Ruth Reichl's second novel is a touching story of how a woman who suffered childhood abuse and neglect finds home and purpose. The Paris Novel is also a love letter to a world city.
In 1983, Stella, a New York City copy editor in her early 30s, seems strangely untroubled by the news of her estranged mother's sudden death. Then again, Celia St. Vincent was cold and aloof. She was a self-made woman who never told Stella anything about her father, but had a string of boyfriends that came and went, including one who molested seven-year-old Stella.
Celia's sparse will leaves Stella $8,000, with instructions to go to Paris. Reluctantly, Stella complies. As in a fairy tale, the stars align wherever Stella goes. At Les Deux Magots, she meets Jules Delatour, an elderly art collector who becomes her friend and patron. A similar father figure is George Whitman of Shakespeare and Company, who takes her under his wing. Now a "Tumbleweed," she stays at the English-language bookshop in exchange for occasional work.
Reichl (Delicious!) crafts a cozy atmosphere full of lavish meals--escargots, foie gras, ortolans, and fine wines--as Jules educates Stella in classic French cuisine. She learns to take joy in art, fashion, and food. She also embarks on a quest to locate her father, allegedly an impetuous chef Celia met on a trip to Paris. The outcome is in keeping with the novel's wish-fulfillment mode. Happy coincidences can be forgiven; think of it as the universe making up for Stella's traumatic past.
Francophiles and armchair travelers alike will relish the chance to tour Paris's famous churches, museums, and restaurants. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader and blogger at Bookish Beck