Looking for novels set in the South of France? This personal selection of books takes you from Cannes and Grasse on the French Riviera (Côte d’Azur) to the villages and hills of Provence. These books can help you prepare for a trip, keep you company by the pool or bring you back to ‘la douce France’ after you return home.
Books set on the French Riviera (Côte d’Azur)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind (1985)
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille has an extraordinary sense of smell and an obsession with creating the perfect perfume. The historical novel Perfume begins in eighteenth-century Paris and follows him through the Massif Central and Montpellier to Grasse, the perfume-making town on the French Riviera. There, his pursuit of scent and success becomes ever more dangerous. This international bestseller offers a dark and unusual way to explore the South of France.
August is a Wicked Month by Edna O’Brien (1965)
In August is a Wicked Month, a young Irish woman travels alone to Cannes, on the French Riviera, in search of pleasure and freedom. However, her holiday does not unfold as she imagined, and devastating news from home changes everything. Edna O’Brien looks beyond the appeal of a seaside escape to ask what her protagonist is really looking for in life.
The Interrogation by J. M. G. Le Clézio (1963)
Adam Pollo lives in an abandoned house near the Mediterranean and wanders between the beach, the town and his own troubled thoughts. The Interrogation, the experimental debut novel of Nobel Prize-winning writer Le Clézio, offers an unsettling view of the French Riviera through the eyes of a man who is cut off from those around him.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan (1954)
Seventeen-year-old Cécile is spending the summer at a villa on the French Riviera with her father and his latest girlfriend. When Anne, an old friend of her late mother, arrives, Cécile fears their easy life is about to end. Françoise Sagan wrote Bonjour Tristesse while still a teenager, and the novel made her famous. Its short length and account of jealousy make it an absorbing choice for a summer holiday.
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1934)
On the French Riviera in the 1920s, Dick and Nicole Diver seem to have a perfect life. The young actress Rosemary Hoyt is drawn into their circle, but gradually sees the strain within their marriage. F. Scott Fitzgerald takes the story of Tender is the Night beyond the South of France, yet the Riviera is central to it as a place where a seemingly attractive life is mistaken for a happy one.
Books set in Provence
Jean de Florette & Manon of the Springs by Marcel Pagnol (1962)
Jean leaves office work behind to farm a piece of land in Provence. His neighbours know something vital about the spring on his property, and their silence has consequences for Jean and, years later, his daughter Manon. Read Jean de Florette and Manon of the Springs together: the dry hills near Marseille, the need for water and the relationships between the villagers all shape what happens.
The Horseman on the Roof by Jean Giono (1951)
In The Horseman on the Roof, the Italian officer Angelo Pardi crosses Provence during the cholera epidemic of 1832. In Manosque, he is accused of poisoning the fountains and escapes across the rooftops. His journey continues through the towns and countryside of southern France as he tries to help his female companion reach her husband.
Letters from my Windmill by Alphonse Daudet (1869)
The short stories in Letters from my Windmill draw on local tales, everyday life and the landscapes of Provence. Their narrator writes from a windmill near Fontvieille, and most of the stories are set in the region. These stories have introduced generations of readers to Daudet’s Provence.
