Top 5 Québécois books
To start reading in French
Want to start reading in French but don’t know where to begin?
Reading in French is the best way to learn more vocabulary and improve your knowledge to move to an advanced level.
Novels are the ideal type of reading material, as they will teach you the language and also enrich your Quebec culture knowledge.
Good novels are also enjoyable to read, which is an essential part of extensive reading!
How to choose a book
To start reading in French, I suggest finding books that meet the following criteria.
Audiobook available. You’ll find it easier to concentrate if you read the book at the same time as listening to the audio version. This method helps to reinforce the link between words and sounds. It’s also a more flexible way to read a book. You can listen to it a second time in audio only, for example, to strengthen what you have learned.
Approximately 200 pages. To start, I suggest finding novels that are about two hundred pages long. By reading 15 pages a day, you’ll finish a novel in just under two weeks! This reading pace is realistic and achievable.
Book club. Ideally, you’ll want to choose novels that I have analyzed in detail during our Club de lecture et cinéma. These presentations will help you understand the historical context, vocabulary, and cultural references contained in these novels.
Here are five novels from Quebec to get you started reading in French
The following books have an audio book available, are about 200 pages long and have been featured in my Club de lecture et cinéma, with the recordings available for my members.
Volkswagen Blues de Jacques Poulin
It’s an easy-to-read, uplifting novel! A writer, a young Native American woman, and a cat climb aboard a Volkswagen minibus and travel across America in search of a lost brother.
Le poids de la neige de Christian Guay-Poliquin
This novel is part of the dystopian or post-apocalyptic literary genre. But it’s not violent at all. It’s the story of two strangers who are stuck in the same house, and must spend the winter together in a village buried under snow after a power outage plunges the country into total darkness.
Maria Chapdelaine, de Louis Hémon
Maria Chapdelaine is one of the great classics of Quebec literature. It’s essential reading for understanding Quebec. But it’s also a beautiful story that’s easy to understand.
Là où je me terre, de Caroline Dawson
This autobiographical novel follows the life of a young Chilean immigrant in Quebec. It’s full of references to Quebec culture, seen through the eyes of a woman searching for her identity.
Chercher le vent, de Guillaume Vigneault
This is our first Book Club book! I chose it because it’s a good novel, enjoyable to read without too much complicated vocabulary. It’s a road trip story. Also, the author is the son of the famous Quebec singer and poet Gilles Vigneault!
These books are all a good starting point for reading in French.
Bonne lecture,
Frédéric
About Our Book Club
The Club de lecture et cinéma is part of my French With Frederic subscription. In addition to conversation classes (2-3 times a week), we’ll read and analyze eight books per year, and also discuss eight movies.
There are two classes for each book and one class for each movie.
The first class is where I introduce the book and give you an in-depth presentation and reading tips (along with the vocabulary needed to get the most out of the book! The second class is for group discussion of the book.
So each month, it’s either one book (two meetings) or two films (two meetings).
To join us, just upgrade and join French With Frederic
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