What France-related books should we read during our 3-week France trip? (Besides Rick Steves-France)

“All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doert.
Set in Normandy and Paris, mostly in St-Malo, Normandy, WWII. Two stories: a young girl, blind, escapes Paris for Normandy with her widowed father, returning to family home and the other story :a young German soldier, an orphan.
2015 Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction. One of my favorite books.

Read Mayle's" A Year in Provence." It is entertaining, and hilarious. It will show you all the little nuances of the French people, their quirks and mannerisms, that will help you enjoy the people when you get there.
Hank, Novato, Ca .

Take a look at "The Chateau" by William Maxwell.

From Amazon "It is 1948 and a young American couple arrive in France for a holiday, full of anticipation and enthusiasm. But the countryside and people are war-battered, and their reception at the Chateau Beaumesnil is not all the open-hearted Americans could wish for."

About half the story is in the Chateau, and the rest is in Paris. I found he had a lot of good reflections of traveling and trying to meet the locals.

Don't forget about Marseilles!

The trilogy detective novels by Jean-Claude Izzo capture the area and the cultural churn better than any other available in English translation and inspired a lot of copycat books and tv series that I bet you've enjoyed since.

https://www.europaeditions.com/news/307/the-nation-the-marseilles-trilogy-may-be-the-most-lyrical-hard-boiled-writing-yet

"The three books that make up his trilogy--Total Chaos, Chourmo and Solea--can be read as an extended love letter to the city."

A book I always read before (not during: no time to read on the trip!) going to France is David McCullough's "The Greater Journey." It's a masterful look at Americans in Paris in the late 19th century. Artists, medical students, law students... most of the names you will recognize, although in some cases you'll be surprised at what they were doing. Samuel Morse a great painter? Yes!

I had fun reading "Pancakes in Paris" by Craig Carlson. This is the true story of a young man who falls in love with Paris and decides that the city needs an American breakfast joint. So he opens one, called Breakfast in America (there's a second one nearby too.) We hunted it down during our May visit to Paris. So entertaining to see what he described in real life.

For good France fiction, try "Bruno, the Chief of Police"by Martin Walker, set in a small town. Definitely funny and entertaining, with a somber history lesson as well.

The Inspector Bruno mysteries by Martin Walker set in the Dordogne region are full of local color. Others include： The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah； Hemingway's A Moveable Feast； Les Miserables by Victor Hugo；and all the French books by Peter Mayle. Then, there are the very light Grape novels by Laura Bradbury (My Grape Year) is the first in the series. Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential is set in Normandy in the beginning。
Edit: David Lebovitz's books about living in France. You can also subscribe to his emails for free or pay for more information.

The Seine “The River that Made Paris” and The Only Street in Paris by Elaine Sciolino. Sarahs Key, A Year in Provence, All the Light we Cannot See, Nightingale, Les Miserables, A Moveable Feast.

Edited to add- thanks to Jane who recommended great historian David McCullough’s “The Greater Journey.” Mr. McCullough sadly passed away 8/7/22.

Here is a "60 Minutes" piece that Morley Safer did with David McCullough 10 years ago, not long after A Greater Journey was published. It shows McCullough visiting Paris and talking about some of the people he wrote about in the book. Delightful.

https://youtu.be/sofMg0ggiQI

(When he was researching the book, Mr McCullough and his wife Rosalee used to come into the bookstore in Paris where I was working weekends at the time. I am happy to say he was as delightful and kind in person as he appears on camera. His wife passed away in June, and now him. I think they had a deep deep love.)

P.s. This 60 Minutes piece was a two-parter. If you enjoy the part I linked, look for the first part, where he and Morley Safer went to Philadelphia (and to the McCulloughs' home in Massachusetts).

"France: An Adventure History" by Graham Robb covers all of French history and is set against his decades of bicycle travel across France. He has written other books about France but I have not read them.

I recently re-read Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon and was disappointed, it turns out it's all about him and his family and barely about France.

How about "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier" by Thad Carhart.

Since you said: "Original language of the book either French or English" I am going to be provocative and recommend one of the police adventures of San Antonio by Frédéric Dard, a famous French author.

Example: Laissez pousser les asperges "let the asparagus grow".

I have a friend who learned French by reading the San Antonio novels and he now has a vocabulary that captivates everyone

I have read “Paris” by Edward Rutherford twice. Follows several fictional families through many generations. Love! ❤️ Warning…thick book! I have read the book and listened to the audio book. Whatever you prefer, but rich in history. May re-read again on my way home and see if I have an even different perspective.

@Kim- Thank you for sharing the 60 Minutes link. I loved it! How wonderful that you had the opportunity to meet Mr. McCullough and his wife Rosalee when he was researching his book. What a wonderful memory.

Definitely second some the of the above books. Highly recommend: "All The Light We Cannot See" , "The Seine: The River That Made Paris", and "The Only Street In Paris". Also loved the Bruno Chief of Police series, one of my favorite mystery series. I recently read "The Paris Bookseller" by Kerri Maher and "The Paris Library" by Janet Skeslien Charles, enjoyed them both. Haven't read yet but on my list: "The Cleaner Of Chartres" by Salley Vickers, "The Rival Queens" by Nancy Goldstone, and "The Little Vineyard in Provence" by Ruth Kelly.

I like Lindy's list. The Martin Walker Brunos are great but they are set in the. Dordogne. I actually learned a lot of interesting things from them that enhanced our trip there from places to visit, to night markets to local foods. Hemingway's A Moveable Feast and the similar 'Paris Wife' told from his wife's perspective are excellent. I like ML Longworth's mysteries with Judge Verlac set in Aix en Provence. There is a recent TV series based on it which is good but alas although Roger Alum and Nancy Carole although quite excellent are each about 10 years too old for the parts.

All the Light you Cannot See is wonderful and it inspired a side trip for a few days to St. Malo for us a few years ago -- it paints such a powerful picture of the place.

And I have a book to recommend that fits about all of your criteria, and indeed is set where you’re planning to travel (in this case, Burgundy): The Lost Vintage, by Ann Mah.

It’s a novel telling the story of an American sommelier who goes back to Burgundy (where she has family ties) and discovers some family secrets having to do with WWII. It’s wonderfully descriptive of the vineyards and winemaking (and food!), and the piece of history you’ll learn about it also instructive. Mystery, romance, and history, along with a wonderful setting - it was definitely a page-turner for me.

Indeed, and all three were mentioned up-thread, multiple times, I think.

John mention a book by Graham Robb. My absolute favorite by Graham Robb is "The Discovery of France."

Thank you for the many helpful suggestions. I've made a list of six, (so far) books for reading before, during and after the trip. Most of the reading will have to happen after we return.

Of the books suggested, I've only read two, Les Miserables years ago and Hemingway's A Moveable Feast last year. Both are well worth a second read.

This forum is great!

Two that haven't been mentioned yet are Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky and The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

"Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky"

Hmmm ... I seem to remember really enjoying that book and I had to go to my iBooks library to see why that was and there was the reason in the Appendices "Irène Némirovsky’s handwritten notes on the situation in France and her plans for Suite Française, taken from her notebooks"

A compelling review from the NY Times - As France Burned

https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/books/review/09gray.html

The movie, not so much.

Read the short story "The Man who Could Walk through Walls" by Marcel Aymé before seeing the Le Passe-Muraille statue in Montmartre.

Since you read French and are going to Provence, how about some Marcel Pagnol? Le château de mon Père, for example.

Try Paris to the Past by Ina Caro. She focuses on “Traveling through French history by train” and has a wonderful writing style. The book touches lots of areas in France and many significant locations that figure prominently in French history.

Portraits of France by Robert Daley. It was written in 1991.
I've read it twice over the years and since my library no longer carries it I've ordered a used copy from Amazon.
I think there is a kindle version -- it's a hardback so you probably wouldn't want to carry it with you other than digitally.

M.F.K. Fisher "Two Towns in Provence."

Paris to the Past by Caro is a good book for ideas about day trips. We did this one as a result of reading her book:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2020/04/03/chateau-maintenon-home-of-louis-xivs-second-wife/
In that vein, the book 'An Hour from Paris' by Simms is a treasure trove of wonderful day trips you can do mostly with a Navigo Decouverte. We have done most of them. She focuses on slightly lesser known destinations -- not Auvers sur Oise or Versaille or Giverny or Reims (the last two are outside the Ile de France so not on the ND) -- she showcases places like Senlis, Crecy la Chapelle, Moret sur Loing and a dozen or so similar.

Ina Carl’s other book too. The Road from the Past. Takes you through France in order of rough history starting in Roman Provence and through various parts including Loire and finally Paris.

I agree on the Ina Caro books. Wonderful. If you want humour, try the Monsieur Pamplemousse stories by Michael Bond. Yes, the Paddington Bear guy.

Two of my favourite books are "Is Paris Burning" by Larry Collins and Dominque Lapierre and Barbara S Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror".

Thanks again for the good suggestions, most of which were new books to me.

Before, during and after our trip, (which we completed several days ago) I read All the Light We Cannot See and The Lost Vintage and thought both were very good. (I will also check out other books by Anthony Doerr and Ann Mah.) During the trip, I also read A Year in Provence and thought it was ok, but getting stale, (32 years since publication).
Next, I will read The Greater Journey by David McCullough and probably re-read A Moveable Feast.

I'll add my vote for the Elaine Sciolino books, I read The Only Street in Paris before my last Paris visit and thoroughly enjoyed walking down the street it was about, the Rue des Martyrs. Also consider The Bonjour Effect: The Secret Codes of French Conversation Revealed, lots of insight about French society and culture.

You should buy an additional guide book. Rick Steves is good, but not comprehensive, and he has a rather individual take on things, one which his acolytes tend to regard as being gospel. Follow Rick to the "little known" places mentioned and you will find them full of fellow Americans walking in his footsteps. (True story: My wife was guiding in Amboise and a quartet of Americans arrived, one with his nose buried in a book. "Rick says to turn and look at the village from here" he said, which they all then did. Problem is, they had walked past a better viewpoint about 10 seconds earlier)

Lonely Planet or Rough Guide will add to you choices and give you a broader view of France. You're lucky. When I started travelling the only guidebook was Europe on 15 Dollars a Day, and using only one book - even back then - led only to the places that tourists went.

The OP has returned from their trip.

I hope you had a good trip, and am so glad you enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See and The Lost Vintage.

Kim, I want to thank you for the recommendation of "The Lost Vintage". I just finished it and really enjoyed it.

I often lurk on these posts about book and movie recommendations. I have found so many books that I never would have otherwise.

It is a little "sudsy," (I've read reviews complaining more about the sex than the violence) but Elizabeth Chadwick's Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy does bring one of France's most fascinating historical figures to life. The first book The Summer Queen is set almost entirely in France if you don't want to invest in a three-pack. I definitely considered it a page-turner.

Heading for Paris this week and came back to this thread as I load my kindle for the trip -- just added half a dozen books on Paris that I haven't read. Thanks for the ideas.

All the Light you Cannot See is wonderful and it inspired a side trip for a few days to St. Malo for us a few years ago -- it paints such a powerful picture of the place.

We did the same thing! If you're a Julia Child fan, "My Life in France" is a fun read.

So glad I keep coming back to this thread! Just added the recommended “The Lost Vintage” to my list. Sounds wonderful. Thank you!

The lost Vintage was one of the books downloaded from the librry too.

David Lebovitz's books about living in France. You can also subscribe to his emails for free or pay for more information.

I loved his book on remodeling his apartment, thick with stories of French bureaucracy and seemingly noncommittal contractors. Some very funny moments mixed in-and a few recipes.

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/lappart-the-delights-and-disasters-of-making-my-paris-home-cookbook-book-david-lebovitz/

https://www.amazon.com/LAppart-Delights-Disasters-Making-Paris/dp/0804188408/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1O0CPB1ZGX61T&keywords=l+appart+by+david+leibovitz&qid=1664167969&sprefix=David+Leibovitz%2Caps%2C390&sr=8-1

As Lindy mentions, you can also keep up with him here, by subscribing:

https://davidlebovitz.substack.com/p/paris-apartment-part-3