This book made me want to go to Paris! I loved the history. I especially loved the parts about fashion, but found myself wishing for more of them. 3.5 because of some slower parts.

I loved this book! Stella is a charming and lovely protagonist and it was a treat to be a part of her journey of discovery. On top of that, the historical pieces, the fashion, the food... it was all icing on the cake (yes, I had to do it!) .

i found the story transported me to another era, another country, another life. The descriptions of the food and clothes were luscious and tantalizing. I wanted to be there, with Stella, to experience all of it, and know that I will miss her now that the book is finished.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

If this is your introduction Ito the world of Ruth Reichl, you are in for a sumptuous treat. Her books, whether memoir or fiction, bring the senses alive. This book is a modern-day fairy tale. The reader is transported to a world of taste, smell, and an insider’s look of a Paris we all wish we could magically inhabit.

As in many fairy tales, this one begins with a damaging mother and a traumatic experience. Stella is born to a strident mother who neglected her except when it suited her. Even worse, she never intervened to keep her daughter safe. To counteract the uncertainty in her life, Stella carved out dependable routines to survive the trauma of her childhood. After her mother’s death, adult Stella structured a life she could control as a copy editor.

When her estranged mother died, Stella’s inheritance could only be used to travel to Paris. Stella may not have had the courage to take this trip if not for her boss who demanded she take substantial time off from work to grieve her mother. Stella is not one to seek adventure but what else can she do during the time she won’t be working? So… off she goes.

At first, she constructs a life similar to the one she lived in New York, and conducts herself the way she's always lived. She maps out days and develops a comfortable routine. But something happens to change all that. One afternoon she goes into a vintage shop on the Place des Vosges and emerges wearing a couture dress. The owner gives her instructions of where to go. At her first stop, the Cafes des Deux Magots, she tastes her first oysters and meets an 80 year old art collector who takes her under his wing and introduces her to a life she could never imagine.

She experiences amazing food, lives in the legendary Shakespeare & Company Bookstore and is befriended by George Whitman, its eccentric owner, his young daughter, Lucie and the others who live in the shop. She meets famous writers, restauranteurs, and art collectors. The once reticent Stella also goes on a mission to find the lost paintings of Manet’s model, Victorine Meurent, who she learns is a painter in her own right.

The characters Stella meets along the way are people we’d all like as friends and they encourage her to be open to life in a way she never has before. While there are no real surprises as to how life will unfold for this once solitary woman, it is a delight to take the trip with her. I don’t think there is a single character she meets that I wouldn’t like to have in my own life.

I would highly recommend taking this trip with Stella. It is a reminder in these difficult times we are living in, that a good meal, meeting a generous stranger, or trying something new, can make a significant difference in your life.

Many thanks to netgalley and Random House for giving me the opportunity to read and comment on this book.

Stella has always had a complicated relationship with her mother, Celia. (Note, content warning for Chapter 2). When Celia passes, she leaves her daughter all the remaining funds in her account. With the requirement that it be spent on a plane ticket and travelers checks for a trip to Paris. Stella stumbles upon a clothing store, where is is fit with a vintage dress that fits her like a glove. While she ends up returning it to get the money back to use for more time in Paris. What follows is Stellas's adventures to find herself through the Paris food art and fashion scene.
I've enjoyed Ruth Reichl's food writing in the past and this fictional novel did not disappoint.

I received an advanced reader copy via NetGalley.

What a wonderful novel about Paris, by someone who knows the city well. It ma be autobiographical, but not as directly as Tender at the Bones. Just a wonderful heartfelt tour of the City Of Love.

Reichl doesn’t disappoint with her signature mouth-watering descriptions of food in this enchanting fiction story about a girl discovering Paris and herself. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief with the plot but the beauty of Paris in the 80s, the food porn and the fashion and art descriptions make up for it in this charming novel.

I'm a fan of Ruth Reichl's nonfiction books, so I was excited to receive the ARC of <i>The Paris Novel</i>, especially since I was planning a trip to Paris. If you want to read about beautiful descriptions of Paris and the French countryside, this book will scratch that itch. However, the main character was a little too much of a Mary Sue for me to really enjoy the novel. She's a quiet, mousy thing who never really leaves her NYC apartment. However, she's naturally beautiful (but doesn't know it), can magically describe food in a perfect way that everyone adores and everyone she encounters finds her absolutely charming. That made it a little too hard to buy into the plot of me. I did appreciate the nice descriptions of Paris, especially of restaurants and cafes that are still open today, but I think I'll be sticking with Reichl's nonfiction from now on.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I loved this story! I have to admit that I found it hard to get into at first. Stella in New York is not a very interesting or likeable character and I didn’t enjoy reading about the tension between her and her mother. However, Stella in Paris becomes a different creature. Once I realized that the author was setting up the reader to see Stella’s transformation the book became much more interesting. The descriptions of food, chefs, and restaurants are—as you can imagine—fabulous. I’ve read and loved some of Reichl’s previous books and she writes beautifully about food. But in The Paris Novel there are also evocative discussions about art and literature. Stella’s life grows more intriguing as the novel progresses and I really enjoyed experiencing it vicariously! I also loved the timeframe: set in 1983 Stella experiences a world before cell phones and the internet. Reichl does an excellent job of capturing this period and this makes Stella’s adventures richer. It also gives her the opportunity to meet characters who share tales of life in Paris in earlier periods of the 20th century. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

The Paris Novel written by Ruth Reichl is a little different many of her other publications. The other books I have read by Reichl have been memoirs about her life, her career and her love of food. Check out the list at the bottom of this review to see all the amazing things Reichl has accomplished leading up to this novel.

In this novel we meet Stella who from childhood has always had a difficult relationship with her mother. Now she has moved on, living in a small New York City apartment, working as an editor for a small publishing company. When her mother dies, Stella is surprised by how upset she is. Then she is given her only inheritance, a one way plane ticket to Paris. This gift will take her completely out of the comfort zone she has built for herself. But encouraged by her boss she leaves for Paris. At the beginning she keeps a very low profile, eating in small unknown restaurants and visiting museums. Then one day she sees a dress int he window of a second hand shop. The owner convinces her to try it on and then follow a series of activities wearing the dress. The shopkeeper tells her something fabulous will happen while she is wearing the vintage Dior couture dress.

That is when the real story begins, Stella meets a handsome elderly gentleman, Jules, who opens Paris up for her. She begins to enjoy herself and also to try and discover why her mother wanted her to travel to Paris.

As she eats in the Paris restaurants that Jules introduces her to, she realizes how much she really enjoys eating. She finds that she can distinguish all the ingredients in a dish, she can imagine them in colors in her mind. This is where Reichl brings in her expertise with recipes, foods and menus. You can see that this Reichl's strongest writing skill, she brings the foods to life and you can almost taste and smell what Stella is eating in each of the restaurants. The recipes hinted at.

To add just a little more to make this such an entertaining novel Reichl adds some historical significance about the Dior dress, also a story about famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, and the plot twist where Stella uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting.

Such a fun entertaining novel. Enjoy the read.

Ruth Reichl's latest work centers around Stella, a young, introverted woman living a rather mundane life as a copywriter in NYC. Her life changes when she's left money in her mother's (Celia) will with the simple instructions that Stella must use the money to go to Paris and not come back until the money is gone.

While Stella and her mother were an oil and water mix -- quiet Stella never living up to larger-than-life Celia's expectations for her daughter, they co-existed with little love lost between the two. Stella's journey to 1980s Paris unfolds new and enlightening adventures for her as she navigates this new life. Ruth Reichl's credentials as a chef, food writer, and editor are showcased throughout this book with wonderful details of exquisite dishes and meals that Stella enjoys in Paris.

I will say that early in the book there is a graphic description of child abuse that readers could find disturbing. While I understand Reichl's mentioning the abuse in the book, I would have preferred a less graphic description. With that said, overall, The Paris Novel is an insightful and lovely look at a woman who finally comes into her own.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House for sending me an electronic version of #TheParisNovel for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the book once I got into it, however, the title is very misleading. This is a novel about cooking and a bookstore, not about a book.

This is a story of a woman's life transformed by circumstances. Stella who kept herself closed up like a flower bud transforms into a butterfly from the many new experiences she encounters in Paris. In order to find how wonderful Stella life is transform in Paris, you need to know that she had a very disturbing incident when she was younger that effects her so much that she no longer trusted men or her mother Celia. However, after Celia's dies she gives Stella instruction to go to Paris in order to inherit the money and that's what Stella does. From the moment Stella put her foot down in France, she encounter both people and events that transform her into a more happier and enrich person but also a more adventurous person.

I loved the way the story unfolds once Stella gets to Paris. I love that the characters make Stella life more interesting with both new foods and experience (a special dress, new foods like escargot and a little detective work that unveils a woman artist life that had been erased but was rediscovered, this was really fun to follow.) which gets Stella out of her normal routine. I also found all characters, Jules, Lucie, George Whitman, Django, were full of life and it was nice that their adventures rubs off onto Stella and that she not only enjoyed it but ended up wanting more.
I found the book delightful and easy to read, but there is a disturbing incident at the beginning but once you get pass it the story only gets better.

I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House and NetGalley for an advance copy of this transforming story.

Stella recently lost her mother, it was a difficult relationship between them but the last words she left to her daughter were: “Go to Paris.”

Stella follows her mom’s voice, leading her to the city of love, art, fashion, and food. For the first time, she will open herself to new possibilities. Maybe there’s magic in this city or perhaps it’s her mom's spirit guiding her, but Stella will start a quest meeting people, answering enigmas, and finding her true self.
This novel is surely for readers with a traveling soul, with gourmet and art appreciation. It’s full of places to visit in Paris, perfect spot recommendations for listing in a future trip.

The novel includes short expressions in French, and it’s not necessary to know the language because most of the time it mentions the meaning in English. Some of them were very easy to guess through context, so in my opinion, it was needless to reiterate.

The main character experienced a traumatic event when she was younger, I only wish this could have been even more developed through the novel, but it was a fast-paced read and entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.
Publication Date: April 30th, 2024

I have been a HUGE fan and supporter of Ruth’s ever since I came across Garlic & Sapphires ages ago. I have read nearly everything she has written and absorbed every word. Unfortunately, I could not get past the second chapter of this book due to a major trigger warning that happens to the main character in a flashback. And since it is mentioned in detail so early in the book, it most likely will be brought up again. I am sure this book is just as well written as all her others and there are those who will enjoy it, but this particular story is not for me.

This is a beautiful novel. If Paris, or any city, was like the one Stella experiences when she finally allows herself to really live, to savor the moment and the experience, how could anyone resist?

The description of eating ortolan was one of the oddest things I have ever read about in regard to eating, but also strangely fascinating (not that I have any interest in trying it myself). I am a picky eater and would probably not enjoy many of the dishes to which Stella was treated (and later helped create). However, I appreciated the vivid descriptions of the meals and the joy that Stella and her companion (usually Jules) experienced when eating them, as well as the joy of the chefs in seeing someone who truly enjoyed the meals as the chef intended; someone who does not consider themselves a food connoisseur, who never really thought about or appreciated what she ate, but who, when opened up to the experience of savoring a meal, displays appreciation and refinement.

The author does a great job of melding fact and fiction. I enjoyed Stella's search for the "true" Victorine, and especially how librarian Mademoiselle Duseigne, who treated Stella with disdain initially -- an ignorant American who has not bothered to properly learn the language -- became excited and helpful when Stella explained the purpose of her research. Also, the dynamic between Stella and Lucie, and Lucie's excitement participating in the "treasure hunt." There are just so many wonderful things about this book.

Ruth Reichl sure knows how to make you hungry! While I loved Save Me the Plums, I wasn't sure I understood how Reichl would fare as a novelist-- and she delivered. Some parts of The Paris Novel were a bit too cute/unrealistic - but it was still a lovely, warm book that made me want to up and fly to Paris. Reichl succeeds in melding fact and fiction -- incorporating real-life artists and chefs with fictional ones. I was really cheering for Stella, the protagonist, throughout the whole book. This would be a good read if you are in a reading rut or if you want a bit of easy readying and escapism.

The Paris Novel is the sweet story of a young woman looking to find a life for herself. Stella had a difficult relationship with her mother, Celia, and she never knew her father at all. When Celia passes away, she leaves Stella a small sum of cash and instructions for Stella to travel to Paris and spend the inheritance there. Stella leaves her boring life in the US to see what Paris is all about.

This book is filled with beautiful descriptions of art, food, and architecture. The friendships that Stella makes in Paris are sweet and loving, though somewhat unbelievable. Everything goes well with Stella and everything is so beautiful and delicious, and I found all the perfection to be a little boring. I was looking for some kind of exciting conflict to keep me compelled to read, but there really isn't much there.

This book read was easy to get through fairly quickly, though I did find myself skimming some, starting about halfway through. The ending of the story is sweet and satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Paris Novel.

Delving into the delicious history of French cooking, fashion and history! Ruth knows her recipes and French cooking so this book will make you hungry. Her food descriptions are fabulous. The plot was a little scattered and lacked movement in the first half. By the time Stella meets her father the pacing was better and their story was more interesting. I think the father search should happen sooner to see the suspense and the excitement of the characters. I loved the friendship of Jules and Stella and the art history about the model turned painter. Why did they include the sexual assault in the beginning of the book? It could be moved to when she becomes friends with Jules and then she confides in him about her past trauma. It seemed like a flash back that would be revealed later in the story. And the whole issue with Jules’ son’s fiancée being evil was way too much of the story. That was too much of the why Jules was lonely, but also way too time consuming for why Stella found the dress at the shop.
Art history on the model for Olympia was also a fantastic story overall and I think more time on the painting search would help the plot be quicker. Excellent weaving of food, history and art!

I didn't finish the book. Not because it wasn't engaging, but being a vegetarian, I found it difficult to get through all of the food descriptions. And it is a book about every kind of French food!!

I very much like this author and she is a food writer, so I should have been prepared, but this one was too much for me. If you enjoy all kinds of food, please please read. Ruth Reichl is a fabulous writer. Her character development is very good, and she definitely provides great descriptions.

I may eventually return to the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free advance e-reader copy of The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Reichl is one of the most talented and evocative food writers of our time. Reichl also excels at scene-setting, and it's clear that she loves Paris. For these reasons alone I recommend The Paris Novel. The story itself, a sort of coming of age narrative (although the protagonist is in her early 30s) that tracks copy editor Stella as she fulfills her deceased narcissistic mother's final wish and buys a plane ticket to Paris, is fairly predictable and competently (if not brilliantly) told. I did very much enjoy the blossoming friendship between Stella and the elderly Jules, and rooted for Stella to come out of her very thick shell as she forces herself to break down her own barriers. But really, the best part of this book was eating along with Stella as she enjoys meal after sumptuous meal as described in painstaking, delicious detail by Reichl.

3.5 stars for the story line, rounded up to four because of that gorgeous food writing, which I enjoyed even more because I keep kosher and this is the only way I'll ever get to eat an oyster or sip lobster bisque.