26 Best Books Set in France That Will Transport You There
Immerse yourself in the charm, romance, and history of France by delving into these captivating books, each set against the backdrop of France’s diverse and enchanting landscapes.
There’s something undeniably magical about France — from the lavender fields of Provence to the elegant streets of Paris and the sun-soaked Riviera.
Whether you’ve visited before or are dreaming of going, books set in France offer the perfect way to experience its beauty, culture, and atmosphere from wherever you are.
From sweeping historical fiction to cozy village stories, gripping mysteries, and unforgettable memoirs, these books will transport you straight to France — one page at a time.
Why Read Books Set in France?
- Experience France before you visit
- Discover hidden places beyond Paris
- Immerse yourself in French culture and history
- Travel without leaving home
Quick List: Books Set in France
- All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
- The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah
- Chocolat – Joanne Harris
- The Little French Bistro – Nina George
- The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
- Les Misérables – Victor Hugo
- A Year in Provence – Peter Mayle
- My Life in France – Julia Child
- Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins
If you’re looking specifically for Paris-based reads, don’t miss my full list of books set in Paris.
Every product on this page was carefully chosen. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through a link at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure.
Novels and Fiction Set in France
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Perfect if you love emotional, atmospheric historical fiction.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A deeply moving story that stays with you long after the final page
- Beautiful, immersive writing that brings wartime France to life
A beautifully written, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set during World War II. It follows a young blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in Nazi-occupied France as they are both trying to survive the devastation of the war.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Perfect if you love powerful, emotional stories of resilience.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A gripping story of survival and resistance during WWII
- Emotional depth that will completely pull you in
This unforgettable novel follows two sisters from a small French village. We watch their separate stories unfold as each sister must embark on her own dangerous journey toward survival, love, and freedom amongst the devastation of war-torn Nazi-occupied France.
Escape to the French Farmhouse by Jo Thomas
Perfect if you love uplifting, fresh-start stories.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A beautiful Provence setting full of warmth and charm
- A journey of self-discovery and healing
This fiction novel set in Provence follows a woman who moves to the South of France for a fresh start with her husband after years of infertility struggles. However, she soon finds herself on her own and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and reclaiming her life.
Murder in the South of France by Susan Kiernan-Lewis
Perfect if you love light, fast-paced mysteries.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A sunny French Riviera setting with a dark twist
- A gripping mystery that keeps you turning pages
If you’re looking for fast-paced murder mysteries set in France, look no further. This story is set on the French Riviera and follows a woman who must track down her sister’s killer.
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Perfect if you love cozy, magical, feel-good stories.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A charming French village setting
- A touch of magic woven into everyday life
When a young single mother arrives in a small French village and opens a chocolate shop, she quickly begins to wreak havoc on the town in this whimsical escapist novel.
A Riviera Retreat by Jennifer Bohnet
Perfect if you love friendship-driven, uplifting fiction.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A dreamy Côte d’Azur setting
- Themes of friendship, healing, and new beginnings
This is a heart-warming and uplifting women’s fiction novel about four women who end up on a retreat together in Côte d’Azur. They’re all looking to escape their day-to-day lives for different reasons, and during the retreat, they make memories and form lifelong friendships.
The Little Vineyard in Provence by Ruth Kelly
Perfect if you love dreamy, countryside escapes.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A gorgeous vineyard setting in Provence
- A fresh-start story full of possibility
This novel follows an American woman who is stuck in a dead-end job with an absent husband when she receives some shocking news. Her grandfather has left her his entire estate in Provence. Suddenly, she has the opportunity to take a chance on creating a life she loves.
The Cleaner of Chartres by Salley Vickers
Perfect if you love quiet, character-driven stories.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A charming small-town French setting
- A mysterious, intriguing main character
This novel follows a quiet, mysterious woman in the small French town of Chartres. She can usually be found cleaning the town’s famed medieval cathedral or doing odd jobs for the townspeople until one day something happens that forces her to confront her secretive past.
Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
Perfect if you love cozy mysteries with a strong sense of place.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A rich depiction of rural French life
- A mix of mystery, food, and culture
Bruno is the chief of police in a small, quiet town in the South of France. In this mystery novel, he must work with a young policewoman from Paris after a crime rocks this small town.
Classic Books Set in France
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Perfect if you love epic stories of revenge and redemption.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A gripping, fast-paced plot full of twists
- A powerful revenge story
- Rich historical detail
If you are looking for a great classic novel set in France, The Count of Monte Cristo is a good one to pick up. As far as classics go, it is one of the more accessible and entertaining ones out there.
It follows a man wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit in a notorious French prison as he plots a clever escape and revenge against those who imprisoned him.
A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Perfect if you love dramatic historical classics.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A powerful story set during the French Revolution
- Themes of sacrifice and transformation
A classic book set across Paris and London with a dramatic story, set against the volcanic fury of the French Revolution and pervaded by the ominous rumble of the death carts trundling toward the guillotine, is the heart-stirring tale of a heroic soul in an age gone mad.
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Perfect if you love emotional, epic classics.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A deeply moving story of redemption and justice
- Rich historical and social detail
Few novels ever swept across the world with such an overpowering impact as Les Misérables. Sensational, dramatic, packed with rich excitement, and filled with the sweep and violence of human passions,
Les Misérables is not only a superb adventure but a powerful social document.
The story of how the convict Jean-Valjean struggled to escape his past and reaffirm his humanity in a world brutalized by poverty and ignorance became the gospel of the poor and the oppressed.
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
Perfect if you love dark, atmospheric classics.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A vivid medieval Paris setting
- Gothic atmosphere and drama
This extraordinary historical French Gothic novel is set in 1482 Medieval Paris under the twin towers of its greatest structure and supreme symbol, the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
Telling the story of the haunting drama of disfigured Quasimodo, the bell-ringer of Notre Dame, as he struggles to stand up to his ableist guardian, Claude Frollo. He falls for Esmeralda and craves human contact, but his love is unrequited.
Romance and Feel-Good Books Set in France
The Loveliest Chocolate Shop In Paris by Jenny Colgan
Perfect if you love light, romantic escapes.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A charming Paris setting
- A feel-good, uplifting story
Life is sweet in this heartwarming tale of the loveliest chocolate shop in Paris. Featuring Anna Trent, a young woman who leaves England to work in a top-tier chocolate shop in Paris.
The Little French Bistro by Nina George
Perfect if you love emotional journeys and second chances.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A peaceful Brittany coastal setting
- A story of rediscovery and healing
The Little French Bistro is the tale of Marianne, who leaves a loveless, unhappy marriage to start a new life on the Brittany coast. Here, she meets colorful and unforgettable locals who surprise her with their warm welcome, the natural ease they all seem to have, and take pleasure in life’s small moments.
As the parts of herself she had long forgotten return to her in this new world, Marianne learns it’s never too late to begin the search for what life should have been all along.
Non-Fiction Books About France
My Grape Year by Laura Bradbury
Perfect if you love travel and coming-of-age stories.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A relatable story of adapting to a new culture
- A vivid Burgundy setting
- Personal growth and self-discovery
This novel follows a teenage girl who leaves her home in Canada for Burgundy, France, on a last-minute year-long school exchange.
Thrust into a culture she knows little about and speaking only a few words of French, she quickly has to adapt to new experiences, challenges, and opportunities in France.
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
Perfect if you dream of living in France.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A charming look at rural French life
- Food, culture, and everyday moments
This memoir follows a British expatriate as he moves to Provence with his wife and two dogs. Their plan is to renovate and live in a 200-year-old stone farmhouse.
Along the way, he discovers the pleasures of regional cuisine and Provençal culture in small-town France.
My Life in France by Julia Child
Perfect if you love food and memoirs.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A love letter to French cuisine
- Personal and inspiring storytelling
- Cultural insights
This is another must-read memoir about living in France. American Julia Child initially moved to France in 1948 because of her husband’s job, but she quickly fell in love with the country and its cuisine in particular.
Her memoir recounts her journey to becoming one of the world’s most beloved cooking teachers and cookbook authors and is a love letter to France.
Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman
Perfect if you love cultural insights.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A fascinating look at French parenting
- Insightful and humorous observations
- Easy, engaging reading
When an American journalist living in France has a baby there, she quickly finds herself immersed in the world of French parenting.
This is a humorous and interesting book that examines French culture through the differences between French and American parenting.
My Good Life in France by Janine Marsh
Perfect if you dream of moving to France and starting a new life.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A real-life story of taking a leap into the unknown
- A charming look at rural French life and community
Janine left England to go pick up some cheap wine in Northern France. She returned home a few hours later, having put in an offer for an old, rundown barn in Calais.
This memoir follows her and her husband as they move to rural France in search of “the good life” while renovating their new old home and all the unexpected things that happen along the way.
Dirt by Bill Buford
Perfect if you love food, travel, and immersive memoirs.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A fascinating deep dive into French culinary culture
- Rich, sensory descriptions of food and place
In this captivating food memoir, Bill Buford tells the story of moving to Lyon with his family to study to become a chef. What is supposed to be a six-month stay in a foreign city turns into five years as Bill falls in love with the gastronomy and culture of France.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Perfect if you love witty, laugh-out-loud memoirs.
Why You’ll Love It:
- sharp, hilarious observations about life in France
- Relatable struggles with language learning
Fans of humorous memoirs will enjoy this laugh-out-loud funny book. While the first half follows the author’s childhood in the United States, the second half covers his life after moving to northern France, with witty observations on French life, culture, and language learning.
My French Platter by Annemarie Rawson
Perfect if you love real-life escape stories and slow living.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A relatable story of chasing a dream abroad
- Honest insights into renovating and rural life
This is another memoir about living in France, written by Annemarie, a woman from New Zealand who moves there with her husband in search of a new life and adventure.
Their plan is to renovate a 15th-century farmhouse, but they get more than they bargained for. Can they salvage their dreams of living abroad, or will they need to rethink their future?
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Perfect if you love literary Paris.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A nostalgic look at 1920s Paris
- Beautiful, reflective writing
A Moveable Feast is Hemingway’s memories of his life as an unknown writer living in Paris during the 1920s. Deeply personal, warmly affectionate, and full of wit.
Looking back not only at his own much younger self but also at the other writers who shared Paris with him, he recalls the time when, poor, happy, and writing in cafes, he discovered his vocation.
Written in the last years of Hemingway’s life, his memoir is a lively and powerful reflection of his genius, scintillating with the romance of the city.
Young Adult Books Set in France
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Perfect if you love sweet, romantic YA.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A charming Paris setting
- Light, feel-good romance
When Anna is sent to boarding school in France, she isn’t happy about it. But then she meets Etienne, and suddenly everything seems better!
This book has quickly become a classic young adult romance that’s popular with teens and adults alike.
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Perfect if you love dark YA with a twist.
Why You’ll Love It:
- A unique historical fantasy setting
- Political intrigue and action
- A darker, gripping tone
Set in medieval France, this young adult novel blends historical fiction and fantasy in a story full of political intrigue, romance, and a convent full of assassin nuns.
Why France Makes the Perfect Setting
France offers something for every kind of story:
- romantic cities
- peaceful countryside
- rich history
- incredible food and culture
It’s a place that naturally inspires stories — and makes them unforgettable.
Final Thoughts
If you’re dreaming of France, these books are the perfect way to experience it from home.
Whether you’re in the mood for romance, history, mystery, or something cozy and uplifting, there’s a story here that will transport you.
What to Read Next
If you love books set in beautiful destinations, you might also enjoy these travel adventure books for great reads that will fuel your wanderlust and have you staying up late to finish them. Or check out these books set in other parts of Europe:
You must add “Le Divorce” by Diane Johnson to your list!