Germany saw the first of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, My Brilliant Friend, at #1 on the fiction list at the end of August. A bestseller in its native Italy and a phenomenon in translation in the American market, it has hit the bestseller lists in a number of countries worldwide since its 2012 release. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, J.K. Rowling’s summer blockbuster in the U.S., landed in the second fiction spot in Germany.
German forester Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees led in nonfiction in Germany. The book is published by Canada’s Greystone Books in North America and debuted at #6 on our Hardcover Nonfiction list this week.
Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend appeared on Sweden’s fiction list as well, at #2, below Jan Guillou’s Real American Jeans, the sixth book in his Great Century series, which follows three talented boys from a poor fishing village in Norway as they travel the world during the 20th century. Food Pharmacy, two bloggers’ guide to eating healthy, topped nonfiction.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy topped the nonfiction charts in France with Everything for France, which lays out his agenda for the country should he be elected back to the office in 2017. Sarkozy announced his bid for president shortly before the book’s publication on August 24. In fiction, Belgian author Amélie Nothomb’s 25th novel, Riquet with the Tuft—a reimagining of the adult fairy tale by Charles Perrault—was on top at the end of August.
August International Bestsellers
France
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riquet à la houppe Riquet with the Tuft Amélie Nothomb Albin Michel | Tout pour la France Everything for France Nicolas Sarkozy Plon |
| 2 | Ecoutez nos défaites Hear Our Defeats Laurent Gaudé Actes Sud | Les lois naturelles de l’enfant The Natural Laws of the Child Céline Alvarez Les Arènes |
| 3 | Ta deuxième vie commence quand tu comprends que tu n’en as qu’une Your New Life Begins When You Understand That You Don’t Have a... Raphaëlle Giordano Eyrolles | Le charme discret de l’intestin The Discreet Charm of the Intestine Giulia Enders Actes Sud |
For the week ended Sept. 4; used by arrangement with GFK/Livres Hebdo
Germany
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meine geniale Freundin My Brillant Friend Elena Ferrante Suhrkamp | Das geheime Leben der Bäume The Hidden Life of Trees Peter Wohlleben Ludwig |
| 2 | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Harry Potter and the Cursed Child J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany Little, Brown | Das Seelenleben der Tiere The Mental Life of Animals Peter Wohlleben Ludwig |
| 3 | Die Entscheidung The Decision Charlotte Link Blanvalet | Die neuen Deutschen The New Germans Herfried Münkler & Marina Münkler Rowohlt |
For the week ended Aug. 28; used by arrangement with Buchreport
Sweden
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Äkta amerikanska jeans Real American Jeans Jan Guillou Piratförlaget | Food pharmacy Food Pharmacy Mia Clase & Lina Nertby Aurell Bonnier Fakta |
| 2 | Min fantastiska väninna My Brilliant Friend Elena Ferrante Norstedts | Hjärnstark Brain Strong Anders Hansen Fitnessförlaget |
| 3 | Sov du lilla videung Sleep, You Little Young Willow Cilla & Rolf Börjlind Norstedts | Hjälp ditt barn med matte genom hela grundskolan och gymnasiet Help Your Child with Math Throughout Primary and Secondary School Carol Vorderman Tukan Förlag |
For the week ended Aug. 16; used by arrangement with Svensk Bokhandel
