France

Bonnie: "During a recent Google search, I ran across a blog ... by me! ... where I had mentioned a book two years ago: The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson. It's a novel about France in the time of Louis XVI, the last king of France. Both he and his wife Marie Antoinette died on the guillotine during the French Revolution. Here's my review."

Imagine that, on the night before she is to die under the blade of the guillotine, Marie Antoinette leaves behind in her prison cell a diary telling the story of her life — from her privileged childhood as Austrian Archduchess to her years as glamorous mistress of Versailles to the heartbreak of imprisonment and humiliation during the French Revolution. Carolly Erickson takes the reader deep into the psyche of France’s doomed queen: her love affair with handsome Swedish diplomat Count Axel Fersen, who risked his life to save her; her fears on the terrifying night the Parisian mob broke into her palace bedroom intent on murdering her and her family; her harrowing attempted flight from France in disguise; her recapture and the grim months of harsh captivity; her agony when her beloved husband was guillotined and her young son was torn from her arms, never to be seen again.
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Marg said about The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette, "This was one case where the diary format really didn't work for me! I did find that it worked in Sandra Gulland's trilogy about Josephine Bonaparte which would also be another excellent choice to read about France."

The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. ~ When Marie-Josephe-Rose Tascher was a girl in Martinique, a voodoo priestess predicted she would be unhappily married, would then be widowed, and would become queen, an unlikely prediction. An arranged marriage takes Rose to France, where she endures her husband's infidelity and abandonment before his execution leaves her a widow. Her marriage to Napoleon concludes the novel.

Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe ~ Beginning in Paris in 1796, the saga continues as Josephine awakens to her new life as Mrs. Napoleon Bonaparte. Through her intimate diary entries and Napoleon's impassioned love letters, a portrait of an incredible woman emerges. As Napoleon marches to power, we witness, through Josephine, the political intrigues and personal betrayals that result in death, ruin, and victory for those closest to her.

The Last Great Dance on Earth ~ Married now for four tumultuous years, Napoleon is Josephine's great love, and she his. They rise to power, ultimately being crowned emperor and empress. Pressured to produce an heir, Napoleon divorces Josephine and remarries. A son is born shortly before his unsuccessful invasion of Russia, his last campaign before abdication and exile. Josephine dies in 1814, thinking about Napoleon.

England

Amy said, "The book I read for England was White Teeth by Zadie Smith. Here is the link to my review. It is a fascinating epic novel about life in North London from the early 70's to the millenium."

This novel gets high praise from all over, like this from Barnes & Noble: "Smith's debut novel is touted as a remarkable look at the immigrant's experience in a post colonial world." It's set in postwar London, featuring an unlikely friendship between Archie Jones, a simple working-class Brit, and Samad Iqbal, a Muslim Bengali waiter in an Indian restaurant. They had met in the English army in WW2. After the war, the two commiserate over their lives and those of their children; their dreams, disappointments and expectations unfolding with riotous humor as the characters in both generations struggle to carve out their own cultural identities. The book is filled with all the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of London and has themes of history, religion, faith, and science. Amy's description says it best: "The novel is a rollercoaster ride from one theme to another, from one character to another, touching on things like race, immigrants, religion, genetic engineering, sibling rivalry, parenting, fundamentalism, class and cultural differences, feminism, love, and history."

Belgium

Amy said, "I noticed you did not have any book suggested for Belgium (where I live). I would like to recommend The Sorrow of Belgium by Hugo Claus, the most important book of one of our most famous 20th century writers (he has been suggested as a Nobel prize candidate for many years now.)"

The Sorrow of Belgium is a portrait of a wartime Belgium and one boy's coming of age -- emotionally, sexually, and politically. Louis struggles through the trials of adolescence in occupied Belgium between 1939 and 1947. His family is staunchly Flemish and willingly collaborates with the Germans. Through it all is the tension between the Flemish and French linguistic and cultural traditions of Belgium.

Amy came back to add: "Ironically enough, to celebrate the book's 25th anniversary, there was a reading marathon of it held in my town (Leuven) just last weekend."
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UPDATES: Amy said, "I have sad news: Hugo Claus died today. Here is the link to my post on this." You'll find Amy's review on her blog.

Samantha said, "If anyone's interested, here's my review for the book, the first one of my travel around the world." Bonnie added, "When I went to read her review, I discovered she has a list of books she plans to read for 31 countries of Western Europe. Thanks, Samantha, both the review and the list are helpful to the rest of us.

Sudan

Jill said, "I have another 'Sudan' book to add to our list - and this one packs a powerful punch. It's called The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari (my review). This book will be released in the U.S. on March 18, 2008, and I highly recommend it.

"I am the translator who has taken journalists into dangerous Darfur. It is my intention now to take you there in this book, if you have the courage to come with me."

Daoud Hari – his friends call him David – is a living witness to the brutal genocide under way in Darfur. The Translator is a memoir of how one person has made a difference in the world, an on-the-ground account of one of the biggest stories of our time. Using his high school knowledge of languages as his weapon, Daoud Hari has helped inform the world about Darfur.

Hari, a Zaghawa tribesman, grew up in a village in the Darfur region of Sudan. As a child he saw colorful weddings, raced his camels across the desert, and played games in the moonlight after his work was done. In 2003, this traditional life was shattered when helicopter gunships appeared over Darfur’s villages, followed by Sudanese-government-backed militia groups attacking on horseback, raping and murdering citizens and burning villages. Ancient hatreds and greed for natural resources had collided, and the conflagration spread.

Though Hari’s village was attacked and destroyed, his family decimated and dispersed, he himself escaped. Roaming the battlefield deserts on camels, he and a group of his friends helped survivors find food, water, and the way to safety. When international aid groups and reporters arrived, Hari offered his services as a translator and guide. In doing so, he risked his life again and again, for the government of Sudan had outlawed journalists in the region, and death was the punishment for those who aided the "foreign spies." And then, inevitably, his luck ran out and he was captured.
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Wendy, who has also reviewed this book, says it could count for the country of Chad as well, though that country isn't mentioned in her review or Jill's either. Wendy, could you tell us more, please?

Uruguay

Bonnie said, "When I go blog-hopping, I usually discover all sorts of books I've never seen before, and today I found out about The Shipyard by Juan Carlos Onetti, about Uruguay."

With all the enthusiasm of a man condemned to be hanged, Larsen takes up his new post. Like the other workers at the shipyard, he routinely goes through the motions. Every so often, his sense of reality is shaken by a tremor of self-deception, and then it is possible to believe that the yard's glory is not just a thing of the past.

Acknowledged as one of the great Latin American writers of the twentieth century, Onetti was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1909. His novels include The Well, No Man's Life, A Brief Life, and his best known work, The Shipyard. He was awarded Uruguay's national literature prize in 1963 and Spain's Cervantes Prize in 1980.