Novels to read before and while in Paris and Provence?

Rachel, have you seen this forum?https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/books-movies
Numerous suggestions.
I liked Paris particularly as an audiobook.....a but thicker than a paperback novel, however.

Duh - thank you, I shoulda done a search before posting. Apologies.

I did start Paris a Novel on Audible and it hasn't grabbed me, but maybe I need to stick with hit.

Thank you, Maria.

Rachel

Well, if you are unfamiliar with Martin Walker's Bruno, Chief of Police series of novels, you should remedy that.

Make no bones about it: they're not great literature.

But Mr. Walker does an excellent job of capturing the feel of a small town in rural France, using his food- and wine-loving police chief and various crimes as a means for doing so. It takes place in the Périgord (now part of the Dordogne), so it's not where you'll be visiting, but I can vouch for its authenticity with respect to how Mr. Walker presents the details of life in rural and small town France, even far from the Dordogne.

Un Village Français is amazing, considering the typically poor quality of French TV. It was incredibly well produced.

How did they do that?

And why don't they do something like it again?

Momorichel, if you like murder mysteries, there is a series of novels by Cara Black featuring Aimee LeDuc, a Parisian detective, and set in contemporary Paris. The books are named and set in the various neighborhoods of Paris and so gives you glimpses of the terrain and people in each of the arrondissements. Load 'em up on an eReader, and you're good to go.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog.
In addition, Rick's Paris guidebook has a couple of pages of suggested books, including fiction.
And if you haven't already done so, google Paris novels.

I found some of Cara Black's novels worth reading, and they take place in Paris, so I'd second those.
For Provence, M.L. Longworth's series of novels that take place in and around Aix en Provence are terrific. https://www.amazon.com/Verlaque-Bonnet-Provencal-Mystery-Book/dp/B0723CWP1L/ref=sr_1_11?crid=5TCZQCWONZNX&keywords=m.l.+longworth&qid=1561062759&s=gateway&sprefix=m.l.+l%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-11

If you like Hemingway, read The Paris Wife. It's fiction about his marriage to Hadley and takes place in Paris. It was fantastic!

https://www.amazon.com/Paris-Wife-Paula-McLain/dp/0345521315

Another vote for Martin Walker’s mystery series. I strongly urge you to read them in sequence because he does a great job of character development. I’ve downloaded many of his e-books and read them on my iPad using the kindle app.

“The Paris Key” And “Letters from Paris” by Juliet Blackwell.

This may be a bit heavy reading, but since Provence (and greater Gaul i.e. France) were quite important in Antiquity and Roman times, I would actually recommend picking up a copy of "The Gallic Wars" by Julius Caesar, preferably a version with illustrations, it reads like a 3rd person narrative. During your travels through France particularly in Provence you will see many grand ruins of the Roman Empire, they definitely left their mark on everything.

I once bought a bunch of Cara Black books on my way to two months in Paris having not read her and found them pretty awful -- although I loved the setting. I ended up donating them. Things were happening in one of the novels I read literally in the neighborhood I was staying in and that was fun but I found them unreadable and the protagonist annoying. So always read at least one book by one of these authors before investing heavily. Tastes will vary. And if you have a Kindle or Nook, you can download them for free from your local library which is great for travel.

I love the Bruno books -- we actually took several ideas on our last trip to the Dordogne; he is particularly fun on the foods of the region
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/perfect-place-for-murder-commarque-chateau/
WE discovered the night markets of the Dordogne from reading Walker's books -- I don't know if Provence has that custom or not, but if they do make a point of doing that.

There is a series set in Aix en Provence so closer to where you will be by M.L. Longworth -- Her protagonist is a judge -- of the sort in French courts -- more like a DA and investigative office and his partner is a professor. Most of the mystery stories are set in Provence.

I loved the Paris Wife - I would definitely second that vote. The Little Paris Bookshop is a fun, easy read. There are tons of novels set in Paris in World War II. Although this is non-fiction, I really enjoyed Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris. It tells an Australian woman's story of moving to Paris and adjusting - another fun, easy read. Excited to hear what others suggest for more contemporary books.

Wow this turned out to be a very popular thread! Lots of book readers on this forum, apparently.

I will download samples of several of these suggestions, but so far, the Provence mystery series looks the most attractive to me. I liked the writing style immediately. I did read the Paris Wife when it came out and I am among the few who didn't love it, but as someone else on this thread said, more or less, "a chacun son gout" (sorry my iPad doesn't allow me to do accents, or I don't know how...)

And what, no Proust suggestions LOL? I like good literature, but I think that would require more deep thinking than I am able to manage these days.

Merci beaucoup!

Rachel

Peter Mayle - A year in Provence
Elizabeth Bard - Lunch in Paris
Collette
Antoine Laurain - The Presidents Hat
Michael Sadlee - An English man in Paris
Ann Mah - Mastering the Art of French Eating
M K Fisher - Long a go in France
Alan Furst - A French Hero
David Lebovitz - The sweet life in Paris
Julie Powel - Julie and Julia
Joanne Harris - Chocolat
Lady Fortescue - Perfume from Provence
Elaine Sciolino - The only street in Paris
Gabriel Chevallier - Clochemerle
Tracey Chevalier - The Virgin Blue
Martin Walker

And i could go on and on and on! There are thousands, high and low literature, you will be spoilt for choice!

Oh mon dieu Caro - so many choices! All sounding intriguing and many I have never heard of...as you said, I am facing an embarrassment of riches and will be all the better for it. Thank you.

Rachel

Not a problem.
Just started Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan who is discribed as like the French F. Scott Fitzgerald. Enjoying it😀

Before our trip to Provence, I read these and loved both:
Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland (set in Roussillon)
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

Should be in tech, but...to get the accents, just hold the letter down a little longer. An array of accents to choose from will pop up. ô, á, ñ, ï, ç.

A third vote for The Paris Wife. I loved it, one of the best books I've read this year.

With so many books by French authors available in translation, I’m amazed that few are included in lists of books to read on Paris and France. Besides the classics of Zola, Balzac, Hugo, Flaubert, Proust, Celine, and Camus, there are many other choices. Naming just one each from a few noteworthy authors: Modiano’s Dora Bruder, Japrisot’s A Very Long Engagement, any of Simenon’s Maigret mysteries, Echenoz’ 1914, Giono's The Horseman on the Roof, Claudel's Grey Souls (there are movies and tv adaptations of some of these)

Then there are three from Germans living in France. Suskind's Perfume, Bannalec (Jorg Bong) any of his Brittany mystery series and of Cay Rademacher’s Provence mysteries.

Edited to include praise for Stan's mention below of Izzo's Marseille trilogy. Really dark, really French noir.

Edward Rutherfurd's Paris is good. He also has several set in a England if you're ever headed there.

If Marseille is of interest, there are three contemporary novels by Jean-Claude Izzo, known as The Marseille Trilogy, but I can't recall the individual names. They are rather dark and dense and don't paint a pretty picture, but certainly showing life you wont read in a guidebook.

Try something by Marcel Pagnol. You may have seen some movies based on his books.

These are not novels, but you might find them interesting.

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

Stuff Parisians Like by Oliver Magny

A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke

Alas most of the books by foreign authors mentioned above while they are available to purchase in hard copy are not available in e books at the libraries I have access too. but I will see if the libraries have hard copy now that I am back in the states.

You didn't request any tv series but since you're watching Un Village Francaise, I'll suggest one that I followed in Paris and is now out in the US as a DVD, English subtitled. Capitaine Marleau. She's just a kick and this series got phenomenal ratings on French tv. It's still running so is current.

I can second the Cara Black mysteries, The Paris Wife, and Paris, but for a classic that depicts the historical past of Paris, I really loved Emil Zola's The Belly of Paris. It is a long read and will take you through your flight and time in Paris. This tells the story of Las Halles, the huge market in central Paris that, unfortunantely is long gone, but there vestiges that still exist in the adjacent neighborhood, like St. Eustache Church (free organ concerts at 5 pm on Sundays) and Rue Montorgueil.

Wow, I have my work cut out to me. Now to see what's available as e-books from the library, and/or Kindle.

I also appreciate the TV rec...and although I said "non-fiction," those other suggestions are also welcome.

Just started listening to A Year in Provence and loving it (despite having read it years ago), so thanks for that suggestion.

And OMG: I forgot about Jean de Florette and Manon de la Source! Love those. Must watch again, or maybe read...

Thank you, so much!

For a light, get you in the Paris mood I recommend "A Paris All Your Own: Best-Selling Women Writers on the City of Light". I read it as an audio book.

If you liked "A Year in Provence", also by Peter Mayle:

Toujours Provence
Encore Provence
My Twenty Five Years in Provence

I've read "Toujours Provence" and enjoyed it as much as "A Year in Provence". I plan to read the other two as well.

Once again: So many books, so little time. I am grateful to you all for such great suggestions.

Janet, I found the same thing with my library: very few are available as e-books, but many are available on audio. I can do some of that, but I prefer to read, so I will probably opt to purchase a few of these for Kindle.

Thank you all again,
R

Many thanks for this thread, all