10 Books Set in Paris
There are so many different books you could read in preparation for a trip to Paris. I was a little surprised that most of my recent favorites are memoir/biography and non-fiction, but this list also has four novels set in the City of Lights.
Paris* by Edward Rutherfurd
This is a masterful historical novel that tells the story of Paris from the 1260s to the 1960s. It follows different families through the generations as the city grows and changes, giving you a thorough bird’s-eye view of Paris history. You learn what life was like for Jews, aristocrats, the lower classes, and revolutionaries. Rutherford weaves a compelling narrative if you’re not afraid of its doorstop size.
The Three Musketeers* by Alexandre Dumas
I fell in love with the adventures of Aramis, d’Artagnan, Athos, and Porthos in high school from the moment d’Artagnan comes on the scene arranging duels left and right. You can learn a surprising amount of the geography of Paris as the musketeers ride all over the city, around the country, and cross the channel, as well as absorbing a lot of 17th century French history.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret* by Brian Selznick
This is the first book I read to my kids to give them a sense of Paris just after we moved here. Hugo’s story is brave and fun, and Selznick tells it in such a creative way by beginning with illustrations and no words. Several sections of the story are told like this, so don’t be put off by another doorstop-sized book.
The Nightingale* by Kristin Hannah
This WWII historical novel captures the horror of WWII for women especially. I found it a page-turner, and it gives you a look into tragedy inside Paris and in the French countryside as well as a glimpse of the French resistance network.
A Writer’s Paris* by Eric Maisel
If the idea of going to Paris to write makes your heart go pitter-pat, Eric Maisel will try to convince you that you should and tell you how to make your dreams a reality.
The Last Time I Saw Paris by Elliot Paul
I stumbled upon this book at the American Library in Paris written by an American journalist living in Paris between the wars on the little street just across the river from Notre Dame. Today that little street is full of tourist shops and restaurants vying for your attention, but then it was home to a cast of colorful characters as they struggle to make ends meet amidst the political changes that lead to WWII. I enjoyed it for getting a picture of what life was like and what felt different and what felt the same about living in Paris then and now. His descriptions of visiting the préfecture feel astonishingly relevant eighty years later.
A Moveable Feast* by Ernest Hemingway
I really like Hemingway’s spare writing in this little book. It’s a must-read if you’re interested in the Lost Generation at all.
My Life in France* by Julia Child
Julia Child’s exuberance comes clearly through the pages of this delightful memoir/autobiography of how living in Paris and then Marseille with her diplomat husband changes the course of her life.
Paris in Love* by Eloisa James
This is a light and breezy memoir the author wrote based on her Facebook updates, blog posts, and stories from normal life when she lived in Paris with her family for a year. I read it on a visit to Paris when we were living in England and found it really enjoyable as someone who was also living outside my home country and culture.
Flirting with French* by William Alexander
While not specifically set in Paris, the memoir tells the story of one man’s struggle to conquer the French language. I read this shortly after moving to England, having no idea trying to learn French would also be in my future.
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