Recs if you like Bonjour tristesse...

Based on the list/book published in 2006, general editor Peter Boxall.

My attempt at a french lit starter pack. I'm doing this with the goal of mixing up the genres each time, so that you can get a feel of the whole range of things french lit has to offer. Might move stuff around as I go, as I plan on making this a series, taking the side quests starter packs as inspiration.

This first one is a bit on the classics side.

For when reading a classic feels too daunting. Classics under 200 pages!

Lives of outsiders rendered in sharp prose style. Descendants of Shelley, the Brontes, and Woolf; forebears to 'Weird Girl Lit'. Title refers to the authors, the subjects of the work may not always be women. Focused on novels published between WW2 and 9/11, with a few memoirs and short story collections.

As seen on Lithub

A collection of acclaimed classic and contemporary Francophone literature. I chose to classify as Francophone rather than French in order to include authors who wrote in French but were/are not of French nationality, especially authors from colonised countries. Non-exhaustive as I'm not an expert I am keeping this list to one book per author but suggestions very welcome! :)

I tried to find the latest version (2026).

Keeping up with the 700+ books featured on Overdue since 2013

This is a list of books with some of the same vibes as the HBO series ‘The White Lotus’ has. If you’re looking for intrigue, mystery, rich people💰, or a little vacation getaway gone awry, these are the books for you!💵🪷🧘🥳

𖤓˚࿔ what is this feeling? stopping me in my tracks through my fingers, trickling oh, sweltering air~ take me back

French classics that are not 1500 pages long and written 200 years ago. They are accessible, modern and relevant ! In summary, this is a list of French books of the XX c. and XXI c. of less than 400 pages. (Except The Second Sex but it is too culturally important not to put it in a list like that...)

(This list is purely based on what I know and have read. Feel free to suggest new books to add.)

stories of excess, sensuality, pleasure, adventure, reactivity, and eros, as well as stories that reflect the feeling of a summer holiday or the lethargy and fatigue of late summer

Stories involving people on holiday during the warm months.

Some books from french author across genre and time period !🥐