The Paris Novel by Ruth ReichlMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Stella St. Vincent is a young woman who is a shy, introverted book editor, very withdrawn into herself. Her estranged mother is outgoing, always surrounded by men, and the life of every party. When her mother dies, she leaves her a one-way ticket to Paris along with the note "go to Paris." Stella complies, takes a leave of absence from her job, ends up making quite a personal transformation, and finds herself, in spite of herself!
The setting was Paris in the 1980's. We encounter food, restaurants, chefs, art, fashion, the Shakespeare & Company bookstore, books, and reading. All the things I absolutely love in a book. She meets people along the way who befriend her and help her out. She has a wonderful way of expressing herself, whether it's eating an oyster, viewing a beautiful painting, wearing couture fashion, or looking at Parisian street life.
The author has such a way of transporting the reader to the locale, in this case - Paris! I have read several other books by Ruth Reichl and find this to be true of all of her writings. I really love reading her books and would highly recommend this new novel, her second. It is due to be published April 23, 2024. Run, don't walk, to your local library or bookstore, grab it and read it --you won't be disappointed. While you are at it, check out her first novel, Delicious, published in 2014, along with all of her non-fiction books. Be aware of content warnings for this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
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