French books · the top 40

The 40 most-looked-up French books and where they are set

Novels, stories, plays and memoirs by French authors, ranked by French Wikipedia pageviews from August 2021 to July 2026. Places are where the story is set, not where it was written.

Want to read one of these in French? Photograph a page and Apera chooses the words to practise before you start. How it works

Follow @aperalanguages for new word lists and maps.

Map: The 40 most-looked-up French books and where they are set, ranked by French Wikipedia pageviews, August 2021 – July 2026. A named town is a pin; an area the story is set in, where it names no town, is shaded; a book set wholly abroad or in no real place has no pin. 1. Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, Dumas (1844): Marseille; Paris; + abroad. 2. Les Trois Mousquetaires, Dumas (1844): Paris; La Rochelle; + abroad. 3. L’Étranger, Camus (1942): outside France. 4. Les Misérables, Hugo (1862): Paris; Montreuil-sur-Mer. 5. Cyrano de Bergerac, Rostand (1897): Paris. 6. Antigone, Anouilh (1944): outside France. 7. Candide, Voltaire (1759): outside France. 8. Madame Bovary, Flaubert (1857): fictional Yonville (Ry), Normandy. 9. Le Petit Prince, Saint-Exupéry (1943): outside France. 10. À la recherche du temps perdu, Proust (1913): Paris; fictional Combray (Illiers); Balbec (Cabourg); + abroad. 11. Le Cid, Corneille (1637): outside France. 12. Les Liaisons dangereuses, Laclos (1782): Paris. 13. Germinal, Zola (1885): fictional Montsou, Nord coalfield. 14. Manon Lescaut, Abbé Prévost (1731): Paris; + abroad. 15. Le Rouge et le Noir, Stendhal (1830): Besançon; Paris; fictional Verrières, Franche-Comté. 16. Le Malade imaginaire, Molière (1673): Paris. 17. La Princesse de Clèves, Madame de La Fayette (1678): Paris. 18. Le Dîner de cons, Veber (1993): Paris. 19. Le Dernier Jour d’un condamné, Hugo (1829): Paris. 20. Illusions perdues, Balzac (1837): Angoulême; Paris. 21. Voyage au bout de la nuit, Céline (1932): fictional La Garenne-Rancy, near Paris; Toulouse; + abroad. 22. Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours, Verne (1872): outside France. 23. La Belle et la Bête, Madame de Villeneuve (1740): a fairy-tale palace. 24. Bel-Ami, Maupassant (1885): Paris. 25. Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, Molière (1670): Paris. 26. Le Horla, Maupassant (1886): the Seine below Rouen. 27. Notre-Dame de Paris, Hugo (1831): Paris. 28. Gargantua, Rabelais (1534): La Devinière, Chinon; Paris. 29. Phèdre, Racine (1677): outside France. 30. Au Bonheur des Dames, Zola (1883): Paris. 31. Les Fourberies de Scapin, Molière (1671): outside France. 32. La Barbe bleue, Perrault (1697): a fairy-tale castle. 33. La Promesse de l’aube, Romain Gary (1960): Nice; + abroad. 34. Le Père Goriot, Balzac (1835): Paris. 35. La Peste, Camus (1947): outside France. 36. La Parure, Maupassant (1884): Paris. 37. Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers, Verne (1869): the world's oceans. 38. Le Tartuffe ou l’Imposteur, Molière (1669): Paris. 39. Juste la fin du monde, Lagarce (1990): an unnamed country house. 40. La Vie devant soi, Émile Ajar (Gary) (1975): Belleville, Paris.
Open the original (PNG, 5,537 × 4,293 px, 9.3 MB)

The books behind the map

27 of the 40 are set wholly or partly in France. “Outside France” marks a book set wholly abroad; “+ abroad”, one largely set elsewhere.

  1. Le Comte de Monte-Cristo Dumas 1844Marseille; Paris + abroad
  2. Les Trois Mousquetaires Dumas 1844Paris; La Rochelle + abroad
  3. L’Étranger Camus 1942outside France
  4. Les Misérables Hugo 1862Paris; Montreuil-sur-Mer
  5. Cyrano de Bergerac Rostand 1897Paris
  6. Antigone Anouilh 1944outside France
  7. Candide Voltaire 1759outside France
  8. Madame Bovary Flaubert 1857fictional Yonville (Ry), Normandy
  9. Le Petit Prince Saint-Exupéry 1943outside France
  10. À la recherche du temps perdu Proust 1913Paris; fictional Combray (Illiers); Balbec (Cabourg) + abroad
  11. Le Cid Corneille 1637outside France
  12. Les Liaisons dangereuses Laclos 1782Paris
  13. Germinal Zola 1885fictional Montsou, Nord coalfield
  14. Manon Lescaut Abbé Prévost 1731Paris + abroad
  15. Le Rouge et le Noir Stendhal 1830Besançon; Paris; fictional Verrières, Franche-Comté
  16. Le Malade imaginaire Molière 1673Paris
  17. La Princesse de Clèves Madame de La Fayette 1678Paris
  18. Le Dîner de cons Veber 1993Paris
  19. Le Dernier Jour d’un condamné Hugo 1829Paris
  20. Illusions perdues Balzac 1837Angoulême; Paris
  21. Voyage au bout de la nuit Céline 1932fictional La Garenne-Rancy, near Paris; Toulouse + abroad
  22. Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours Verne 1872outside France
  23. La Belle et la Bête Madame de Villeneuve 1740a fairy-tale palace
  24. Bel-Ami Maupassant 1885Paris
  25. Le Bourgeois gentilhomme Molière 1670Paris
  26. Le Horla Maupassant 1886the Seine below Rouen
  27. Notre-Dame de Paris Hugo 1831Paris
  28. Gargantua Rabelais 1534La Devinière, Chinon; Paris
  29. Phèdre Racine 1677outside France
  30. Au Bonheur des Dames Zola 1883Paris
  31. Les Fourberies de Scapin Molière 1671outside France
  32. La Barbe bleue Perrault 1697a fairy-tale castle
  33. La Promesse de l’aube Romain Gary 1960Nice + abroad
  34. Le Père Goriot Balzac 1835Paris
  35. La Peste Camus 1947outside France
  36. La Parure Maupassant 1884Paris
  37. Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers Verne 1869the world's oceans
  38. Le Tartuffe ou l’Imposteur Molière 1669Paris
  39. Juste la fin du monde Lagarce 1990an unnamed country house
  40. La Vie devant soi Émile Ajar (Gary) 1975Belleville, Paris

How we placed them

Stories only, written in French by French authors: novels, stories, fairy tales, plays, narrative poems and memoirs. Poems, essays, speeches, series, translations and books by authors from other countries are left out, 16 titles looked up more, among them Demain, dès l’aube, La Boîte à merveilles, Les Rougon-Macquart.

Each setting comes from the book's plot on Wikipedia, or for a few plays and stories their own text on Wikisource, checked against Wikidata. A pin is a named town; shading, a region where no town is named.

Before you read

Find your starting point. Estimate your French vocabulary.

Start the quiz

About two minutes, 15 words. No account needed.