Bibliophile 

Recommended reading for my Francophile friends.

Books set in Paris

Pars vite et reviens tard by Fred Vargas

Compelling detective novel by a French woman. Set around Montparnasse, an area full of Breton immigrants, this book makes the quarter come alive in colourful detail. I particularly appreciated a pivotal scene set on rue de la Convention not far from where I live. A dense plot, engaging characters and the most enjoyably poetic writing I've ever come across in a detective novel.

Zazie dans le métro by Raymond Queneau

The story of a very singular 10-year-old visiting her uncle in Paris. Her only dream is to go on the metro - however, as can happen, the metro is on strike. A comedy of errors ensues, with distinctly colourful vocabulary. Zazie swears like a trooper - every second sentence ends with " - mon cul!". Surreal, full of wordplay and evokes a very atmospheric Paris of the 1950s.

Ensemble c'est tout by Anna Gavalda

One of my all-time favourite books. A bunch of people who have lost their way in life intersect in Paris - and their lives change. I don't know how to describe it further without making it sound terribly melodramatic, but it is tightly written, hilarious, and very touching. If you're a die-hard romantic, you'll love it. Also great for colourful vocabulary, mostly involving people insulting eachother.

Stations de métro : D'Abbesses à Wagram by Gérard Roland

An alphabetical list of all the metro stations and explanations of how they were named. Well-researched and beautifull presented, with old photos of the metro stations and iconography. Unfortunately, it seems that two-thirds of the stations were named after a famous general or a famous battle, and so they all blend into eachother somewhat. Even the odd interesting fact about different stations - riots, disasters, german colonels assasinated - can't keep my eyelids open late at night. An excellent bedtime book - if you suffer from insomnia. Otherwise the best place to read it is on the metro itself.

Malavita by Tonino Benacquista

An Italian-American family move into a sleepy village in Normandy, and chaos gradually ensues. Dark and funny, and full of action.

French language, culture

Almost French by Sarah Turnbull

This is the book I read on the plane on the way over here, and almost wished I hadn't. The true story of Turnbull's experiences moving to France and falling for a Frenchman, the first half of the book left me terrified that I was never going to fit in, and with the strong impression that all French people have a stick up their butt - despite all previous evidence to the contrary. But it picks up in the second half, and while her tales of getting an apartment near the oh-so-Parisian rue Montorgueil incite envy from my point of view in the tranquil 15th, she does have some useful insights into how not to scare the natives. Don't assume France exactly resembles her version of it, but useful as a starting point.

Pardon My French: Unleash Your Inner Gaul by Charles Timoney

This is the book I wish I'd read before I arrived, or at least in the first month. Contains more useful cultural and linguistic tips than you can shake a stick at, but all told in a concise and witty way that made them very easy to absorb.

Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French by Stephen Clarke

Stephen Clarke has already made a name for himself with A Year in the Merde and follow-up books, light-hearted stories of a young Englishman bungling his way around France. He attempts here a more practical guide to living in France. A large part of it is to be taken with lavish pinches of salt, but there is the occasional true insight and useful tip. Some of it I only believed in hindsight, and the chapter on dating was helpful after a fashion - but doesn't exactly tell the full story. I think there's a follow-up work to be written here.

Allons Enfants: A New Zealand Family in France by Linda Burgess

A very personal, very enjoyable story of one New Zealand family's year living in Montpellier back in the 1980s. More a travel memoir than a cultural insight, it does nevertheless have a very useful chapter on tactics for dealing with dodgy landlords.

Last updated 12 February 2008