Please recommend some good french reads!!

Hi i've just finished GCSE's and would love to read some good french books over the summer.
I am currently reading 'le petit prince' which I really like. It is just the right length and not too hard nor too easy.
Could you please recommend anything similar in length (around 100 pages) and difficulty.

Also were do I get hold of them seen as they are french? Would I be able to place an order in smiths or waterstones?

Thanks x :biggrin:

Reply 1

welwyn

l'Etranger by Albert Camus is a slightly longer but nevertheless very good book. I'm not sure where you can get it from though, I'd doubt whether Smiths would do it; try a (large) library or a sort of local family-run bookshop type of thing (or your school).

I'm not sure whether you are keen to keep to the serious, but have you heard of "Bart Simpson's Guide To Life" ? It's a little green hardback book, and I found both the English and the French versions at a large Waterstones (in Bristol). It was very interesing to compare the two, eg where there are anti-French jokes in the English version they become anti-English or anti-Dutch jokes in the French.

Jon

Reply 2

worldwide

l'etranger, la mort heureuse, la peste.. anything by camus!

Reply 3

Cunning Linguist

Candide by Voltaire is a must-read :smile:

It's not even that long.

Reply 4

classic

Harry Potter - A L'Ecole Des Sorciers - JK Rowling (same as philosphers stone lol)

Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas - Sempé/Goscinny (this is in the same series as Le Petit Prince)

Le journal de Bridget Jones - Helen Fielding (this is a bit longer but quite easy to understand)

I usually buy my books from Amazon, but if I'm in France I just go to a library as it's much cheaper without P&P. Have fun :wink:

Reply 5

Gammon

Thanks everyone for your recommendations.

Reply 6

mooncheese89

If you fancy reading poems rather than actual books, try "Paroles", a book of poems by Jacques Prévert. Some of them are pretty good.

Have fun reading :smile:

Reply 7

Gammon

mooncheese are they simple poems though. Coz I wouldn't mind the nice easy often rhyming poems of year 4 type. However anything like my GCSE english lit anthology with all the hidden meanings and metaphoric language would baffle me if it was in french!?

Reply 8

Cbt

Voyage au bout de la nuit- Louis-Ferdinand Céline

Brilliant book, possibly a little tough (Over 400 pages) But if you feel up to it, its brilliantly dark.

Le petit prince- Antoine de Saint Exupéry

One of the best books i have ever read. A french classic.

Reply 9

mooncheese89

Hmm well the poems I was talking about are kinda difficult, but there's a big selection in there, and some are easier than others. And yes, some of them do rhyme =D although they don't sound as hot when you translate them into English, lol.

Reply 10

Da Bachtopus

You could have a look at some Mauriac: Thérèse Desqueyroux, Le baiser au lépreux, Genetrix, or anythign else you can find. Most of his novels are very short (~150 pages), and shouldn't be too challenging. Maybe try some short stories as well, if you're avoiding length?

Reply 11

Ayumi

You could try Maupassant's short stories. They are deeply philosophical but written in a simplistic, neat way. And plus since they are short, you don't need to lose your patience.

Reply 12

brimstone

Wow, what a helpful thread. :smile:

Thanks guys (even though I didn't ask the original question!)

Reply 13

Ronove

Ayumi

You could try Maupassant's short stories. They are deeply philosophical but written in a simplistic, neat way. And plus since they are short, you don't need to lose your patience.

Jesus Christ don't go for Boule de suif et autres contes de la guerre whatever you do. Just did that collection for A2. Dear, dear god. They may be short which is nice, but they are so freaking dull. Enough to almost put you off French literature altogether. :rolleyes: