France

A History: from Gaul to de Gaulle

By: John Julius Norwich

Narrated by: John Julius Norwich

A witty history of 2000 years of French history from legendary popular historian John Julius Norwich

I can still feel, as if it were yesterday, the excitement of my first Channel crossing (as a child of nearly 7) in September 1936; the regiment of porters, smelling asphyxiatingly of garlic in their blue-green blousons; the raucous sound all around me of spoken French; the immense fields of Normandy strangely devoid of hedges; then the Gare du Nord at twilight, the policemen with their képis and their little snow-white batons; and my first sight of the Eiffel Tower...This book is written in the belief that the average English-speaking man or woman has remarkably little knowledge of French history. We may know a bit about Napoleon or Joan of Arc or Louis XIV, but for most of us that's about it. In my own three schools we were taught only about the battles we won: Crécy and Poitiers, Agincourt and Waterloo. The rest was silence. So here is my attempt to fill in the blanks...

John Julius Norwich (at 88) has finally written the book he always wanted to write, the extremely colourful story of the country he loves best.

From frowning Roman generals and belligerent Gallic chieftains, to Charlemagne (hated by generations of French children taught that he invented schools) through Marie Antoinette and the storming of the Bastille to Vichy, the Resistance and beyond, FRANCE is packed with heroes and villains, adventures and battles, romance and revolution. Full of memorable stories and racy anecdotes, this is the perfect introduction to the country that has inspired the rest of the world to live, dress, eat -- and love better.

(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critic reviews

Always a warm, welcoming guide, John Julius Norwich takes us on a historical tour of France from its earliest days to the twenty-first century . . . A highly entertaining introduction to a fascinating nation

Norwich romps through French history with lots of good stories: philandering kings, dread plagues and legendary dinners

For his final book, the late Norwich tackled the dauntingly vast subject of two millennia of French history with admirable lightness and urbanity. There is the odd whiff, probably deliberate, of 1066 and All That - "The Capetians had steadily built up France, transforming it from a Carolingian custard into a nation" - and his comic footnotes deserve a review of their own

A richly illuminating work . . . Norwich was a wonderful military historian

Almost the best thing in it is the author's short epilogue, 'The Essence of France', in which he listed what he loved most about that enchanting, if occasionally exasperating, country - its architecture, its painting and its music. These were among Norwich's greatest passions, which he invariably conveyed with authority, charm and wit (Desmond Seward)

A story told with charm and obvious enthusiasm for the subject ... My children constantly ask why the GCSE syllabus cannot be an introduction to British history rather than a somewhat esoteric dive into Weimar, Nazi Germany and Russia. What they want is a comprehensive, approachable and enjoyable survey of the story of our islands - and that is exactly what John Julius Norwich has written about France . . . The attraction of this commendable short history is that it's as entertaining as it is informative, written with fluency, wit and a nicely understated humour: a real pleasure-almost compelling-to read

Norwich treats history like a friendly fireside chat

The tone of France is avuncular, worldly and witty; it is like having dinner with an urbane, well-read uncle.

There is certainly a need for a concise history of France in English and, in many ways, John Julius Norwich is the ideal man to write it . . . Norwich has a love for France that stretches back to his childhood and it is evident throughout this readable, entertaining book.

This warm, delightful short history of France, aimed convivially at the general reader, is his love letter to the country he knew so well

John Julius Norwich's political history of France, which begins with Vercingetorix and ends with Charles de Gaulle in 1945, invites us to admire the giants of the past and even vicariously to share in their triumphs . . . richly illuminating

A good place to start

John Julius Norwich has achieved what he set out to achieve. He has given a history of France, not too brief, yet not too much in detail. I was a beginner as far as France’s history is concerned and this book not only gave me the information I was looking for, it has ignited a hunger for more. It helped that the author read out this book himself; the passion was not lost. To someone who wants to be an authority on French history, he needs to dig deeper than what this book offers but for me, this was perfect. Also, this is more of a political history of France and one wishes that important landmarks in the field of art, music and architecture could have been covered in a little more detail. For example it doesn’t give anything about the construction of the Eiffel Tower besides mentioning that it had been built. The author himself seems to know a whole lot about the art and music of France and perhaps didn’t want to go in too much of detail in order to stick to the ‘story’ he set out to narrate. I am glad I bought this book.

Just brilliant

A great summary of French history for the last 2000 years, and a far better audiobook than printed book, thanks to the amazing delivery of the author, who died only months after this recording. His love of saucy anecdotes and good stories in particular makes this a great listen.

cgarming style, easy to follow, summarized

charming style, easy to follow. Epilog gives good hints on how to experiece French atmosphere.