Recommended reading for a visit to France
 

I was thinking that I would like, for my next trip, to go to France for 6-7 days.

What would be good reading, fiction and non fiction, to give me a feel for history and culture?

I have read the Toujours Provence series and some Moliere in my time but that is about it.

This trip won't happen anytime soon so feel free to load me up!

Barbara Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror - The Calamitous 14th Century" and Ina Caro's "The Road from the Past - Traveling through History in France".

If you're going to Paris, try from Paris to the Moon by Adam ____, can't think of his last name but I think it begins with a G. Sorry. That is the exact title though.

You might try "The Seven Ages of Paris" non-fiction by Alistair Horne published in November, 2002 to excellent reviews.

Adam Gopnick. WONDERFUL BOOK!!!! Anyone who loves Paris should read it.

If you want a good trashy read (it is summer, after all) try Judith Kranz's book "Mistral's Daughter." It starts in the 1920s in Paris with a painter's model, and follows through with her daughter and grandaughter. Other good books which you won't be embarassed to be seen reading are Peter's Mayle's books, the ones following "A Year in Provence." His one about the bicycle thieves is so funny (someone help me here with the title).

I second the recommendation of Ina Caro's excellent book.

Another non-fiction favorite of mine is Richard Bernstein's "Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French."

"France - Culture Shock" (Its part of a series... or anything of Polly Platt's books "Savoir Flair", for example. Actually, any of Peter Mayle's books would be great too

Paris To The Moon is a total waste of money. The writer is self-absorbed and his choice of topics is bizare.

Much of the book is devoted to "cute kid" stories and endless prattle about his family, not Paris. I felt like I had been forced to leaf through a huge family photo album of very average people. You can and should do much better.

Jeez, Degas, how did you really feel about the book?!

Also, try On Rue Tatin, especially if you are into cooking at all, but even if you aren't it's a great book.

swalter518

I tried to hold back, but it just slipped out. Many folks have bought it, but the reviews are mixed. That's what makes the world go round.

I'll check out your second recommendation.

I too was very disappointed by "Paris to the Moon". As I was living in Paris when I read the book, I was hoping for some sympathetic ideas and clever insights. But really, the writer lived in the architypal American ex-pat quarter, and clearly ate and socialised in untypical circles. I mean, who on earth gets a summer membership to the pool at the Ritz? Certainly no Parisian I've ever met.
To be fair, it's a nice collection of anecdotes, but many of them couldn't be further away from the "real Paris".

Anyway, enough negative opinions...

How about trying a bit of Zola for social history, or even George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London" (OK, it's about as relevant as "Paris to the Moon" but I found it much more engaging!!)
Another author to try for stories about life in the French countryside is Marcel Pagnol, author of "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources", along with "Le Chateau de ma mère et la Gloire de mon Père" (or is it the other way round? i can never remember!!). Anyway, even in translation the books are quite charming.

And then of course, there's Alain Fournier's classic "Le Grand Meaulnes" which again is quite readable in translation.

Rose Tremain's "The Way I Found Her" is a quirky story about a young boy experiencing a summer in Paris with his mother and an eccentric Russian novelist (it gets a little crazy towards the end, but it's an enjoyable read!).

I'll second the recommendation for "The Seven Ages of Paris." A big but very readable history of Paris. I couldn't put it down.

Mistral's Daughter is based on some things about Picasso and some of the action takes place where I stayed in Villeneuve-les-Avignon, The Prieuré.

Degas, Maybe I'm just drawn by anything that makes me think of Paris. On Rue Tatin has a similar story basis as Francis Mayes' books-American moves to France, rehabs house, runs into cultural snafus, and cooks along the way. I loved it but if that's not up your alley, don't bother.

re hanl's post...remember those two films "Florette" and "Manon" from 10-15 years ago? They were delightful and I'd love to see them again! i.e. now that I've since had the opportunity to spend some time in that French countryside.

TuckH you are a darling! Your mention of those two movies (both in my private video collection) reminded me of Maurice Pagnol's memoirs, My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle. Two movies were based on it, and they're wonderful. All of the above would certainly put longings for France in you...

swalter518, I hear you about being drawn to books about Paris.

The Seven Ages of Paris was on target for me. On Rue Tatin had some mixed reviews on amazon.com. Since its at my library, I'll give it a try.

Can't believe no one's mentioned Hemingway's Moveable Feast. It's a very easy read.

Very "American-ex-pat-writer-living-in-a-
garrett-in-1920's Paris." in style.

Jennie :)

Now I have 2 more books to read-Degas, I'm going to try 7 Ages... and Moveable Feast sounds good too.

Non-fiction: any of the volumes in which Janet Flanner's "Letters from Paris," originally written for the New Yorker, are compiled. The volume called "Paris Was Yesterday" covers the 1920's and 1930's; later decades are covered in several volumes, all called "Paris Journal."

At Home in France, by Ann Barry. Yet another book about a non-French person and her house in France (this one in SW France), but it's worth reading even if you've already read the Peter Mayle books because the author is (in my opinion, anyway) much less annoying than Peter Mayle.

Fiction: The Rose Grower, by Michelle de Kretser. A lovely novel about a provincial family's experiences during the French Revolution.

To piggyback on hanl's suggestion of reading Zola, I'd suggest starting with The Masterpiece, which describes the life of a struggling artist in Paris, and contains some beautifully written passages describing the walks the artist takes through Paris.

Way back in the 1950s when the New York Herald Tribune was stll publishing, a regular columnist was Art Buchwald. They were hilarious vignettes of his experiences while in Paris. You should read "I'll Always Have Paris: A Memoir".

'City of Darkness, City of Light' is a wonderful novel about the French Revolution by Marge Piercy. Educational and entertaining at the same time. My husband and I are in the midst of reading 'The Count of Monte Cristo' right now. It is 1400 pages but very engrossing. And of course there is always the incomparable 'A Tale of Two Cities.'

"Perfume" by Patrick Suskind set in a 17th century paris and the wonderful novel by Simone de Beauvoir "Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée" which I read almost every year and which depicts the heart and soul of the Montparnasse area 8it is de Beauvoir's early autobiography (from her childhood to her twenties till her relationship with Sartre)

ECLECTIC SELECTION OF FRENCH BOOKS

The Collected Traveler: Paris....collected by Barrie Kerper...this is one from the author's great series...she also has one written about Provence....she has included great articles...terrific bibiography...A-Z practicalities! Barrie would make a terrific fodorite!!

Between Meals, An appetite for Paris...A.J. Liebling

Me Talk Pretty One Day ...... Davis Sedaris Group of short stories ..."difficulty learning the language...his near-impossibilitiy of translating the culture" Very funny!!

Paris Out of Hand (a wayward guide)
...Karen Elizabeth Gordon....an artistic surreal guide!!

Food Lover's Guide to Paris....Patricia Wells

Quiet Days in Clichy...written by Henry Miller....Photographs by Brassai...one of my favorite!!~

Le Divorce by Diane Johnson. Peter Mayle's fiction is actually very enjoyable, I think (Chasing Cezanne, Hotel Pastis, etc.)

In my opinion, Victor Hugo's Les Miserable and Hunchback of Notre Dame should be required reading for anyone going to Paris. Have a wonderful trip!!

Bailey... You mentioned Henry Miller...I would add the "Diaries of Anais Nin" to the recommended reading list.

Well, à chacun son gout. I loved Paris to the Moon and thought On Rue Tatin was one of the most joyless accounts I'd ever read by someone living in France. Someone who knows the author once told me she suffers from depression, and I thought the book demonstrated that amply.

Others I've enjoyed are French Dirt, A Place in Normandy, Paris Dreambook, A Corner in the Marais, Puligny-Montrachet: Journal of a Village in Burgundy, At Home in France, and Travelers' Tales: France.

Just read "The Da Vinci Code", set in modern-day Paris and centered around the Louvre. Talk about a page turner, I read the first page and just waved goodby to my husband - I was a goner!!!!

I thought of a few more, all non-fiction:

Celestine: Voices from a French Village, by Gillian Tindall. Social history of a French village (more interesting than that makes it sound), that grew out of the author's discovery of some old letters hidden in a house she was living in, and her attempts to find out more about the woman the letters were written to.

The Englishman's Daughter, by Ben Macintyre. True story of a group of English soldiers who were hidden by French villagers after becoming separated from their regiments in WWI. (The Englishman's Daughter is the title the book was given when it was published in the US; the UK title was A Foreign Field. I guess the US publishers thought Americans wouldn't get the reference.)

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, by Thad Carhart. American writer living in Paris decides to take up piano lessons. Interesting even if you've never played the piano, fascinating if you have.

Also, has anyone read Cara Black's mysteries set in Paris (Murder in the Marais, Murder in Belleville, Murder in the Sentier, and Murder in the Bastille)? I've heard good things about them, but haven't gotten around to reading any of them yet.

For Provence: "Window on Provence"by Bo Niles, "Two Towns in Provence"by MFK Fisher(one of my fav writers)
Lot: "From here you can almost see Paris"
Brittany: "A Horse of Pride

As previously mentioned, Ina Caro's Book is excellent. Also, Henry James' book, "A Little Tour in France" is fun to read, about his train tour in the late 19th century. I love the French novelists, like Balzac, Stendal, de Maupassant, etc. - especially Balzac. Read "Cousin Bette" and "Pere Goriot", both great. I recently read a biography of Simone de Beauvoir, which was wonderful. I doubt very much that you want to read Marcel Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" (6 volumes, takes forever!)- but terrific insight into French society during his time back in the beginning of 20th century. But definite a project to read. Balzac, Zola, and Stendal are more fun!

I absolutely loved this book about the Paris flood in 1910 (It really makes the watermarkings on the quai seem real). It is the second part of a trilogy, and I would encourage you to read the first one, just to know where the characters are coming from. But the description of the water level being at the bottom of the bridges and of the train tracks at Orsay, plus some of the descriptions of La Grande Jatte. Here's a website: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/gu...ter-author.asp

A non-fiction book that I like better than Gopnik's (maybe because it deals with an earlier Paris) is Pulitzer Prize winner Stanley Karnow's Paris in the Fifties, a memoir of sorts: he arrives as a student and ultimately works for Time Magazine. http://hallbiography.com/general/142.shtml

Blaise Cendrars "To the End of the World" Perhaps the greatest and least well known of the "lost generation" writers in Post WWI Paris. This is a grand look at the fabulous and twisted underbelly of Paris.

I don't think anyone mentioned French Toast, Harriet Welty Rochefort's book about french culture -- hilarious and insightful.

Yvone Lenard has written a couple books on Provence that are similar in theme to Mayle (experiences of buying a house in Provence, food, etc.) but in a much different style. She includes recipes in each chapter.

Almost French is a great story of an Australian girl adapting to life in Paris with her French boyfriend.

Children of Light is a novel about a woman that finds peace by returning to her memories of a hut in Provence.

And, French Dirt by Richard Goodman is the story of his garden in the south of France -- super if you're into gardening. Interesting look at small village life even if you're not.

Happy reading!

Ooh -- I forgot Sandra Gulland's trilogy about Josephine Bonaparte.

Mont Saint Michel and Chartres, by Henry Adams, is a classic, and a must-read if you're thinking of visiting either or both of those places.

The real-life Henry Adams is a character in a novel called Panama, by Eric Zencey. It's a historical mystery, set in France in the 1890's (when Adams was in France, working on "Mont Saint Michel and Chartres") that deals with the scandal that arose from the collapse of the French plan to build the Panama Canal (hence the somewhat misleading title). It's a little slow-moving as a mystery, but it's good on atmospheric descriptions of Paris in the 1890's. (LVSue's recommendation of The Knowledge of Water, which is a very similar book, reminded me of it.)

The Visitable Past, by Leon Edel (the Henry James biographer), a memoir about Edel's experiences as an American soldier in WWII, has some interesting chapters about Paris just after the liberation.

Only in the last several years were these two marvelous books by Zola translated into English.
"The Ladies Paradise"
"The Belly of Paris"

I give a second (or a third or fourth or whatever) to Polly Platt's books (although "French or Foe" is more about French culture and "Savoir Faire" is more about the nuts and bolts of travel there) and Ina Caro's (her method will give you a new way to think about travel, starting with the oldest and moving to the newest sites rather than the more typical city by city or neighborhood by neighborhood type of tourism most of us practice). Also, I recently read a good review in the New York Times for new books "Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living" by Robert Arbor ("party memoir, part instructional manual" according to the review") and for "Sixty Million French People Can't Be Wrong" by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow ("more anthropological than literary as the aimed to find historic, geographic and linguistic reasons for French behavior"). These books sound like they will give you some insight into France before you go and something to bring back with you even after your trip is over.