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Books on (or set in) France

Inspired by Dog_Mother's post .. Does anyone have any suggestions for books to read on/about France? I'm going to Bayeux, Paris and the Tarn Valley, so books about those areas would be great. I'm in the middle of reading a D-Day book at the moment which is dreadfully disappointing. I read Sebastian Faulks's "Charlotte Gray" and "Birdsong" recently .. which were part of the inspiration for this trip to France. Any ideas? (of course, nice light paperbacks are always better - easier to carry!)

Lucky you! the scenic drive or boat ride on the Tarn are spectacular. The gorges are beautiful, changing colors depending on what part of day. The latest book I have read is about a village n the Lot. "From here You can't see Paris"

One of my new favorites is "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank", written by an American living in Paris who slowly makes his way into real Parisian life through his neighborhood piano shop. Sounds more quirky than it is - it's really . A lovely book.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll see if I can find them in my local book shop. Chigalechanta - I'm actually going horse-riding in the Tarn Valley. Can't wait! Anyone else with suggestions?

The book that I keep mentioning is BURGUNDY STARS. It is a fascinating biography of the late Bernard Loiseau.

A wonderful book on the history of Paris, "The Seven Ages of Paris" by Alistair Horne, is well worth reading. Not dry history, but colorful, lively description of how Paris has unfolded. "From Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnick is great. Not on Bayeux in particular, but on Normandy in general, "Madame Bovary" by Flaubert. If you are looking for WW II books, those by the late Steven Ambrose are fine as are Keegan books. One I enjoyed is set in Lot in southwestern France--I am not sure if in Tarn Valley, was "From Here You Cant see Paris". Good reading.

Hemmingway's A Moveable Feast is a must. New murder mystery by Dan Brown The Da Vinci Code. Le Divorce by Diane Johnson

Violagirl, A bit off topic, but if you're into riding, did you see that the original stables at Versailles have been redone & a new riding academy opened ? Here's a web article. I saw the story also in the NY Times. http://www.france.diplomatie.fr/labe.../48/gb/08.html

I love the Maigret mysteries by Georges Simenon. Although not set in current Paris, they do give a wonderful sense (other than the murdered bodies!) of the importance given to food and drink.

I am going to France in June with a group of eight people. Some time ago I put together a reading list for them including several titles recommended on previous threads by Fodorites. Here is the fiction portion of that list. If you would also be interested in non-fiction or movies/videos, I'd be happy to post that as well. Books � Fiction A Tale of Two Cities � Dickens The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy The Glassblowers - Daphne DuMaurier A Moveable Feast � Hemingway The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Les Miserables � Hugo The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Man in the Iron Mask� Alexandre Dumas Le Divorce � Diane Johnson (soon to be released as a movie) Hotel Pastis � Peter Mayle Murder in the Marais, Murder in Belleville, Murder in the Sentier � Cara Black (and her new one Murder in the Bastille) The Lost King of France � Deborah Cadbury Chocolat (also the movie with J. Binoche), Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange � Joanne Harris Catherine LeVendeur series (8 novels, latest: Heresy) � Sharan Newman Charlotte Gray � Sebastian Faulks Timeline - Michael Crichton Caves of Perigord - Martin Walker The Last Time I Saw Paris � Elizabeth Adler (set in Paris, Dordogne & Provence) Enjoy!

A Year in Provence; Toujours Provence and others by Peter Mayle.

Hi here is the link to Amazon best sellers with the keyword "France" : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?tag=thelanguedocp-20 Peter http://tlp.netfirms.com