The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

read Mar 2026 by Jason Cox

rated bad

The prose was fairly good. The story was somewhat interesting, and it did grow on me over time. But my friend described it best when he said that it feels like a Hallmark movie. Everything falls into place too neatly, the characters are rather shallow, and the whole underlying premise feels a bit ridiculous.

Oh, and it probably doesn’t help that I am not impressed by fancy food descriptions. The novel is full of them; Reichl is a celebrated food critic, after all. So maybe I’m just not the target audience.

The Paris Novel was a test of my commitment to the local book club that I attend. I’m happy to report that I passed, and also happy that it’s in the past – I have so many other books I want to read that I’m sure I’ll enjoy more. I’m curious to see what everyone else thought of it.

My excessively critical summary of the story, with spoilers

Is your life boring and unfulfilling, limited by past trauma and lack of parental love? Forget therapy, finding a local community, exploring new hobbies. What you need to do is go to Europe, put on some designer clothes, eat fancy food, and live a Bohemian lifestyle. With a bit of luck, determination, and plenty of help from a random rich guy who thinks you're awesome, you'll transform your life as you find love, wealth, missing family members, new passions, and long-lost art masterpieces.