Literary Escapades: A Paris Reading List
Bon voyage!
This summer, while we’re on break from the podcast, we thought we’d curate a short series dedicated to armchair travel. Whether you’re jetting off to far-flung locations or stuck at home but itching to travel, sometimes you just need to read a book set in a particular place.
Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered!
Today we’re talking about Paris: the city of love, the city of lights, and a city I hold close to my heart.
But first, in case you missed it, last week Neha and I featured as guests on Izzy’s podcast What the Austen to talk all about Emma Woodhouse. We get into whether or not Emma is a good friend, her creative instincts and her need for control, and much more! You can find the video of our conversation below, or listen to it on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts — we hope you love it!
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Earlier this year the Louvre shut down when employees went on strike against poor working conditions, and severe overcrowding of the museum. I was saddened but not surprised, as I had been in the Louvre just a week before, and experienced the chaos firsthand. The city, too, seemed overrun by crowds; I could hardly walk ten feet without having to elbow my way through throngs of people. It was not the Paris I remembered from ten years ago.
The shut down raised a lot of questions about tourism, and what museums are for. And, by extension: what are cities for? What do they represent for the people who don’t live there?
As we ponder these questions, I wanted to share some books I’ve loved that center Paris. I hope these books help you fall in love the city from afar, and afford you some summer travel from the comfort of your own home.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
How do I describe the experience of reading this book for the first time? It was a revelation; a struggle that gave way to awe; a dense and melodramatic masterpiece.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Notre Dame de Paris in original French — a translation decision that I hate and will never understand) follows several characters whose lives intersect at the Notre Dame, that great gothic cathedral around which Paris spreads outwards. In its pages, we meet a disabled bell-ringer; a sinister priest; an aspiring playwright; a gypsy street dancer; a womanizer soldier; a magical goat; and so many other incredible characters.
If you’d like to inhabit the world of medieval Paris, this is the perfect book for you. Last year I wrote much more about this book, including some personal reflections and analysis:
The Margot Affair by Sanaë Lemoine
The Margot Affair follows Margot, a confused and frustrated 17-year old girl who is the daughter of a stage actress and a married politician. Margot lives with her mother and only sees her father a few times a year — the rest of the time he lives in a nicer part of the city with his wife and two sons. One day Margot and her mother spot her father’s wife across the street, and suddenly she is hit with the reality of her situation. She begins to wonder what might happen if everything were different — what if she could have her father all to herself? One night at a party, she is offered the chance to have her story out in the open.
In this book we see Paris through the eyes of a local — a young girl who is not concerned with the Eiffel tower or the Louvre, but who weaves her way through the streets after school, enjoys coffee at local cafes, and eats deliciously fresh homecooked French food.
Paid subscribers can read my full thoughts on this book here.
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
This is a short memoir/travelogue written by Hemingway chronicling his time in Paris. There is a lot of name-dropping in here which will be enjoyable to lovers of 20th century literature (James Joyce, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, etc) but even to those who have never read anything else by Hemingway, this is a lovely little volume that will transport you to Paris: the cafe culture, the art, the romance, and the charm.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
This book is an outlier on this list because, unlike the other books, this one will probably not make you want to travel to Paris. Originally written in German, Perfume follows a young man in 18th century France who is born with the gift of smell — he learns to understand the scents of Paris, and becomes apprentice to a perfumer. But one day he gets whiff of a scent that drives him to create the “ultimate perfume”— the smell of a young virgin.
This is a very weird book. But in some ways, fascinating. Do not pick this up if you are squeamish or easily alarmed!
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Giovanni’s Room is about a man, David, and his love affair with Giovanni, a young Italian bartender he meets in Paris. David is engaged to an American woman, Hella, but becomes entangled in a love triangle of sorts that reaches a tragic end.
This is a book about identity and sexuality, but also about gender, nationality, and youth. It is also a novel steeped in self-loathing: David and Giovanni both have deep internal struggles that are only at times alluded to, though they seep through the pages.
If you have read other books by Baldwin, you might be surprised to find that his prose in this book is more simple and direct than usual — but it works beautifully. I felt immersed in the seedy, and sometimes dangerous, but always enchanting Paris that comes to life in the late hours of the night.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Laroux
Many are familiar with the musical of the same name, but few have read the original novel. The Phantom of the Opera revolves around Christine, raised in the Paris Opera House, and the ‘ghost’ of the opera house, Erik, who becomes consumed by his love for her.
This novel is not as technically brilliant as one might expect from a classic — it reads a bit like a sensational mass market paperback. But, I think, that is the charm! It is easy to get lost in the pages of this Gothic tale, and dream of one day visiting the Paris Opera House yourself.
Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran
The last two books on this list are ones that I have not yet read — but I’ve read several works of historical fiction by Michelle Moran, and I completely trust her to tell this tale of Madame Tussaud, French royalty, and the years between the revolution and the Reign of Terror.
The Paris we encounter in this book is a place of violence and fear — far from the city of love we associate it with today — but learning about a place’s heritage and history is crucial to understanding its place in the world today.
Paris by Edward Rutherfurd
I am currently in the middle of New York by Edward Rutherfurd, and I’m in awe of the extensive research he has done, and his ability to weave five hundred years of history into a cohesive narrative.
This multigenerational saga traces Paris through the eyes of its inhabitants, from the Middle Ages, through the Bourbons, the French Revolution, up to the late 20th century, and everything in between. I’m so excited to read this book and get to know the city’s history at a bird’s eye view.
I hope you enjoy traveling to Paris through these books! What other books set in Paris would you add to this list?
— Shruti
P.S. London is just a quick hour-long train ride away from Paris (ah how I love trains and the much superior European rail system). If you’d like to continue your adventures in armchair travel, here are some great recommendations that will transport you to London:
Friday Mood Recs: Every book I wish I had read on my trip to England by
London Is Calling—and These Books Are the Answer by
From The Novel Tea Archives
Here are some related essays and podcast episodes to go along with this week’s Paris theme:
