Food critic and novelist Reichl (Delicious!) serves up a delectable story of an introverted copy editor's life-changing visit to Paris in the 1980s. Stella St. Vincent's quiet New York City routine is turned upside down when she learns her recently deceased mother, Celia, has bequeathed her a ticket to Paris and the means to stay there for six weeks. Celia had spent time in Paris in her early years, and Stella interprets the gesture as an exhortation for her to be more adventurous. The "Cinderella"-esque plot hinges on Stella's encounter with the proprietor of a Parisian dress shop, who inexplicably lends her a $6,000 Christian Dior dress for one night. Wearing it, she walks with a newfound confidence and sensuality ("With each step, the scent of apricots and vanilla came wafting up"). While enjoying her first oysters at a restaurant, she attracts the attention of elderly art dealer Jules Delatour. The two become fast friends, and Jules brings her around to the Shakespeare and Company bookshop, where she hobnobs with Allen Ginsberg and other famous visitors. The expressive prose makes tangible Stella's awakening as she develops a passion for French culture and cuisine like foie gras: "The flavor grew richer, rounder, louder with each passing second." Reichl serves a feast for the senses. Agent: Kathy Robbins, Robbins Office. (Apr.)

Stella and her mother Celia have long been estranged. In a last, dying effort to control Stella's life, Celia wills her daughter money that can only be spent on a trip to Paris. Stella is reluctant but needs a break from her regimented New York City existence. Arriving in Paris, she lives frugally, visiting all the tourist sights until, on impulse, she stops in a vintage dress shop with a Dior creation in the window. The shop owner convinces her to buy the dress and wear it while visiting a small museum and dining in an excellent restaurant. Stella follows these instructions and meets Jules, an elderly art expert who shows her another side of Paris, opening her mind to new possibilities. She sees Manet's controversial painting Olympia and learns that the model, Victorine-Louise Meurent, was also a painter. Deep research helps Stella find and purchase a painting by Meurent, all while tracking down her own long-missing father and discovering a love of food. Reichl, the last editor-in-chief of the defunct Gourmet magazine, creates in her second novel (following Delicious!) a search for family and self that incorporates fashion, art, and food in a setting known for all three. VERDICT This multi-layered story will appeal to those who love food, Paris, and a happy ending.--Joanna M. Burkhardt