The Elegance of the Hedgehog
The phenomenal New York Times bestseller that "explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building" (Publishers Weekly).
In an elegant hôtel particulier in Paris, Renée, the concierge, is all but invisible--short, plump, middle-aged, with bunions on her feet and an addiction to television soaps. Her only genuine attachment is to her cat, Leo. In short, she's everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in an upscale neighborhood. But Renée has a secret: she furtively, ferociously devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor, she scrutinizes the lives of the tenants--her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth.Paloma is a twelve-year-old who lives on the fifth floor. Talented and precocious, she's come to terms with life's seeming futility and decided to end her own on her thirteenth birthday. Until then, she will continue hiding her extraordinary intelligence behind a mask of mediocrity, acting the part of an average pre-teen high on pop culture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter.
Paloma and Renée hide their true talents and finest qualities from a world they believe cannot or will not appreciate them. But after a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building, they will begin to recognize each other as kindred souls, in a novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us, and "teaches philosophical lessons by shrewdly exposing rich secret lives hidden beneath conventional exteriors" (Kirkus Reviews). "The narrators' kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson's fluent translation) propel us ahead."--The New York Times Book Review "Barbery's sly wit . . . bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations."--The New Yorker
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Community Reviews
doing this challenge of reading literature based on the places i travel to, while im there. i started reading this on my train to paris and now im sobbing like an idiot on the train back home, having just finished it and feeling all sorts of grief.
it was slow at grabbing my attention. the characters don’t seem real, they felt somewhat superficial or pretentious at points. i wasn’t sure where it was going more than halfway through it, although there were quoteable bits and things that made me giggle. a lot of the middle part was intellectual discourse, throwing in some philosophy names here and there, without much progression in plot. i would have DNF’d it had i been travelling with more books to entice me but i persisted and boy was my perseverance rewarded. the last 60 or so pages tugged all of my heartstrings and made it all up for me. it changed my whole experience retrospectively and i ended up loving it.
the other aspect was the reading experience outside of the book. something about walking the streets from a story you’re reading, tracing the paths of the characters, eating what they’re having, and watching the lines between reality and fiction fade is really touching as a reader.
and both those things together make it a 4 for me, can’t wait to travel again with a new story!
it was slow at grabbing my attention. the characters don’t seem real, they felt somewhat superficial or pretentious at points. i wasn’t sure where it was going more than halfway through it, although there were quoteable bits and things that made me giggle. a lot of the middle part was intellectual discourse, throwing in some philosophy names here and there, without much progression in plot. i would have DNF’d it had i been travelling with more books to entice me but i persisted and boy was my perseverance rewarded. the last 60 or so pages tugged all of my heartstrings and made it all up for me. it changed my whole experience retrospectively and i ended up loving it.
the other aspect was the reading experience outside of the book. something about walking the streets from a story you’re reading, tracing the paths of the characters, eating what they’re having, and watching the lines between reality and fiction fade is really touching as a reader.
and both those things together make it a 4 for me, can’t wait to travel again with a new story!
To be honest, I am intrigued by the wisdom and sarcasm in the beginning. At the end, I just be moved by its strong emotions. I am most stunned by the quote, "Before healing ourselves, we have to try to heal others." I think reading this such great novel is the reason I love reading and have the courage to live in this despair world. I hope you have the courage too.
I discovered something while reading this book:
The loss of breath and aching pain in the heart when experiencing something profoundly sad is the same as when encountering something of great beauty. This book left me aching with each emotion.
Renee, a concierge in an upscale Parisian apartment building, hides her intellect and her quest for knowledge behind her working class veneer. Paloma, a 12-yr-old resident of the building, hides her intellect behind the surly attitude that 12-yr-olds are so good at. Kakuro enters their lives, bringing with him a celebration of beauty and simplicity.
I have a new favorite book.
The loss of breath and aching pain in the heart when experiencing something profoundly sad is the same as when encountering something of great beauty. This book left me aching with each emotion.
Renee, a concierge in an upscale Parisian apartment building, hides her intellect and her quest for knowledge behind her working class veneer. Paloma, a 12-yr-old resident of the building, hides her intellect behind the surly attitude that 12-yr-olds are so good at. Kakuro enters their lives, bringing with him a celebration of beauty and simplicity.
I have a new favorite book.
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