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If You Want to Read About...France

From www.glsvlsi.org
 
I think French  history is fascinating, mainly because it is so complex.  There are a ton of works of historical fiction set in France and below are some of my favorites.  I know there are more that I could add to the list but some of them I read long enough ago that I can't remember the titles! (Terrible I know!)
 

The Second Empress by Michelle Moran- I LOVE Michelle Moran's books, they are absolutely excellent.  The Second Empress features Napoleon's second wife and allows the reader to watch the fall of Napoleon through her eyes.

City of Lights by Melika Lux-This is a pretty short little book but it is set in late 19th century Paris and has some wonderful descriptions of the city.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay-Sarah's Key is a pretty heartbreaking story but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It is one of the few books I have read that is set in France during World War II and focuses on historical events that I was actually not aware of before reading it.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly-I loved that this book bounced between present day France and revolutionary era France.  It's such a great story!

Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland-Mistress of the Sun showcases one of Louis XIV's mistresses and kind of made me love Louise de la Valliere.  She was such a fascinating character!

Marie Antoinette:  The Journey by Antonia Fraser -This is a work of non-fiction but it is such a great book about Marie Antoinette's life.  It really reads like a novel.

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner-This is the first Gortner book I ever read and it made me a major fan of his work.  Catherine de Medici is a really interesting historical figure and I always feel bad that she has been vilified so much in history.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo- I don't know what to say about this book other than it is a classic and everyone should read it!

What do you all think of this list?  Have you read any of these books?  Are there any you think I may have missed?
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  1. ShoshanahJuly 13, 2013 at 2:40 PM

    I was thinking there would be few I've these I've read, but happily that's not the case since I've read Sarah's Key, Les Mis, and Marie Antoinette: The Journey. Although there are several I'd love to read, namely The Confessions of Catherine de Medici . Another one I'd add is Mary, Queen of France by Jean Plaidy. Yes, it is about a Tudor (Henry VIII's little sister), but it's the first book of Jean Plaidy I ever read, and was the reason I started going through all her books.

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