So you are about to take the trip of your life to one of the most beloved countries in the world – France! You’ve been practicing your ‘Hellos‘and you’Thanks‘, and study maps of Paris to find out how to get around, but there is one more thing you can do to make sure your trip is extra special. And that is immersing yourself in French life by reading some books set in France.

Reading novels set in Paris or the French countryside will give you an insight into the country that is impossible to get in guidebooks. As the characters walk along the Seine or sip their coffee at a table on the Parisian sidewalk, it will fill you with anticipation to do the same, making the experience that much sweeter when you can finally do it yourself. If the novel is set in the past, you will appreciate the history of France more, bringing many of the ancient places and buildings to life when you visit them on your trip. And if the novel is set today, there is nothing more fun than trying to find the streets, bars and restaurants that could be mentioned in the story.

So what books should you read? Here’s a selection of five novels that do a great job of bringing France to life, even before you even set foot on that plane.

‘Foreign Tongue’ by Vanina Marsot

Heartbroken, Anna moves to Paris from Los Angeles. She starts working as a translator for a cryptic erotic novel and, of course, finds some romance. The book is a love letter to the city, with many walks through the streets, as well as descriptions of French life, food and cafes.

‘The Coral Thief’ by Rebecca Stott

History, mystery, romance and intrigue intertwine in this novel set in post-Napoleonic Paris. It is 1815 and a young Englishman travels to Paris to take a position in the renowned Plant garden. But when a beautiful woman steals his collection of rare coral specimens, he becomes embroiled in a plot involving revolutionaries, spies and the intelligentsia. Victorian Paris is brought to life in this novel, which is sure to enhance any current visit to the Plant garden, The main botanical garden of France.

‘Party Lunch Boat’ by Susan Vreeland

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s ‘Party Lunch by Boat’ is a famous painting depicting a group of Parisians enjoying lunch on the terrace of a restaurant on the Seine. In this novel, Vreeland tells the story of those in the painting and how they got there. It’s a glorious look at Paris in the days of the Impressionists, and you can still eat at the restaurant today.

‘Five Quarters of the Orange’ by Joanne Harris

Now we leave Paris and enter the Loire Valley with this novel by Harris that takes us to a town occupied by the Germans in World War II. The book moves between World War II and the present day, which gives us an idea of ​​the long-term effects that the Nazi occupation had on the French people. And since it’s a Joanne Harris book, of course there’s a lot of time spent exploring French food!

‘The Perigord Matchmaker’ by Julia Stuart

We end with something fun and quirky, in a fictional town in southwestern France. Amour-Sur-Belle may not be a real place, but it gives a glimpse of some of the declining villages of rural France. Here, the town’s barber decides to reinvent himself as a matchmaker, a huge task when there are only 33 residents to match. Filled with charming characters and semi-ridiculous situations, this novel should leave you laughing and enjoying the French temper.

So if you have your tickets booked for Charles de Gaulle Airport or you just WANT to have a vacation planned to France, try the books above to immerse yourself in a bit of French life and culture. And if you find yourself enjoying them … well, there’s a lot more to explore …Good trip!