Paris fiction
 

I know there are other threads about this. But, I haven't seen a recent one. I love to read fiction to get in the "mood" of a city. Our local bookseller has suggested -- A Moveable Feast, Paris Wife and Sarah's Key. A foodie book would be great, or historical fiction (already read the Josephine ones), brain candy or even one that I could then suggest to my book club. Any thoughts?

"The Paris Wife"by Paula McLain
"Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris" by Sarah Turnbull
"Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes" by Elizabeth Bard

THE ELEGANCE OFTHE HEDGEHOG; A TALE OF TWO CITIES; LES MISERABLES

IMO, "A Moveable Feast" is timeless.

For something along the foodie + historical route, check out "Book of Salt" by Monique Truong, a first-person narrative from the point of view of the (fictional) cook for Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.

Thanks for the quick responses. Debit, I'm going to explore your suggestions now. 520, I read and enjoyed The Elegance of the Hedgehog two summers ago. Funny, it did not register as Parisian. How little attention I paid to that and a Tale of Two Cities.

I just saw from another thread of yours that you have a group from 15-50 traveling with you. You or one of the younger companions might be interested in "The Children's War" by Monique Charlesworth. (I know, another Monique!) I really enjoyed it a few years back; there are two protagonists who are young teens at the start of the book (at the beginning of WWII), thus why it might be of interest to younger readers, though of course since it covers war, some of the subject matter can be tough. IMO, the reviews on Amazon are spot-on!

Cara Black's Mysteries that take place in different
arr.
I also loved The Elegance of the Hedgehog

and my typo is do to..
so I wanted to add.
Zola's The Belly of France,
And A woman's Paradise (The department stores have not changed from Zola's time)

If you're a foodie & like old classics, or like exploring the minutae of Parisian life in the mid-late 1800's, I can recommend "The Belly of Paris" or "Pot Boiler" - both by Emile Zola. They really bring the Paris of that era to life. They're not as depressing as some of his other books based in Paris, and they reference neighborhoods and landmarks you'll be wandering around on your trip. Now I'm off to look up the Elegance of the Hedgehog!

Try "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik, who lived in Paris from 1995 to 2000.
A collection of stories about life in Paris, including such topics as The Crisis in French Cooking.

The crime novels by Fred Vargas are extremely authentically Parisian without the 'tourist' flourishes of foreign writers who set their books in Paris. Inspector Adamsberg never sees the Eiffel Tower ;-) . Many of these novels have been translated into English.

For a pictoral, I would suggest seeing "Midnight in Paris" which not only covers Paris but includes Versailles & Giverney.

Julia Child's My Life in France
The Knowledge of Water by Sarah Smith
Luncheon of the Boating Party--Susan Vreeland

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is another good memoir

Hi Misha,

If you would consider a nonfiction – David McCullough’s THE GREATER JOURNEY: AMERICANS IN PARIS 1830-1900. Fabulous overview of the art, history, culture of Paris that attracted American tourists in the 19th century and continues to fascinate today.

With lovely illustrations. Enjoy Paris…

Not brain candy but has the book club caught up with Proust, Hugo and Balzac?

Yes definitely start by seeing the movie Midnite In Paris then any of the books mentioned above. a Moveable Feast is a classic....I am getting A Paris Wife to read on the flight to Paris. The movie will bring you right to Paris....I have seen it 3 times and each time I felt as if I was right there...especially being in La Belle Epoque...oh to go back then.

Under brain candy: I just read "Kissing Adrien"...it was a free book in the Kindle store. Very tame, easy read, predictable, but I kept with it because of the descriptions of Paris.

Wow! This is getting me more excited about the trip than anything else. I am so tempted to fritter away my day just browsing through reviews of the books mentioned here. Love the ideas. Ggreen, thanks for thinking of the young adults angle. I will certainly make sure that we all watch Midnite in Paris before we leave. My book club has read the Elegance of the Hedgehog, a Moveable Feast and the David McCullough book. No Proust, Hugo or Balzac. Love the classic foodie Zola suggestions, the Book of Salt, all the crime novel suggestions, Luncheon of the Boating Party. I will go and download the free Kindle book right now. I might have to just immerse myself in Paris books and drop out of Book Club for a few months. :)

I hope I get the same rich, diverse ideas from the Asia forum. :) But, then I will be more conflicted than ever about how to "plan."

I thought of another one - sorry for this coming in dribs and drabs! And it seems all my Paris reading suggestions are stuck in just one era, so apologies for that too...

I recently read the gorgeous "The Last Nude" by Ellis Avery. Depending on your book club's tastes, it might even be a good read for them! Avery provides a believable fictional account of the artist Tamara de Lempicka, with Sylvia Beech and others in 20's Paris providing supporting roles. (IMO, more believably than <i>Midnight in Paris</i>, though that was really good too.) I'd categorize it more as (well written) "brain candy", but I couldn't put it down!

Two other movies I liked are <i>Amelie</i> and <i>Paris je t'aime</i>, which is a series of vignettes.

...So you made me curious to see where you're going in Asia. And I see it's India - you're going to have a full reading list with that one, too! You've definitely picked destinations with rich literary traditions. :)

I highly recommend Midnight in Paris, too. We rented it and watched it twice in one weekend! I love the scenes of Paris, the music, and the theme & all the literary characters. Owen Wilson was a perfect choice for his character.

A series of books bY CLAUDE iZNER.
Murder on the Eiffel tower and followed by other locations.
These are called a Victor Legris mystery.
Legris is an antique bookseller in 1893 France when the Eiffel Tower is first built and he has the dangerous hobby of amatuer sleuthing
interesting to know is that Claude Izner is the pen name
of two sisters, Liliane Korb and Laurence Lefevre.
Both are booksellers on the banks of the Seine and are experts on nineteenth-century Paris

Misha, Kwoo, and others - also saw MIDNIGHT IN PARIS twice. May I suggest another oldie, but goodie, movie? THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS.

Set after WWII with an excellent caste including Elizabeth Taylor in her heyday. She was gorgeous!

Nearly every espionage novel by Alan Furst is set largely in Paris in the 1930s and '40s.

The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, Notre Dame de Paris, Les Miserables . . .

Not fiction but Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon is perfect.

Another non-fiction:

Is Paris Burning? Larry Collins and Dominique La Pierre

Hub and I sat in Montparnasse and talked about what Paris must have been like during WWII and hub suggested how lucky we all were that it wasn't burned to the ground. The above talks about it. Riveting, even to this non-history person.

I loved Gopnik's and McCullough’s as well. Oh, and Julia's is pure charm. Sigh!

"The Last Time I Saw Paris" by Lynn Sheene---loved it.
Same title by Elizabeth Adler

Both fiction

I like historical fiction also and thought of a couple and then I like to visit and see the sites first hand.

- The Secret Diary of Marie Antoinette - then see Versailles and The Concierge

- The Lady and the Unicorn - then see the Unicorn tapestries at the Cluny
- To the Scaffold - about Marie Antoinette

Not historical fiction, but:
- All of the Cara Black mysteries

I have to say that a lot of these historical books are going to set a visitor up for something that will never be seen or experienced.

I would recommend reading modern books before a trip to Paris because they will correspond more to the experience of the trip, and then historical books can be read later once interest has been piqued in some of the historical places seen during the visit.

Another recommendation for Fred Vargas, a French female author who is an archeologist and writer of excellent detective novels. However, they do not take place exclusively in Paris.

Nor does real life. :-)

My first Paris/French fiction addiction was Georges Simenon, Maigret mysteries. Can't wait to try a pastis!

Freda, I love Pastis, had my first for the season because it's hot here today. I named my dog Pastis. My favorite brand is not available here, PASTIS 51.

Vanina Marsot's <i>French Tongue; A Novel of Life and Love in Paris</i> would appear to be one of the more interesting of the genre (and not only for the rude bits) -

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr...ment/et-book25

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...foreign-tongue

Nancy Pearl's <i>Book Lust To Go; Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers</i> has reading recommendations for more than 120 destinations around the world, including Paris of course.