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.

I absolutely loved this book. I don’t hand out 5 stars read easily, but this is definitely one of them. I loved listening to the audiobook. The novel takes place mostly in Paris. There is lots of spoken French without much translation (you don’t need it) but it was great listening to someone that sounds like they know what they are talking about. I fell in love with Stella and how she blossomed as a person.

Stella grows up the distant from her mother who is an outgoing, flamboyant person. Stella sticks to her schedule and doesn’t take risks. Her mother dies and in her will leaves Stella with instructions to go to Paris. This book is mainly about her adventures in Paris, meeting new people and growing her talents. The ones she didn’t even know she had until she came to Paris. This book will make you fall in love with art, food and the people of Paris.

I would highly recommend this book.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. ruth reichl is one of my favorite food-centric people and one of my favorite writers. i really enjoyed her past works including "save me the plums". my favorite parts were the descriptions of the paris scenery and all the food. i do not think the child abuse in the second chapter was necessary.

Wonderful story of love and loss and finding yourself. Loved the character development! Makes me want to visit Paris Asap.

Whew! It's as if my dear Ms. Reichl tried to include every possible Parisian cliche into the this novel. I kept reading The Paris Novel, despite its predictable characters and tropes.

Why did I keep reading ~~ the beautifully written descriptions of the incredible food and drink to be found everywhere in France. Reading these sections made me long to book a ticket and visit just to eat.

This was a love letter to Paris- the art, food, and culture. However, the book felt like 2 plot points were merged into one book and my biggest issue was Chapter 2, which described graphic child abuse, then had no bearing on the remaining plot. In addition, everything fell too nicely into the lap of the protagonist, which is fine, but it I really had to suspend belief.

In this enchanting novel, Stella, a reclusive copy editor with a life marked by solitude and self-discipline, is thrust out of her comfort zone by an unexpected inheritance. Following her mother's death, she finds a note directing her to spend a bequest in Paris—a city she has no desire to explore.

In Paris, she sticks to her old habits, living modestly and avoiding new experiences—until she stumbles upon a vintage dress shop. The shopkeeper, seemingly expecting her, presents Stella with a stunning vintage Dior dress. When Stella tries it on, she feels a profound change and decides to embrace this new opportunity. This decision leads her on a series of adventures, from sampling oysters at Les Deux Magots to meeting an intriguing art collector who introduces her to Parisian culinary delights and hidden gems.

Stella also begins working at the renowned Shakespeare and Company bookstore, where she unravels the mystery surrounding a Manet painting. Through mystery, romance, and delectable food, Stella's journey transforms her from a timid recluse into a bold adventurer.

Immerse yourself in the Paris of 1980 with this delightful read. Whether you're a foodie, a seasoned traveler, or someone dreaming of far-off places, this book will transport you to the enchanting streets of Paris and rekindle your sense of wonder.