French Novel?

[pauliwauli2]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good French novel for an intermediate-French speaking person to read?

I want to work my way through one with a french dictionary, as I am hoping to do a 4 week French project (and eventually work in France) and need to spend some of my spare time reading French books, watching French films etc. to improve my language.

Any ideas?

[Lil O'lady]

They may seem childish, but I found the 'petit Nicholas' series by Goscinny Sempe a great way of absorbing french language, values and humour.

[naomi24]

The French versions of the Harry Potter books make good reading.

[fredpuli47]

Or, if its literature you're after, how about the short stories of Guy de Maupassant ? You have the satisfaction of getting to the end, and a resolution, fairly quickly, each time ! Better than wading through a whole novel ! Maupassant is a fine, if slightly cynical, observer of human behaviour and the stories sometimes have a neat twist in them. He must also be the only classic French writer to have written a Western. Not literally so, but his short story 'Boule de Suif' was taken as the basis of the classic Western film 'Stagecoach' (1939), and credited as such.

They are worth reading in English too. You might care to buy them in translation, if you find one that gives the French titles of the stories , for reference. Then you'll have a crib if you get stuck (SSH ! )

[jake-the-peg]

I have a very good book of French short stories in parallel text.

That is French on one page and English on the opposite page

http://www.amazon.co.uk/French-short-stories-Nouvelles-Francaises/dp/0140265430

I do recommend it for improving French

[coccinelle]

If you're interested in the WW2 occupation, then La Bicyclette Bleue is very good. It was my first novel when I came to live in France and I can tell you my french wasn't much good at all but I managed to read it. Another book I read was Le pullover rouge this is a book written by the last man to be guillotined in France (70s)' lawyer who really thinks he was innocent.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

[mike b]

Try Asterix in the original French (especially Chez les Bretons...)