Do you love Paris and want to find the Best Books about this beautiful City? We’ve got you covered! The following are the best novels in Paris, whether you favor history, fiction, drama, or mystery.
This handpicked collection of Parisian-inspired books is guaranteed to take you to the heart of Paris, whether you’re a seasoned traveler, a dreamer planning your next vacation, or simply a fan of great writing.
With its rich history, gorgeous architecture, and active culture, it’s no surprise that Paris has inspired authors, poets, and novelists such as Victor Hugo, Ernest Hemingway, Edward Rutherfurd, and many more!
If you’re planning a vacation to Paris or simply want to immerse yourself in the city’s beauty from the comfort of your own home, here’s a collection of the greatest books about Paris that will transport you to the French capital’s charming streets and boulevards.
Things you'll find in this article
- 12 Best Books About Paris
- 1. A Moveable Feast
- 2. The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
- 3. A Tale Of Two Cities
- 4. Paris To The Moon
- 5. The Da Vinci Code
- 6. The Queen of Paris: A Novel of Coco Chanel
- 7. Someday In Paris: The Magical New Love Story For Hopeless Romantics
- 8. Waking Up In Paris
- 9. Paris For One
- 10. The Nightingale
- 11. Les Misérables
- 12. Paris by the Book
12 Best Books About Paris
1. A Moveable Feast
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Genre: Biography, Memoir, Autobiography
Date Published: December 1964
Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast depicts what it felt like to be a writer who lived in Paris in the early 1920s. He discusses his interactions with other writers, his experiences with hunger and poverty, and what it would have been like to be a member of the “Lost Generation.”
Ernest Hemingway is a recognized twentieth-century American novelist. Some of his works, especially For Whom the Bell Tolls as well as The Old Man and the Sea, for the publication of which he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, are today regarded as classics. He also proved to be a travel enthusiast, with trips to the United States, Africa, France, and Spain.
His straightforward and seemingly simple writing style generated decades of imitators but no peers. Following the release of The Old Man and the Sea, he was given the Nobel Prize in writing in 1954, recognizing his standing in current writing.
2. The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
Author: Victor Hugo
Genre: Romanticism, Gothic fiction
Date Published: March 16, 1831
If you want to learn more regarding the history of Paris but don’t like reading dull non-fiction, you should read The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. It relates the narrative of Esmeralda, a beautiful gypsy who is convicted as a witch by the troubled archdeacon Claude Frollo, who has a crush on her.
After falling in love with the kindhearted Esmeralda, Quasimodo, the disfigured bell ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, seeks to save her by concealing her in the cathedral’s tower.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a people’s epic, featuring a variety of characters ranging from the King of France all the way to the peasants who live in the Parisian sewers, and the gigantic figure at its core.
It is a powerful and meaningful piece that readers will remember long after finishing it. It is a must-read for anyone with a passion for classic literature and comprehending both the splendor of human nature and the harsh truths of society.
3. A Tale Of Two Cities
Author: Charles Dickens
Genre: Novel, Historical Fiction, Historical Novel
Date Published: November 26, 1859
A Tale of Two Cities is an iconic example of historical fiction, a genre in which fictitious characters and storylines are set within actual events to better comprehend the time period. It takes place both prior to and during the French Revolution in London and Paris.
One of the teachings from this work is that there are always parallels to the past in any life scenario, and we may use them to overcome our difficulties. This work focuses on drama more than accuracy. It has large-scale mob violent sequences with a rich historical backdrop.
The greatness of this novel, like all great stories, is its capacity to not only draw us intimately into the convoluted lives of these individuals, ravaged by the historical tyrannies of the era they lived in but to utilize their story as a metaphor to grasp the human narrative as a whole.
4. Paris To The Moon
Author: Adam Gopnik
Genre: Biography, Autobiography
Date Published: Year 2000
If you want to learn more about Paris travel, Paris to the Moon is the book for you. In this delicate story, Gopnik realizes that the simultaneous processes of navigating a strange city and becoming a parent are not entirely unlike.
Both offer new routines, new languages, and a new set of norms by which each day is to be lived. The first section of the novel, “The Winter Circus,” begins with Gopnik landing in Paris alongside his wife Martha along with their small son, Luke.
Their arrival in the city coincides with a period of significant sociopolitical shifts, with Parisians in largely public sector positions going to the streets to protest salary cuts and the elimination of benefits and social assistance programs.
5. The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
Genre: Novel, Mystery, Thriller, Detective fiction, Crime Fiction, Conspiracy fiction
Date Published: March 18, 2003
Do you want to learn about religious fictions? You should read The Da Vinci Code! The Da Vinci Code features symbologist Robert Langdon as well as cryptologist Sophie Neveu after they become entangled in a dispute between the Priory of Sion along with Opus Dei over the prospect of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene conceiving a child together following a murder at Paris’s Louvre Museum.
The Da Vinci Code addresses the issue of whether history texts must always be accurate. The story is filled with reinterpretations of well-known stories, such as Jesus’ life and the Da Vinci artwork The Last Supper. Brown explains how the Bible was constructed and what happened to the lost gospels.
Many individuals read The Da Vinci Code in pursuit of the path to Christ. The fascination stems from the unearthing of secrets surrounding Jesus, the Templars, as well as the entire historical age.
It touches on so many topics that people consider: Jesus, art, crime, and so on. All of the publicity has sparked curiosity.
6. The Queen of Paris: A Novel of Coco Chanel
Author: Pamela Binnings Ewen
Genre: Historical Fiction, Biographical Fiction, Political fiction
Date Published: April 7, 2020
The Queen of Paris, the latest novel from award-winning novelist Pamela Binnings Ewen, brilliantly imagines Chanel’s clandestine existence throughout the four years of Nazi rule in Paris during World War II, as uncovered in recently recovered wartime papers.
The book is extremely well-researched, and it vividly depicts German-occupied Paris. Despite Chanel’s Nazi ties throughout WWII, the reader has a better grasp of her goals, power, and attraction.
7. Someday In Paris: The Magical New Love Story For Hopeless Romantics
Author: Olivia Lara
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance
Date Published: May 14, 2020
Are you a hopeless romantic who enjoys reading novels about it? This book is made for you! This sort of love endures the passage of time, huge distances, and even death. The epic romance narrative will leave an imprint on your heart as it is a memorable love story.
This is the tale of Zara and Leon, who encountered one day after the power went out at a French museum. They never saw one other’s faces, but they’ve been looking for each other ever since.
It’s lovely, even heartbreaking at moments, but the two star-crossed lovers finally find each other as fate intended. It’s not your normal love tale, but it’s unique.
8. Waking Up In Paris
Author: Sonia Choquette
Genre: Biography, Autobiography, Travel literature
Date Published: Year 2018
Curious about how a lady ends up in Paris after a decades-long marriage? This is an absolute must-read! Sonia Choquette and the city she loves embarked on a healing path that included profound soul-searching and embrace of a new, often painful, reality.
A one-of-a-kind Parisian excursion. Sonia is led to Paris, where she meets craziness and miracles on her path back to wholeness.
Life is, at its core, a spiritual journey. Sonia Choquette invites you to join her and her daughter on their spiritual journey in Paris in this wonderfully moving book.
Sonia enthralls readers with colorful tales of her unpleasant brushes with French stylists and beauticians, the challenges she faced in French fashion, and her hunt for the ideal neighborhood cafe.
9. Paris For One
Author: Jojo Moyes
Genre: Fiction, Romance novel
Date Published: Year 2015
Paris for One will captivate your heart, as it has thousands if not millions of readers worldwide; it is one of the best books in Paris!
It’s the story of a girl who’s never gone to Paris or even on a romantic weekend. Paris For One was a fantastic start to the novel and the ideal amount of chick fiction. There is romance, humor, and a great deal of emotion.
This combination of heartfelt emotion and dazzling wit distinguishes Paris for One as vintage Jojo Moyes and makes it mandatory reading for both new and old readers. Moyes will take you on a beautiful tour across the city, complete with endearing personalities.
10. The Nightingale
Author: Kristin Hannah
Genre: Novel, Historical Fiction, Romance novel, War story
Date Published: February 3, 2015
Do you wish to experience the feelings of two sisters with opposing personalities and circumstances? Read this book! It pays tribute to the tremendous bravery and perseverance of French women throughout WWII.
Kristin Hannah depicts the challenges and sacrifices made by ordinary people during this awful time of history in a wonderful way. The story provides a look into the lives of women who battled valiantly to keep their communities and familiestogether in the face of wartime upheaval.
Women typically return home after returning from the battlefield, say nothing, and carry on with their lives. The novel The Nightingale is about those mothers and the risky decisions they made to rescue their children and their way of life.
11. Les Misérables
Author: Victor Hugo
Genre: Novel, Tragedy, Historical Fiction, Epic
Date Published: Year 1862
Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables is an epic saga of valor and villainy, as well as all the shades of despair and misery in between.
The plot of Les Miserables revolves around the life of a guy named Jean Valjean. Valjean was condemned to 19 years in jail and hard labor after he was arrested as a young man snatching a loaf of bread to feed his sister and her impoverished children.
Les Misérables is about people who struggle, achieve, fail, love, and seek, and the revolutionary fervor that surrounds them is the thread that unites them all. Because Les Miserables is so vast and well-written, it allows you to imagine yourself living a life, Jean Valjean’s full adult existence.
Musically, it has it all: catchy melodies and magical lyrics, and unlike many other musicals, Les Mis has a narrative. In fact, the narrative is what sets it apart from other series.
12. Paris by the Book
Author: Liam Callanan
Genre: Mystery, Domestic Fiction
Date Published: Year 2018
The story begins when eccentric author Robert Eady mysteriously flees, leaving behind his wife, Leah, his girls, and airline tickets to Paris stashed in an unexpected location.
Leah travels to France with her daughters in the hopes of uncovering answers and her husband. Leah discovers an incomplete novel upon their arrival, one that Robert had been composing without her consent and that he had planned to publish in Paris.
Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan is a great deal more than an elegiac depiction of a lost artist. We see the sacrifices and longings of those left behind as they keep doing what they love, live, and thrive.
Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 40 countries and lived in 4 continents in the last 10 years, including France. A self-proclaimed Francophile, I love everything France.