Fiction written in French

[MrBernardCheeseman]

I’ve been using Duolingo to improve my French for a year now and it doesn’t seem to be getting any harder. I want to read some fiction written in French which is either fairly steady away to follow or has a translation in the text. Does such a thing exist? Can anybody recommend something that isn’t a boring old text book, sil vous plait?

TIA

My daughter did a French degree and she used to buy French novels which she'd already read in English. I remember giving her the whole Harry Potter set one Christmas. She said that if she got stuck, she would check in the English original.

That’s actually a really good idea, thanks for that!

Le Petit Prince. Magical. Exquisite.

Lovely, thank you beccahamlet.

Petit Prince is a must.

When I was learning I read Roald Dahl in French.

I loathe Le Petit Prince. How about Asterix?? 😁

Miss Marple or Poirot would be good. If you have a large Waterstones near you, they might have a stock of foreign language fiction.

Tintin is a must. The French is basic, but of a reasonable standard.

Nemirovsky's Suite Francaise is the only book I have managed to read in French (dictionary by my side). It's simple, clear prose, rather like reading George Orwell would be for a French person I imagine.

Have you tried the dual language books? You have the English one side and the French translation on the other. I've got loads of them – Wilde's Dorian Gray, Virginia Woolf, Sherlock Holmes, D. H. Lawrence's short stories, etc. I even had a bash at Proust (big mistake).

Excellent suggestions, thank you all. Sadly I’m nowhere near a decent bookshop so online research is a necessity. I read Suite Francaise in English many moons ago. Tintin is genius too. Thanks 😊

Try Suite Francaise in French. You might surprise yourself. Like you I have hit a wall. It’s as if I can take my French to a certain level but can’t get beyond it. Ugghh, curse my feeble brain.

Something like this could be good, depending on your level...also on audible if you're looking to develop listening. https://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Short-Stories-Beginners-Captivating/dp/1721566988

I also bought my daughter some of the Mr Men and Little Miss Books in French to read for fun to help with fluency. (See Amazon and Ebay) - depends if you're wanting a longer novel. Quite good as they combine some easy vocab with some you can guess at with the pictures etc.

Petit Nicolas could be good too but may be a bit complex if you're a beginner.

I also used to read Calvin and Hobbes into French if you like the cartoon book idea and enjoy that sort of humorous cartoon

Le Petit Nicolas is very amusing and the French isn't too difficult.

Or Le Chapeau de Mitterand; each chapter pretty much stands alone so it's not too daunting.

I'm reading Orgueil et Préjugés at the moment. I know Pride and Prejudice almost off by heart which helps a lot.

I keep meaning to read more in French but it does feel rather like doing homework unfortunately.

Oh, and Jean de Florette is also not too challenging.

I read Twilight in French when I was doing my degree (in the early days!). I'd read it in English and YA Fiction is written quite simply so it was easy to follow.

I got it on my Kindle and downloaded the French-English dictionary plug-in so I could press and hold on any words I didn't understand and it would show the translation which was really helpful for learning new vocabulary too... You could even highlight words you didn't know to have a vocab list to come back to and learn.

Ha - I second this.. Do not do Proust. I struggled to get through the English version of Du Cote de Chez Swann, never mind the French version.

You could try some of Amelie Nothomb's novels. A contemporary Belgian author of relatively light, short and easy to read novels.

I was taking French lessons pre-Covid. We were working our way through a novel, Un sac de boules. It's an autobiographical story about a Jewish boy fleeing Paris with his brother following the German occupation.
I

By AndrǸ Klein - Learn German with Stories: Ferien in Frankfurt - 10 short stories for beginners https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00I63HTB6?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_dp_8V0D7YQX03XDFWP8FZSG

I use these for German. Designed to increase fluency in reading. I presume their is a French equivalent.

Have you tried listening to the "Inner French" podcasts on Spotify?
There are basic, intermediary and advanced options and they are excellent. The speaker speaker very slowly and clearly and explains any complicated or unusual words.

I’m not very good at French but I’ve recently read three of France Dubin’s books aimed at adult beginner readers in French and they are so fun. Recently written, really relatable lead characters, funny situations, good length, useful vocab and tense choices, English translation at the end. I’ve laughed out loud in places which is very satisfying to get a joke in French, etc. Highly recommend!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/France-Dubin/e/B07NHHM2LS%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Maigret books are always a good choice. A bit dated but the author deliberately used a fairly limited vocabulary. Or how about Le Petit Nicholas. If you like it there are several more in the series. For something literary L'Etranger is simple to read, although as to what it all means is anyone's guess.

Oh I loved that book. I also enjoyed the sequel. Quite easy to read too.

I ordered my daughter's books from Amazon.fr

They just cost a bit extra for postage.

J de F is an excellent book, but the language is more challenging than the other books suggested. Similar standard to J de F is La Gloire de mon Père and Le Chateau de ma mère.

@MrBernardCheeseman Hi OP. I have loads of books at various levels. Even after having cleared some out, I have more than I will ever read again. Would you like me to send you some? You could send me a private message with an address. I could just address the parcel to 'The Occupier' if you'd rather not reveal your name.

@Idontpostmuch I believe it was made into a film. I'd love to see that.