The Elegance of the Hedgehog
By Muriel Barbery (A); Barbara Rosenblat (4); Cassandra Morris (4)
(Highbridge Company, Compact Disc, 9781598879254)
Publication Date: June 2009
Other Editions of This Title: Google eBook, Paperback
Categories: Literary
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Selected by Indie Booksellers for the September 2008 Indie Notables“The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a beautifully written novel, translated from the French, with unforgettable characters, Renee, a concierge with a rich inner life, and Paloma, a surprisingly talented young girl. Read it and get a reality check on who we are beneath our images of age, class, and occupation.”
-- Jane Jacobs, Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA
Selected by Indie Booksellers for the Spring/Summer '09 Reading Group List
“This novel of two remarkable characters, set in an elegant Paris apartment building, is wonderfully written and translated! I loved the philosophical discussions and artistic descriptions -- my reading group talked about this book for hours.”
-- Mary K. Cowen, Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, IL
Selected by Indie Booksellers for the Fall '09/Winter '10 Reading Group List
“This story of an aging concierge and a 12-year-old girl in an exclusive apartment house in Paris was a huge hit in France. Pithy, erudite, and full of heart, this book should be on everyone's must-read list.”
-- Lisa Wright, Oblong Books And Music,LLC., Millerton, NY
Description
An enchanting "New York Times" and international bestseller and award-winner about life, art, literature, philosophy, culture, class, privilege, and power, seen through the eyes of a 54-year old French concierge and a precocious but troubled 12-year-old girl.
Ren e Michel is the 54-year-old concierge of a luxury Paris apartment building. Her exterior ( short, ugly, and plump ) and demeanor ( poor, discreet, and insignificant ) belie her keen, questing mind and profound erudition. Paloma Josse is a 12-year-old genius who behaves as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. She plans to kill herself on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday.
Both Ren e and Paloma hide their true talents and finest qualities from the bourgeois families around them, until a wealthy Japanese gentleman named Ozu moves into building. Only he sees through them, perceiving the secret that haunts Ren e, winning Paloma's trust, and helping the two discover their kindred souls. Moving, funny, tender, and triumphant, Barbery's novel exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.
Ren e Michel is the 54-year-old concierge of a luxury Paris apartment building. Her exterior ( short, ugly, and plump ) and demeanor ( poor, discreet, and insignificant ) belie her keen, questing mind and profound erudition. Paloma Josse is a 12-year-old genius who behaves as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. She plans to kill herself on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday.
Both Ren e and Paloma hide their true talents and finest qualities from the bourgeois families around them, until a wealthy Japanese gentleman named Ozu moves into building. Only he sees through them, perceiving the secret that haunts Ren e, winning Paloma's trust, and helping the two discover their kindred souls. Moving, funny, tender, and triumphant, Barbery's novel exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.
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