The Paris Novel successfully transports the reader to Paris through detailed descriptions of fashion, art, food, and the sounds and smells of Paris. I enjoyed reading about places such as Shakespeare and Company, its tumbleweeds, and felt as though I was reliving my last Paris adventure. Stella's sets out on many adventures to discover artwork and finds her father along the way. At first the relationship with Jules felt a little creepy, but as the novel progressed, the reader learned he considered Stella a daughter. The author incorporates real Parisians and Parisian-inspired characters in her novel. The Paris Novel is a great read for someone wanting to experience Paris through literature.

Sadly, I had two big issues with this novel. First, the second chapter of the book is about a child's sexual abuse and her mother's lack of response to it. Now that alone, I can live with in a story where it is important to the overall plot, but here is was not. Instead it simply felt gratuitous and sort of turned my stomach; definitely affected my feelings about the rest of the story. My second issue was that the rest of the book had a fairytale like quality to it, that made Stella's adventures in Paris to feel more like a YA novel than one for adults. (Making the sexual abuse chapter even more out of place.)

I've chosen not to publicly review this book, so am only hsaring my thoughts here.

The Paris Novel is a beautiful little gem of a book by Ruth Reichl, best known for her time as Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine and author of a series of engaging memoirs. It was the mention in one of her books of a little black dress she tried on while in Paris that inspired this book. I can’t help but think that much of what Reichl has written mirrors her own experiences, and the story is infused with her love for and knowledge of food. In fact, in the author notes, Reichl reveals that many of the famous people in her book she met in real life. It combines historical fiction (early 1980s), a bit of romance, a reluctant search for a missing father, and a mystery involving Victorine, the model for Edouard Manet’s Olympia, who eventually became a painter in her own right and then faded into obscurity thanks to jealous men.

After a horrendous childhood being raised by a cold, neglectful, narcissistic mother who looked the other way when she was being molested by one of her boyfriends, Stella has led a colorless, boring, but safe existence in NYC. After her mother dies and leaves her a small inheritance with the condition that she go to Paris, her boss forces her to take an extended vacation. Shortly after arriving, she wanders into a shop where the proprietress says she’s been waiting for her, the woman meant for a little black dress designed by Yves Saint Laurent. The dress begins a personal transformation and leads Stella to Jules, a grandfatherly figure who introduces her to the gastronomic delights of Paris and the dawning comprehension that she has a talent for cooking and a passion for food and wine that brings much-needed color to her life.

Her transformation is further aided by the comforting chaos of the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore where Stella finds a home away from home and a colorful cast of characters led by the grouchy but kind real-life George Whitman, who welcomed what he called his Tumbleweeds to use the store as a temporary home on three conditions: help in the store as needed, read a book a day, and write a one-page autobiography before you leave. One of the recurring responsibilities for Stella is to watch his 7-year-old (fictional) daughter Lucie, who is a great help in solving the mystery of Victorine. I couldn’t help but pause my reading many times to look up the people, places, paintings, and events that populate the book. Rather than pulling me away from the narrative, the light research enhanced it.

The entire book is a feast for the senses: the aromas of fine food, the scent of the flowers, the beauty of the landscape and architecture, and the fine art in the museums. Even the revolting description of eating the ortolans is something I won’t soon forget. Highly recommended!

Really enjoyed the setting - great descriptions of the sights, smells and memorable food of Paris. I enjoyed the storyline of Stella finding herself and learning more about her mother. The ending felt a little rushed, but overall a great, feel good story.

For me, a book with a Paris setting, and French food would garner more stars, but somehow the book did not totally deliver. Stella leaves her lonely New York life, after her mother dies and leaves her a ticket to go to Paris, Stella’s mother, Celia, was self absorbed, selfish and a terrible mother, never telling Stella who her father was. The best part of the book is the description of the quirky characters called Tumbleweeds at Shakespeare and Company, the famous Parisian bookstore. At times I felt the book a bit disjointed, but enjoyed it on the whole. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Delightful ode to Paris, delicious food and the joy of discovery in becoming your own person. As Ruth Riechl has mastered the art of the culinary memoir, she now creates a souffle of a novel. An unhappy young copy editor, Stella, takes her inheritance to visit Paris. At first, it was a sublime vintage dress that enchanted her. Living as a Tumbleweed at Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, searching for her unknown father and appreciating the subtle and marvelous flavors in French cooking all contribute to her metamorphosis.

Take a trip to Paris with this novel! My first Reichl novel and it will not be my last. This did not disappoint. A coming of age story through the eighties, with very descriptive writing of food, fashion and literature. If you are a foodie, you will want to consider this one. Fun and fast paced! Off to find more from this author! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc.

I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in two days. I've read Reichl's nonfiction work but this is the first of her fiction I have read. It was a treasure. Stella has had an untraditional upbringing by a mother who shines brighter than any star. She has been told she has no father but talks to a portrait of a man that her mother shrouds in mystery. Stella is the opposite and enjoys her routines and safety. When Stella's mother dies, her bequest is a trip to Paris and nothing else. Stella puts it off but then ends up going and spends the first several weeks in a rigid, planned adventure. But then she discovers a beautiful Dior dress in a vintage boutique and her life changes forever. She meets Jules, who happens to the husband of the original dress owner, and with much time and patience Stella is enveloped into his world where she is introduced to her palate, food and life. Stella's journey was a joy and the food descriptions were mouth watering, which is to be expected. With a few twists and turns Stella finds her place and her family...and her future. Truly a beautiful novel and one I will be rereading many times!

This novel felt like strolling through Paris in the best way. Stella has always liked her life to be very structured so it is out of character that when her mother passes away and leaves her tickets to Paris, she actually goes. What ensues is a story about a woman discovering what she enjoys in life, and what is really important. I absolutely loved the descriptions of Stella running around Paris researching food and fashion in the 1980s. The bookstore Shakespeare & Company also makes an appearance. This being written by Reichl, the food descriptions were wonderful.

I just loved spending time with these characters, in this setting. If you liked My Life in Paris by Julia Child or the movie Midnight in Paris, I think you will enjoy this story.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 288 / Genre: Fiction

Stella had always had a very complicated and contentious relationship with her mother. When she dies suddenly, she leaves Stella $8,000, a plane ticket, and a note that simply says, “Go to Paris.” Stella’s upbringing and a very traumatic childhood experience with one of her mother’s lovers, left her extremely guarded and alone. So when her boss makes her take time off to grieve, she reluctantly abides her mother’s last wishes and goes to Paris. And that’s where her life truly begins.

I love stories about Paris. And I loved reading about Stella learning to finally inhale life through everything Paris has to offer like its food, art, fashion, culture, and all the interesting characters she lets into her life along the way. This story also had some mystery to it as she hunts down the identity of a woman in a painting and even her own father, who her mother told her absolutely nothing about.

Thank you, @netgalley, @atrandombooks, and @ruth.reichl for my gifted copy. I loved it!

This is very tropey in that Eiffel Tower poster on your dorm room wall kind of way, but it was better than I expected from an entertainment standpoint, and I liked it better than the overly saccharine Delicious, Reichl’s first novel.

I have always adored Reichl as a food critic and have been now twice-surprised by the slightly schlocky quality of her fiction. That said, where Delicious felt sappy and somewhat cringey, this is cute and fun, and perhaps a good reminder that sometimes a book can be read purely for pleasure and for immersing oneself in the story rather than for the sake of learning something.

Reichl’s Paris is very much a tourist’s Paris (an Emily in Paris’ Paris, perhaps), but I don’t think that’s all bad. The foodie aspects of this are, unsurprisingly, very well-rendered, and though the Olympia “mystery” and the Shakespeare and Company stuff feels a bit obvious and surface-skimming, it’s also satisfying and charming and makes for a lovely—if predictable—feel good read.

I love Reichl's memoirs and enjoyed her fiction debut. This novel had many similarities to her debut, but ultimately, it wasn't for me. I'm not a huge Francophile, and I think someone interested in French food, culture, and history might enjoy this one more. After finishing and reading the author's note, it sounds like Reichl wrote this book in honor of her editor, who gave her the idea but passed away before the book came into being. So, I got the impression that it is a novel she stuck with in memory of this person.

The plot moved too conveniently, and I was distracted by the addition of actual historical figures to the fictional tale. It was a quick read (I listened on audio over the course of a day!) but ultimately didn't live up to my expectations, sadly!

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
3.5 stars

The Paris Novel is the second work of fiction by Ruth Reichl, acclaimed food writer and James Beard award winner.

When Stella’s estranged mother dies leaving her a one-way plane ticket to Paris, she has no real plans to use it until her boss insists she takes the time off and go.

The opposite of her glamorous mother, Stella likes routine and a quiet life where she knows exactly what to expect and can’t be hurt by anyone the way her mother hurt her. Even when she finally takes the trip to Paris, she falls into familiar habits – living quietly and cautiously. When she happens upon a second-hand store she tries on a dress that the shopkeeper insists is for her and she does something completely unexpected – she buys the dress, which changes her life.

As weeks and then months go by, Stella gets her first real taste of life, along with a mélange of decadent meals. She meets and befriends a cast of characters, uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting, and lives as a “tumbleweed” for a time at the famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company.

This book is a testament to opening yourself up, taking chances, and finding your true calling. I loved the way it whisked me away to 1980s Paris, and the descriptions of food made my mouth water!

I love Ruth Reichl’s food memoirs and enjoyed this fiction novel, as well. Thank you to @NetGalley and @randomhouse for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This review will be posted on GoodReads, amazon.com and on my Instagram account @nicki_rachlin

A PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl
Published: April 30,2024 by Random House
Page Count: 288



Part fairy tale …and an enchanting journey of personal actualization in 1980 France. This is a delightful feast for the eyes, nose and ears as two mysteries will be investigated and somehow magically be intertwined. The origin and deeper meaning behind the magnificent painting of “Olympia” and it’s model Victorine-Louise Meurent (not its painter Manet) …. her accomplishments at a time when women had no rights, and search for her “lost paintings.” Food will achieve almost mythical stature, in its description , enjoyment and presentation. All your senses will be necessary to explore the interlinked nature of food, culture, and the arts. This is not a book just for women, but for all who can open their minds and enjoy the wonder of self discovery. This will transcend the genre of mystery.
Stella St. Vincent is essentially estranged from her beautiful mother, Cecilia (nee Constanza Vicente of Brooklyn ), who at age fifteen left home and forged a life of privilege based upon her wiliness, and skills of self invention. Upon graduation from Vassar, Stella has settled into a life of routine blandness. She has become a copy editor for the small Vanguard Press, Most of time you will find her at home reading, and on the weekends exploring the halls of the Metropolitan Museum. It has been six months since she last saw her mother, when she receives a phone call telling her of her mother’s death after being struck by a taxi. She is contacted by a lawyer ( and probably a former lover of her mother) and informed she has a small inheritance and a message from her mother. He presents a single sheet of paper, that says: “Go To Paris.” Apparently she will be given a ticket to Paris along with her inheritance.
She arrives in Paris in the 1980s with little in the way of initiative or drive or worldly experience. Her plan is to visit all the sights in her guidebook and continue her frugal life in obscurity without confrontation. However, in one of her overly scheduled walks, she stumbles across a strange little dress shop, enticed by an enchanting black dress in the window. As the shopkeeper helps her into the dress, she seems to transform into another person. Looking into the mirror; the slim, boyish Stella was gone … in her place stood an exotic creature .. she now looked sensual with mysterious eyes, rather than the drab mundane Stella. A deal was struck … she would buy the $4000 dollar dress and follow the shopkeeper’s detailed plan of activity for the day and night … where to go, to eat and what to see … If she wasn’t satisfied she could return the dress in the morning for a complete refund. As a result she embarked on a magical journey fit for a Cinderella. She would make the acquaintance of the octogenarian art collector Jules Delatour… charming and delightful who appears to know a bevy of renown people (most are denizens of real life), at her scheduled first stop at the famous restaurant, Les Deux Magots. He will essentially be her tour guide for the rest of her enchanting journey.
He will introduce her to the literary, culinary and art world of 1980s Paris. She will discover that she possesses a remarkable gift .. the imagination and ability to appreciate food and art. He will provide her introduction to the painting and mystery behind Manet’s painting of “Olympia” and the model, Victorine-Louise Meurent. Suddenly Stella has a purpose: to find out about Victorine and her lost paintings.
Ruth Reicht proves to be a masterful storyteller as she weaves together Stella’s intriguing and convoluted path to self actualization. Along the way, the reader is treated to the delights of Paris… not only its historical and tourist sights, but more its interwoven immersion in the literary, art and culinary worlds. This vivid portrayal of Paris is a testament that the city is capable of savoring the present, while appreciating its past. This charming tale is populated by real life culinary figures (like Richard Oldney and Alain Passard), restaurants and litterary figures like John Ashbery, James Baldwin and even Allen Ginsberg. We will visit the famous bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, and encounter the renown bookseller, George Whitman, and discover what it was like to become involved in its storied past.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House who provided an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. This gem will be enjoyed by not only foodies, but more so by those who love all things about Paris. A joy to all who have visited that great city in the past, or plan a journey in the future.
T

THE PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl is an April 2024 Hall of Fame Title for Library Reads. Reichl has written a cookbook, another novel, and several memoirs (Garlic and Sapphires is a personal favorite). In her latest, she builds once again on her own love of food and experience as a restaurant critic to describe several delightful meals. All were prepared and presented in Paris or nearby, and many are attributed to real life chefs "who changed the shape of dining in France," including Antoine Magnin, Marc Meneau, Jean Troisgros, and Alain Passard. Reichl's main character is a "lost soul" named Stella, a thirty-three-year-old woman who suffered abuse as a child and has yet to find confidence in herself. Travelling to Paris after her neglectful mother’s death, Stella gradually develops a sense of purpose and begins to flourish. Even as an adult, Stella is incredibly naïve, fearful, and introverted, so it is not always easy to accept the decisions she makes, but her life is transformed through food, art, and books. Finding community and support allows her to feel safe and to open up to possibilities. A hopeful tale from a talented writer.

Library Reads selections for April: https://libraryreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/April24.pdf

Loved this novel by the incredible Ruth Reichl. This book has that magical element that only few authors can do well. It starts with a dress and ends with a rich story about food and Paris. Mother and daughter relationships are explored as is self-discovery.

When Stella’s estranged mother dies, she leaves an odd inheritance - money that can only be used for a trip to Paris. Once there Stella happens upon a vintage store and a haute couture dress that seems made for her, the owner lets her borrow the dress for one night on the condition that she follows an itinerary beginning at a specific restaurant to have oysters. When she sits down she is seated next to Jules, an older man who has recently lost his wife and takes her on a Parisian adventure that changes the course of her life including the search for a female artist that history forgot and the father that Stella never met.

The novel is written by food writer and critic Ruth Reichl, so baseline, the food descriptions in the novel are stunning. I loved how she intertwined the history of Paris and Shakespeare & Company (my daughter and I passed it everyday when we were there last month and had about it) into the story. Beyond that, the novel itself was just so much fun to read and I loved the characters. This book was perfect for me because it had many elements that I adore - food, Paris, and fashion but it also just a great story. Paris is a city that I know very well as I have been many times so I enjoyed exploring the familiar and learning new facts with Stella.

I actually saw Ruth Reichl interview Joan Nathan a few weeks ago in NYC about Nathan’s new cookbook so I was even more excited to read this one and it did not disappoint.

4.25 stars


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC to review

I love a food novel at least a little bit automatically. This was absolutely decadent; the food descriptions, the fashion, and seeing Paris in the 80's through Stella's eyes. I did have a difficult time reading through some of the graphic child abuse scenes that felt unnecessary to the plot as a whole. The slightly graphic nature did give me a lot of hesitance in continuing. I did enjoy the book at the end of it.

This is the authors second novel, I Have also read her first one. And I have read all but one of her memoirs. I love her books.
This novel was very fun to read.
Stella has never felt close to her mother, and she never knew who her father was. The story takes place mainly in Paris. When Stella's estranged mother dies, she leaves Stella an airline ticket to Paris, and a note saying “go to Paris”
Stella stuck from a childhood trauma had always kept herself to strict routines, to make herself feel safe, and flying to France seemed way out of her comfort zone, Stella's Boss encouraged her to take a well deserved time off, she decides to take her up on it and flew to Paris where a group of soon to be friends change her life completely.
This story takes you to the world of food, fashion, books , art ,and of course a cast of wonderful characters.
What a fun read which I didn't want to end.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-RandomHouse for a copy of this book.

Honestly, the 2 star rating is only because the second half was much, much better than the first. The first half of the book alternated between upsetting (see other reviews regarding the graphic nature of what's in the story) and incredibly boring, but once the story focuses more on food, Reichl is in her element and the story improves. I love Reichl's food writing but her fiction has been a miss.