Looking for English books set up in France?

Are you looking for a new summer read? Try one of these exciting English books set in France. From the idyllic lavender fields of Provence to the Michelin star restaurants in Lyon, you can discover different parts of French from the beach or your couch!

The Paris Novel 

Author: Ruth Reichel 

Year: 2024

We will start our literary journey with a visit to France’s capital. After the main character Stella’s mother passes away she is left with an unconventional parting gift: a one-way plane ticket to Paris. Stella has lived a sheltered life and cannot imagine traveling internationally by herself, but she respects her mothers wishes and jets off to Paris. In France, Stella slowly discovers the wonders of the city including the famous Les Deux Magots café where she tries oysters for the first time and befriends an art dealer who shows her a local’s version of Paris. Author Ruth Reichel is known for her culinary knowledge as a food critic and food-themed books. Her food framed background informs her view of Paris and makes you fall in love with the city through the eyes of Stella.  

Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and a Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking 

Author: Bill Buford

Year: 2020

Dirt is the captivating memoir of an author and journalist who decides to abandon his life in New York City to discover the secrets of French cooking. Naturally he chooses Lyon as his new home, the gastronomic capital of the world. Here he navigates the unique challenges of adapting to French life including the bureaucratic hurdles and the long multi-course school lunches for his children. Buford starts his culinary journey in a well-regarded local boulangerie where he learns the art of bread making from Bob. This isn’t enough to satisfy his culinary ambitions and Buford enrolls in the Institut Bocuse, the renowned culinary training institute founded by Paul Bocuse the French fine-dining icon. Here the author learns the foundations and techniques of French cooking. After graduating, he eventually makes his way into the kitchen of La Mère Brazier, a famous two star Michelin restaurant that transforms traditional Lyonnais plates into culinary masterpieces. Buford is known for immersing himself in new environments to gain an insider’s perspective and Dirt is no different. You will truly learn some secrets about the elusive French culinary world.  

A Year in Provence 

Author: Peter Mayle

Year: 1989

This story is also based on the author’s experience as an expat in France. Englishman Peter Mayle and his wife decide to realize a lifelong dream of living in Provence as they move into a 200-year old farmhouse in the Lubéron Valley. In his light-hearted and often comical narration style, Mayle describes the unexpected obstacles and cultural encounters he experiences including the intense mistral winds that blow through town, the goat races put on by locals, and his encounters with the underground truffle dealers. Every chapter is a different month of the year and holds a different adventure for readers. This book is so popular that it has inspired a tv show and avid readers even travel to the Lubéron Valley to discover Mayle’s universe in real life. If you love this book and want to hear more without traveling all the way to France, Mayle has come out with three sequels filled with more French escapades!

All the Light We Cannot See

Author: Anthony Doerr

Year: 2014

If you are a history buff and want to learn more about France’s past, this book is for you. All the Light We Cannot See follows two young individual’s lives during World War II, Marie-Laure and Werner. Marie-Laure grows up in the heart of Paris but unexpectedly goes blind at a young age. Her father crafts an exact model of their neighborhood to help her to successfully memorize and navigate the city. When Paris is occupied in 1940 by German forces, the pair flee to Saint-Malo in Brittany where they find refuge with Marie-Laure’s uncle. Meanwhile Werner grows up in Germany and develops a strong interest in radios which eventually propels him to a high position in the army tracking Resistance movements on the radio. The war unexpectedly brings the two characters’ paths together in Saint-Malo and creates an unlikely connection between individuals from very different worlds. This is another book that has a cult following and there are tours in Saint-Malo for fans to discover important settings from the novel. 

The French Ingredient 

Author: Jane Bertch 

Year: 2024

A common theme with English novels set in France is food and The French Ingredient is no different. The book follows Jane Bertch’s unlikely rise from American banker to founder of a culinary school in Paris. When Bertch first traveled to Paris in high school, she found her attempts to speak French shut down and she returned to America disappointed and defeated. She eventually becomes a banker and her company sends her back to Paris where she masters the language and falls in love with the food. She realizes she doesn’t want to work in banking forever and decides to open a culinary school for tourists that want to be introduced to French cuisine in a welcoming setting. Despite many setbacks and skepticism, Bertch opens La Cuisine Paris in 2009 which is met with great success and enthusiasm. Reading this novel will make you want to start your own culinary journey!

Enjoy reading and let us know what your favorite book set in France is!