Books from France
217 popular french books
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
The target of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read at least one book written by an author from each and every country in the world.
All books that are listed here as part of the "Read Around Europe Challenge" were written by authors from France.
Find a great book for the next part of your reading journey around the world from this book list. The following popular books have been recommended so far.
181.
The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne EN
Description:
Although The Mysterious Island is technically a sequel to Vernes' enormously popular Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, this novel offers a vastly different take on similar thematic motifs. As with all of Verne's best-known works, The Mysterious Island is a masterpiece of the action-adventure genre, with a heaping dash of science fiction influence thrown in for good measure.
182.
The Mystery of Henri Pick by David Foenkinos EN
Description:
The delightful first title in a new collaboration with Channel 4's Walter Presents: a fast-paced comic mystery enriched by a deep love of books In the small town of Crozon in Brittany, a library houses manuscripts that were rejected for publication: the faded dreams of aspiring writers. Visiting while on holiday, young editor Delphine Despero is thrilled to discover a novel so powerful that she feels compelled to bring it back to Paris to publish it. The book is a sensation, prompting fevered interest in the identity of its author - apparently one Henri Pick, a now-deceased pizza chef from Cro... continue
183.
The Mystery of the Yellow Room : Extraordinary Adventures of Joseph Rouletabille, Reporter by Gaston Leroux EN
Description:
How could a crime take place in a locked room which shows no sign of being entered? Leroux's landmark tale of foul play and deception remains a blueprint for the detective novel genre.
184.
Description:
The colours and scents of the Parisian world provide the backdrop to this book and its observations on the loss of childhood magic, the insecurity of solitude and the stresses and strains between husbands, wives, lovers and mistresses.
185.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux EN
Description:
The novel that inspired the Lon Chaney film and the hit musical. "The wildest and most fantastic of tales."--New York Times Book Review.
186.
The Princess of Cleves by Madame de La Fayette (Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne) EN
Description:
Perhaps one of the greatest works of French literature is Madame de Lafayette's The Princess of Cleves, often described as the first of all "modern" novels. This classic translation, with an introduction, by the late English novelist and biographer Nancy Mitford, was first brought out in 1951 by New Directions. It is now made available as a New Directions Paperbook. Published in 1678 and written by Marie Madeleine Roche de la Vergne, Countess de Lafayette - a Parisian lady of fashion and great wit, who probably received help from her friend the Duc de la Rochefoucauld, author of the famous Max... continue
187.
188.
The Readers' Room by Antoine Laurain
Description:
A Parisian editor is drawn into a murder investigation when an unknown thriller author is shortlisted for a prize.
189.
The Red and the Black by Stendhal EN
Description:
Charts the rise and fall of an ambitious young social climber in a cruel, monarchical society Handsome, ambitious Julien Sorel is determined to rise above his humble provincial origins. Soon realizing that success can only be achieved by adopting the subtle code of hypocrisy by which society operates, he begins to achieve advancement through deceit and self-interest. His triumphant career takes him into the heart of glamorous Parisian society, along the way conquering the gentle, married Madame de Rênal, and the haughty Mathilde. But then Julien commits an unexpected, devastating crime—and bri... continue
190.
The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain EN
Description:
"Laurain presents the story as if it were reportage, but with the confidence of an age-old storyteller."—San Francisco Book Review "Laurain's gentle, satirical humor remind this reviewer of Jacques Tati's classic films, and, no, you don't have to know French politics to enjoy this charming novel. Fans of Muriel Barbery'sThe Elegance of the Hedgehog will want this."—Library Journal "A hymn to la vie Parisienne . . . enjoy it for its fabulistic narrative, and the way it teeters pleasantly on the edge of Gallic whimsy."—The Guardian Heroic bookseller Laurent Letellier comes across an abandoned ha... continue