Member Reviews
The food descriptions in this novel were absolutely amazing. It made me feel like I was sitting at the table watching Stella embark on a discovery of food through textures, tastes and aromas. I thought the premise was incredibly interesting with its 1980’s Paris settings. At points I did have difficulties with how disjointed the plot was.
As other have mentioned, this novel comes with some big TWs : sexual abuse of a child.
Many thanks for my advance copy of this novel!
It kind of breaks my heart that I didn't love this story more. Reichl's memoir Save Me the Plums is one of my very favorites. This is my first fiction read from her, however, and it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.
The Paris Novel follows Stella, brought up by an aloof and overbearing mother in New York City, who is comfortable in her private, single life. But when her mother passes away and leaves her with a ticket to Paris, Stella drags her feet a bit but finally decides to go. The descriptions of 1980s Paris were so evocative and rich, and the food and cooking had my mouth watering. And I loved seeing people like James Baldwin and former Shakespeare & Co. owner George Whitman brought to life.
But the storyline itself felt a little disjointed and unrealistic. I know, many stories aren't really very realistic. Although I struggled to remain engaged with the story and the numerous characters throughout, I did enjoy it overall and would recommend to anyone dreaming of Paris (like me!). Rounding up to 3.5 stars for the food and setting!
Food. Art. Fashion. Self discovery. Trauma.
Stella’s (the fmc) mom dies at the beginning of this book and she leaves her with some money and a note that says to go to Paris. Stella hesitantly goes and is transformed through her time there. She meets amazing people, eats delicious food, wears amazing clothing and views incredible art.
I enjoyed this book, especially when Ruth described the food Stella was eating…it made me feel like I was in Paris with her. Many supporting characters added depth to the story, but there were almost too many that I couldn’t keep up with them all.
I found this story dragged through the middle, but I very much enjoyed the ending. Stella’s journey was one of great growth and change. By the end of the book Stellamost definitely understood why her mother sent her to Paris. I would recommend anyone who wants to feel like they’re walking the streets of Paris to read this book.
**trigger warning of child sexual abuse**
The Paris Novel is by Ruth Reichl who typically writes non-fiction food-oriented articles and books. My book club really enjoyed her autobiography. This latest is the story of Stella who has an abusive and difficult childhood and is just existing through her life when her mother dies and leaves her money with instructions to go to Paris. In Paris Stella slowly finds her way and builds new relationships and a new life. This novel most comes alive in the scenes involving food and a trigger warning that the scene of abuse early in the book is very vivid. This is an overall good read. 3 1/2 stars rounding up to 4
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
The Paris Novel wasn't exactly what I expected, which tainted my enjoyment. While there was mention of Stella's traumatic childhood in the book description, I was not prepared for the traumatic experience to be described in so much detail nearly at the beginning of the book. It was jarring and, ultimately, felt unnecessary to be as in-depth as it was.
This was my first time reading anything by Reichl and I see how she's made a name for herself in food writing - her food and eating descriptions are really well done, though I found that it isn't something I personally find interesting. Otherwise, I found the writing to be somewhat stilted. A few aspects of the story felt too convenient, but I did enjoy the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Paris Novel is a story about Stella, who’s let life pass her by and is semi-haunted by memories of her estranged mother. But, when her mother passes away and leaves her with a ticket to Paris, her life takes a fun turn and she has fantastical new experiences, meets a host of exciting people, and takes some wonderful leaps of faith.
3.5 stars rounded up
A beautiful novel of Paris, focusing on food, art, and fashion. Stella almost reluctantly goes to Paris after her mother's death - after the bad relationship they had, fulfilling that wish bothers her, but she decides to go. The first month isn't great, but then she finds "the dress" and it sets off new friendships, a hunt for art, and uncovering more surprises and answers.
I enjoyed this book and found the descriptions of the meals to be a favorite part. It was nice to see Stella find her comfort zone and her home after the difficulties and her unpleasant childhood.
I do think the book needs a trigger warning. The childhood sexual abuse scene was jarring, and I didn't feel it particularly added to the story - it was reasonable to me that Stella would have been the way she was just based on her situation with her mother.
It’s the 1980s in NYC and Paris. Possibilities in travel, fashion, and gourmet cooking are raging in France. But Stella, a skilled and competent book editor, is stuck in her ordinary, undaring life in NYC. Her difficult, prickly, and estranged mother has just passed away and left her enough money and a directive to go to Paris! Uncharacteristically, Stella takes a risk and decides to go. There her gray world swings into technicolor with the sights, sounds, scents, and people who enliven the city. The plot hinges on her making connections and abandoning her tentative and no-style lifestyle! Famous people and places show up. It is most predictable with just a bit of a mystery and hints of romance. What Reichl has really accomplished is a love story aimed at the City of Love which will be enjoyed by her fans and those who have spent time there in the 1980s. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this title.
This book. I could taste each bite, I wanted to walk each step, the characters were rich and a mix of historic and fictional that seamlessly fit the history. It was engrossing, engaging, mysterious, magical, delicious and absolutely worth the read. This is possibly my favorite read this year.
#arc
#netgalley
#theparisnovel
Bestselling author Ruth Reichl takes readers on an adventure of food, art, and fashion in 1980s Paris in this dazzling, heartfelt novel
When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris”, nothing else on the note. But Stella is hardly cut out for adventure, she was estranged from her mother, and had childhood trauma which kept her living a small and confined lifestyle. When her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes and heads to Paris.
Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. But one day as she is walking down a fashionable Paris Street, she sees this beautiful dress in a vintage shop window where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and, for the first time in her life, Stella does something impulsive, she buys the dress and leaves the store wearing the dress and goes to an iconic brasserie called Les Deux Magot, which the shopkeeper advised her to go to. This is the start of an adventure. Stella tastes her first oysters, and while there meets an octogenarian art collector named Jules, who decides to take her under his wing. Jules introduces her to the who’s who of the 1980s Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds. Stella begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life.
As weeks—and many decadent meals—go by, Stella ends up living as a “tumbleweed” at the 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. A feast for the senses, this novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home.
If you are a foodie or love art and all things Paris, this book is for you. The food descriptions are mouthwatering as are the conversations about food. The city descriptions are just fabulous and the art is stunning. It is really fun to read and fast-paced. I gave this 5 starts.
I had really high hopes for this story and I'm just not sure I was in the right place to read this. The flashbacks to her childhood were a little much for me, but it does help explain the way that Stella is. I did enjoy the food and art scene that they showed in Paris and the famous people that she met once she opened up. Overall, it just wasn't for me.
Fans of Ruth Reichl (how I miss Gourmet magazine!) know that she's fond of lush descriptions of food and place- and that's what this novel emphasizes. Stella is meant to be in Paris for 6 weeks but her world opens up so much that....This is a character driven love letter to life in Paris in the 1980s. It's overwritten in spots to be sure but you can hear Reichl's voice. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for her fans.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this eARC.
Stella has lived a mundane life, but it’s about to flip upside down. Finding out her estranged mother has passed away and left her with a ticket to Paris, Stella knows it’s time to take an adventure. She becomes enthralled with the food, art and fashion Paris has to offer. It’s overwhelming, yet Stella embraces the culture and its people. Friendships and mysteries start to ignite a passion to take the chances she’s always been avoiding. Will Stella leave Paris unfulfilled or will this trip change her life forever?
So many things stood out to me in this novel. Reichl does a fantastic job describing the meals Stella gets to experience, especially the taste and feelings of each dish. I love a found family trope and this story brings a few fascinating characters that add something special to the plot. This novel takes you on a journey through Paris in the 80s and it makes you wish you could be a Tumbleweed at Shakespeare and Company bookstore (you’ll have to read the novel to find out what this means!)
*One thing I wasn’t prepared for was a flashback from Stella’s childhood where she was sexually abused. It happens at the beginning of the book and is detailed. This trauma does explain a lot about Stella’s psychology.
The Paris Novel tells the story of Stella, who is sent to Paris by her recently deceased mother. Stella has had a difficult relationship with her mother and grew up to become her opposite; Stella is rigidly organized and unsocial. After some time in Paris, however, Stella opens herself up to the pleasures of food, art, and fashion.
While I am a fan of Reichl's memoirs and her descriptions of food in here are fantastic, almost nothing else is good. The characters, especially Stella and her mother, are one-note caricatures. Everything just so happens to go Stella's way in Paris, and she comes across all the important and famous people magically. The plot veers from the research into a little-known woman painter into a search for Stella's father with no real connection. Emblematic of the problems of this book is a graphic scene of child molestation in chapter 2 that has absolutely no bearing on Stella's character or the plot. As a sometimes resident of Paris, I was further put off by the obviously incorrect geography.
I was so excited for this book. Sadly, I felt like the first part of the book just didn't grab me. I couldn't make myself get involved in the story of Stella going to Paris after her mother's death. I love all things Paris and the descriptions of food and fashion were great but I needed more of the story.
As always, Ruth Reichl does not disappoint in her latest novel. I was immediately transported to 1980s Paris and I wanted to be there so bad! The descriptions of clothes, of art, of food ... immaculate! I enjoyed this one and almost wish there would be a sequel. Give it a read!!
The Paris Novel comes out next week on April 23, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!
The sky was a pearly pink when they set off, the moon still a soft smudge in the morning sky. Jules pointed to it. "The rag and bone men of Paris who used to sift through the garbage looking for objects to sell were called pêcheurs de lune."
"Moon fishermen!" Lucie was delighted. "We're moon fishermen."
I loved the food writing and the atomsphere but the story left me wanting a little more. Ruth Reichl is so talented and I will continue to pick up all of her books, this one just wasn't at the top of my list. She has an uncanny ability to transport you right to a time and place though, it's such an immersive read.
The Paris Novel really is a Paris novel. The novel transports the reader to Paris from Stella’s gray New York world and gray New York life. When Stella receives her inheritance from her mother- with an attached string that she must use the money to take a trip to Paris- she hems and haws, but then she goes. The reader visits with Stella, feeling the anxiety of having to communicate in a new language and fend for oneself in an unfamiliar place. However, when Stella is lured into a dress shop by the dress hanging in the window, Paris explodes into a feast for the senses. Literally! Reichl describes Stella’s new world through her senses- the sights,, the tastes, the sounds, the smells, the feels- all the feels including Stella’s emotions. The book is a feast for the reader’s senses. Even though the premise is a little fantastic, the enjoyment is real. I can’t decide if i want to book a flight to Paris or start cooking! I just devoured the novel and can’t wait to find her other books. This one is so beautifully written.
Thanks to NetGalley for the SRC in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Ruth Reichel’s writing and The Paris Novel did not disappoint! I’ve been lucky enough to visit Paris a few times and this book instantly transported me back to the City of Light. It is the perfect read for Francophiles or those dreaming of visiting France. Reichel’s writing is delightful and I loved immersing myself in the food, art, and fashion of Paris. This was a light, easy read with a charming cast of characters and sweet story about taking chances and living life to the fullest. I look forward to discovering more of Reichel’s works.
A book about Paris - the sights, the fashion and the food - I'm sold. I'm a sucker for Paris. This is my first book by this author and I did enjoy it giving me a 4 star experience. I was immersed in this Parisian adventure with Stella. Be sure to read the author's note - has some interesting information. Thank you to @netgalley, the author and Random House Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.