albert's life with their children. The pictures and drawings bring us to another place and time in the grandeur of this Victorian Royal Family. Anyone doing research on Queen Victoria and her family must take a look at this valuable book!!!!

This book is really nice and it lets you dine divinely, but the level of difficulty is pretty high. A lot of the entrees aren't something that you would fix your family on a regular Tuesday night, but they are nice menus for a dinner party or a romantic evening! Afterall, there is a reason that she is the "Duchess"!

I'm one of those lucky few that doesn't have a problem with calories, so I can pretty much eat whatever I want. Even so, I like to eat healthy and absolutely LOVE this cookbook. Everything I have made has been outstanding. Take it from someone who can eat the full-leaded stuff...this cookbook is outstanding and rivals any full-fat book out there. You won't be disappointed.

Dining With the Duchess : Making Every Day Meals a Special Occasion delivers on its promise. This delightful book not only gives readers an enormous amount of simple yet creative, low-fat recipes, it also provides us with wonderful tidbits from her personal life. And in the process, it makes any old Monday night a special occasion.

Sarah Mountbatten-Windsor York comes across as honest, down-to-earth and very funny. Royal-bashers should put their clubs away; this book is ripe with fantastic meal suggestions and real humanity. Yet aside from the heart-healthy (and mouth happy) recipes, the real joy of this book is when The Duchess gets personal, giving us humorous and sometimes moving snippets from her life.

This is an unusual cookbook. Not because it's authored by royalty, but because it's authored by a high-spirited, beautiful and talented woman who is fearless in the pursuit of herself. You just KNOW this woman is a wonderful mother and her two beautiful daughters will grow up to become strong, independent women with not only a royal title, but a sense of humor and a sense of self.

The Duchess' last book, My Story, was a fascinating and shamelessly honest confessional work, on a par with Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath.

My wish is that The Duchess writes another book, perhaps a novel.

Anybody who has ever struggled with self-image issues, calorie problems or depression should read this fabulous cookbook. It's a must for people who eat.

I read this book a couple of years ago - before Diana's death in fact - and found it far too humble. Sarah certainly goes for the self flagelation approach, why she chooses to blame herself entirely can only be to curry flavour with the Windsors - did she strike some sort of deal with them?

Not knowing any of the key players, but observing as an outsider who lives in the UK, I would say that this poor woman had impossible ideals to live up to, namely the waif like idolised Diana who even at her most unpopular moments was always hailed as a great beauty & excellent mother. It used to outrage me how the press sniped at Fergie's weight, look at the Queen & the Queen Mother, both rather matronly not to mention Andrew who is somewhat portly.

I personally could not imagine marrying into that family, I wouldn't have lasted as long as Sarah did. I suspect also, that these were the only 2 out of any of the Queen's children, who actually married for love.

I'm sure she could have been far, far more critical, this book was certainly carefully written in order to avoid the wrath of the royals.

Gutsy woman though - I admire her.

It wasn't until I read Sarah's book that I realized how difficult it was being a "new Royal". Her descriptions and explanations make the reader feel as though she is experiencing the event with the Duchess. Sarah is very talented and her book gives the reader the courage to face her own tests. It should be required reading for all journalists--to see the damage they do to marriages and lives.

I enjoy reading biographies and this one by Sarah Ferguson has stayed on my heart years after I first read it. Sarah was so honest about the heartbreak she lived through as the child of divorce, that often her story made me cry. Her willingness to truthfully share the mistakes she made and the painful lessons she learned during her time at Buckingham Palace were poignant and fascinating.

I recommend this story to anyone who is interested in British royalty, but also anyone who wants to read compelling story about an inspiring woman.

A good try at trying to be wise and give wisdomly advise. Think Sarah is finally realizing what it is to be an adult woman in today's world. Nothing she writes here is extraordinarily inspirational. I found it to be pretty much the same realizations I have come to in my life as I near 40 also.

Sarah Ferguson's book What I Know Now,is a wonderful little gem filled with beautiful stories and wisdom. I was pleased to find it on the "new" shelf at the library and after reading the first vignette, Forgiving the Past, I was hooked. Each story reveals a little more about the Duchess of York, what she has learned from her past mistakes and how she has set a course to change her future. It is not self indulgent in any way, but open, honest and humorous. It takes great courage to put your history out there for people to examine. It's refreshing tolearn about someone who makes no excuses for her behaviors, good and bad, but accepts what simply is and tries to do her best daily. It was such a pleasure to read about her daughters and the priority she places on her family. Each story is one that all of us can relate to because as human beings, we encounter the same dilemas, emotions and consequences for our actions. I smiled more than once, teared up more than once and fully enjoyed this little book about life. Sarah has a graceful,elegant way with words that makes this book flow nicely. It is definetly worth your time to read this book. Cheers!

This was a charmingly written little volume of personal reflections and thoughts on how to live the best life one can live. Fergie, of course, has many examples to back up her short essays, but nowhere does she seem to lay blame for things that have gone wrong and always takes personal responsibility for her past actions.
This book reads like a series of personal letters to a good friend who has no axe to grind. Recommended for those who enjoy books with a positive thinking mentality.

While I do have a hard time picturing Stephanie Seymour sitting down and writing all of this out, Beauty Secrets for Dummies is an excellent guide nonetheless. The skincare chapters are the weakest sections; most people have skintypes that don't fall neatly into one of the few categories listed in the book, and the information on skincare products just skims the surface.

The chapters on hair are good at covering the basics, and the tips on coloring/processing will be useful for anyone wanting to do at-home coloring. The step-by-step hairstyling instructions mostly apply only to those with longer hair. One helpful aspect of this book, used in every section, is the suggestions given for different age groups, from teens to women in their fifties and beyond.

The cosmetics section is by far the most in-depth, with plenty of information on product types and application tips for just about every situation. The color section on how to get different 'looks' is interesting, but it would be easier for women to duplicate the looks if the makeup used was a more readily available, more inexpensive brand than Nars. The chapter on brows is excellent. The only thing lacking is the absence of any solid advice on choosing the correct colors for your skintone.

This book would be great for women of any age, though it might be especially helpful for teens or anyone else just getting into beauty regimens. It has a light tone and an 'everyone can look pretty' attitude that is encouraging.

A fantastic reference, even for makeup mavens! Packed with information and tips, it really is a pleasure to read. The illustrations of different brow, eye and lip shapes and how to make them up are very helpful, as are the Q&As that everyone wonders about, and the sections of suggestions according to your age (eg teens...50s etc). Positives and negatives of different formulations are also succinctly detailed (eg different types of eyeliner). Stephanie also includes a "Home Spa" chapter which is fun and personal. She refers to experts' advice as well, like Patricia Wexler in some of the skincare tips. This book covers heaps of bases and manages to give beauty "novices" a great start as well as keep up the interest of beauty addicts. It's definitely one you'll find yourself dipping into regularly!

This book works well for several reasons : 1) The language Ms.Seymour ( or her editors) use(s) is colloquial and non-intimidating . It is a pleasure to read . 2) The " Dummies" format lends itself well to a book on beauty . After all, who wants a beauty manual filled with the author's own anecdotes and boring stories ? The " Dummies" book series is known for getting to the " meat" of the topic , and this one is no exception . " Beauty Secrets For Dummies" will give you some great tips if you are a beginner, but it is also very helpful for organizing and streamlining your daily routine ( you'll probably have a list of products to buy and new techniques by the end of your first read) . It offers a substantial source of information on everything from basic skin care, cosmetic surgery , and makeup techniques . Trust me, you'll find something useful in here no matter what you are interested in and how many other " beauty" manuals you've read before .This is definitely one of my favorite books on the topic.

i read this story in a ratty old copy that i pinched from the flat of a very dear friend of mine living in London. It is a story that is guaranteed to irritate the life out of almost ninety-nine percent of the world's population. But for the lost sheep? well they may find at least comfort in reading this book, the same comfort that is gained from Miss Jean Rhys novels. That is you're not alone. Anyone who finds this blurb the wishy washy nonsense of a born looser, well your right. and you certainly won't gain a thing from reading this book

It's true that the information in the book is not groundbreaking, but it was encouraging, and practical, and reinforced all the things I've been telling myself to do but not really doing. The Duchess looks fabulous on the cover, and she has included some very embarrassing photos of herself to make a point. I can't help thinking that if she can do it after all she's been through, so can I.

I have to think that some of the other reviewers did not actually read this book. It is very well done and has helpful advice and compassion for those who are struggling with their weight. Also, the recipes are very tasty. It might not be the quick fix that some are looking for, but it is healthy and it works!

This book offers sensible dieting and nutritional advice along with recipes and exercise tips. It's motivating. The Duchess writes candidly about her weight problems, offers a new slant on diet issues, and inspires women to deal with the sources of their weight problems.

This book is so tiresome. I'm so tired of the same diet books recycling the same message- control your weight- be happy! There is more to life than controlling your weight but you'd never know living in our culture or looking at the besteller lists. Try reading Simple Abundance or the Mass Market Woman. Those books are far better than wasting all your time, money and effort on trying to fight with your body all the time.

While sometimes I pondered over just how much of this book Sarah Ferguson wrote by herself,it is very helpful and practical. Most diet books are so difficult to follow, as good as they are. This one is not. And for the first time I've ever seen in a diet book, the author explains our eating behaviors exclusively from the female perspective. Perhaps the best part of this book is how to prevent weight-teasing and body anxiety in both your children and yourself. The book is very short (I read it in one day and I work!) but I really enjoyed it. The only problem I had with it is that they recommend diet sodas and other aspartame sweetened products in order to cut sugar and calories. They shouldn't promote using chemicals to control weight! Otherwise, a perfectly sensible diet plan I can't imagine not working for anyone.

I bought Sarah's first two books written in conjunction with Weight Watcers and haven't regretted it. This book too, was well worth the money.

This book addresses the real psycological issues and gives practical, usable advice on how to fight your food demons at 1:00 in the morning and at your favorite restaurant.

Sarah is a wonderful role-model, she's conquered her weight issues and has accepted that you don't need to be pencil-thin to be healthy or attractive.

The recipes, a mixture of exotic and simple, are as always a delight.

She makes WW's 1-2-3 success program well worth the effort.