Jonas Jonasson’s The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden debuted on Spain’s fiction chart at #1 during March.
The book, to be published in the U.S. by Ecco on April 29, has topped lists throughout Europe since it was initially released in Sweden last September (in March, it also appeared on the Swedish, Dutch, and German charts). The Three Weddings of Manolita by Almudena Grandes, also new to Spain’s list, hit #2. The “emotional” story describes the “poverty and desolation” faced by 18-year-old Manolita in Madrid in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. February’s top seller, Ripper, by Isabel Allende, moved down two spots to #3.
Guillaume Musso’s 12th novel, Central Park, was another of the newly released titles that topped international fiction bestseller lists in March. In the book, which hit #1 in France, Musso unravels the mystery of two strangers—Alice, a young Parisian police officer, and Gariel, an American jazz pianist. The two wake up on a bench in New York’s Central Park, handcuffed to each other. Following at #2 on the French list was Anna Gavalda’s Making Life Better, described by the publisher as two stories about young people who change their lives after a “special encounter.”
Sweden saw a new #1 novel in March: Karin Brunk Holmqvist’s The Tap Turners, which follows residents of a small village called Spjutstorp as they fight to keep their town on the map. Doctor Sleep, Stephen King’s sequel to The Shining, jumped from #5 to #2 in Sweden.
On the nonfiction side, Spain’s new top seller was Zero Zero Zero by Roberto Saviano. The author, who took on organized crime in Naples in 2007’s Gomorrah (FSG), turns his attention to the international cocaine trade in this latest exposé. The Penguin Press will publish the book stateside in April 2015.
International Bestsellers
Spain
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | La analfabeta que era un genio de los números The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden Jonas Jonasson Salamandra | CeroCeroCero Zero Zero Zero Roberto Saviano Anagrama |
| 2 | Las tres bodas de Manolita The Three Weddings of Manolita Almudena Grandes Tusquets | Yo fui a EGB I Went to EGB Javier Ikaz & Jorge Díaz Plaza & Janés |
| 3 | El juego de Ripper Ripper Isabel Allende Plaza & Janés | Matadlos Kill Them Fernando Reinares Galaxia Gutenberg |
For the week ended Mar. 6; used by arrangement with El Cultural.
France
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Park Central Park Guillaume Musso XO | Voyages en absurdie Adventures in Absurdity Stéphane de Groodt and Christophe Debacq Plon |
| 2 | La vie en mieux Making Life Better Anna Gavalda Dilettante | Mémé Granny Philippe Torreton L’Iconoclaste |
| 3 | Le collier rouge The Red Necklace Jean-Christophe Rufin Gallimard | Regarde les lumieres, mon amour Look at the Lights, My Love Annie Ernaux Raconter la vie |
For the week ended Apr. 6; used by arrangement with Livres Hebdo/Ipsos.
Sweden
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kranvridarna The Tap Turners Karin Brunk Holmqvist Kabusa Böcker | Med känsla för barns självkänsla Awareness of Children’s Self-Esteem Petra Krantz Lindgren Bonnier Fakta |
| 2 | Doktor Sömn Doctor Sleep Stephen King Albert Bonniers förlag | Träning för nyblivna maimer Training for New Mothers Olga Rönnberg Fitnessförlaget |
| 3 | Egenmäktigt förfarande Arbitrary Conduct Lena Andersson Natur & Kultur | 5:2 dieten–Kokboken The Fast Diet Cookbook Mimi Spencer Bonnier Fakta |
For the month ended Mar. 18; used by arrangement with Svensk Bokhandel.
