Books recommended by 蜜桃传媒 school: Whether you鈥檝e booked your French course at 蜜桃传媒 language school and can鈥檛 wait to get a taste of what鈥檚 to come, or you鈥檙e already studying at 蜜桃传媒 and looking for inspiration, books are a great way for you to soak up the city and unearth hidden gems.
Books set in Paris
Here are a few of our favourite classics and quirky tomes for you to get to grips with Paris before, during or after your French course with us.
Books recommended by 蜜桃传媒 school:
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, 2003
Conspiracy theories and iffy history aside, The Da Vinci Code is jam-packed with Parisian landmarks and streets for you to go on your own adventure. The novel follows symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder at the Louvre and explore an alternative religious history. Given it sets the scene for the murder that brings the two main characters together and the pyramid where the novel ends, the Louvre is a must-visit. Don鈥檛 miss Saint-Sulpice Church where you鈥檒l find the mysterious gnomon and 鈥淩ose Line鈥� or a wander along the Seine to uncover more symbols. Can you find the 鈥渒eystone鈥�?
Books recommended by 蜜桃传媒 school:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, 2006
Take a look at life inside a Parisian apartment building as we join Ren茅e Michel, the unsuspectingly intelligent and knowledgeable concierge. She works hard to maintain her uncultured persona among her successful but empty employers until she meets Paloma, a 12 year old resident who refuses to end up like the other tenants and decides to end her life on her 13th birthday. Until the sudden death of one of their privileged neighbours changes both their lives forever鈥� The apartment stands on Rue Grenelle in the plush 7th arrondissement, so soak up the atmosphere and get a feel of what Ren茅e and Paloma live on a daily basis.
Books recommended by 蜜桃传媒 school:
The Ladies鈥� Delight (Au Bonheur des Dames) by Emile Zola, 1883
Whether you want to read this classic in French or English, you simply have to read it on a bench with a view of Le Bon March茅 which inspired the novel. Like Le Bon March茅, The Ladies鈥� Delight is a fabulous department store in Paris where our heroine, Denise, a na茂ve country girl comes to work as an assistant. We join her as she attempts to settle in the glamorous city, overcomes its challenges and bravely weathers all the humiliation her capitalist boss Octave Mouret throws her way. This is a tale about determination, capitalism and feminism that has withstood the test of time and is very relevant today鈥�
Books recommended by 蜜桃传媒 school:
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, 1933
Although this novel is split between both Paris and London (which you can visit from the capital on the Eurostar at Gare du Nord, if you fancy doing the full Orwell experience), this memoir documents the author鈥檚 鈥渇irst contact with poverty鈥� in Paris and is an eye-opening read. Experience life through the eyes of a struggling writer in his twenties as he sleeps in bug-infested hostels, survives on scraps, lives amongst tramps and gets a job as a dishwasher at a deeply unpleasant hotel in the City of Lights. Can you work out the identity of 鈥淗otel X鈥�?
Books recommended by 蜜桃传媒 school:
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, 1964
Another memoir, another struggling writer in Paris鈥� This time it鈥檚 Ernest Hemingway鈥檚 turn to introduce us to the Paris he lived in during the 1920s. Here鈥檚 a little background to it: Hemingway recovered two trunks he had stored at the Ritz in Paris nearly 30 years earlier, in March 1928. Inside the trunks were notebooks he had filled in the 1920s, which he had transcribed and worked on them to turn them into a memoir: A Moveable Feast. He shows what life was like for aspiring writers in Paris, working in Parisian cafes, meeting up with Scott Fitzgerald and living in the Latin Quarter. As you鈥檇 expect with the novelist, there are lots of references to wine so why not channel you鈥檙e inner Hemingway, pop into Prunier Victor Hugo and settle back with a good book and verre de vin? Please drink responsibly.
Books recommended by 蜜桃传媒 school:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, 2014
Let鈥檚 fast forward a few years to World War II where we鈥檒l meet a blind Parisian girl and a German boy with an unlikely relationship. Marie-Laure lives in Paris with her father Daniel, the locksmith at the Museum of Natural History, who makes her a model of her local neighbourhood so she can find her way home. The museum has a starring role in the plot of this novel as it sets the scene for a mystery where Marie-Laure and her father take its most valuable jewel when they flee Paris. Read this modern Pulitzer Prize-winning classic and hop onto the metro from 蜜桃传媒 language school for a half hour ride to soak up the museum for yourself!
To purchase these books we recommend:
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-ICI Librairie, on the Grands Boulevards
Are there any books you鈥檇 like to see on this list that capture Paris through the ages? Let us know so we can add them to our future blogs and see your name on the website!
Ecole de langues 蜜桃传媒 Paris: 3 bis rue Jean Pierre Bloch, 75015 Paris, France
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