Book Blurb:
When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual a one-way plane ticket and a note reading Go to Paris . But Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a childhood trauma has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. When her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes. Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store 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 together they embark on an adventure. Her first iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters, and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces her to a veritable 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.
My Review: 3.5 stars
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl is another engaging story by this esteemed culinary master herself.
This book transports you right into the arms of Paris and introduces to cuisine unlike no other author can take you. The tastes and smells of the food is brought to life with ease. As a foodie, I loved the food aspect of this novel the most. The beauty of the city was present, as were the likeable characters, yet for me, it was the food that made me happy (and hungry!).
Stella is the main protagonist and finds herself on a missive to go to Paris from her estranged mother before her death. It’s there that Stella discovers the magic of fashion and living a life so different that what she grew up with. Through a companion she meets at Les Deux Magots, she is introduced to the tumbleweeds, the young and often starving artists that live at Shakespeare & Company. It’s there that Stella learns so much about her family, her history the reasons why her mother wanted her to go to Paris.
No spoilers here, just read and enjoy…books, fashion and food!
Quotes I liked:
Bookshops made her anxious. Each volume was like an eager animal at the pound, striving for attention, hoping for a home. “Take me, take me,” they called out, until the chorus grew so loud she had to turn and flee.”
“When fortune smiles, you immediately start to worry about how it will end. Why not enjoy the moment?”
“One lost soul looking for another. Doesn’t that describe us all?”
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