book review the elegance of the hedgehog

bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations. 'The narrators' kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson's fluent translation) propel us ahead.'- The New York Times Book Review

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 ). Paloma and Renée hide their true talents and finest qualities from a world they believe cannot or will not appreciate them. 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. Muriel Barbery has exquisitely created a compelling novel overflowing with emotion. Talented and precocious, she's come to terms with life's seeming futility and decided to end her own on her thirteenth birthday. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, 9781906040185, available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide. I recommend this beautiful intelligent book. Paloma is a twelve-year-old who lives on the fifth floor. Despite its cutesy air of chocolate-box Paris, The Elegance of the Hedgehog is, by the end, quite radical in its stand against French classism and hypocrisy. Europa, 15.95 (325pp) ISBN 978-1-93 This dark but redemptive novel, an international.

With biting humor, she scrutinizes the lives of the tenants-her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. The Elegance of the Hedgehog Muriel Barbery,, trans. But Renée has a secret: she furtively, ferociously devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. In short, she's everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in an upscale neighborhood. Her only genuine attachment is to her cat, Leo. 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. The phenomenal New York Times bestseller that 'explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building' ( Publishers Weekly).

Book review the elegance of the hedgehog