Fear and Trembling in Around the World in 80 Books

Jan 03, 2013 Oana rated it really liked it

I had been resisting reading this book for our book club though it's been proposed twice. It's been a good surprise: first off, it's a translation from French (the author is Belgian); second, the author spent part of her childhood in Japan (having been born in Kobe) so she's not some nobody writing about a foreign country; and third, it has won some French literature prizes.

The novel concentrates fully on the narrator's description of working as a foreigner in a large Japanese company. At one po ...more

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Feb 23, 2016 Nikoleta rated it liked it · review of another edition

Отново иронична Амели Нотамб, като в ,,Козметика на врага,,. Тук на едно място се засмях високо, което рядко ми се случва при четене. Оценявам!

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Mar 15, 2021 Vicky rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, own-pre-konmari, work, novel, français

Not what I was planning to read, but I needed something light after Eddy Belleguele, and it was nice to return to a beginning-middle-end kind of novel. I resonate with absurd office culture scenarios and relationships, so I laughed a lot. It was extra funny once I realized that Amélie, the narrator—just realized it's her own author name, too, wow—reminded me of Noémie Leclerc, one of the assistant characters in Call My Agent / Dix pour cent 🤣. ...more

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Oct 24, 2008 Kiri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, z-read-2000-2009, humor, fiction, literature, 1001byd

Interesting read and so intrinsically revealing. The dark irony alone makes this a gem of a read. If you are a Westerner who has ever worked in this type of environment, you will enjoy this. If you aren't you will still greatly enjoy this.

Onto VeganMedusa! ...more

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