Ruth Reichl's first fiction novel showcases her legendary food and travel writing. As a huge fan of her memoir works, her descriptive showcase of 1980s Paris is the highlight of the book. Where the plot lags, this shines through and is an enjoyable ride.

Absolutely loved every moment I spent with this novel! Ruth Reichl has long been a favorite writer of mine, and this novel was every bit as mouthwateringly delicious as any of her cookbooks. Highly, highly recommend for any lovers of Paris, great food, lighthearted mysteries, or just a sweet, absorbing book you won't be able to put down.

I’ve eagerly awaited another Ruth Reichl novel since Delicious, this one does not disappoint! Her characters are vivid and so alive. The novel’s main character Stella leads such a quiet and invisible life with a mother that clearly wasn’t meant to be a mother. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but life events take her to Paris. Here her life is transformed through the people she meets and the chances she dares to take. The descriptions of the experiences and foods she encounters take me there with her. It certainly inspires me to cook with abandon! I loved this book. I only gave it four stars because I wish it had gone on just a bit longer. I would’ve loved to continue on this journey with her and all the wonderful people she met.

This novel was a delight!
I didn’t know what to expect from Ruth Reichl as a fiction writer, as I have only read her non-fiction Save Me The Plums (which is excellent!)
The Paris Novel is a luscious love letter to fashion, food, books, and art.
The characters are quirky and sincere. I love how Stella grows and blooms as she experiences what it feels like to wear a beautiful dress, take risks, eat delicious food, make meaningful relationships and friendships and experience Paris to its fullest.
I wanted to stay in Paris, live in the bookstore, and become a Tumbleweed.
Truly a book I didn’t want to end.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Ruth Reichl's books, so I was very excited to be able to preview this one, more Parisan stories about food, friendship and families please.

Not a fan where book go back in time with each chapter. DNF

********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley**********************

I devoured (pun intended) Ruth Reichl's nonfiction writing, which at times felt a lot like fiction--a lifestyle I know nothing about and food and restaurants I dream to experience. This foray into fiction was not my favorite, though I would absolutely read more from her again.

Ruth Reichl has outdone herself. And that sure is saying a lot. Each book of hers is a gift through story that allows us to feel, taste, experience her world. I don't know if I could say it any better, "Bestselling author Ruth Reichl takes readers on an adventure of food, art, and fashion in 1980s Paris in this dazzling, heartfelt novel." I fell in love with Stella, Paris, Jules, art, fashion, and most of all food. This book make me laugh, cry and cheer for Stella!

I enjoyed this book, but I prefer Ruth Reichl's memoirs. It is absolutely a wish fulfillment read. This is for lovers of Paris, food, found family, literature, art, and frothy writing.

I wanted to love this book. I've loved every other book by Ruth Reichl. This one, though, I found it difficult to get into the story. There seemed to be one too many subplots to try and braid together in the narrative. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, though. Ms. Reichl has a special gift for writing about food, an almost magical way of putting together words so that the reader is transported to Paris, sitting at a tiny table with a napkin over their head, eating an ortolan. which is quite a feat, since the act itself is quite repulsive to me. She makes it seem not only tolerable, but something to long for. That's skill.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for letting me read a copy of this book early. It was such a delight.

Going into this, I didn't know who Ruth Reichl was. After reading the author's note at the end, the book made a lot of sense.

The story follows Stella, a shy copyeditor who has lived a complicated life. With the recent death of an overbearing, over-the-top mother, who Stella could never live up to the expectations of, she is finally free. That is until she finds out that in order to get her mother's money she has to go to Paris and spend it all, a nightmare of Stella. After some encouragement from her boss and friend, Stella leave for Paris. While there she is drawn to this vintage Saint Laurent, a dress that seems to have magical properties. This dress sends her on an adventure to discover herself, her past, and her love of food.

At the beginning of this book I really didn't think it was for me. The writing was beautiful, but I didn't really like where the story was going. Then Reichl started to describe food, and I was hooked. This is such a beautiful story of self discovery and has just the right amount of mystery mixed in to make you want to keep turning the pages.

From the author's note, I've gathered that this story is somewhat auto-biographical, which explains why it all feels so real. Reichl says who she made up, who was real, but they all felt so real to me. I loved how this story came together. There was a magic to it.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who love food and wants to be swept away in the timelessness of Paris.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced reader’s copy of “The Paris Novel” by Ruth Reichl.
Things I Liked:
- The Paris setting, the historical pieces and the food!
Things that I Didn’t Like:
- The child abuse/molestation parts in the early part of the story. It was too descriptive for my tastes and I think the same effect could have been achieved with less graphic descriptions.
- I didn’t connect with the characters as I hoped I would (but that’s always a personal thing).
Overall, an enjoyable read. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

What a truly delicious book. As you'd expect from one of the great food writers, Reichl turns every meal into a feast for the senses. What could have been a standard "young woman goes to Paris and discovers herself" read is elevated by Reichl's wit and sparkling voice. Stella's journey from shy and mousey to confident woman is just charming.

A bit of a slow start but I devoured every word once I was hooked. Stella was adorable as were the other characters but Rechl shined in her food descriptions. *chefs kiss*

I would like to thank Random House and Net Galley for the opportunity to review this as an ARC. I have always enjoyed Ruth Reichl's non fiction writing and was interested in trying her fiction as well. While this book is not as compelling as her non fiction, I found it to be a very good read. It is set in Paris in the 1980's. Stella's mother has recently died and has left her money to be spent in a trip t o Paris. Stella and her mother are not close. Even though they are all they have- Stella does not know who her fatherShe and her mother are very different and in many ways the opposite of each other.Stella is a book editor in her 30's and lives a very precise, orderly bland life.Then her mother dies and Stella is left a bequest-money to spend only on a trip to Paris. Stella goes to Paris and spends the first part of her trip in an orderly manner, eating plain food living in a plain hotel and keeping to a schedule. Then she is drawn to a dress shop, with beautiful vintage clothing and the shop owner, who makes her an astonishing bargain- if Stella buys a dress, wears it for a day and goes to all the places the shopowner tells her to visit,then Stella can return the dress and get her money back. This propels Stella on an adventure, almost against her will. It is a twisty story as Stella learns about Paris and herself. It is almost a book of historical fiction- set in the 1980's, with a mix of fictional and real characters. We briefly meet James Baldwin, Alan Ginsberg, Richard Olney and George Whitman ( he of the second incarnation of the bookstore, Shakespeare and Company). As always, with Ruth Reichl, the food descriptions were incredible. The characterizations were also very good. It took me a while to get into the book-it was a slow start for me.There were some plot turns that were a little far fetched.There was also an incident of child sexual abuse in a flashback sequence that was disturbing, although as I read on, was integral to the plot. All in all, I enjoyed this book.

I love Ruth Reichl’s nonfiction works, but The Paris Novel took a while for me to get into. Still, her writing is excellent, and this story captures Paris and food and life in such a beautiful way.

I wanted to love this but found it hard to stay in the story. This didn’t felt particularly fleshed out or tethered to a real narrative purpose/plot. This could be a short story and maybe that’s the tension I felt? The whole thing feels ephemeral… hard to hold on to.

This was truly a most delightful book.
If you love Paris, art, and cooking this is the book for you. Not only was it well researched, but Ruth Reichl knows the titans of French cuisine.
In addition, the main character, Stella. is a most likable person as many others in the book. Ruth Reichl is an excellent writer and her proficiency comes out in this book. I recommend this book highly.

It has been 10 years since Ruth Reichl wrote Delicious, which was a absolute delight and I have been awaiting another novel since then. The Paris Novel definitely doesn't disappoint! Stella begins the novel as a mousy little woman, but because of her trip to Paris and her encounters with characters, some real and some made up, she comes into her own as a woman and surprisingly as a cook (although, as it turns out it is in her blood). Ms. Reichl never strays too far from her home turf of food, but she expands into fashion, literature, and even an art mystery. Her notes at the end of the book give the reader some idea of what is real and what is not, which then may cause some going down some rabbit holes on Google to find out more information about Stella's experiences, but it is all good. What I like best is the touch of magic that was found in Delicious is exhibited here--what is with the woman and the dress? and did Stella's mother have an inkling of what Paris would mean to her daughter when she made her will...we will never know but it makes the conjecture such great fun! If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would.

I am a fan of Ruth Reichl and I love her writing style. She has a way of bringing places and food to life. This was not one of my favorites, but that being said, I still enjoyed the story and the writing.