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Best of French Literature

Members: 22 participating members (show all)

All members' list: [1] 2Sort: Score | Title | Author | Date
1
The Stranger
by Albert Camus
30,370 members, 414 reviews
3.96 stars (3.96 stars)

Lists: Insatiable8 (1), advincent (1), leigonj (3), eromsted (4), ahef1963 (4), thorold (5), Bookkat33 (7), roby72 (7), FranzK72 (26), lewbs (26), thecoroner (33)

Score: 29.5

2
Madame Bovary
by Gustave Flaubert
22,440 members, 337 reviews
3.75 stars (3.75 stars)

Lists: sturlington (2), ahef1963 (2), roby72 (2), Dilara86 (2), FranzK72 (3), advincent (3), Bookkat33 (3), thecoroner (4), lewbs (4), Kuiperdolin (8)

Thumbs down: Bretzky1

Score: 28.61

3
In Search of Lost Time
by Marcel Proust
3,224 members, 39 reviews
4.52 stars (4.52 stars)

Lists: FranzK72 (1), thecoroner (1), eromsted (1), thorold (1), roby72 (1), advincent (2), Bookkat33 (4), Dilara86 (10)

Score: 28.44

4
The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
35,671 members, 643 reviews
4.24 stars (4.24 stars)

Lists: sturlington (1), ahef1963 (1), Bookkat33 (1), cej1027 (1), FranzK72 (21), lewbs (29), thecoroner (32), roby72 (33)

Score: 22.94

5
Candide
by Voltaire
17,593 members, 270 reviews
3.81 stars (3.81 stars)

Lists: Insatiable8 (2), roby72 (3), leigonj (4), ahef1963 (5), thecoroner (6), eromsted (7), FranzK72 (16), lewbs (17), Bookkat33 (29)

Thumbs down: Kuiperdolin

Score: 20.62

6
The Plague
by Albert Camus
15,691 members, 198 reviews
3.95 stars (3.95 stars)

Lists: Insatiable8 (3), advincent (5), eromsted (6), FranzK72 (8), Bookkat33 (8), roby72 (8), thorold (9), thecoroner (18)

Score: 19.66

7
The Red and the Black
by Stendhal
8,046 members, 111 reviews
3.86 stars (3.86 stars)

Lists: lewbs (3), Insatiable8 (4), advincent (6), thorold (8), Bookkat33 (12), FranzK72 (14), thecoroner (16), roby72 (25)

Score: 18.81

8
Les Misérables
by Victor Hugo
21,368 members, 290 reviews
4.27 stars (4.27 stars)

Lists: Bretzky1 (1), eromsted (2), Dilara86 (3), thecoroner (8), FranzK72 (9), Kuiperdolin (16), roby72 (32)

Score: 18.77

9
Journey to the Center of the Earth
by Jules Verne
11,674 members, 183 reviews
3.72 stars (3.72 stars)

Lists: Bookkat33 (2), cej1027 (2), ahef1963 (3), Bretzky1 (3), sturlington (5), thecoroner (46), roby72 (67)

Score: 18.42

10
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
5,582 members, 74 reviews
4.11 stars (4.11 stars)

Lists: lewbs (2), thorold (3), FranzK72 (5), thecoroner (5), roby72 (11), Kuiperdolin (12), Bookkat33 (14)

Score: 18.17

11
Life A User's Manual
by Georges Perec
3,277 members, 45 reviews
4.27 stars (4.27 stars)

Lists: advincent (4), Dilara86 (4), thorold (6), roby72 (6), Kuiperdolin (10), FranzK72 (22), thecoroner (26)

Score: 16.64

12
Bouvard and Pécuchet
by Gustave Flaubert
1,499 members, 17 reviews
3.86 stars (3.86 stars)

Lists: Kuiperdolin (2), Bookkat33 (6), Dilara86 (6), FranzK72 (12), thecoroner (15), lewbs (20), roby72 (46)

Score: 16.08

13
The Charterhouse of Parma
by Stendhal
3,720 members, 66 reviews
3.76 stars (3.76 stars)

Lists: thorold (2), advincent (7), thecoroner (10), Bookkat33 (16), FranzK72 (19), roby72 (20), lewbs (21)

Score: 15.75

14
The Flowers of Evil
by Charles Baudelaire
6,345 members, 62 reviews
4.2 stars (4.2 stars)

Lists: Kuiperdolin (1), roby72 (4), FranzK72 (7), thecoroner (9), thorold (10), Bookkat33 (29)

Score: 15.57

15
Exercises in Style
by Raymond Queneau
2,227 members, 47 reviews
3.91 stars (3.91 stars)

Lists: Bookkat33 (5), Dilara86 (5), thorold (7), lewbs (8), thecoroner (31), FranzK72 (35), roby72 (49)

Score: 15.04

16
Germinal
by Émile Zola
4,514 members, 69 reviews
4.14 stars (4.14 stars)

Lists: boleslasditboby (1), eromsted (5), thorold (12), roby72 (18), FranzK72 (32), thecoroner (38)

Score: 14.06

Explanations:

boleslasditboby (1): C'est le livre qui m'a donné le goût de la lecture

17
The Vatican Cellars
by André Gide
1,194 members, 18 reviews
3.68 stars (3.68 stars)

Lists: ahef1963 (8), FranzK72 (17), roby72 (17), thecoroner (21), thorold (21), lewbs (22), Bookkat33 (22)

Score: 13.75

18
Cyrano de Bergerac
by Edmond Rostand
6,229 members, 66 reviews
4.13 stars (4.13 stars)

Lists: lewbs (1), Kuiperdolin (11), Bookkat33 (13), thecoroner (25), roby72 (26), FranzK72 (28)

Score: 13.6

19
Nausea
by Jean-Paul Sartre
8,506 members, 66 reviews
3.77 stars (3.77 stars)

Lists: leigonj (1), FranzK72 (6), thecoroner (7), roby72 (9), ahef1963 (10)

Score: 13.57

20
Three Tales
by Gustave Flaubert
1,963 members, 35 reviews
3.64 stars (3.64 stars)

Lists: advincent (8), Kuiperdolin (13), FranzK72 (18), Bookkat33 (18), lewbs (19), thecoroner (30), roby72 (43)

Score: 13.56

21
Sentimental Education
by Gustave Flaubert
3,621 members, 48 reviews
3.8 stars (3.8 stars)

Lists: Kuiperdolin (4), advincent (9), Bookkat33 (15), thecoroner (20), roby72 (22), FranzK72 (30)

Score: 12.62

22
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
by Victor Hugo
11,693 members, 151 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: lewbs (5), Kuiperdolin (6), Bookkat33 (10), thecoroner (29), FranzK72 (31), roby72 (39)

Score: 12.5

23
Against Nature
by Joris-Karl Huysmans
3,073 members, 64 reviews
3.76 stars (3.76 stars)

Lists: Kuiperdolin (3), Insatiable8 (5), FranzK72 (11), thecoroner (17), roby72 (21)

Score: 11.75

24
Journey to the End of the Night
by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
5,236 members, 68 reviews
4.18 stars (4.18 stars)

Lists: thecoroner (3), FranzK72 (4), roby72 (5), Insatiable8 (6)

Score: 11.1

25
Old Goriot
by Honoré de Balzac
5,106 members, 87 reviews
3.8 stars (3.8 stars)

Lists: FranzK72 (10), roby72 (10), thecoroner (11), thorold (11), advincent (12)

Score: 11.04

26
20,000 Leagues under the Sea
by Jules Verne
14,401 members, 213 reviews
3.74 stars (3.74 stars)

Lists: sturlington (4), ahef1963 (7), Bookkat33 (9), thecoroner (41), roby72 (41)

Score: 10.76

27
Around the World in Eighty Days
by Jules Verne
13,534 members, 224 reviews
3.82 stars (3.82 stars)

Lists: Bretzky1 (4), ahef1963 (6), advincent (10), thecoroner (34), roby72 (68)

Score: 10.68

28
Thérèse Raquin
by Émile Zola
2,712 members, 68 reviews
3.77 stars (3.77 stars)

Lists: Insatiable8 (7), thorold (13), roby72 (16), thecoroner (19), FranzK72 (20)

Score: 10.37

29
The Phantom of the Opera
by Gaston Leroux
10,310 members, 167 reviews
3.75 stars (3.75 stars)

Lists: Bretzky1 (2), sturlington (3), Bookkat33 (11), thecoroner (37)

Score: 10.22

30
The Misanthrope
by Molière
1,313 members, 15 reviews
3.71 stars (3.71 stars)

Lists: Insatiable8 (8), ahef1963 (9), Bookkat33 (24), thecoroner (27), roby72 (59)

Score: 9.69

31
Rhinoceros
by Eugène Ionesco
1,174 members, 15 reviews
3.88 stars (3.88 stars)

Lists: leigonj (5), advincent (11), Bookkat33 (25), thecoroner (39), roby72 (65)

Score: 9.67

32
The Immoralist
by André Gide
2,944 members, 36 reviews
3.59 stars (3.59 stars)

Lists: Insatiable8 (9), ahef1963 (11), FranzK72 (23), roby72 (31), thecoroner (50)

Score: 9.53

33
Zazie in the Metro
by Raymond Queneau
1,470 members, 27 reviews
3.77 stars (3.77 stars)

Lists: thorold (4), Bookkat33 (21), FranzK72 (34), thecoroner (40), roby72 (66)

Score: 9.35

34
Eugénie Grandet
by Honoré de Balzac
2,852 members, 40 reviews
3.72 stars (3.72 stars)

Lists: advincent (14), thorold (14), roby72 (23), FranzK72 (38), thecoroner (48)

Score: 9.09

35
Cousin Bette
by Honoré de Balzac
1,920 members, 31 reviews
3.91 stars (3.91 stars)

Lists: FranzK72 (13), thorold (16), advincent (17), roby72 (44), thecoroner (57)

Score: 9.09

36
Gargantua And Pantagruel
by François Rabelais
4,210 members, 38 reviews
3.75 stars (3.75 stars)

Lists: FranzK72 (2), thecoroner (2), advincent (13), roby72 (13)

Thumbs down: Kuiperdolin

Score: 8.94

37
Manon Lescaut
by Abbé Prévost
1,723 members, 47 reviews
3.37 stars (3.37 stars)

Lists: advincent (15), Bookkat33 (19), roby72 (27), FranzK72 (39), thecoroner (54)

Score: 8.78

38
The Beast Within
by Émile Zola
1,367 members, 24 reviews
3.99 stars (3.99 stars)

Lists: thorold (17), Kuiperdolin (20), FranzK72 (24), thecoroner (42), roby72 (51)

Score: 8.74

39
Bel-Ami
by Guy de Maupassant
2,556 members, 50 reviews
3.85 stars (3.85 stars)

Lists: advincent (16), Bookkat33 (17), roby72 (38), FranzK72 (40), thecoroner (51)

Score: 8.67

40
Fables
by Jean de La Fontaine
1,512 members, 15 reviews
3.96 stars (3.96 stars)

Lists: Kuiperdolin (22), thecoroner (22), Bookkat33 (23), FranzK72 (47), roby72 (52)

Score: 8.54

41
L'Assommoir
by Émile Zola
2,054 members, 38 reviews
4.1 stars (4.1 stars)

Lists: Insatiable8 (10), thecoroner (12), FranzK72 (15), roby72 (15)

Score: 8.46

42
The Devil in the Flesh
by Raymond Radiguet
934 members, 19 reviews
3.66 stars (3.66 stars)

Lists: advincent (19), Bookkat33 (27), FranzK72 (41), roby72 (53), thecoroner (71)

Score: 8.11

43
Memoirs of Hadrian
by Marguerite Yourcenar
4,533 members, 106 reviews
4.15 stars (4.15 stars)

Lists: roby72 (12), thecoroner (13), advincent (20), FranzK72 (27)

Score: 7.9

44
Pensées
by Blaise Pascal
4,024 members, 29 reviews
3.85 stars (3.85 stars)

Lists: inge87 (7), lewbs (23), FranzK72 (36), thecoroner (49)

Score: 7.43

45
The Fall
by Albert Camus
6,694 members, 71 reviews
3.89 stars (3.89 stars)

Lists: leigonj (2), Insatiable8 (11), advincent (22)

Score: 7.41

46
Salammbô
by Gustave Flaubert
1,593 members, 26 reviews
3.71 stars (3.71 stars)

Lists: Kuiperdolin (7), advincent (21), FranzK72 (43), thecoroner (68)

Score: 7.28

47
Paris Spleen (New Directions Paperbook)
by Charles Baudelaire
1,799 members, 16 reviews
4.17 stars (4.17 stars)

Lists: roby72 (14), Bookkat33 (20), FranzK72 (45), thecoroner (45)

Score: 7.05

48
Jacques the Fatalist
by Denis Diderot
1,564 members, 21 reviews
3.78 stars (3.78 stars)

Lists: thorold (15), roby72 (29), FranzK72 (46), thecoroner (47)

Score: 6.82

49
Querelle of Brest
by Jean Genet
838 members, 9 reviews
3.87 stars (3.87 stars)

Lists: advincent (18), thorold (18), roby72 (55), thecoroner (58)

Score: 6.8

50
Rameau's Nephew
by Denis Diderot
412 members, 9 reviews
3.31 stars (3.31 stars)

Lists: thorold (19), thecoroner (43), FranzK72 (48), roby72 (60)

Score: 6.44

51
Chéri / The Last of Chéri
by Colette
818 members, 9 reviews
3.95 stars (3.95 stars)

Lists: hipdeep (1), Dilara86 (13)

Score: 6.11

52
My Father's Glory
by Marcel Pagnol
729 members, 10 reviews
3.99 stars (3.99 stars)

Lists: inge87 (2), Dilara86 (12)

Score: 5.51

53
The Mandarins
by Simone de Beauvoir
1,480 members, 12 reviews
4.09 stars (4.09 stars)

Lists: FranzK72 (25), thecoroner (28), roby72 (28)

Score: 5.27

54
The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By
by Georges Simenon
918 members, 20 reviews
3.75 stars (3.75 stars)

Lists: thorold (20), FranzK72 (29), thecoroner (74)

Score: 4.98

Explanations:

thorold (20): Yes, I know Simenon grew up in Belgium. But.

55
The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas père
20,685 members, 368 reviews
4.32 stars (4.32 stars)

Lists: thecoroner (23), FranzK72 (42), roby72 (45)

Score: 4.94

56
The Second Sex
by Simone de Beauvoir
1,808 members, 11 reviews
4.09 stars (4.09 stars)

Lists: thecoroner (24), roby72 (37), FranzK72 (49)

Score: 4.94

57
Man's Fate
by André Malraux
2,167 members, 31 reviews
3.75 stars (3.75 stars)

Lists: roby72 (19), FranzK72 (37), thecoroner (69)

Score: 4.93

58
Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable
by Samuel Beckett
2,661 members, 23 reviews
4.14 stars (4.14 stars)

Lists: eromsted (3), advincent (23)

Score: 4.87

59
Tartuffe
by Molière
2,384 members, 27 reviews
3.73 stars (3.73 stars)

Lists: Bookkat33 (29), roby72 (35), thecoroner (59)

Score: 4.81

60
The Imaginary Invalid
by Molière
899 members, 12 reviews
3.52 stars (3.52 stars)

Lists: Bookkat33 (28), thecoroner (44), roby72 (56)

Score: 4.75

61
The Wall: Stories
by Jean-Paul Sartre
2,462 members, 21 reviews
3.84 stars (3.84 stars)

Lists: roby72 (30), FranzK72 (33), thecoroner (76)

Score: 4.73

62
Cousin Pons
by Honoré de Balzac
575 members, 10 reviews
3.81 stars (3.81 stars)

Lists: advincent (24), roby72 (58), thecoroner (64)

Score: 4.67

63
The Lover
by Marguerite Duras
4,337 members, 137 reviews
3.68 stars (3.68 stars)

Lists: advincent (28), FranzK72 (44), thecoroner (75)

Score: 4.65

64
The Mysterious Island
by Jules Verne
3,903 members, 66 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: Bretzky1 (5), Kuiperdolin (17)

Score: 4.65

65
The Miser
by Molière
986 members, 19 reviews
3.59 stars (3.59 stars)

Lists: Bookkat33 (26), thecoroner (61), roby72 (61)

Score: 4.63

66
Nana
by Émile Zola
3,388 members, 55 reviews
3.75 stars (3.75 stars)

Lists: Bookkat33 (29), thecoroner (36), roby72 (40), FranzK72 (50)

Thumbs down: Bretzky1

Score: 4.45

67
Submission
by Michel Houellebecq
1,514 members, 72 reviews
3.62 stars (3.62 stars)

Lists: leigonj (7), lewbs (18)

Score: 4.4

68
The Second Sex
by Simone de Beauvoir
4,011 members, 27 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: FranzK72 (51), thecoroner (53), roby72 (69)

Score: 4.37

69
Texaco
by Patrick Chamoiseau
536 members, 10 reviews
3.91 stars (3.91 stars)

Lists: Dilara86 (1)

Score: 4

70
A Journey Around My Room
by Xavier de Maistre
272 members, 10 reviews
3.4 stars (3.4 stars)

Lists: henkl (1)

Score: 4

71
Cosmas, or the Love of God
by Pierre de Calan
26 members, 1 review
4 stars (4 stars)

Lists: inge87 (1)

Score: 4

72
The Complete Essays
by Michel de Montaigne
3,933 members, 39 reviews
4.36 stars (4.36 stars)

Lists: lewbs (6), thecoroner (62)

Score: 3.98

73
The Three Musketeers
by Alexandre Dumas
17,814 members, 216 reviews
4.07 stars (4.07 stars)

Lists: lewbs (9), thecoroner (66)

Score: 3.71

74
The Confessions
by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
2,676 members, 23 reviews
3.56 stars (3.56 stars)

Lists: advincent (26), roby72 (47)

Score: 3.3

75
Le Grand Meaulnes
by Alain-Fournier
2,947 members, 68 reviews
3.77 stars (3.77 stars)

Lists: advincent (27), thecoroner (63)

Score: 3.18

76
Becket
by Jean Anouilh
809 members, 13 reviews
4.02 stars (4.02 stars)

Lists: inge87 (3)

Score: 3.04

77
Desert
by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio
589 members, 19 reviews
3.73 stars (3.73 stars)

Lists: roby72 (36), thecoroner (77)

Score: 2.98

78
Suite Française
by Irène Némirovsky
8,969 members, 327 reviews
3.97 stars (3.97 stars)

Lists: roby72 (42), thecoroner (78)

Score: 2.92

79
The Belly of Paris
by Émile Zola
978 members, 27 reviews
3.94 stars (3.94 stars)

Lists: thecoroner (55), roby72 (62)

Score: 2.89

80
Philosophical Dictionary
by Voltaire
1,038 members, 8 reviews
4.14 stars (4.14 stars)

Lists: thecoroner (56), roby72 (64)

Score: 2.88

81
The Abyss
by Marguerite Yourcenar
1,432 members, 25 reviews
3.99 stars (3.99 stars)

Lists: roby72 (50), thecoroner (80)

Score: 2.84

82
Gigi
by Colette
302 members, 5 reviews
3.65 stars (3.65 stars)

Lists: inge87 (4)

Score: 2.83

83
Adolphe
by Benjamin Constant
626 members, 6 reviews
3.54 stars (3.54 stars)

Lists: roby72 (54), thecoroner (81)

Score: 2.81

84
Delta of Venus
by Anaïs Nin
4,225 members, 52 reviews
3.51 stars (3.51 stars)

Lists: roby72 (63), thecoroner (72)

Score: 2.79

85
Justine, Philosophy in the Bedroom, and Other Writings
by Marquis de Sade
1,205 members, 10 reviews
3.63 stars (3.63 stars)

Lists: roby72 (57), thecoroner (82)

Score: 2.79

86
A Void
by Georges Perec
1,337 members, 39 reviews
3.74 stars (3.74 stars)

Lists: Kuiperdolin (5)

Score: 2.68

87
The Knot of Vipers
by François Mauriac
811 members, 16 reviews
4.04 stars (4.04 stars)

Lists: inge87 (5)

Score: 2.68

88
My Mother's Castle
by Marcel Pagnol
527 members, 8 reviews
3.93 stars (3.93 stars)

Lists: inge87 (6)

Score: 2.56

89
The Executioner
by Joseph de Maistre
33 members, 2 reviews
4.5 stars (4.5 stars)

Lists: leigonj (6)

Score: 2.56

90
Whatever
by Michel Houellebecq
1,973 members, 32 reviews
3.43 stars (3.43 stars)

Lists: lewbs (7)

Score: 2.46

91
All the World's Mornings
by Pascal Quignard
284 members, 12 reviews
3.53 stars (3.53 stars)

Lists: Dilara86 (8)

Score: 2.38

92
Ripening Seed
by Colette
541 members, 12 reviews
3.34 stars (3.34 stars)

Lists: Dilara86 (9)

Score: 2.31

93
Becalmed
by Joris-Karl Huysmans
125 members, 3 reviews
3.97 stars (3.97 stars)

Lists: Kuiperdolin (9)

Score: 2.31

94
A Woman's Life
by Guy de Maupassant
1,270 members, 25 reviews
3.78 stars (3.78 stars)

Lists: Dilara86 (11)

Score: 2.2

95
Running
by Jean Echenoz
250 members, 17 reviews
3.69 stars (3.69 stars)

Lists: lewbs (11)

Score: 2.2

96
Lightning
by Jean Echenoz
187 members, 10 reviews
3.55 stars (3.55 stars)

Lists: lewbs (12)

Score: 2.15

97
Lost Illusions
by Honoré de Balzac
2,048 members, 26 reviews
4.16 stars (4.16 stars)

Lists: thecoroner (14)

Score: 2.07

98
The Temptation of Saint Anthony
by Gustave Flaubert
803 members, 8 reviews
3.71 stars (3.71 stars)

Lists: Kuiperdolin (14)

Score: 2.07

99
L'Ordred du jour
by Eric Vuillard
444 members, 20 reviews
3.74 stars (3.74 stars)

Lists: lewbs (14)

Score: 2.07

100
Vernon Subutex 1
by Virginie Despentes
376 members, 12 reviews
3.75 stars (3.75 stars)

Lists: Dilara86 (14)

Score: 2.07

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About this list

Started by: sturlington (September 2013)

Type: Numbered and unnumbered

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