The Best Books Set in Paris to Inspire Your Trip

1. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

Set in the contemporary Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality.

James Baldwin’s brilliant narrative delves into the mystery of loving with a sharp, probing  imagination, and he creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the heart.

Read my review of Giovanni’s Room here.

2. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway’s memories of his life as an unknown writer living in Paris in the twenties are 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 – James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald – he recalls the time when, poor, happy, and writing in cafes, he discovered his vocation.

Written during the last years of Hemingway’s life, his memoir is a lively and powerful reflection of his genius that scintillates with the romance of the city.

3. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

Monsieur Perdu, a self-proclaimed literary apothecary, operates a floating bookstore on the Seine where he prescribes novels to mend the hardships of life. Despite his talent for healing others through literature, he remains haunted by his own heartbreak, unable to open a letter left by his lost love.

Upon finally reading it, he embarks on a journey to the south of France with a bestselling author and a lovelorn chef, aiming to find closure and discover the conclusion of his own story.

4. Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes

Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She’s never even been on a romantic weekend away–to anywhere–before. Traveling abroad isn’t really her thing. But when Nell’s boyfriend fails to show up for their mini-vacation, she has the opportunity to prove everyone–including herself–wrong.

Alone in Paris, Nell finds a version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?

5. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo

This extraordinary historical French gothic novel, set in Medieval Paris under the twin towers of its greatest structure and supreme symbol, the cathedral of Notre-Dame, is the haunting drama of Quasimodo, the disabled bell-ringer of Notre-Dame, as he struggles to stand up to his ableist guardian Claude Frollo, who also wants to commit genocide against Paris’ Romani population.

6. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

In 1920s Chicago, Hadley Richardson, a reserved twenty-eight-year-old, finds love and adventure when she meets the charismatic Ernest Hemingway. Their whirlwind romance leads them to Paris, where they immerse themselves in the vibrant world of the ‘Lost Generation,’ alongside luminaries like Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Despite their deep love, they struggle with the hedonistic lifestyle of Jazz Age Paris, where fidelity and traditional values are challenged. As Ernest seeks literary success, Hadley grapples with her evolving roles as wife and muse.

7. Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd

Inspired by the haunting, passionate story of the city of lights, this epic novel weaves a gripping tale of four families across the centuries.

From the lies that spawn the noble line of de Cygne to the revolutionary Le Sourds who seek their destruction; from the Blanchards whose bourgeois respectability offers scant protection against scandal to the hard-working Gascons and their soaring ambitions.

8. The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in.

Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye.

But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality.

9. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

In 1995, Adam Gopnik, his wife, and their infant son left the familiar comforts and hassles of New York City for the urbane glamour of the City of Light.

Gopnik is a longtime New Yorker writer, and the magazine has sent its writers to Paris for decades–but his was above all a personal pilgrimage to the place that had for so long been the undisputed capital of everything cultural and beautiful.

10. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

In the early 1940s, Irène Némirovsky, a successful Ukrainian-born writer living in Paris, began work on ‘Suite Française,’ intending it to be a five-part novel. However, as a Jew, she faced persecution and was ultimately deported to Auschwitz in 1942, where she died at thirty-nine.

Prior to her arrest, Némirovsky had completed two parts of the novel, which she had hidden in a suitcase.

Sixty-four years later, her daughters would bring these manuscripts to light, allowing us to finally experience Némirovsky’s luminous portrayal of human drama, shaped by her own tragic fate.

11. Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James

In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James took a leap that many people dream about: she sold her house, took a sabbatical from her job as a Shakespeare professor, and moved her family to Paris. 

Paris in Love: A Memoir chronicles her joyful year in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

12. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

In the heart of Paris, within an elegant apartment building, Renée, the seemingly typical concierge, observes the superficial lives of her bourgeois employers while secretly indulging in her passion for art, philosophy, and Japanese culture.

Unbeknownst to them, she’s a cultured autodidact with keen insights into their lives. Meanwhile, Paloma, a twelve-year-old prodigy and daughter of a mundane politician, plans to end her life on her thirteenth birthday.

Both Renée and Paloma conceal their true selves until the arrival of Ozu, a perceptive Japanese man, who sees through their facades and connects them in a celebration of the unnoticed triumphs of ordinary individuals.

13. Paris Was Ours by Penelope Rowlands

In this collection of personal essays, writers from diverse backgrounds share how living in Paris profoundly impacted their lives.

Through thirty-two narratives, they explore the city’s allure and complexity. Reflecting on love, creativity, and the unique Parisian way of life.

From renowned authors to lesser-known voices, each essay contributes to a rich portrait of Paris as “the world capital of memory and desire,” showcasing its universal appeal and individual significance to those it touches.

14. The Only Street in Paris by Elaine Sciolino

Elaine Sciolino’s captivating account of her favourite Parisian street, the rue des Martyrs, is a vibrant homage to the city’s rich history and the joys of Parisian living.

From the beheading of France’s patron saint to iconic artistic endeavours. Sciolino unveils the street’s cultural tapestry and its eclectic residents, from greengrocers to transvestite cabaret owners.

Through her sharp observations, she brings Paris to life. Celebrating its unique charm and the enduring allure of street life in the face of globalization.

15. Paris My Sweet by Amy Thomas

Part love letter to New York, part love letter to Paris, and total devotion to all things sweet. 

Paris, My Sweet is a personal and moveable feast that’s a treasure map for anyone who loves fresh cupcakes and fine chocolate, New York and Paris, and life in general.

It’s about how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a sliver of cheesecake. And about how the life you’re meant to live doesn’t always taste like the one you envisioned.