Romance, shoes, lingerie, diet, guns, war--Marie Claire is a grab bag of hot issues for the modern woman. It provides one-stop shopping for the Cosmo woman craving a little more from her fashion magazine--the kind of woman who can talk politics while painting her nails and solving her relationship woes, all while on the treadmill. Yet for all its attempts to become a jill of all trades, Marie Claire remains a powerhouse in one field: beauty. From the hottest lip or polish color to the latest haircut, from the best tools of the trade to the must-have scent of the year, Marie Claire remains unsurpassed as the best source for beauty advice, and those pages alone are worth the cover price.

Children enjoy their leisure time with an unusual woman. The book is written in verse. It can be recommended for beginners.

Stories enjoyed included the ironic "International Women's Day" by Salwa Bakr, in which a male teacher spoke to elementary schoolchildren about the need to appreciate women, but had trouble following his own advice, while the headmistress stood by listening idly and considering her own problems. "The Closely Guarded Secret" by Sahar al-Muji, in which a woman guarded carefully an unnamed secret all her life from parents and husband, preserving a sense of self. And "A Successful Woman" by Suhayr al-Qalamawi, in which a woman from the countryside sought love and success in Cairo, gaining and losing something in the process.