What I Know Now : Simple Lessons Learned the Hard Way

From Publishers Weekly In her latest volume, a collection of "small tales" and personal reflections, Ferguson reveals her hard-won, earthy and proverbial philosophy of life. The 46 lessons herein ("Finding Empathy," "Choosing Battles, "Slowing Down") are commonsensical enough be called self-evident: in her short reminiscences, Fergie explains that we sometimes eat for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger, that beauty comes from within and that it's important to take time to stop and smell the flowers (or stare at the pheasants), have good manners, laugh readily and breathe deeply. When she explains that she rented a four-bedroom country house to learn how to "live small," or that she engaged Geri Halliwell's yoga teacher ("I rang up Katyana and asked if she could take a month off...to teach me, too") to learn the benefits of "breathing deep," readers may wonder just how hard it all was. Still, there's a lot to admire about the gutsy Ferguson, and for serious Royal-watchers, there are enough fun tidbits (e.g., the "hen night" when she and Princess Diana donned wigs and police uniforms and got arrested outside Buckingham Palace) to keep the preaching fun. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Adult/High School-The Duchess's book is reminiscent of Maria Shriver's Ten Things I Wish I'd Known-Before I Went Out into the Real World (Warner, 2000) in its common sense, self-effacing humor, and paparazzi-chased perspective. The royal uses some of her high-profile predicaments to reflect on what she has learned about daily life, and her style gently reveals a maturation that has gone unnoticed in the tabloids. She talks about health, relationships, faith, and her belief in the importance of gratitude (and not superiority). Readers will enjoy this romp to interesting places on Fergie's sometimes-bumpy, but never boring journey.