5 audiobooks to listen to improve your French
Classic works of French literature will deepen your understanding of the country’s culture and enhance your language skills
Le Petit Prince, with the titular character depicted here in Seoul botanical gardens, is the second most translated book ever after the Bible
shufilm/Shutterstock
Spotify recently released its audiobook service in France, with around 15,000 books available for subscribers to listen to.
Listening to an audiobook can be a great way to improve your French, especially for the pronunciation of words and deciphering the myriad of accents.
While reading has its benefits, audiobooks have the advantage that you can listen while doing something else, such as driving, walking or gardening.
To listen to a French audiobook, you do need a fair language level but it can be an effective and immersive way of taking your language skills to the next level.
The Spotify audiobook range was launched in English in 2021 and is now being extended to French, Dutch and Flemish.
Below we suggest five audiobooks on offer with the service now, which can help boost your French and knowledge of France.
Read more: Spotify announces new audiobook offer in France
An individual Spotify account costs €11.12 a month but can be made cheaper if you share with other people. It also offers free trials.
There are other audiobook services with French books available online, such as Audible.
La Gloire de mon Père (four hours)
This is the first book of a series of autobiographical novels written by Marcel Pagnol.
The series tells the story of his childhood in Marseille and the surrounding countryside and is a pleasant read.
It is a poetic ode to traditional Provençal culture and is an accessible book suitable for people looking to improve their French.
Though there is plot throughout the book, each chapter can be understood and enjoyed on its own, so you can listen to this book in four one-hour stints for example.
Read more: Anniversary tributes for Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources author Marcel Pagnol
Le Petit Prince (two hours)
This 1943 novella written by Antoine de Saint Exupéry is widely considered as one of the best French books of the 20th century and has a prominent place in French culture and literature.
It is a children’s book, meaning that the language will not be too challenging, but it is loved by children and adults alike.
It tells the story of a pilot who crashes his plane in the middle of the Sahara desert and meets the titular little prince.
It is a beautiful, moving story. Le Petit Prince is the most translated book in the world, excluding the Bible.
L’Etranger (three hours)
On Spotify, you can listen to a version that is read out by Albert Camus, the book’s author.
This novel was not only impactful on French literature, but also left a lasting impression on philosophy with the theme of the absurd, which he developed in other books such as The Myth of Sisyphus.
L’Etranger tells the story of Meursault, who lives in Algiers during the period when it was under direct French rule.
Weeks after his mother’s funeral – where he is shunned for a lack of emotion – Meursault kills an unnamed Arab man on the beach for seemingly no reason.
The book is written in the first-person, giving us insight into the character’s continued indifference to the world around him.
The first lines of the book are some of the most famous in all of literature: Aujourd'hui, maman est morte. Ou peut-être hier, je ne sais pas. (Maman died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.)
This book requires a better French level than Le Petit Prince as you may miss out on some of the subtleties in the language, but it is still fairly accessible and worth reading.
If you have already read the book in English, then this may help you understand the French.
Read more: Books to help improve your French
Le Tour du Monde en quatre-vingt jours (eight hours)
This classic French novel was written by Jules Verne.
It tells the story of Phileas Fogg, an eccentric English gentleman who enjoys reading newspapers and has just hired a new valet, a Frenchman by the name of Passepartout.
Fogg makes a bet with fellow members of his gentleman’s club that he can travel around the world in 80 days, and he and Passepartout leave that same evening.
The language is typical of the 19th century, but is not too complex, and the story is well-known to many people.
If you enjoy adventure books, then you will definitely enjoy this, and you could also consider listening to Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers (20,000 leagues under the sea) by the same author.
Learn French with Paul Noble (12 hours)
Novels are not the only kind of book that become audiobooks.
You can also listen to a language learning book, such as this one by Paul Noble.
He claims that this book has “no grammar tests, no memory drills and no chance of failure” and it has good reviews, but there are also other options that you may prefer.
