What are the the best books set in Paris? Or about Paris? Either fiction or non-fiction? asked 726 days ago by Peter S. - 49 answersA good friend of mine is going to Paris in a few weeks so I thought I'd pull together some reading suggestions for her. So... Paris. Fiction or non-fiction. Off the top of my head I head: _Paris to the Moon_ by Adam Gopnik _Seven Ages of Paris_ by Alistair Horne _The Sweet Life in Paris_ by David Lebovitz _The Da Vinci Code_ by Dan Brown (ugh. I had to.) _My Life in France_ by Julia Child _That Summer in Paris_ by Morley Callghan _Paris Under Water_ by Jeffrey Jackson And of course... _A Movable Feast_ by Ernest Hemingway. Of course there's _Les Miserables_ by Victor Hugo and _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ as well (oh, and _A Tale of Two Cities_ and a number of Dumas novels -- I could go on and on.) but I'm hoping for books from the last 100 years or so -- books that paint a recognizable Paris. Especially fiction that features Paris as a backdrop -- my list above is very light on fiction. So, what am I missing? Let's hear it. Down and Out in Paris and London (George Orwell) The Elegance of the Hedgehog (Muriel Barbery) Left Bank by Kate Muir - hilarious, light, and tres francais... Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky Nightwood by Djuna Barnes (as long as we're headed in the direction of the Left Bank) Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky!!!!!!! I second that!! Les Miserables by Victor Hugo Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller There's a whole series of mysteries set in Paris by Cara Black! For dog lovers - Lauren's Story: An American Dog in Paris by Kay Pfaltz The world would be a better place if as many people read Tropic of Cancer as The Da Vinci Code. Black Spring by HM is also set in Paris and is a delight. "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" by Patrick Süskind "Foucault's Pendulum" by Umberto Eco Paris Noir: The Secret History of a City by Jacques Yonnet; Paris: The Biography of a City by Colin Jones; Paris: The Secret History by Andrew Hussey; Kiki's Paris: Artists and Lovers 1900-1930 by Kluver and Martin; Paris Was Yesterday by Janet Flanner; The News of Paris by Ronald Weber. Just to name a few. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank. Paris, France by Gertrude Stein. Black Girl in Paris by Shay Youngblood Unlike anything I've ever read and captures being a poor artist in Paris to a tee. Paris Trance by Geoff Dyer Foreign Tongue by Vanina Marsot Paris in the Fifties by Stanley Karnow; Paris, Paris by Irwin Shaw -- both non-fiction. Wonderful books about, or set in, Paris: 1.)Almost French by Sarah Turnbull (a story about love and a new life in Paris) 2.)The Piano Shop on the Left Bank (all about rediscovering the joy of music) 3.)From Paris to the Moon (about a family's life in Paris) Eiffel's Tower ... can't immediately recall author's name. All of Cara Black's mysteries. The Sun Also Rises-Ernest Hemingway Are my eyes deceiving me? Has no one mentioned The Hunchback of Notre Dame? The Three Musketeers-Alexandre Dumas That Summer in Paris -- not the one mentioned above, but the other one, by Abha Dawesar. Great love story. Relationships are complicated but you could do worse than having relationship issues in Paris. Georges Simenon's Maigret novels! Mid-20th century Paris, great sense of place and atmosphere. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy Cara Black's mysteries (for those who like the genre). Starts with Murder in the Marais & goes from neighborhood to neighborhood. Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French by Richard Bernstein. I am an American who lived in France for a few years. This one of the best books I've read about the French and their country. (Not specific to Paris, but a gem.) All the Alan Furst spy novels. Sarah's Key--It's a Historical Ficton Novel that jumps back and forth between 1942 nd the present day.... I loved it! Hotel in Paris by Margo Justes Almost French by Sarah Turnbull The Way I Found Her by Rose Tremain Try "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay. It's historical fiction, wrenching, educating, and eye opening. Teaching you a little about not only modern Parisian culture but about a not so whimsical time in the history of Paris, 1942. The Phantom of the Opera Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust - fiction.
Searching for Tina Turner - Jacqueline Luckett (fiction) Sarah's Key is excellent Anna Gavalda, "Hunting and Gathering"
Paris Intervone by James Campbell Hidden in Paris by Corine Gantz (me!) is It's a story of friendship, lust and love set in the City of Lights. Three American women move into a beautiful house in the heart of Paris in the hope of leaving their past behind. But once there, the city and the encounters they make will change everything. It's been garnering lovely reviews and has just recently come out. An Innocent Addiction by Robert Womack Paris, paris - Journey Into the City of Light by Davie Downie - A marvelous collection of essays about Paris written by an American transplant from San Francisco who has lived in Paris for 25 years. Well written, informative, funny, sad - Read this before you visit Paris - it will change your itinerary from the oft-seen sites and provide you with insights into the Paris of today, and of Paris in times past. An absolutely must read for travellers to Paris. Is Paris Burning? Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
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