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The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Availability:
In Stock
Price:
$15.00
$6.89*
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| Part No: | 1933372605 |
| Manufacturer: | Europa Editions |
| MFG Part: | |
| Customer Rating: | 4.0 / 5.0 |
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- ISBN13: 9781933372600
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
The enthralling international bestseller. We are in the center of Paris, in an elegant apartment building inhabited by bourgeois families. Renée, the concierge, is witness to the lavish but vacuous lives of her numerous employers. Outwardly she conforms to every stereotype of the concierge: fat, cantankerous, addicted to television. Yet, unbeknownst to her employers, Renée is a cultured autodidact who adores art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With humor and intelligence she scrutinizes the lives of the buildings tenants, who for their part are barely aware of her existence.
Then theres Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius. She is the daughter of a tedious parliamentarian, a talented and startlingly lucid child who has decided to end her life on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday. Until then she will continue behaving as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not an outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter.
Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building. Only he is able to gain Palomas trust and to see through Renées timeworn disguise to the secret that haunts her. This is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.
| Run screaming from this book! | 2010-03-08 | 1 / 5 |
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| And when you scream, use poor grammar and put your commas in the wrong places. This book was the worst I have read in recent memory. The characters are so pretentious and boring it was nearly unbearable. I finished the book, but it was a painful chore. Some reviews here claim the book redeems itself in the last part, but it certainly does not. Something I was hoping for happens, but even this longed-for event is tedious and dull. Using a lot of archaic words does not make you superior; it makes you a draggy, irritating, pretentious, bore! Language is for the communication of thoughts, information, and ideas, but all this author and her awful characters use it for it to stroke their poor misshapen egos. I know other reviewers have already covered this territory -- just adding my voice to the chorus. |
| Save for a smattering of humor here and there... | 2010-03-07 | 2 / 5 |
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...this is not all that it's being touted to be. Rene is just not likable. Period. She is so sour and dowdy and aptly, hedgehog--ish that I could barely stand her! As far as the 12 year old she links up with, I see no real distinguishable lines between the two characters. Both of them have the same "voice", which is a sign of a mediocre, half-baked writer.
I am all for humor. I was really expecting this read to deliver-but there were only a few instances where I actually laughed--I only wish the author here could keep it all going. She could not. So why all the favorable reviews?
I just don't get this one. It's also a predicable story. All in all, this was just not captivating enough for me to invest my precious reading time.
Give me something like the charming THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER or the hilarious (and totally under-looked), SIM0N LAZARUS any day over this dullard read. |
| If you enjoy sentences 85 words long | 2010-03-05 | 4 / 5 |
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There is true beauty in this novel but the author really makes you work for it. I'd read a chapter (usually 2-5 pages) and have to think about what was just said. Not because the prose was difficult but because each sentence contained TOO many topics, too many tangents. For much of the book, not much is happening except the thoughts of the two main characters. I felt that they were living their thoughts, not their lives. I've come to believe that is the point of this novel. Living inside your head.
For me, beauty, true beauty, needs very few words. The author seemed to want to impress us with being oh so intelligent and that became annoying. I'm glad I finished the book but if it wasn't our book club selection for the month, I probably would have put it down. It is a book I will remember and proud that I got through it. |
| What a wonderful book! | 2010-03-02 | 5 / 5 |
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I simply loved this book. It was beautifully written and really pulled me into the world of the the two main characters. The story is told by swapping between the lives of a young girl and the concierge at a appartment block. Both of them are different from the people that surround them and both of them to choose to hide within themselves, away from the world so the world could not hurt them. The book slowly draws them out as they choose to come out of hiding.
This book however was not just about a story, it was really the language that made it so wonderful. The magnificient turn of phrase, the musings and wonderings about the world. Simply lovely. A book that will stand the test of time for a long, long time. |
| Worth Getting Through | 2010-02-28 | 4 / 5 |
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I had a hard time getting through the first few chapters of this book. It dragged a bit, was overly descriptive and felt like it was just trying a little too hard to be "smart." But I kept trudging along and I'm so glad I did!
The book is well-worth the read and I fell in love a little more as I got deeper into the book. I started to connect with the characters and actually cared about what happened to them. Yes, Paloma Josse was a sort of annoying 12-year-old (she actually reminded me a lot of how Tavi, the 13-year-old fashion blogger). She's smart way beyond her years and she just seemed a tad unrealistic. But I even grew to feel close to her as the story went on.
This is one of those books that I struggled a bit with, but now I can't wait to read it again. I feel as though it merits a second read, so I can really get the most out of it. Don't give up! It's a pretty quick read, so you don't have too much to lose and I really don't think you'll regret it.
Muriel Barbery is an absolutely beautiful writer and the translation is pretty perfect too. |
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