Historical fiction books set in France (10)


Find more books set in France by genre:
1.

Germinal by Emile Zola EN

Rating: 4 (5 votes)
Country: Europe / France flag France
Description:
The thirteenth novel in Émile Zola’s great Rougon-Macquart sequence, Germinal expresses outrage at the exploitation of the many by the few, but also shows humanity’s capacity for compassion and hope. Etienne Lantier, an unemployed railway worker, is a clever but uneducated young man with a dangerous temper. Forced to take a back-breaking job at Le Voreux mine when he cannot get other work, he discovers that his fellow miners are ill, hungry, and in debt, unable to feed and clothe their families. When conditions in the mining community deteriorate even further, Lantier finds himself leading a s... continue

2.

The Black Sheep by Honore de Balzac, Honore Balzac EN

0 Ratings
Country: Europe / France flag France
Description:
Philippe and Joseph Bridau are two extremely different brothers. The elder, Philippe, is a superficially heroic soldier and adored by their mother Agathe. He is nonetheless a bitter figure, secretly gambling away her savings after a brief but glorious career in Napoleon’s army. His younger brother Joseph, meanwhile, is fundamentally virtuous - but their mother is blinded to his kindness by her disapproval of his life as an artist. Foolish and prejudiced, Agathe lives on unaware that she is being cynically manipulated by her own favourite child, but will she ever discover which of her sons is t... continue

3.

Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier FR

Rating: 3.5 (6 votes)
Country: Europe / France flag France
Description:
The classic French novel written by a soldier, who would later die during World War I, tells the story of Auguste Meaulnes and the "domain mysterieux."

4.

Dram Shop by Émile Zola EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / France flag France
Description:
Focuses on the Paris taverns, presenting a tragedy of working-class people in slums. The work was influenced by theories of heredity/experimental science. The behaviour of the families is shown to be conditioned by environment/inherited characteristics, chiefly drunkenness and mental instability.



7.

I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / France flag France
Description:
CARAF Books: Caribbean and African Literature Translated from FrenchThis book has been supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agencY


9.

In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / France flag France
Description:
The first installment of the French author's multivolume autobiographical novel, originally published in 1913, in which he recalls his childhood and first infatuation.

10.

Inseparable : A Never-Before-Published Novel by Simone de Beauvoir EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / France flag France
Description:
A never-before-published novel by the iconic Simone de Beauvoir of an intense and vivid girlhood friendship From the moment Sylvie and Andrée meet in their Parisian day school, they see in each other an accomplice with whom to confront the mysteries of girlhood. For the next ten years, the two are the closest of friends and confidantes as they explore life in a post-World War One France, and as Andrée becomes increasingly reckless and rebellious, edging closer to peril. Sylvie, insightful and observant, sees a France of clashing ideals and religious hypocrisy--and at an early age is determined... continue