Amélie Nothomb is one of Europe's most successful and talked about authors.  Hygeine and the Assassin , her first published novel, became a phenomenon, occupying a unique position in the world of French and international fiction. Delightful and witty,  Pétronille  is further proof of Nothomb's versatility and brilliance.  With wry humor and a deceptively simple style, Pétronille  tells an unusual story 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 Pétronille and the main character in the book, who happens to be a writer by the name of Amélie Nothomb, gives the story its 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 in.