I love Ruth Reichl and anything she writes about food. This book's descriptions of the food in Paris was simply yum! The story itself was just okay and kind of dragged in parts. But the descriptions of food, chefs and Paris are lovely.

3.5 stars

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Netgalley & Random House

Round up to 3.5…I love how Ruth Reichl describes, detains and reveals in food. Not just food but all things Paris was told in descriptions I couldn’t help reread. The journey was a little chaotic and confusing but it’s Paris so it was worth it! Thank you NetGalley for this preview.

#theparisnovel by #ruthreichl :

I really enjoyed this novel that is equal parts historical fiction, journey of self discovery, and love letter to the art and food of Paris. 🇫🇷
When Stella’s mother passes away in 1983, she implores her daughter to go to Paris. Stella sets off from her quiet, comfortable life in NYC on a journey of self discovery. Once there, a chance encounter with a vintage Christian Dior dress leads her to a whole cast of characters that help her learn about her past and discover her future. The author is an award winning food editor and restaurant critic, and her descriptions of food and wine are so appetizing they made my mouth water. 🤌🏻
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publish date: 4/23/24

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Reichl is still possibly the best writer that I know of on the topic of food and eating. Her memoirs are classics, and for years I have followed her non-fiction. This novel is no different. It is a sensual feast set in Paris of the 1980s—and its incorporation of historic characters interwoven into a fun plot about a young woman coming into her true self is a real treat. Every single scene that involves eating or cooking is a gem. The novel transports us to some of the famous, classic French restaurants that we have all read about and gives us a sense of what a meal there would have been like, likely based on the author’s real experiences. I loved those sections.

Unfortunately, for me the overall experience of reading this book was something of a mixed bag. All the elements are present: a great set of characters, a fun and enticing mystery to solve, food at every corner, and a promising romance to go along with perfectly pitched scenes that nail the sights and sounds of Paris, in its clothes, locations, restaurants, and homes. But at the same time, sections of the plot felt oddly slapdash, with noticeable plot holes, uneven character development, and erratic pacing.

My sense is that the novel needed one more round of deep structural editing to catch the inconsistencies and plot unevenness, and the sometimes really weird character wobbles. The pacing just should have been tighter given that so much of the writing was truly top-notch.

To give you one small example (that will not spoil the plot), in chapter 14 our main character--who has been drawn as fairly tightly wound and orderly, albeit beginning to loosen up a bit --walks one morning into an empty cafe room and sees a half-drunk, lipstick-smudged cup of café au lait that someone left laying on a table. She picks it up and drinks the rest of it. What?!! The act of picking up some random person’s coffee from a table and drinking it would be a strange action for anyone to do, but particularly this character. It certainly startled this reader and ended up feeling overly weird like a Starbucks cup appearing in a Game of Thrones episode.

There were several plot points that I grappled with: one involving the idea that a character could realistically jump from a lifelong lack of pleasure in food to transformation into a “natural” supertaster and professional chef with perfect instincts within a matter of only a few months, to a subplot involving “the Duchess” when we are told that there is a plan afoot to deal with her and an explanation will be following on a car ride, and then the car ride happens and the topic is completely dropped. I also found a deeply traumatic episode in the character''s early years to be too intense for the overall tone of the story and then it ended up serving as something of a trauma shortcut for the character's quirks--this did not fully work for me and I suspect that it will bother some readers..

All of this said, I loved the overall concept and writing, and I just wished that some of the wonkiness had been ironed away so that I could give this book the high rating that those amazing food scenes richly deserve.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Have loved Ruth Reichl’s memoirs and columns and he words translate so well to fiction too! Loved the Paris Novel. The food and scenes of Paris jump right off the page.

I knew I wanted to read this book the minute I saw three things: the title, the cover, and the author. I have read Ruth Reichl's non-fiction, but this is the first of her novels that I have enjoyed. Set in Paris in the 1980s, this book is filled with art, books, and of course, lots of mouthwatering food! (No one can write about food the way Ruth can.) And much of the book is set in the famed Shakespeare and Co. bookstore in Paris which all book lovers will love. Your mouth will water and your heart will warm to this story is about missing art, finding family, and discovering new loves. If you're in the mood to travel to Paris, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for gifting me this lovely new book.

This book is a hidden gem. The story is absolutely wonderful, engaging, delightful. But the amount of historical detail and fascinating facts -about food, Paris, France, books, art, cooking- is fascinating and EXTREMELY well done. I couldn't wait to keep reading it every time I had to stop to do other things. Fantastic.

An exquisite novel depicting 1980’s Paris. Atmospheric and beautiful.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This novel is a little bit make-believe, little bit travelogue, lotta bit fabulous French food -- as one would expect from this author. But the fanciful tone is severely marred by an early scene of sexual child abuse against the protagonist. Reichl weaves real and fictional characters into a story centering around the search for the work of a little-known Parisienne artist and artist's muse as Stella, the main character, simultaneously seeks to fill the gaps in her own life story and create a new, fulfilling existence in Paris.

Stella St. Vincent, a thirty-something copy editor in New York City, has survived a relationship with her mother, Celia, so complicated that even the words “my daughter” give Stella pause. Celia lived life to the fullest, reinventing herself and discarding the parts of her life that no longer pleased her—including Stella’s father, whom Celia refused even to name. And when Stella rebels by becoming the exact opposite of her mother—disciplined, buttoned-down, reliant on schedules to guarantee safety—Celia does her best to push her daughter out of that comfort zone. So the bequest in Celia’s will is no accident: Stella inherits $8,000, a ticket to Paris, and instructions to spend all the money before returning home.

Stella resists until even her employer loses patience and forces her to take a leave of absence. Even then, Stella spends weeks in Paris scheduling every meal and sightseeing tour—until an encounter with a strange shopkeeper intent on selling a beautiful dress designed by Yves St. Laurent sends Stella on a journey that will expose her to a lost nineteenth-century painting, the artist who created it, her own past, and the sensory experiences that she has denied herself for so long.

I hope to interview the author of this captivating, beautifully written novel when the book comes out in April 2024.

This book should come with a content warning for child sex abuse. The second chapter recounts our heroine's horrific experience. I couldn't get past it and ended up not finishing the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Random House.

While not as impactful as her nonfiction, Ruth Reichl's "The Paris Novel" is an enjoyable read. Stella's journey of self-discovery in the City of Lights is relatable, and the descriptions of Parisian life, from the cafes to the art galleries, are beautiful.. The story overall is a little predictable at times, but the eclectic cast of characters that Stella meets are fun and engaging. You will certainly cheer Stella on as she learns to step outside of her comfort zone and really experience life for the first time. She learns to let go of the tight control she usually has on all aspects of her life, and simply enjoy what might come next. Her ability to live in the moment is inspiring. As Stella learns about herself in Paris, she learns about her mother as well. The book is directive to attempt to understand our loved ones while they are still here.
Overall, "The Paris Novel" is a charming, perfect for those seeking a delightful escape to Paris and a reminder to embrace new opportunities. If you're a fan of Reichl's writing or simply adore descriptions of delicious food, this book is definitely for you.

An easy, breezy book for anyone who loves Paris, food and fashion. Since Ruth Reichl is the author there is in-depth description on food. It was an enjoyable read but not very memorable.

Food, books, and Paris…what more could you want?! This takes you on a divine trip with amazing descriptions of food, life in Paris, wine, book stores, art and so much more. It tells the story of Stella, who comes to Paris only because her mother left her instructions to do so when she passed. It takes you through a few mysteries as well as a love sorry with food! I loved it! I can’t wait to go back and dig into Ruth’s cookbooks now!

TW for a mention of child abuse in the beginning.

Paris is a main character in this story. I've never been, but appreciated the descriptions of food, sites, sounds, people.
Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for access to this e-ARC.

This was a well researched and well written story that kept me rapt. I loved the clothes, the food- all of it. My favorite book of this author! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. great story!

The Paris Novel starts with Stella St. Vincent. A woman determined to make herself small to ensure nothing exciting ever happens in her life, and also a little rebellion towards her mother. When her mother passes away and her only request is for Stella to go to Paris. At first, Stella is resistant, but her boss encourages her to go and she takes a leap of faith. Once in Paris, Stella stumbles upon a vintage Yves St. Laurent dress that seems to be made for her. This dress begins to open a whole new world to Stella and she continues to not only discover Paris, but happiness as well.

Ruth Reichl did an amazing job weaving historical details, creating beautiful characters and relationships. This book was truly so enjoyable. Food, Art, Fashion, Family and Friendship are all abundant in this fiction read. It was such a joy to experience Stella unraveling her protective world and creating the friends, family and joy that she had kept her self from.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

I loved the rich history in this book, as well as the character development of Stella. The many interesting people she met and her chosen family. I didn’t realize, until the author’s note at the end, that many of the people and events in this book are real. I have never once considered the Nazi’s impact on more than just the people of Europe, but the art and other inanimate objects. A beautiful story of a woman’s journey for purpose and family.

Loved everything about this book! Paris, food, art, identity exploration, what’s not to like? A lovely story about finding connection with yourself and others in new and unexpected ways. The descriptions of food were also amaaaaazing and added to my enjoyment of the book. Thank you to netgalley and random house for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️From the publisher Random House: 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. But when her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes.
Alone in a foreign city, Stella 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 weeks—and many decadent meals—go by, Stella ends up living as a “tumbleweed” at famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting, and discovers a passion for food that may be connected to her past.
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My review: (TW in one of the early chapters for sexual abuse of a child.) Stella is not happy and very regimented. She goes to Paris as her non-motherly mother instructed her to do in her "will". The book is a lot of wine, food, description, some intrigue and searching to solve a mystery of artistic history.
I was a little bored but interested in what would happen and what Stella would learn. I tend to skim over paragraphs when they are filled with hordes of adjectives because let's face it...tedious. And there was a bunch of skimming in this.
But Stella met interesting people and found herself in the process. The story picked up a lot in the 7 or 8 chapters and I enjoyed it more.
If you love fancy food, wine and dream of Paris...you'll love this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.