Employing wry humor and a deceptively simple style, Amélie Nothomb, the author of over twenty-three bestselling novels (over exactly twenty-three years!) writes about twin abiding passions: one for champagne, and the other for a riotous friendship between her protagonist and Pétronille Fanto, a woman who refuses to drink alone. This is a funny, moving, “exotic” novel about travel, France, Champagne, and, above all, about women’s friendship. The on-again/off-again friendship between Petronille and the main character in the book, a writer by the name of Amélie Nothomb, gives the story it verve and the novel its heart. This is literary Thelma & Louise, with a little bit of French panache and a whole lot of champagne thrown into the mix. Amélie Nothomb is one of Europe’s most successful and talked about authors. Hygiene and the Assassin, her first published novel, was published when she was only twenty-five and since then she has become a cult figure, occupying a unique position in the world of French and European fiction. Delightful and witty, Pétronille is further proof of Nothomb’s versatility and brilliance.

Amélie Nothomb
Amélie Nothomb was born in Japan to Belgian parents in 1967. She lives in Paris. Her books have been translated into twenty-five languages and counting, and been awarded numerous prizes including the French Academy’s Grand Prix for the Novel, the René-Fallet, Alain-Fournier, and Jean-Giono prizes.

• Oct 10 2017
  10 French Novels to Read Now
  — The New York Times Book Review
• Nov 5 2015
  The Mookse and the Gripes: "[...] the conclusion put a fulfilling cap on an already interesting story."
  — The Mookse and the Gripes
• Nov 2 2015
  Backlisted: "the author finds new ways in which to strip her skin for the audience, revealing increasingly personal depths"
  — Backlisted
• Oct 16 2015
  Shelf Awareness: "Pétronille is a slight, frothy bubble of a book, in Amélie Nothomb's signature lighthearted style."
  — Shelf Awareness
• Sep 17 2015
  Publishers Weekly: “[...] dripping with champagne and mischief. [...] Nothomb’s novel is full of energy.”
  
• Jul 8 2015
  CompleteReview.com. “Deceptively lighthearted [. . .] Pétronille easily and enjoyably fulfills most Nothomb-fans' expectations.”