Anything by Peter Mayle, Désirée by Annemarie Selinko, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, The Plague by Albert Camus, Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, Thunder on the Right by Mary Stewart
Labyrinth – Kate Mosse, Timeline – Michael Crichton, The Eight – Katherine Neville, Sarah’s Key – Tatiana de Rosnay, The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick
That Greengage Summer, by Rumer Godden. Set in the 1920s or 1930s, four English children are brought to France to learn about sacrifice by their frustrated mother. They end up deeply immersed in French Culture, and learning about what it is to become adult, how adults treat each other. Very moving. Written for adults, a big influence on me as a teen. Remains in my favorite books of my life, and I read _a lot_.
Thanks for letting me know, I’ll keep an eye out for it. Another book in the same vein, only set in Andalucia, Spain, is ‘Driving over Lemons’ by Chris Stewart, who was the original drummer in Genesis!
Madame Bovary is a great novel, but hard to love. Flaubert was writing about everything he despised, Emma included. He achieved tremendous empathy with Emma, but she was a mess. Some people try to make her a feminist, shaking free of a loveless marriage. Had she appreciated literature or love or anything for itself, it might have saved her. But she uses bad novels as her guide to life, a mistake called “Bovarism.”
“Becoming Josephine” and “Rodin’s Lover” both by Heather Webb, “Mastering the Art of French Eating” by Ann Mah (non-fiction), “The Little Paris Bookshop” by Nina George, “Five Quarters of the Orange” by Joanne Harris (from the Lanqueset trilogy that includes “Chocolat” and “Blackberry Wine”), “To Capture What we Cannot Keep” by Beatrice Colin, “The Race for Paris” by Meg Clayton Waite, “The Last Banquet” by Jonathan Grimwood.
Oh, there are SO many around WWII! Also, Elegance of the Hedghog is lovely. Tale of Two Cities comes to mind as an important read for now, as turmoil rocks the nation. Chocolat. The Lady & The Unicorn and one close to my heart, The Piano Shop on the Left Bank. (Thanks for the memories! France is a favorite “genre” of mine.)
Suite Française. From Amazon: When Irène Némirovsky began working on Suite Française, she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she died. For sixty-four years, this novel remained hidden and unknown.
I have a book a day calendar and yesterday’s title was Provence, 1970: MFK Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste. I think I’m going to check this one out. Will need yummy food and a glass of wine ? to accompany it. ?
The Nightengale and The Girl You Left Behind.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Chocolat
Sarah’s Key
” The Elegance of the Hedgehog”.
Loved it!
Just started this, so far enjoying it!
Anything by Peter Mayle, Désirée by Annemarie Selinko, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, The Plague by Albert Camus, Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, Thunder on the Right by Mary Stewart
How could I forget Mayle?????
🙂
“Is he in heaven? or is he in Hell?
That demmed elusive Pimpernel”
A Tale of Two Cities
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Labyrinth – Kate Mosse, Timeline – Michael Crichton, The Eight – Katherine Neville, Sarah’s Key – Tatiana de Rosnay, The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick
LOVED “The Eight”!
I liked Labyrinth. Good research.
Most recently, The Little Paris Bookshop and The Little French Bistro.
Same author?
@Susan, yes. Nina George.
Les Miserables,Three Musketeers
All The Light We Cannot See, and A Paris Architect
Bruno,Chief of Police series.
The Little Paris Bookshop
Inspector Maigret and other books by Georges Simenon
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Paris Wife
I enjoyed that more than I thought I would. (Not a Hemingway fan.)
Cliche for sure but Anna and the French Kiss
Charlotte Grey; A Farewell to France; Birdsong.
All the Light We Cannot See
Oh, this book … http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/little-boy-lost.html
Me Talk Pretty One Day …also A Movable Feast
Me Talk Pretty One Day is hilarious!
Love A Moveable Feast!
Les Miserables
All I’ve read lately from France is true crime, but they’ve all been good:
Sarah Maza, “Violette Noziere: A Story of Murder In 1930s Paris”
Gayle K. Brunelle & Annette Finley-Croswhite, “Murder in the Metro: Laetitia Toureaux and the Cagoule in 1930s France”
Steven Levingston, “Little Demon in the City of Light: A True Story of Murder and Mesmerism in Belle Epoque Paris”
David King, “Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris”
I want to read something on the Papin sisters who worked as maids and their 1933 murder of their employer and her daughter, too.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Lavender Keeper and French Promise by Fiona McIntosh.
All the Light We Cannot See, so beautifully written. Also enjoyed the mysteries written by Cara Black.
Les misérables
The Nightingale, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Sarah’s Key, A Paris Architect…
The Promise of Provence Trilogy by Patricia Sands. Light reading that takes you there.
That Greengage Summer, by Rumer Godden. Set in the 1920s or 1930s, four English children are brought to France to learn about sacrifice by their frustrated mother. They end up deeply immersed in French Culture, and learning about what it is to become adult, how adults treat each other. Very moving. Written for adults, a big influence on me as a teen. Remains in my favorite books of my life, and I read _a lot_.
Les Misérables
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.
That was a lovely book.
@Robin there was a nice televised version on Masterpiece Theater years ago with John Thaw (Inspector Morse). Wish I could find it and watch again.
Thanks for letting me know, I’ll keep an eye out for it. Another book in the same vein, only set in Andalucia, Spain, is ‘Driving over Lemons’ by Chris Stewart, who was the original drummer in Genesis!
@Robin wow, that sounds wonderful! Thank you ?.
My Life in France by Julia Child; On Rue Tatin by Susan Herrman Loomis; The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
Perfume by Patrick Suskind
Nothing Holds Back the Night and No and Me by Delphine de Vigan. The Search Warrant by Patrick Modiano.
Chocolat by Joanne Harris was good in its day
Flaubert’s Sentimental Education is one of my all time faves
I’m starting The Little French Bistro next and can’t wait!!! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32283424-the-little-french-bistro
All the Light We Cannot See
By Anthony Doerr
Chocolat
The Olive Farm by Carol Drinkwater.
what an awesome list!!
The Little Paris Bookshop and The Little Paris Bistro by Nina George
Ken follet : winter of world
A Tale of Two Cities
Two Towns in Provence, M.F.K. Fisher
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
Almost French….so good!
Yes, excellent!
France and England, WW1 and 1970s. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. A favourite.
In Search of Lost Time
A play, then a film–The Lion in Winter.
Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier. The girl you left behind by JoJo Moyes, the Perfume Collector , The Eight, phantom of the opera, Timeline,
My Part-time Paris Life
All the light we cannot see
The Nightingale
My Life in France by Julia Child
Doh!
Yes! That was going to be my suggestion as well.
The Nightingale
The Paris architect
If you like mystery, you could give The Bookseller by Mark Pryor a go.
The Paris Wife
My Life in France by Julia Child. The Paris Wife. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr .
Great ideas! Thank you all for sharing. ??
Oh! Nearly forgot ‘These Dividing Walls’ 🙂
Sacré Bleu, Madame Bovary
Les miserables
Also The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Loved both Les Miserables and the Hunchback!
Thérèse Raquin
Definitely. Also, “Germinal.”
Presently, The Nightingale is my favorite.
Secrets of Paris, Vernon Coleman
Madame Bovary is a great novel, but hard to love. Flaubert was writing about everything he despised, Emma included. He achieved tremendous empathy with Emma, but she was a mess. Some people try to make her a feminist, shaking free of a loveless marriage. Had she appreciated literature or love or anything for itself, it might have saved her. But she uses bad novels as her guide to life, a mistake called “Bovarism.”
I didn’t care for that one so much and I love the classics. It was very well written.
Yes, but someone else mentioned A Sentimental Education, which gets a lot of affection.
For a fun quick read “Spotted in France” by Gregory Edmont was good.
“Becoming Josephine” and “Rodin’s Lover” both by Heather Webb, “Mastering the Art of French Eating” by Ann Mah (non-fiction), “The Little Paris Bookshop” by Nina George, “Five Quarters of the Orange” by Joanne Harris (from the Lanqueset trilogy that includes “Chocolat” and “Blackberry Wine”), “To Capture What we Cannot Keep” by Beatrice Colin, “The Race for Paris” by Meg Clayton Waite, “The Last Banquet” by Jonathan Grimwood.
Paris wife
All the light we cannot see
Movable Feast
The Paris Wife
Le Grand Meaulnes -Alain Fournier.
Sara’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
‘The Girl at the Lion d’Or’, Sebastian Faulks.
French Dirt by Richard Goodman
Oooh following
Five Quarters of the Orange.
The Nightingale
Oh, there are SO many around WWII! Also, Elegance of the Hedghog is lovely. Tale of Two Cities comes to mind as an important read for now, as turmoil rocks the nation. Chocolat. The Lady & The Unicorn and one close to my heart, The Piano Shop on the Left Bank. (Thanks for the memories! France is a favorite “genre” of mine.)
Forgot about Elegance of the Hedgehog. Loved that book.
‘The Pied Piper’ by Nevil Shute. Highly recommend it.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, or A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker. http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/533990/a-country-road-a-tree-by-jo-baker/9781101971161/
All the Light We Cannot See is in my top five fiction favorites.
Suite Française. From Amazon: When Irène Némirovsky began working on Suite Française, she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she died. For sixty-four years, this novel remained hidden and unknown.
I have this book to read, I loved the movie…
I had forgotten about that. An excellent read.
I have a book a day calendar and yesterday’s title was Provence, 1970: MFK Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste. I think I’m going to check this one out. Will need yummy food and a glass of wine ? to accompany it. ?