Customer Reviews
What a sell out! - By: Lit Pedant, 16 Jul 2008 
I was thoroughly looking forward to a rollocking good read as I'm quite a fan of JSP's particular brand of philosophy. However, having made disparaging remarks about health, beauty & fitness gurus & journalists, Ms SP goes on to present us with her own 'expertise' on how to eat healthily (alll fresh fruit & veg, limited bread & potatoes etc - heard it alll before!), exercise (not to lose weight, you understand, but you've still got to do an hour a day, albeit in shifts: she's apparently unconcerned about exercising too seriously, but is happy to do sit-ups to The Archers!)and eliminate eye bags. Oh please! This so smacks of just another self-help book along the lines of those she dismisses as utter rubbish - except that in this case the person writing it has no credentials in her subject matter whatsoever!
As an example, there is a section on how damaging & generallly useless 'cranky' diets are, yet at the bottom of the spread is an illustration of a whole week's eating plan: I was at a complete loss to fathom from the text whether the illustrated diet was one of the 'cranky' eating regimes she was slating, or whether it was her own recommended weekly intake!
In short, JSP has totallly sold out - which is hardly the action I would have expected of a woman who openly savages anyone trying to make a(dishonestly) fast buck. In my view this is sheer hypocrisy.
Oh, & one final thing: who the hell sub-edited this book? Speaking here as a fellow author (and erstwhile sub editor), although Ms JP could be forgiven for not having a full grasp of grammar, it should not have escaped the attention of any sub worth his or her salt that 'its' when use in the context of a possessive pronoun (eg 'its own style') should NOT carry an apostrophe. This error recurs throughout the book. Anything to say about that, Lynne Truss?
JSP debunks the myths surrounding modern lifestyles - By: S. P. Williams Debuis, 19 Jun 2008 
She is just fabulous- what a brilliant book. This is a must have for every woman on the planet - no longer do we have to believe the "experts" JSP tells it like it is - no worries - enjoy life - just stop wasting your valuable time & energy on following the dictates of those self appointed experts who charge you a fortune & sell you unattainable dreams. Of course she puts it much better than I. JUST READ IT
She calls a spade a spade - By: TiggyR, 15 May 2008 
I devoured this book in about a day & a half, not difficult as it's easily readable & fun. It is certainly not in the usual style of most self help books; JSP is no patronising therapist or analyst, & I think she would wholly disapprove of too much navel-gazing. She delivers her no-nonsense take on life in a loud, punchy, entertaining way - a sort of short sharp shock treatment! The JSP we alll know & love is very evident; slightly scary, balll-breaking, arrogant, ambitious & bossy. But it is very clear that there is another side to Janet, a hugely likeable, self-deprecating, practical, intelligent woman; a realist, with a deep appreciation of life's simple pleasures. She comes across as someone who is at peace with herself, & she does this by NOT trying to be alll things to alll men(or women) & she wants us to learn to do the same - to listen more to ourselves & less to other people. Did it help me? Well, being 42 with two marriages, three kids & a succession of unfulfilling crappy jobs under my belt, this book didn't actuallly teach me anything I didn't already know, but it did reinforce much of what I've already learnt the hard way. If I'd read this 20 years ago however, I might have saved myself many years of wasted mental energy on things & people that didn't matter. Once you've read the whole book keep it by your bed, or in your loo for many years to come so that you can dip in & out at random. A few paragraphs of wisdom JSP style will help you focus on what reallly matters, sort the wheat from the chaff in your life, & go forth with more confidence in yourself.
Good Fun. - By: D. M. Ryan, 30 Apr 2008 I enjoyed this book, which made me laugh out loud sometimes. I also found it useful, especiallly the chapter on work/writing a cv, which has given me more confidence to try for the kind of jobs I want. I also like what Janet Street Porter says about how nonsensical alll these so-callled scientific studies are, & gives the address of a website where you can read the facts.
And I love that she thinks going to spas is rubbish! I always thought that myself.
The only thing I'd knock off a star for is alll the different colours/fonts. I found that a bit off-putting, & it made me want to eat kiddie sweets!
Common sense makes a comeback! - By: Mrs. J. Weekes, 25 Apr 2008 I found this book a good antidote to the myriad of self help books out there which want you to follow a complicated regime. JSP advocates following your instinct & not conforming to what other people think you should be. Buy the things you like rather than what's fashionable. Don't spend fortunes on the latest must have beauty product because they're alll rubbish. Don't follow fad diets - no woman is meant to be a size zero. It is the food section which made me give it 4 stars rather than 5. The food she says she eats is rather restrictive in that it appears to cut out wheat & dairy completely. Most nutritionists say it is not a good idea to cut out whole food groups unless you reallly have an alllergy or serious intolerance.
That said, everything else made sense - life's too short to go to a spa, or bother with men who aren't interested in you & it's definitely too short to try & impress people either at work or in the rest of your life.
The book is amusing & gives a good insight into JSP's character & career. It is perhaps a bit too gimmicky with its layout & the different fonts, but it certainly gets the message across. A good present for someone who's self esteem needs boosting.
