A woman goes to Paris on her mother's last words. There, she finds a dress that helps her change her life.

This one sounded so interesting to me, and I liked parts of it. however, my biggest problem was that it jumped around in time with inconsistent markers (as in sometimes, it had a year and other times it didn't). It just made it harder to follow, and there were a few times I had to flip back and forth to make sure I understood when I was on the timeline.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

When Stella St. Vincent’s coldhearted mother passes away, she is bequeathed a strange inheritance. A small amount of money has been provided for a prearranged trip to Paris. Stella is a reclusive copy editor living in New York. She loves her work which fills her life with structure, routine and quiet. It is how she avoids memories of her abusive childhood and lonely existence. But it’s the 1980’s and certainly bohemian to travel to Paris alone. Her boss, the one person she admires insists she take this as an opportunity to expand her little world. Upon arrival she finds pleasure walking the cobblestoned streets, letting her imagination take flight. One day she stops in a magical boutique and tries on a dress that changes her life. The dress leads to a friendship with Jules, a widow that takes Stella under his wing. Jules brings her into the world of delectable food, breathtaking art and history that may have been forgotten. Together they dive into the life of a female artist whose work has mysteriously disappeared. For the first time Stella can taste what she is eating and with each bite and every sip of French wine a part of Stella she never knew existed is revealed. Experiencing this taste of love and friendship for the first time Stella becomes tempted to search for her long lost father. This story leaves you savoring its flavors and themes long after you've finished, just as any great meal should.

2.5 stars rounded up

Stella St. Vincent's mother has died and left her with some money - but it can only be used to take a trip to Paris. Once there, Stella doesn't really understand the city and is quickly blowing through her funds. A chance encounter with a beautiful dress in a shop leads to a wild adventure of food, friends, and found family.

This book was not a hit for me unfortunately! I love Riechl's food writing and memoirs, but her fiction isn't a favorite for me. Other than the detailed and delightful descriptions of the various things Stella ate and drank, the art she saw, and the fashions, there wasn't a lot here to love. Stella was largely pessimistic and a bit boring. The story itself was incredibly far fetched and though exciting, didn't really hook me and draw me in. I did like the cast of characters in the story, but overall, there was a lot going on without a tone of substance.

TW: Child sexual abuse, narcissistic parent

My absolute favorite book setting is London, but Paris is a close second. I loved the atmosphere and character development throughout this book.

I needed a feel good book to read this weekend and somehow hadn't gotten around to reading this one yet! I loved following Stella as her life cracks wide open when her mother dies and sends her to Paris with some money and a mystery about her father. These kinds of mysteries always make me feel cozy and I can't read them fast enough! And of course, the food descriptions were next level, what do you expect!

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I have read Reichl before and while I admired her writing, I wasn’t over the top about it. The Paris Novel combined the best of everything for me - a great story wrapped around a varied and detailed explanation of food and outstanding meals.

A small shop, a curious old woman and a very special dress inhabit this story and help weave it together amidst a growing friendship and. luscious meals and a little mystery. Good character development set in an interesting time and a magical place. It hit all the right notes for me.

Many thanks the Random House and NetGalley for a copy.

I have enjoyed reading other writing by Ruth Reichl but this was my first fiction by her and it wasn’t for me. I decided to DNF after starting and then reading some other reviews.

I started reading this and couldn't get interested while there are so many other books to read that will hopefully draw me in. DNF.

Paris, a beautiful vintage dress, extended time in the bookshop Shakespeare & Co., and lots more Paris: what's not to love?

I love Ruth Reichl when she writes about food. The tantalizing way she describes each nuance of flavor and the interesting back story of where she bought ingredients and why she prepares a dish a certain way makes reading her cookbooks and her writings about food a great experience. It may have been fun for her to write a romantic novel about Paris, but it is totally unbelievable. An awkward ugly duckling girl becomes a beautiful swan after her mother dies and leaves her enough money to go to Paris for an indefinite amount of time and experience everything she never knew she wanted. Everyone she comes in contact with immediately loves her and thinks she's wonderful and fortune just falls into her lap. And of course, there is the troubled, yet handsome son of someone she just met who is so intriguing....However, by the end of the book, I found myself enjoying the story and I was happy the way everything worked out for all the endearing characters.

Trigger warning: child molestation

After Stella’s estranged mother dies, she learns that her inheritance is a plane ticket to Paris and a little money to live off of while she’s there. Stella, who is used to her routines, finds this well out of her comfort zone. When she first arrives in Paris, Stella sticks to her old habits of living frugally. However, when she finds a vintage Dior dress in a vintage store, the shopkeeper insists she wear it for a day, swearing it will change her life. At Les Deux Magots, Stella meets octogenarian Jules, who introduces her to a side of Paris Stella hadn’t encountered before. The people she meets show Stella that a bigger life is possible.

Foodies will love the descriptions of the food Stella eats in this book! I enjoyed the relationships Stella formed in this book, and it made me ready to travel back to Paris soon. Reichl clearly did her homework on what Paris was like in the 80s. The pacing of the story could have used some work. Overall, I liked but didn’t love this story.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

In this complex yet fascinatingly chaotic historical fiction novel, readers follow American Stella on her first trip to Paris shortly after her mother dies. After misusing most of her trip, a strange little shop with an equally odd proprietress and a beautiful Dior gown turns her trip -- and her life -- upside down. With new acquaintance Jules, his pompous son Jean-Marie, some of Paris’s best chefs, George Whitman and his daughter Lucie at Shakespeare and Company, the other Tumbleweeds, and her mother Celia St. Vincent’s secret legacy, Stella’s life changes through her love of everything Parisian -- food, art, and the mysterious Impressionist model Victorine Meurent. The characters in this novel are eclectic, fascinatingly complex, and inexplicably Parisian, and their dynamics with each other and with Stella are just incredible in their detail and complexity. With the many secrets and complex relationships undercutting the story, readers will understand Stella’s rebellions and questions as well as her lingering traumas and complicated feelings towards her mother. With her vibrant descriptions of Paris and its geography and cultural history -- as seen and experienced by Stella-- in the early 1980s, Reichl really brings the city alive in this fascinating, complex, and beautifully written historical fiction novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this title.
This book was a great trip and romp through Paris which I have traveled to and enjoyed multiple times in my life. The characters were richly described with real life nuances. The plot was easy to follow and did not drone on with european city stereotypes.

Paris, art, fashion, food, and lots more food. Family mysteries. Stella reluctantly goes to France to discover why her mother left her money to visit Paris. An intersting journey. With lots of food.

"The Paris Novel" by Ruth Reichl is a sensory-rich journey through 1980s Paris, blending food, art, and fashion in a way only Reichl can. The novel follows Stella, a cautious woman grappling with her past, who embarks on an unexpected adventure in Paris after her estranged mother’s death. The vivid descriptions of French cuisine and Parisian life are some of the book's greatest strengths, immersing readers in the city's charm. Stella’s transformation—from a woman bound by her trauma to someone learning to embrace spontaneity—unfolds against a backdrop of vibrant cultural experiences.

But, for me, the novel was marred by some significant issues. First, the graphic depictions of child abuse feel jarring and out of place in an otherwise elegant narrative, making it difficult to fully enjoy the escapism the book promises. Additionally, I found there were notable plot holes, particularly around Stella’s mother’s backstory and the mysterious art connection, which are left frustratingly under-explored.

While The Paris Novel offers a rich sensory experience and a heartfelt message about living fully, the heavier themes caught me off guard. Fans of Reichl’s evocative writing may still find much to savor, but overall I feel like the novel falls short of its full potential.

Although I loved the novel, I wish there would’ve been a trigger warning at the beginning of the novel. I almost stopped reading when I came to the scenes in the beginning of the book, and although I know that many have said it informs the rest of the book and it surely does have an effect on Stella’s actions, I question the necessity of putting it in at all or to detail. However, besides that and after that beginning, I loved the rest of the book. It weaves together descriptions of food and Paris like Hemingway’s The Moveable Feast combined with the heighth of Paris fashion from Gallico’s Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. All the cameos from famous authors, poets, and the infamous characters and tumbleweeds of the Shakespeare and Company bookstore just even further contributed to the Paris essential experience of the book. It was definitely a novel for the senses and I could easily see it transformed into a foodie film like Chocolat or the Julia Child movies and series. Book Clubs and events have a plethora of food and recipes to choose from to enhance their club meetings. The audiobook format was also extremely well done and took the reading experience up a notch too. The book was a treasure and the reader could easily place themselves in the cafes of Paris tasting new dishes for the first time, or feeling the rich fabric slipping over their head as they tried on dresses in the local dress shop, or scanning the overloaded shelves at the famous bookstore for a book to read in one of its many books or alcoves. This is my second Ruth Reichl book and I have enjoyed both of the novels I have read from her—she is one I will watch out for and read again.

This book made me want to go back to Paris!
I loved the characters and descriptions of food and I especially loved the descriptions of places like the bookstore. I never knew that people slept there.
I am a sucker for any book with Paris in the title and this book did not disappoint! I loved when the main character found her dress and just felt so perfect in it. I am recommending this book to my book club and friends. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!!

This book was a fun read. I love Paris and learning about Shakespeare & Co was such a delight. The descriptions of the child abuse at the beginning of the book felt unnecessary. It was just too detailed for the type of book and the lightness of the story. After I got into it - I enjoyed it. But at first I was concerned because of those scenes.

I'm a total Francophile, love Paris, and have always liked Ruth Reichl, so am a bit disappointed I didn't love this book. After Stella's never-the-best-mother dies, she leaves her a sum of money instructing her to travel to Paris. What Stella finds there is magical and changes her life. I did keep reading and liked the descriptions of food and wine. Just wish I enjoyed the story a bit more. Still, give it a try.