The Ultimate Francophile Reading List
Everything you need to read in order to live, love, curse, and eat like the French…
Why don’t French women get fat? What’s apartment hunting like in Paris? How do I properly hurl expletives in French? Those questions, and more, are answered in the pages of these entertaining (and highly educational) books.
From memoirs to phrase books, these titles are must-reads for anyone looking to arm themselves with some serious wisdom about the French way of life.
Get ready to finally achieve that “Je ne sais quoi” you’ve been searching for…. C’est parti!
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Let’s start with the basics. This charming guide is a great start to understanding the mysterious chicness of French women. Written by four “vrai” Parisians, this book covers a wide range of topics, including the French woman’s view on dating, children, the gym, vintage style, cooking, and makeup (or rather lack thereof…). It’s a fun, informative read that will have you looking at love, life, and style in a new light. Get ready to unleash your inner Parisian.
After a year of living in France with their children, Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoit Nadeau learned a lot about how the French converse. Communicating with the French goes well beyond the literal language, and instead is an intricate code of cultural beliefs, conventions, and rules. In The Bonjour Effect, Barlow and Nadeau help non-natives crack that code and answer some questions surrounding the confusing oddities of French conversation: Why is money a taboo subject? Why do the French have an unfounded love of arguing? Why do they categorically refuse to admit they “don’t know” something? If you’re planning on interacting with real life French people anytime soon, this book is an essential read. Ultimately, it helps decipher between what the French are saying and what they actually mean, all backed up by the couple’s humorous, first-hand accounts of these linguistic paradoxes in action.
Their book Sixty Million French Men Can’t Be Wrong is another wonderfully informative read on French language and culture.
What They Didn’t Teach You In French Class — Adrien Clautrier & Henry Rowe
Whether you’re looking to navigate the bedroom with a French lover or curse out your enemy like a local, this arguably R-rated phrase book will guarantee success. This is all the stuff you wish you learned in high school French but definitely didn’t.
L’Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home — David Lebovitz
Memoirs, especially those written by American expats in France, are a fantastic way to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of French culture. Particularly if you’re looking to travel (or move!) to France in the near future, these personal stories allow you to live vicariously through the failures and successes of someone who already has. American David Lebovitz has definitely had his fair share of disasters (his words, not mine) moving to Paris. L’Appart makes it clear that finding and securing an apartment in the city is at the top of that list… In this humorous memoir, Lebovitz chronicles the oftentimes absurd struggles of making a home in Paris. Questionable realtors, lazy contractors, fire hazards, and even the quest for the perfect kitchen sink make for an entertaining read that will make you think twice about buying your next pied-à-terre.
Want more Lebovitz adventures? His first memoir, The Sweet Life in Paris, is just as delicious as it sounds. After spending nearly two decades as a pastry chef and cookbook author in the United States, Lebovitz packs his bags for Paris. The story follows his hilarious adventures navigating life in a new country and language. Bonus: It’s packed with mouthwatering recipes for some sweet, French classics.
French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure — Mireille Guiliano
Speaking of pastries…why don’t French women get fat? It’s an age-old question that many (particularly Americans) ask, and the answer lays in Mireille Guiliano book French Women Dont’ Get Fat. With insightful wisdom into how the French think about and approach food, this book will have you questioning diet culture and ditching weight loss fads for good. Learn to love the experience and pleasures food provides from one of the gastronomic capitals of the world itself.
My Life in France — Julia Child
Julia Child is known for bringing French cooking to the American public with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and subsequent television program The French Chef. While her cookbook itself could easily make it on this reading list, her autobiography My Life in France is perhaps a more entertaining choice (and requires no cooking skills whatsoever). The book provides a detailed account of Julia’s culinary experiences in France along with her husband, Paul Child.
Former Vogue editor Kate Betts’ memoir My Paris Dream is an entertaining chronicle of her time working her way up as a fashion journalist in 1980s Paris. With appearances from Yves Saint Laurent to Anna Wintour, this book is a delight for anyone interested in the fashion world. Betts brings readers behind the scenes of her jobs and experiences, allowing for a first-hand account of not only the bustling world of editorials and haute couture, but also the challenges of adjusting to Parisian life.
Bringing up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting — Pamela Druckerman
This New York Times Bestselling title from journalist Pamela Druckerman explores the world of French parenting in a humorous and informative fashion. An American expat living in Paris, Druckerman chronicles her discoveries of how French parenting differs from American while incorporating this “wisdom” first-hand into raising her own children. It’s a detailed and entertaining look into the many cultural and societal differences of raising children the “French way” versus “American way,” and an especially great read for current (or soon-to-be) parents.
Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris — Ann Mah
Because this list needs one more food-related book…Ann Mah’s memoir Mastering the Art of French Eating is a delightful account of one woman’s love and exploration of French food. Francophile Mah thinks she’s moving to Paris for three years with her diplomat husband, but when he’s called away to Iraq, she finds herself alone in the city of her foodie dreams. From Paris to the South of France, Mah explores the histories and tastes of French food on an exciting (and mouth-watering) solo adventure.
A Moveable Feast — Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway’s classic A Moveable Feast is a must-read, not only for it’s importance in literary history, but also understanding the age-old appeal and magic Paris holds for creatives. His memoir recounts his time living in Paris as an unknown writer in the twenties, including his friendships with a host of influential creatives (James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald to name a few). This book will have you yearning for an aimless walk around Paris at night.
The Flaneur: A Stroll through the Paradoxes of Paris — Edmund White
If Hemingway’s Parisian strolls sound appealing, Edmund White’s The Flâneur dives deeper into the concept of Flânerie (the act, or art, of strolling through a city without an apparent destination). In this short, poetic book, White brings the reader on a stroll through virtually unknown locations in Paris. He infuses each place with both personal and historical insights, acting as a literary guide to the Parisian Flâneur experience.
