Literary Historical Fiction set in 1983 in which a copy editor reluctantly honor's her mother's last wish, a trip to Paris and embarks on an adventure of food, art and fashion.

5/5 stars: Reichl's Literary Historical Fiction set in 1983 features a copy editor who was sexually abused as a child has lived a strict, confined life reluctantly honor's her mother's last wish, a trip to Paris and find herself thrust into a world of food, art and fashion. Reichl's writing and character work is stellar; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain incredibly likable. Stella's trip to Paris is a journey of personal growth, dealing with her childhood trauma and her strained relationship with her late mother. Stella blooms under her friendship with Jules, an octogenarian art collector and George, the owner of famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company and his young daughter. Through those friendships Stella meets famous writers, chefs and artists and eats her way in and around Paris as she sets out to uncover the truth behind a famous artist model. Along the way she also finds her father and opens enough to allow the possibly of love to bloom. Reichl's food description are fabulous and will leave you hungry for more. No wonder as she was editor in chef of Gourmet magazine for ten years and previously served as a restaurant critic for The New York Times and a food editor and restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times. The woman knows food and gloriously how to write about it. Reichl tackles some very heavy topics, so take care and check the CWs. A can't miss read, highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I absolutely love Ruth Reichl's writing style. The way she writes about food just comes alive and makes you feel like you've just enjoyed one of the remarkable meals her character has in this book.

I always recommend her books for foodies, but this book was also full of beautiful writing for art, history, and fashion lovers. I found myself googling SO much while reading this book so I could see what the towns, markets, and buildings she described looked like, if the mysterious female painter she was tracking down was real, if the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore actually had places for writers and artists to sleep, and more.

This book felt so realistic, and I found myself relating to and falling in love with our main character Stella. I also appreciated that romance wasn't the main theme of the book, it was so refreshing that we just got to go on all these miniature quests with Stella, George, Jules, Django, Lucie, and more. I really didnt want this to end!

I love everything that Ruth Reichl writes. Her descriptions transport the reader and invoke the images, tastes, and smells that the characters experience. Stella was a wonderful character that was far from perfect and that made her relatable. Jules is the man who helps Stella appreciate the world around her and introduces her to a world in which she belongs. This was so well written.

I love Ruth Reichl’s memoirs so much. She has a way of making food and community alive as though I’m there with her enjoying a glass of wine and eating a piece of crusty bread. The Paris Novel is a work of fiction and I was thrilled to receive it from the publisher. While I appreciated the subject and obvious love of food and experiences and travel, the writing fell flat for me and this was a miss.

Copy editor Stella likes structure. When her estranged mother dies and leaves her money with the instructions to go to Paris, her ordered life crumbles. With each new experience, Stella questions her life and purpose, finding meaning and new friends along the way. This outlandish, yet enjoyable story brings Reichl fans a delectable read.

No one writes about food better than Ruth Reichl! This book is such a treat. I loved the descriptions of fashion, restaurants, and bookstores - it brought Paris to life in a very real way. The plot is fairly simple, but the setting was so vivid.

🇫🇷🥂 The Paris Novel 🥂🇫🇷

I ended up loving this book, even though I thought I would not. The characters started out flat, and I couldn’t stand narcissistic Celia. The second chapter was rough and unnecessary (see TW below), but if you overlook the beginning, the rest of the book was lovely.

If only everyone could experience the serendipity that Stella does in this book! All the wonderful people she meets, places she sees, and food she experiences is nothing short of dream-like. I loved each character and what they meant to Stella. I felt proud of Stella for her found courage, and not only discovering her passion, but wholeheartedly embracing it.

🥂 self discovery
🥂 found family
🥂 culinary experiences
🥂 Paris!
🥂 subplot of feminism and honoring one’s life
🥂 nods to fashion
🥂 tons of art and literature

TW: sexual assault of a minor. If you want to skip it you could, just skip the second chapter.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 4/23/24

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading Go to Paris. But Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a childhood trauma has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. When her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes.

What follows is delightful story of a girl who finds herself while immersed in a totally new life in Paris. I found this story absolutely enchanting, with beautiful writing that transported me straight to Paris, which has always been a bucket list place for me. The food descriptions were so mouth watering and interesting too. I loved the characters that Stella meets along the way, forming a group of found family. Jules was so great and I really loved watching he and Stella grow closer. I also liked how several of the characters were based on real life people as well. The author's note at the end really explains a lot of this, don't miss reading it for sure. This was my first read by the author, but definitely won't be my last.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Be sure to get your pre-orders in for the April 23 release. A truly entertaining book that left me smiling.

Ruth Reichl is my favorite food memoirist. With he experience as a food critic, she describes food in a way that makes the reader almost taste it. While her fiction writing is not as soaring, I enjoyed this story of friendship in Paris.

I'm a huge fan of Ruth Reichl's work, Paris, old bookstores, and fashion, so I was well primed to love this and I'm pleased to say it didn't disappoint! Ruth creates such an amazing atmosphere with her words and, as expected from her, the descriptions of food were so evocative. and delicious This would be the perfect book for the spring and summer. Definitely one to pack in your holiday suitcase. TW for child abuse scene.
Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Reichl is one of my favorite food writers and memoirists. I have read all of her books. Although The Paris Novel is fiction it transported me to Paris in the 1980's. In this book she incorporates the most important artists, writers and culinary figures of the time, their characters spring to life. I loved feeling like I was in the famous Paris bookstore Shakespeare and Company. I was charmed.
The book begins with Stella and her lackluster life in New York. Her self absorbed single mother has died and left a conditional will that sends Stella to Paris. I have only one complaint, very close to the beginning of Stella's backstory is a description of her experience of child molestation, an incident that was overlooked by Stella's mother. I am not sure why this was included, it didn't seem relevant, but if this is a trigger it is disturbing. In spite of this issue I grew to love this book and Stella's adventure.

I just love Ruth Reichl. I didn’t even look to see what the book was about before I started to read it so imagine my surprise when it was fiction! Every time I was not reading this book, all I could think was, “I can’t wait to go back to Paris.” If you’re looking for a wonderful story with Ms. Reichl’s immersive food imagery, you’ve found it. Following Stella through Paris was a delight.

When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. Nonetheless, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes. Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store, where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and for the first time in her life Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress—and embarks on an adventure. Her first stop: the iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces Stella to a veritable who’s who of the Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, she begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC! I enjoyed this cute story so much. Was it unrealistic? Of course (hot take: French people are not as nice as they were in this book), but that didn’t make it any less charming or heartwarming. I really loved how Stella was able to come into her own and start enjoying her life as she spent more time and made more friends in Paris. I also really enjoyed Stella‘s quest to find out more about what happened to Victorine and her lost art. And the descriptions of food made my mouth water! My only complaint is that there is a scene of child SA early on in the book that came almost out of no where and was quite upsetting. It played a part in Stella’s development and growth in the book, but it was a bit more graphic than I think was necessary, and I did not see any trigger warnings for it so it completely took me by surprise. I think that could’ve been handled and written about in a better way. Otherwise this was an enjoyable and heartwarming read.

I love Ruth Reichl, I really do, but this book started with child abuse and I immediately needed to DNF. I love her food books and will stick to those. This book needs a trigger warning. Thanks for the opportunity to review.

Sometimes, I just want to be charmed because life is heavy enough. I want to read a novel that intersects food, fashion, and Paris and I want to be charmed. The Paris Novel does just that (minus the beginning, which seems the author felt she needed in order to explain why our protagonist has gone through life seemingly alone with great rigidity but that further lead to her appreciation of art).

This novel is the equivalent of a cosy, warm blanket. It's a reminder that you can come of age at any time in your life and that we are constantly becoming new versions of ourselves. The author is a chef and food writer so it's not surprising the portions of this book dedicated to food are crafted lovingly and with great thought.

Are some moments utterly predictable? Absolutely. However, if you'd like to be taken out of your life for a few hours and planted into a nook at Shakespeare & Co, a market in Paris, or the kitchen of a Parisian restaurant, check it out with a cup of tea in hand. It's enjoyable.

There were some things I really liked about The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl. The settings were extremely well written. The details of the French food were so thorough that I felt I could see and taste the meals. The characters felt authentic and interesting.
However, for most of the story it felt like nothing really happened. This did not deter me from reading, as I love reading about Paris.
Overall, I did enjoy reading The Paris Novel. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was initially intrigued by the cover and description of this novel. Throughout it I found our main character to be intriguing, but actually believed the other characters to have more depth. My primary love of this novel was that I found myself to be transported into Paris. Every paragraph had a rich depiction of French scenery to the point that it felt as though the story was more focused on the setting than the characters/plot. I am unsure of whether or not the author did this purposefully, but found it to be a very novel way of story telling and would love to see more books written in this fashion. Unfortunately, I did find there to be a pacing issue in that at times the book came to a standstill at the overwhelming descriptions. I would love to read another book by this author, preferably one with a faster pacing.

I love Ruth Reich's food and memoir writing and enjoyed this fictional novel about the adventures of an American woman in Paris. She ends up going there after her mother left her money in her will to go have an adventure. She had a difficult relationship with her mother and a terrible childhood, not knowing who her biological father was. The writing is part fairy tale and a love letter to Paris. Her writing touches on all of our senses - her descriptions about taste, sight, smell, touch and sounds really stand out in her writing and makes this an enjoyable read. There are many threads to the story but she does end up wrapping them all up in the end which makes it an enjoyable romantic read. Jimmy Baldwin makes an appearance among others, which were interesting touches. She also describes dishes at famous restaurants and on my next visit to Paris, I plan to visit. Also really interesting is her visit to a famous restaurant Les Troisgros, which is the subject of a recent documentary by Frederick Wiseman called "Menus-Plaisirs - Les Troisgros." An enjoyable read (once you get past the beginning and her traumatic childhood!).

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

Started off a bit slow but ended on such a high note. The descriptions of clothing/food/art made you feel as though you were in Paris. The complexities of the relationships in the book and the main character feeling lonely, are relatable. Overall an excellent book.

Stella has lived a very sheltered, quiet, regimented life. When her difficult mother dies, she is bequethed a small amount of money with the stipulation that she must travel to Paris. Stella's world is opened up as she finally discovers what she was meant to do.
Trigger warning for abuse