Can anyone suggest a good history of France?

I am a French teacher and I make sure that my students all have a history book so that they can see what's going on during certain literary movements.

I often suggest La Belle France: A Short Story by Alistair Horne.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/572385.La_Belle_France

"A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century" by Barbara Tuchman goes along way to understanding the long standing friction between England and France with the first half of the Hundred Years War, as well as relations with Italy, Islam, Switzerland, plus all the dirt on the Templars.

I've got two:
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow

Paris: The Secret History by Andrew Hussey
Yes, I know, Paris is not representative of all of France. But in examining the history of Paris, from the earliest Celtic settlements to the start of the 21st Century, the author touches on subjects such as the Revolution, the Monarchy, the Catholic Church, the World Wars, etc., that had a major impact on French history as a whole. A great read if you have an interest in a Parisian centric history of France.

Alistair Horne is a well known writer on French history, his trilogy on France and the Commune, France in 1940, France and the Algerian War. He has also written on Napoleon, I'm well familiar with those. Which historical period are you focused on, or do you want a survey? Any particular historical personality in French history?

I would suggest the following:

The Discovery of France - which is a very interesting summary of how France developed in to one, somewhat coherent nation between the years 1600 and 1900. It's the type of book that seems very dry but it full of crazy stories that keep it moving. It was first recommended to me via Rick Steves podcasts.

I also highly recommend Postwar by Tony Judt. To me, this is a masterpiece of 20th Century European history. It covers all of Europe, but the interconnections of the 20th Century is part of the story.

Alexander, even though it is also by Alistair Horne, you might try his book Seven Ages of Paris. It might come across as overly intellectual at first, but at least the historical periods are clear. After getting past some of the obscure language, I found it really interesting and sometimes funny, too.

If you're interested in lighter reads, I had fun with Graham Robb's Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris (he also wrote the "Discovery of France" book recommended by Matt, above), and Stephen Clarke's 1000 Years of Annoying the French, which looks at French history through the lens of English history. Both authors have an easy style.

These focus on Paris but I enjoyed them all, and they offer in-depth studies of different centuries:

"Marie Antoinette: The Journey" by Antonia Fraser (18th century - provides a good examination of the political situation in France as well as the personal struggles of the queen)

"The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris" by David McCullough (1830 - 1900)

"When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light under German Occupation" by Ronald Rosbottom (1940 - 1944 - provides a good background of the political situation in France with regard to the Vichy government and other aspects of 1940s politics)

If you prefer a survey book, I suggest: Roger Price, " A Concise History of France" This volume on France is part of the Cambridge Concise History series published by Cambridge University Press. The book on Germany in this series I most definitely recommend.

How Paris Became Paris:The Invention of the Modern City by Joan DeJean left me spellbound and gave me huge insights into French culture.The author interprets the ways historic events shaped social mores then ...and now.