La Vie, According to Rose
Lauren Parvizi
352 pages
Lake Union Publishing
published July 1, 2023
Women’s fiction is not my normal genre, but this book was a great summer read for me. I’ve been to Paris and can so relate to the description of it being spectacular yet ordinary. The descriptions of the museums and other touristy attractions was really quite spot on to my first trip there. The great descriptions had me reliving my experiences.
While I am a little older than 32, I can relate to life not turning out as expected and living for others. I am lucky enough to still have my Dad, so I didn’t relate to trying to please a father who has been gone for a decade, but I loved the MCs memories of her father and the descriptions of his journey to freedom. While I thought Rose was a little whiny at first and allowed a lot of what frustrated with to happen, I appreciated the journey she took. I enjoyed her love/hate relationship with her family and can relate to it.
The book was easy to read and paced well. Once I started reading, i kept going until I had to stop (a sure sign of a book I like). It was a pleasure rooting for Rose. If you believe in second chances and adapting your life at any age, you should get lost in Rose’s journey.
A heartfelt novel about self-discovery, grief, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to start over.
Rose Zadeh pleases everyone, except herself. Memories of her late Iranian-immigrant father, who valued hard work and family, keep Rose in a dead-end job as a Silicon Valley copywriter, and tethered to her guilt-trippy mom and needy sisters. As much as it would disappoint her father, Rose needs an escape. Voilà! A mandated vacation gives her the chance. Three weeks on a long-dreamed-of trip to the City of Light.
Instead of landing in a Parisian fairy tale, Rose falls under the spell of a charming and possibly dangerous expat and encounters an old family friend keeping a surprising secret. With the aid of a French self-help guru, Rose really believes she’s blossoming. Until an unwelcome reminder of home proves that finding herself will require more than a change of scenery.
From Paris’s cobblestone streets to Provence’s sun-soaked hills, Rose embarks on a journey of adventure, betrayals, and even amour. For the first time, the directions she follows are up to her.
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