La Vie, According to Rose

A Novel

By: Lauren Parvizi

Narrated by: Shiva Negar

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2023 Lauren Parvizi (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“An amusing escapist romp with moments of poignancy.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This enjoyable book is a testament to how embarking on new adventures can result in positive, life-affirming change.”—Booklist

“Filled with vibrant characters and family dynamics, La Vie, According to Rose is one woman’s story of leaving guilt, fear, and old patterns behind while reaching for a new life, love, and future—in Paris, no less! I loved it, and I know anyone who picks this book up will, too.”—Ann Garvin, USA Today bestselling author of I Thought You Said This Would Work

Touching

I really enjoyed this story and watching the change in the main character. Rose is aware of how she is shortchanging herself with her family, her job, even her friends. So fun to see how her life explodes when she stops cow towing to everyone and does something just for herself. Even then her family tries to sabotage her explorations!

Entertaining

The majority of the story revolves around Roses selfish family. It takes until the end of the story for her to take charge, quite exhausting! Marie (a body language guru)was the most interesting character in the story. Art heist and Paris made this listen entertaining. Narration not the best.

When in France…drink wine

LA VIE, ACCORDING TO ROSE explores the life of Rose. Rose is the oldest of three sisters. She has spent her life pleasing everyone. For once Rose wants to embrace life and be selfish. Weeks before her sisters wedding Rose plans a spontaneous trip to Paris. Paris has always been on her bucket list of places to visit. With her current job status in limbo this seemed like the perfect opportunity to getaway.
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Rose is on a trip of a lifetime. With only three weeks to reinvent herself Rose sets off on her own for the first time in her life. She’s often reminded that wherever she goes, there you are. Life will always tether her back to family.
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I had a love/hate relationship with this story. If it hadn’t been for the exquisite writing and outstanding voice acting skills I would not have given this story a chance. Somehow I kept getting pulled into the story whether I wanted to or not. The French words won me over. I’m a sucker for accents.
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This is Lauren Parvizi’s debut novel about Rose a thirty-two year old woman who has spent her life being the oldest sister and dependable daughter to her mother. Rose felt it was time for some self-discovery.
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Turned out to be a wonderful story. It was well written. It captured my attention and my heart. Shiva Negar was the solo female narrator who brought Rose’s character to life. Shiva gave a stunning performance.

Fun and interesting read

I enjoyed this book quite much. It kept my attention and interest, and left me wanting to come back and finish listening. I liked the storyline which wasn't the typical "love in Paris" type.

Odd accent

I loved the story, but the odd accent of the reader took me out of the experience because she mispronounced so many words. I lost the thread a few times.

Just OK

I struggled with this one. I wanted to finish and wanted to like the characters, but I just didn't have it in me. The narration was challenging. I was either bored out of my mind at the monotone reading or frustrated/confused at the mispronunciation of so many common English words. Examples include "hauling" pronounced "howling." The "ed" at the end of words being pronounced, like "breath-ed" instead of "breathed." So many more phrases and words said incorrectly that it distracted from the story.

Enchanting, immersive and delightful

Paris, a romance, an art heist? What more can you ask for in a novel? This story is beautifully written with compelling characters and the narrator does a wonderful job bringing the text to life.

Delightful and entertaining.

Interesting to read a story that brought different cultures together as this one does. Main character, Rose, was likeable and aggravating at the same time (read it and you’ll understand) but it was rewarding to see her learn and grow. Lots of interesting characters to love and hate. For me the strong family connections rang true and I found the Parisian element most enjoyable.

Rose, iris and lily? Unoriginal names.

This story was confusing because Rose was a 32 year old but acting 22 but having a midlife crisis like a 42 year old. Then the ending?? Please. Rose was horrible with the opposite sex throughout this book but somehow the story ended with her wedding to the most unlikely person. Very unbelievably rushed ending.