Best French Books – When You Can’t Go to France, France Can Come to You

With the current travel and world uncertainties, I am thinking it’s an opportune moment to share a few best French book recommendations collected over the 35 years of my French life. I have my thoughts about the current virus crisis but will leave it to the experts and government officials to communicate their expertise, recommendations and opinions. As far as travel goes, things will get back to normal. It’s just a matter of time. But back to French books and some respite from worries and stressful trips to the supermarket. There are a variety of wonderful sources for armchair travel (or garden bench travel in the photo above) to France – the following list of both classic and new is sure to assuage the travel thirst of the most ardent Francophile all in the comfort of your own home. In other words, when you can’t go to France, France can come to you.

A little caveat – many of you know that I was a professor of French for many years teaching graduate and undergraduate university students. I also ran a beginner to intermediate French language program for about 300-400 students a semester with a team of French instructors under my direction. It was fantastic work. That experience and the fact that I am a lifelong learner myself means that everything I recommend about France is always cultural, substantive, educational, high quality and above all interesting. So I encourage you to take a look at the French book list below and click on the photos to bring some France chez vous in the coming weeks. And to keep things lively in this trying time, I’ll be posting more France travel and entertainment ideas in the form of best French films, best French culinary books, best French language websites (gotta keep that French language going!) and more. Bon courage, les amis – and let me know your favorite books in the comment section below or on my Instagram feed @french_affaires or Facebook page @ElizabethNewSeitz. Enjoy and prenez soin de vous (take care of yourself)!

The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography by Graham Robb

Written by a fellow Ph.D. of Vanderbilt University’s advanced French program, Graham Robb, combines two of my favorite things – French history and geography – into one great volume. Robb recounts in wonderful detail how France evolved from many different cultures, languages, tribal influences, cuisines and geographies into the one great country we know today – click here see my recent blog post on this topic. Along with his scholarly research, the author clocked thousands of kilometers by bike traversing the regions of France in person. This is the all-encompassing book about the what and why of France that every Francophile is looking for. It’s a staple in my French library and a book I return to again and again. An alternate title could be ‘Why France is France’!

The Road from the Past: Traveling Through History in France by Ina Caro

Beautifully written, author Ina Caro’s book takes us on a historical journey starting from the Roman Empire in Provence, then to the Languedoc, on to the Dordogne in the Middle Ages, to the Loire Valley and the chateaux of kings, and then to the Ile-de-France and the consolidation of the French kingdom under royal power. You’ll feel yourself along for a marvelous journey through France from a historical perspective with gorgeous landscapes, chateaux, cathedrals and personages marking the way. A great travel guide for planning future trips to France and also a very satisfying read, you’ll want to run and not walk to pick up this French book!

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway’s classic A Moveable Feast is the quintessential book on Paris. In it, the author and young writing apprentice recounts life in Paris in the 1920’s, a heady time in the French capital, through personal observations, insights and stories. Many of the places he mentions still exist in Paris today. And above all, Hemingway captures the feeling and essence of Paris that is eternal. I read this book when I lived in Paris in the early 90s – it was a great Paris guide and friend then and still is today. As Hemingway notes so well, Paris stays with you always. This book is a must read for those who love visiting Paris and for those who dream of living there.

My Life in France by Julia Child

This treasure of an autobiography by Julia Child co-written with her husband’s grandnephew tells the love story between Julia and France. From her first arrival on French shores in Normandy and life-changing culinary experience in over sole meuniere in Rouen, we see Julia’s joy (and sometimes consternation) in all things culinary and French. Her career as a chef and her incalcuable contributions in bringing French cuisine into the American consciousness make this an essential read and re-read for every Francophile and especially France-loving cooks. This is one of the best books about living in France – and there are a LOT of books on the expat in France experience out there!

A French Garden Journey by Monty Don

In this wonderful volume of essays marking his visits to gardens around France, celebrity garden expert Monty Don takes us on a lovely journey to special French gardens all around the country. Included are well-known grand ones and lesser known green spaces to be added to a good French travel list. I love that he notes the gardens and park of the Chateau of Courances as one of the most beautiful in all of France – my husband and I renovated a house and gardens in this village south of Paris so it’s a meaningful place. Monty Don also has a parallel Netflix show on French gardens.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Written by French novelist and former philosophy teacher Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog (L’Élégance du hérisson) is a fascinating tale of a Parisian bourgeois apartment building concierge named Renée and the cast of characters and events in this microcosm world of French life in Paris. I won’t spoil the story or ending by recounting it here – suffice it to say that the book sold over a million copies worldwide and was made into a movie. For anyone who knew Paris in the days when almost every Parisian residence had a concierge, it’s a great walk down memory lane of the real City of Light. I of course read French books in the original – if you’re fluent in French, be sure to order this book in French.

Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky

This historical novel published posthumously in 2004 is the work of French writer Irène Némirovsky of Ukrainian-Jewish heritage. First planned as a series of five novels about the German invasion in France in World War II and the difficulties of life under the occupation, only two parts were written as Némirovsky was captured by the Germans and sent to a concentration camp in Germany where she met her demise. Extraordinary for the fact that the author wrote the book as the war was happening around her, Suite francaise is a moving and gripping account of French life during wartime. The novel has also been made into a film. Also recommended to read in the original French if you can!

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

No French book list of mine would be complete without something about Provence! The late British advertising executive-turned French expat wrote this best-selling memoir about his infamous adventures renovating a farmhouse in Provence in 1989 and Provence and expat travel writing have never been the same. The southern French characters, the slow way of life, local customs and seasonal changes are recounted in a humorous and honest style making this a charmer among French expat memoirs. It also almost makes one think twice about renovating a house in France! The book was also made into a BBC miniseries in the 1990’s.

Provence A to Z by Peter Mayle

I keep this delightful book of essays on Provence written in A to Z form by Peter Mayle close to me at all times. It’s so easy to dive into an entry or two and immediately be transported to the sights, smells, sounds (think les cigales – cicadas – in summer) and tastes of Provence. Mayle’s delightful style of writing permeates this ode to all the best of Provence. And it’s great preparation for a trip to one of the most beautiful parts of France, both for the culture and for learning the French vocabulary words that speak Provence.

La Seine: The River That Made Paris by Elaine Sciolino

This new book by Elaine Sciolino, the former New York Times correspondant in Paris, combines memoir, travelogue and history into one volume. She tells the story of this fabled river through the characters, businesses, cities, towns, bridges, ports and more along its path, including its famous presence in the French capital. She tracks the Seine to its remote source in Burgundy and continues on until it flows into the English Channel at the port of Le Havre. If you weren’t a fan already, this book will seduce you into falling in love with France and Paris all over again.

 

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