Books About France

All of the titles on Books about France are available to order from Amazon.co.uk – all you need to do is click on the links at the top or bottom of each review. Amazon quote a standard delivery time of 3-4 days for deliveries to France. Delivery is charged at £0.99 per item to a maximum price of £3.99.

The original story of falling for France, Perfume from Provence was first published in 1935 and became a best-seller.

Winifred Fortescue was an actress who rubbed shoulders with the likes of Jerome K. Jerome and George Bernard Shaw when she married Sir John Fortescue, the king’s librarian and archivist and famous historian of the British Army.

Born in 1888, Winifred Fortescue gave up her career on the stage after marriage and founded a successful fashion and interior design business.

She later began writing articles for The Times and Punch, and inaugurated a woman’s page for The Morning Post. She wrote seven books, of which Perfume from Provence was the first.

Hugo Soskin, son of best-selling author on Rennes-le-Château Henry Lincoln, has no time for the French Pyrenean village and its mysteries.

He is fed up with the whole subject of how a nineteenth-century priest came to be a millionaire overnight and why he built so many bizarre clues into his church and his home.

Hugo Soskin lives in Gloucestershire and has been a bookseller and nursery manager, as well as having worked in bars in Spain and as a chef in France.

‘It had been so amazingly hot that I felt myself about to dissolve into a kind of crème brûlée on the road, so I bought some super-power Number 8 suncream.

This had the word Bronzante on it, and must have contained some dye or other chemical because my knees stayed brown until February.’

A former local government officer, Edward Enfield is now a writer and television presenter. He is the father of comedian Harry Enfield and author of the bestselling Greece on my Wheels and Downhill All the Way. He has been a columnist for The Oldie magazine since 1992, has written for publications including the Daily Express, The Guardian and The Sunday Telegraph, and has appeared on television in Watchdog, the BBC’s Holiday programme, Points of View and The Heaven and Earth Show. He lives in West Sussex.

Sam and Bud were ordinary first-time homebuyers in their early thirties.

Their intention, in moving to France, was to create a simple life in a place where they could spend time with their children.

The home they actually bought was a 17th century chateau in the Loire valley with over thirty rooms.

Sam Juneau was born in New Orleans and has been a television producer and writer in the US and the UK since 1992. His wife grew up on a farm in Ireland. They live in France with their four children and 22 cats.

I was waiting impatiently when I heard the postman arrive à chez nous.

“Was it letters, bills or….. a parcel for me?” I asked myself.

Then I heard a ‘clink’ of keys and I knew that it was something bigger than a letter being placed inside the letter box!

“Yes” I exclaimed to myself and I opened the post box to find that the long awaited new Karen Wheeler book, Toute Allure, had finally arrived!

This is the follow on from her very successful first book, Tout Sweet, and I couldn’t wait to read it!!

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of reading ‘Tout Sweet’, the story started when Karen decided the time had come to leave dear old Grand Bretagne and find pastures new.

Those nice, nice people at Summersdale, publishers of Karen Wheeler’s new novel, Toute Allure, have very kindly sent us a review copy.

As Karen sent us a copy herself, we have decided to offer the spare copy to any visitor to Books About France for free.

There is, of course, a catch!

All we ask is that the lucky recipient of the free copy of Toute Allure writes us a little review (perhaps about 200 words), that we can publish here. We will, of course, link back to your own website or blog (should you have one) when your review is published.

We are currently busy contacting Publishers and Authors and hope that this is the first of many great giveaways here at Books About France.

Driving in France – your complete guide to planning your trip, the best routes, the rules of the road and the French you need to know.

This indispensable guide tells you everything you need to know about motoring in France.

From the new regulations about essential driving equipment, to the most beautiful drives in France, it is packed with information and inspiration to help you plan your next trip.

A visit to a flea market can be the highlight of a trip to France: a lively encounter with everyday French culture, an exciting way to spend a few hours, and a chance to pick up a unique souvenir or add to a collection.

The Flea Markets of France is the indispensable tool for getting the most out of your visit, whether you’re a first-time visitor or an experienced shopper.

Conversational and comprehensive, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about exploring markets all over France.

An enticing collection of self-catering places that opens doors to the delights of travel in France.

From ancient manor houses with designer interiors set in rolling countryside to studio pieds à terre in Paris.

With around 400 places the best of France is here.

Special Places to Stay: French Vineyards is a guide that will be irresistible to wine-loving Francophiles.

The French wine industry has survived the New World’s invasion of the market and its estates – many of which are run by artisan producers – continue to produce a variety and quality of wine that holds its place in our affections.

The writer and researcher, Patrick Hilyer, owns a restaurant in northern France and has found owners who combine wine production with unbeatable hospitality.

The first of the Special Places series, this established guide is a bestseller.

With its huge variety and range of good value places to stay, it’s an indispensable guide for those traveling round France.

Special places from all over France are included, including ski chalets and seaside homes, châteaux and farmhouses – a collection honed over many years.

Bumping About Brittany is a guidebook with a difference, a series of excursions into the cultural, physical and emotional heartland of Brittany that can be followed up on the ground or simply consumed in the comfort of your own home as a good read.

Taken together, the twenty-five essays of which the book is composed, amount to a portrait of the region, of its history, it’s landscape, its people, and the way they relate to one another and France as a whole.

It is an introduction for visitors and new residents to the Brittany most tourists never see, not simply a litany of classic tourist attractions, but a celebration of the happenstance of travel, the chance encounters and oddities that crop up when we’re wandering around, not quite aimlessly, but ready to enjoy whatever we find, even if it wasn’t precisely what we were looking for in the first place.

The French have a nickname for the bicycle–la petite reine, or little queen. With the country’s fondness for the queen of the road, its vast network of quiet backroads, magnificent scenery, and scrumptious eateries, it’s the perfect choice for discovering the world on two wheels.

In Lonely Planet: Cycling France, Lonely Planet has created an excellent guide, chock-full of itineraries, maps, and information and advice for those who want to get off the bus and set their own pace.

They’ve mapped out the best rides in the country for neophytes, veterans and off-roaders, with itineraries ranging from a few hours to two months.

Here’s a sampling: in Paris you can take the bike paths along the Seine or all the way to Monet’s gardens in Giverny.

This book features new colour food chapter highlighting the regional diversity of cuisine, including in-depth information on cheese, bread and charcuterie.

Local voice interviews give reader’s a window into the people who define French culture.

It provides in-depth coverage of French culture, food & wine, plus thorough explanations about how all these are intertwined and inseparable.

From cordon bleu cuisine in Paris to rustic country dishes in the heart of Provence, this invaluable guide lists over 3,200 of the best places to eat and stay in France.

Covering all 16 regions, and richly illustrated, this is a mouthwatering and fascinating celebration of the best of French food and wine.

A must-have for foodies and Francophiles alike.

The Rough Guide to Paris is the ultimate travel guide to this fascinating city with clear maps and detailed coverage of all the best Paris attractions.

Discover Paris’s highlights with stunning photography and detailed coverage on everything from the city’s magnificent galleries and the iconic Eiffle Tower, to the Left Bank cafés of Saint-Germain and Monparnasse.

Find detailed practical advice on what to see and do in Paris whilst relying on up-to-date descriptions of the best hotels, bars, clubs, shops and restaurants for all budgets.

The Rough Guide toThe Pyrenees is the most comprehensive handbook to this glorious region, covering both sides of the range from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

From lush meadowland, snow-clad peaks and canyons of sinuously sculpted rock to alluring resorts, the full-colour section introduces all of the regions highlights.

You’ll find detailed accounts of all the sights, from the gorges of the Basque country to the Romanesque churches of Calunya.

The Rough Guide to the Dordogne and the Lot is the ultimate handbook for discovering the region, from its spectacular limestone caves to the fairytale château of Najac.

Discover walks and cycle trails to ancient cliffs and peaceful riverbanks, and stop off at world-famous vineyards.

Foodies will enjoy a full-colour section on A taste of Périgord, sharing the best of the region’s world-renowned cuisine, while readers are directed to the finest restaurants and water-side cafés, not to mention festivals and local markets.

The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon is your essential handbook to one of France’s most beautiful and intriguing regions.

The full-colour section introduces the area’s highlights from the picturesque beach town of Collioure and the Orb Valley mountain river to swimming at the Pont Du Gard – an extraordinary Roman Aqueduct.

For every town and village, there are comprehensive and opinionated reviews of all the best places to stay, eat and sample the local wines, whatever your budget.

The Rough Guide to Provence & the Côte D’Azur is your definitive handbook to one of France’s most stunning regions.

From the bustling Vieux Port of Marseille and the beaches of St Tropez to the remote mountains of Haute-Provence, the full-colour section introduces the regions highlights.

For every town and village, there are comprehensive and honest reviews of all the best places to eat, drink and stay to suit every budget.