28 Best Books About Paris To Add To Your Shelf

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell

This novel is partly set in London, partly set in Paris. In the Parisian section, our protagonist works as a dishwasher in an expensive French restaurant and Orwell reveals the dire conditions in which those less fortunate in Paris live in.

Even in the overly romanticised city of Paris can you find those living in poverty and this book is an important reminder of that. Sadly Down and Out in Paris and London is largely autobiographical. 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

Of course Victor Hugo is also known for writing Les Miserables, which is also well worth a read, but it stands at over 1200 pages in English.

Unless if you’ve got a lot of time on your hands, it’s probably best to start with The Hunchback of Notre Dame for a glimpse for a taste of Hugo’s writing.

This is set in Medieval Paris and we follow the tragic story of Quasimodo, Esmerelda and Claude. Hugo is the Dickens of France so expect vivid descriptions of Medieval Paris and, of course, the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral. 

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See spent over two years on the New York Times Bestseller list and won the Pulitzer Prize so if that’s not reason enough to add this to your TBR pile then I don’t know what is.

It’s set in WWII France and our protagonists are a blind Parisian girl and a German boy who strike up an unlikely relationship. There’s also the subplot involving the mystery of the most valuable jewel in the Paris Museum of Natural History, taken by Marie-Laure and her father when they flee Paris.

P.S. From Paris by Marc Levy

Marcy Levy is the most-read French author today and reading books originally written in another language is important for truly understanding another culture.

One of his more recent releases, P.S. From Paris, is the story of two ex-pats, one British, one American, and their complicated love story in the City of Light.

Mia is an actress playing a woman in love when in real life she’s trying to escape her husband. Paul is a writer struggling to come back after his first hit. The two are set up on and dating site and then…

A Week in Paris by Rachel Hore

Born on the last day of WWII, Fay Knox has always known that she grew up in London, England. But then on an orchestra trip to Paris, strange occurrences suggest to her that she actually grew up in Paris. She follows the address label on an old satchel to see where it leads her on her quest to find the truth. Who is her father? What is her mother hiding from her? And why does she have this strange feeling of familiarity in Paris? 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss is one that I’m about a decade late to. This is one of the most popular young adult books set in Paris and tells the romantic story that every teenager dreams of.

Anna is reluctantly shipped off from the USA to Paris for boarding school. She’s completely bummed out about missing senior year in Atlanta but then Étienne St. Clair walks in and the rest you know.

Time was Soft There by Jeremy Mercer

If you’ve ever looked into the literary scene in Paris, you’ll know of the infamous Paris bookshop Shakespeare & Co. In Time Was Soft There, Jeremy Mercer wanders in one day and buys and book.

Soon after, he’s living above the bookshop and working there every day for George Whitman. If you love books about bookshops then add this one to your TBR pile.

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes

Paris for One is a short book you could easily get through in an hour. It pays testament to the healing power of Paris and why the city of romance is actually the best place to go to mend a broken heart. It’s a classic piece of chick-lit so don’t expect anything more from it!

Read my Paris for One book review here.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities is also set between London and Paris. In Paris, we are thrown into the turmoil on the street of Paris at the very height of the Reign of Terror and you know what that means – the guillotine!

The characters are well fleshed out and Dickens descriptions are as detailed as ever. However, the pacing is slow and if you’re not willing to try and understand the symbolism at work here then this work will be wasted on you.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Told in both past and present, Tatiana takes us on a journey back to Paris in 1942 and the horrors of the French occupation.

A journalist is tasked with researching the events of the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup and she uncovers the story of Sarah, a ten year old girl who was brutally arrested with the rest of her family.

Here’s the thing… she locked her younger brother in the cupboard to keep him safe before they were carted around. As she digs into Sarah’s story she begins to question her own place and her life in France today. 

Paris Still Life by Rosalind Brackenbury

Gaby Greenwood flees to Paris after the death of her father, leaving her life and her husband behind. In Paris, she receives a letter from her father’s lover for over thirty years, a woman she didn’t even know existed.

This woman has her father’s last gift to give to Gaby as well as a host of secrets to tell. Gaby begins to question everything and is forced to choose between the life she left behind and the new one she has run to. 

Foreign Tongue by Vanina Marsot

Anna moves from LA to Paris with a broken heart and a set of keys to her aunt’s empty apartment. Paris is widely considered to be the most romantic city in the world so this may not be the best idea.

She begins work translating an erotic novel by an anonymous author and the book’s mysteries bring her into the world of Paris’ literary elite. All the while, she contemplates her dual identity as both French and US citizen. If you love Paris, you’ll love the depictions of Paris, and if you can read French, even better, as there are some passages in French.

The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harrs

The Lollipop Shoes is the second in Harris’ Chocolat series and it takes us to Paris. Vianne Rocher, now Yanne Charbonneau, gives up magic and opens up a chocolaterie in Montmartre. She wants nothing more but to still the wind and keep her daughters safe.

Then Zozie de l’Alba enters their lives and so begins a tale of treachery, seduction and deviancy. She reminds Vianne of herself but she’s a thief of identities, maybe even a collector of souls. Set between Halloween and Christmas, this is darker than Chocolat with an even more mystical quality.

Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan

If you want to read a book set in Paris about a book set in Paris then Paris by the Book is for you. Gosh that was confusing, wasn’t it?

In this novel, an eccentric novelist goes missing and all that he’s left his family is two plane tickets to Paris. They all head off to the capital of France and find an unfinished manuscript waiting for them but still no sign of its author.

The family settle in Paris and explore its literary history whilst trying to unravel their own family mystery.