Six books about love, loss and rebuilding in France
Books for Francophiles who want to see the more realistic side of la vie en rose!
When Andy and I got back to Pittsburgh from our first summer abroad in France, reality hit hard when I found myself unexpectedly in hospital waiting areas for hours on end. My mind would race wildly, especially when time would go by with no updates as to what was going on. In order to keep myself from interrogating the receptionist for any information I could extract, I found myself spending those long hours trying to lose myself in different novels. When the dust had finally settled and Andy was considered “on the mend,” I looked around at my collection of lovingly worn novels in my ever growing “finished” pile. Books that had been stuffed into crammed overnight bags, some with accidentally creased front covers from being hastily packed, others with raw edges from the act of opening and closing them each time a doctor or nurse would walk by the room. Looking at the towering stack I began to detect a theme. Without even purposefully seeking them out, I found myself surrounded by books whose main focus happened to weave the themes of love, loss and the act of finding yourself in the magical land that is France within its pages. Something about the character’s connections with France and their ways of, in one way or another, getting through their grief while there resonated with me. France can definitely be described as my happy place and escaping my new reality through the thoughts of flakey pastries and warm-to-the-touch baguettes along with long, relaxing apèros with friends, just seemed like the figurative hug I needed at the time. Through their stories of loss and using France as their compass to help guide their future, the characters, and their authors, got me through some of the darkest days, with those being the first few months of Andy’s health scare. While I will be the first person to admit that I love reading the flowery images of France found in most of the light-hearted literature dedicated to the country, reading through the tough, uncomfortable stories of the characters allowed me to see light at the end of of the tunnel when life seemed the most bleak. The following books are for anyone who has ever dreamed of moving to France and wants to experience a different, more realistic side of la vie en rose; one where the characters face personal loss and tragedy but come out the other side in their own unique ways.
Photo: The Promise of Provence
The Promise of Provence - Patricia Sands
A beautifully written story that showcases the theme that it’s absolutely never too late to create the life you want, even if it’s a life you didn’t know you wanted. The story opens with main character Katherine discovering her husband has not only left her on their wedding anniversary for a younger woman, but one that he has gotten pregnant. With her 56th birthday approaching, Katherine moves back in with her elderly mother in order to heal and begin putting back together the pieces of the life she thought she had. As months go by, though, Katherine begins to realize that the life she had considered to be so perfect wasn’t exactly as she once thought. The more time she puts between her and her old life, the more she discovers how stifled she had been within the confines of her marriage. The loss of her mother gives Kathrine the push she needs to begin living life again and take risks she would have never consider, starting with a home exchange in Provence, France. Though staying for only two short weeks, the warmth of the Provençal sun and its kind locals help Kathrine begin to allow herself to be happy and encompassing the idea of plaisir, or savoring the small moments in life. But, when a job change and another opportunity to return to France arrises, Kathrine must decide what kind of life she wants to have and what will make her happy overall.
I think the biggest surprise about this book was the secondary story entwined between main character Katherine’s story and that of her mother. While the book is set in Canada, the reader becomes more and more familiar with Elisabeth, who is of Hungarian decent, as bits and piece about her past are revealed.
As someone who values my family’s history, I loved the part where Katherine reads about the sad, but powerful account of what her mother and father endured during the war while living in Hungary after her mother’s passing. Elisabeth’s story was completely unexpected, yet added an extra layer of depth to Kathrine that allowed the reader to become more invested in her as a character. This aspect of the story also tugged at me on a more emotional level. During her lifetime Elisabeth nor her husband spoke about the atrocities they experienced before escaping to Canada. It wasn’t until after both parents were passed that Katherine found out about some of the things that took place. I understand that her parents were trying to shield her from what they considered unpleasant stories, but these instances are a large part of who they were and is a part of the family’s story as a whole. So often do older generations hold on to things, unwilling to pass the hurt onto their children. I am someone who has spent a lot of time retracing my family’s history and the idea of potentially losing these significant pieces of a family’s story is absolutely heartbreaking.
This book is part of a three-part series, allowing the reader to invest themselves in Kathrine’s story and follow her through her journey not only in life, but in love and her newly found happiness. I am a firm believer in it is never too late to live the life you want to live and this book is all about truly beginning your life at any age.
This book is perfect for not only Francophiles looking to get lost in the South of France, but for fans of novels with themes of war and historical aspects sprinkled in. It is also a great read for anyone who is a dreamer but is allowing age to stop them from pursuing what they want or who they want to be.
Photo: All Signs Point to Paris
All Signs Point to Paris - Natasha Sizlo
When I started reading this memoir, everything felt very LA-y to me. Everything from Natasha’s producer ex-husband remarrying a famous actress, her job working as a real estate agent at one of the biggest firms that had its own Netflix series based on the famous owners, to her appointment with LA’s most notorious astrologer. It’s a type of life that is interesting to take a peek into since it is so different from mine, but doesn’t leave much for me, and most readers, to relate to. It doesn’t take too long into the story, however, to see the cracks start to form and a more relatable character emerge, as Natasha recounts aspects of her divorce, begins the process of saying goodbye to her ailing father, and takes us through her whirlwind and, at times, toxic relationship between her and a French boyfriend she believes is her future. As a hopeless romantic, All Signs Point to Paris is one of my favorite books because it is so incredibly different from most. You, as the reader, find yourself cheering on Natasha as she takes the information from her astrologer and begins to hunt for every man in Paris born on the date that she was told aligned with her soulmate. Bringing her sister along to help on her hunt around Paris, the two bond and essentially begin to heal from the loss of their father while canvassing the city in search of this mystery man. What started off as a book with a non-relatable character, quickly switches. Following Natasha through her losses, that of her family structure within the confines of her divorce, losing her father who is looked at as the pillar of their family and mourning the loss of a relationship she believed was destined for greatness, the reader is quick to get on board with Natasha’s over-the-top plan even if it means hunting down men born on one day in a specific year in Paris. This book is the perfect book for dreamers; those who believe in fate and, of course, anyone who is a Francophile who loves witnessing the healing powers only a trip to France can bring.
Photo: The Paris Effect - A Novel
The Paris Effect- A Novel - K.S.R. Burns
When I usually read books about France, they are total escapism literature that leads me on vacation from my comfy couch. The Paris Effect was not one of those books and I am still torn when it comes to if I wholeheartedly liked this book or not. I included it, however, because it is so different from most of the things I would normally read, and I find myself thinking back on this particular book quite often.
When the book begins, you meet main character Amy whose life has been absolutely consumed by the slow decline and death of her best friend Kat at the hands of cancer. The book does a good job of revealing to the reader the two best friends who, in order to stay positive and pass the time, plan a trip of a lifetime to Paris to celebrate when Kat is awarded the title “in remission.” The two even go as far as to buy clothes and new luggage for the impending trip. When Kat doesn’t end up coming home, however, Amy is left with a planned trip, a plane ticket, and a life and marriage in Phoenix, Arizona which she has recently become unsatisfied and resentful of. Despite spending months planning every detail of the trip, Amy hasn’t mentioned any of it to her husband and ultimately decides to take the trip to Paris when he is out of town for work. The reader follows Amy as she finds herself on a trip of self-discovery and healing that only a secret trip to Paris could provide.
This was the first book I have read where a character has an eating disorder, and the theme of food and control is woven throughout the whole book. As someone who wasn’t familiar with that kind of illness, it was interesting to see Amy be in the middle of a random task and out of nowhere turn her focus to food and mull over many different aspects of food in regards to herself. Having those moments pop up as much as they did and see the main character’s toxic relationship with food, especially in a country who is heavily dictated by gastronomy such as France, was a juxtaposition I found really interesting. But, having food dictate even small instances in Amy’s life, of course, takes you out of the flowery Paris bubble that, as a reader, I wanted to get lost in, which is where I think my conflicted feelings about the book ultimately stem from.
I did enjoyed the incredibly random cast of characters you are introduced to as you read, making the book feel fresh and different, but, while I do feel as though Amy did begin her healing in Paris, I felt as though she brought a lot of other baggage with her, making it hard to feel as though, by the end, there had been any resolution. The book does have a follow-up novel, Paris Ever After, which does close up a lot of those loopholes left open in the first book, but while the themes of love and loss in France are addressed throughout the book, the character’s personal growth seems lacking overall.
This book is for the Paris lover who has read every Paris-themed book under the sun and is looking for a completely different take on the city of lights.
Photo: Paris is Always a Good Idea
Paris is Always a Good Idea - Jenn McKinley
This work of fiction follows main character Chelsea Martin who was in the middle of her gap year in Europe when it was cut short, and she was forced to return home to say goodbye to her mother who was dying of cancer. Years go by and as her sister and father move on with their lives, Chelsea realized that the last time she could remember being authentically happy was years ago when she was spending her gap year abroad. In the wake of her father’s impending marriage, Chelsea decides to retrace her steps across Europe and seek out the men she had fallen in love with along her journey, starting in Ireland, stopping in Paris, and finishing in Italy.
As someone who hates wondering “what if,” I loved the aspect of going back to visit these past lovers to see if they were meant to be her future all those years back. While this book is not strictly set in Paris, a large portion of the book happens there and while Chelsea’s loss isn’t as fresh or recent as other characters in the books listed, the reader follows her as she heals from not only the loss of her mother all those years ago, but also the loss of happiness, optimism, and the excitement for life the loss had left her with. With each stop on her journey she makes, Chelsea gains more and more clarity on personal happiness and rediscovers sides of herself that had been buried for years.
This particular book is for anyone who’s ever wondered “what if” about a chance meeting or past relationship and especially for free spirited, travel lovers.
In this memoir the reader is introduced to Lisa whose incredibly close relationship with her mother is put into question after mother’s death from breast cancer. The loss prompts Lisa to question if she was perhaps too consumed in her and her mother’s relationship to the point of not fully knowing who she is without her. Acting in a moment of impulse, Lisa purchases an apartment in Paris, hoping the purchase will lead to discovering who she is without her mom. The book follows her as she faces conflict with the language, struggles getting acclimated with French culture and works through the internal conflict of who she is and what makes her happy as an individual and not as a daughter.
As a resident of New York who jets of to Paris every few weeks to indulge her inner-Francophile, Lisa is essentially living every Paris-obsessed, Frenchie’s fantasy.
Her story is the typical American abroad tale, laced with self-actualizing threads that allow the reader to self-reflect as they read and brings larger ideologies to the forefront. The book is perfect for the Francophile who loves the idea of taking chances mixed with moments of deep dives into happiness and self-discovery.
Photo: Tout Sweet- Karen Wheeler
This memoir series by Karen Wheeler is one of my absolute favorites. This book goes to show that you don’t have to be completely lost in order to find yourself in France. Karen has an incredible job, a great group of friends, the perfect French boyfriend and wonderful apartment. So, when her boyfriend decides out of nowhere that he’s ready to move on from their relationship, Karen takes the loss as a sign that a radical change is in order, leaving London on an absolute whim and taking up residence in rural southwest France. I’m sure many of us have had a major break up that make us feel like disappearing from the world and staring over. Karen just had the guts and insanity to do it, making for a great book.
Her story takes the fish-out-of-water approach but pairs it with a cast of neighbors and newly found friends who keep you invested and interested throughout each of her books within the series. The loss of her serious relationship and how it is affecting her is woven into the story but is not its main focus. The theme is just sprinkled in enough, so the reader knows the author is struggling, but ready for some drastic changes. As the book develops, readers are taken along through the renovations of her dilapidated village house, new budding relationships in her life and the finding of peace and happiness that could only come from leaving behind a life many would consider perfect to start fresh in the middle-of-nowhere France.
Karen’s most absolutely devastating loss comes in one of the final books in the series, allowing the themes of love, loss, and rebuilding in France to ebb and flow throughout her each of her five books.
This series is for the reader who wants a different approach to French literature than the usual Paris setting. Rural, small-town life, while at times mundane, seems a bit more authentic and real, making the series feel relatable.
Do you have a favorite book with the theme of love and loss set in France that wasn’t on my list?? Share it below in the comments!
Happy Reading!
-R
