Call number
FIC BAR
Collection
Genres
Publication
Europa Editions (2008), Edition: 1st, 325 pages
Description
The lives of fifty-four-year-old concierge Rene Michel and extremely bright, suicidal twelve-year-old Paloma Josse are transformed by the arrival of a new tenant, Kakuro Ozu.
Media reviews
Barbery’s sly wit, which bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations, keeps her tale aloft.
Le Figaro has described this book as 'the publishing phenomenon of the decade'. Elsewhere, there were comparisons to Proust. It sold more than a million copies in France last year and has won numerous awards. Does it match up to the hype? Almost. It is a profound but accessible book (not quite
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Proust, then), which elegantly treads the line between literary and commercial fiction. Show Less
Even when the novel is most essayistic, the narrators’ kinetic minds and engaging voices... propel us ahead.
Efter en något trög första del, förvandlades Igelkottens elegans till en liten pärla, till en bok som berörde mig. Och jag som sällan läser om böcker, funderar skarpt på att läsa om.
Därefter blir ”Igelkottens elegans” en fråga om ett ganska enkelt demaskerande och en ännu enklare trivialpsykologisk analys. Men fram till dess skrockar man förnöjt när Renée och Paloma var och en på sitt håll övertrumfar varandra i knivskarpa beskrivningar av den korkade och
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obildade parisiska överklassen och dess själsliv – tunt som en kålsoppa utan kål. Show Less
Trots det oväntade slutet faller Barbery, vars romangestalter avviker från klyschor av alla slag, själv i plattitydernas fälla. Dessutom kan man stundom få intryck av att författaren genom romanens båda berättarröster alltför tydligt vädrar sina åsikter om olika nutida
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samhällsföreteelser. Men i det stora hela har ”Igelkottens elegans” både charm, underhållningsvärde och intellektuell spänst. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member baswood
2) The Elegance of the hedgehog by Muriel Barbury
At our meeting of the book club today the merits of The Elegance of the Hedgehog split the opinions of all of us who were there. Most people liked it, some liked it a lot and thought it was the best novel they had read in ages. Comments like "It
The novel is convincingly set in in present day Paris and features the denizens of an up market apartment block. The novel is presented in a first person narrative style by two of these inhabitants. Renee is the concierge who works hard at hiding her intelligence behind the gruff exterior and no-nonsense approach typical of a 50 year old women in her profession and Paloma is a 12 year old super intelligent daughter of one of the rich residents who takes cover behind an intensely introverted persona. Renee and Paloma are both disillusioned by, as they see it the crass valueless life styles of the people around them.
Barbery uses the thoughts of these two females to satirise the lives of the nouveau rich in Paris and she tilts at some familiar targets; consumerism, hypocrisy, class-ism, academia, psychoanalysis and false values. Her aim is true and she hits the mark eloquently enough, but at the expense of her novel. She interjects mainly through Paloma, but sometimes directly with short philosophical essays exploring such ideas as; the meaning of life, the beauty in art and the movement of the world. She gets back to her novel with the introduction of M. Kakuro; a Japanese gentlemen who moves into one of the apartments and has the role of recognising the humanity in both Renee and Paloma and bringing them out of their shells. A love story develops.
Muriel Barbery's prose is beautiful, her little stories are funny and her philosophical insights can be thought provoking................Hold on a minute. I am not supposed to be liking this book and in the end I don't. Having two female characters present to the world such a miserable face does not endear them to anyone. Paloma is one of a seemingly endless line of precocious children who is made out to be some sort of guru for the world's ills. She is in fact insufferable. She has not a good word to say about any of her family particularly her older sister Colombe, who comes in for a real pasting and her only crime is that she is an intelligent young lady who goes to a good school and is negotiating her teenage years to the best of her ability. I think Colombe is a saint for putting up with one of the most annoying 12 year olds in literature. Renee is hardly any better as she chooses to be rude and dismissive to most of the residents for whom she works and then wonders why people don't give her the time of day. Then along comes M Kakuro the knight in shinning armour who sees beyond the exteriors of both Paloma and Renee and charms them into submission .............Oh Pe lease
Well that's the annoying bit out of the way, but what made me think this was not a great book was the way it was structured. Muriel Barbery is a teacher of philosophy and in this her second book she seems to vacillate between telling a story and presenting some philosophical insights on modern day living. To my mind she fails to combine the two in any meaningful way and her book becomes little more than a series of vignettes.
The book has its moments, but they are only moments and in the end it does not have the courage of its own convictions. Perhaps there is a great novel in Muriel Barbery, but in my opinion she has not written it here. A three star read.
At our meeting of the book club today the merits of The Elegance of the Hedgehog split the opinions of all of us who were there. Most people liked it, some liked it a lot and thought it was the best novel they had read in ages. Comments like "It
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really spoke to me" and "it is a novel I will treasure and go back to again and again" were bandied about. Me, I just felt sorry for Colombe, but let me explain. The novel is convincingly set in in present day Paris and features the denizens of an up market apartment block. The novel is presented in a first person narrative style by two of these inhabitants. Renee is the concierge who works hard at hiding her intelligence behind the gruff exterior and no-nonsense approach typical of a 50 year old women in her profession and Paloma is a 12 year old super intelligent daughter of one of the rich residents who takes cover behind an intensely introverted persona. Renee and Paloma are both disillusioned by, as they see it the crass valueless life styles of the people around them.
Barbery uses the thoughts of these two females to satirise the lives of the nouveau rich in Paris and she tilts at some familiar targets; consumerism, hypocrisy, class-ism, academia, psychoanalysis and false values. Her aim is true and she hits the mark eloquently enough, but at the expense of her novel. She interjects mainly through Paloma, but sometimes directly with short philosophical essays exploring such ideas as; the meaning of life, the beauty in art and the movement of the world. She gets back to her novel with the introduction of M. Kakuro; a Japanese gentlemen who moves into one of the apartments and has the role of recognising the humanity in both Renee and Paloma and bringing them out of their shells. A love story develops.
Muriel Barbery's prose is beautiful, her little stories are funny and her philosophical insights can be thought provoking................Hold on a minute. I am not supposed to be liking this book and in the end I don't. Having two female characters present to the world such a miserable face does not endear them to anyone. Paloma is one of a seemingly endless line of precocious children who is made out to be some sort of guru for the world's ills. She is in fact insufferable. She has not a good word to say about any of her family particularly her older sister Colombe, who comes in for a real pasting and her only crime is that she is an intelligent young lady who goes to a good school and is negotiating her teenage years to the best of her ability. I think Colombe is a saint for putting up with one of the most annoying 12 year olds in literature. Renee is hardly any better as she chooses to be rude and dismissive to most of the residents for whom she works and then wonders why people don't give her the time of day. Then along comes M Kakuro the knight in shinning armour who sees beyond the exteriors of both Paloma and Renee and charms them into submission .............Oh Pe lease
Well that's the annoying bit out of the way, but what made me think this was not a great book was the way it was structured. Muriel Barbery is a teacher of philosophy and in this her second book she seems to vacillate between telling a story and presenting some philosophical insights on modern day living. To my mind she fails to combine the two in any meaningful way and her book becomes little more than a series of vignettes.
The book has its moments, but they are only moments and in the end it does not have the courage of its own convictions. Perhaps there is a great novel in Muriel Barbery, but in my opinion she has not written it here. A three star read.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
I've read and really enjoyed two other Europa Editions books (Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio and Cooking with Fernet Branca) and really expected to love this one, especially since it was a runaway bestseller in Europe. However, I can't say that I did.
I felt like there
The first was the story of two of the residents of #7 Rue de Grenelle in Paris. We are introduced to Renée Michel, deliberately striving to hide behind the stereotype of a Parisian concierge and conceal her intelligence, her love for Tolstoy, Mozart and the Dutch Masters. We also meet Paloma Josse, a rich, precocious pre-teen whose skewering observations on her social class lead her to a decision to kill herself on her thirteenth birthday rather than become what she despises. This story is darkly humorous, full of rich and absurd commentary on privilege, popular culture and pretension. It starts a bit slowly but I quickly found myself becoming invested in these two...despite their faults and minor hypocrisies...and impatient to have their stories re-enter the book.
The second is a platform for the author to wax philosophical on the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Through the first few of these interludes, I would simply grin and bear it. By the time I was three quarters of the way through the book, I found them simply mind-numbing. They exuded that faux-profoundness of a group of college undergraduates and absolutely destroyed the pace of a story I was really enjoying.
The ending. I can envision a lively group discussion about the ending. I won't say what it was, of course, though that makes it very hard to discuss. In my opinion, it didn't work. Perhaps it resonates with some particular European sensibility but, despite being (perhaps!) consistent with some of the philosophy expressed by Renée, it was simply too...I'm not sure of the word, perhaps "artificial"?...for my taste.
In the end, I don't think this book lives up to the standard it, itself, sets for books (when you get to the part about plums, you'll know what I mean). I'd like to do a William Goldman on it and create The Elegance of the Hedgehog: The Good Parts Version.
Enjoyed, but definitely not my favorite Europa Editions creation.
I felt like there
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were two works interleaved with each other.The first was the story of two of the residents of #7 Rue de Grenelle in Paris. We are introduced to Renée Michel, deliberately striving to hide behind the stereotype of a Parisian concierge and conceal her intelligence, her love for Tolstoy, Mozart and the Dutch Masters. We also meet Paloma Josse, a rich, precocious pre-teen whose skewering observations on her social class lead her to a decision to kill herself on her thirteenth birthday rather than become what she despises. This story is darkly humorous, full of rich and absurd commentary on privilege, popular culture and pretension. It starts a bit slowly but I quickly found myself becoming invested in these two...despite their faults and minor hypocrisies...and impatient to have their stories re-enter the book.
The second is a platform for the author to wax philosophical on the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Through the first few of these interludes, I would simply grin and bear it. By the time I was three quarters of the way through the book, I found them simply mind-numbing. They exuded that faux-profoundness of a group of college undergraduates and absolutely destroyed the pace of a story I was really enjoying.
The ending. I can envision a lively group discussion about the ending. I won't say what it was, of course, though that makes it very hard to discuss. In my opinion, it didn't work. Perhaps it resonates with some particular European sensibility but, despite being (perhaps!) consistent with some of the philosophy expressed by Renée, it was simply too...I'm not sure of the word, perhaps "artificial"?...for my taste.
In the end, I don't think this book lives up to the standard it, itself, sets for books (when you get to the part about plums, you'll know what I mean). I'd like to do a William Goldman on it and create The Elegance of the Hedgehog: The Good Parts Version.
Enjoyed, but definitely not my favorite Europa Editions creation.
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LibraryThing member John
This is a very interesting book, not really so much a novel as a fable that provides the author with a vehicle to expound upon favourite gripes and themes in considering and exploring the vacuity of modern materialism, the role of Art and the meaning of life. Renee Michel is the concierge in an
The story is told in the first person by Renee and Paloma, the latter having decided to commit suicide at thirteen because she sees no point to life, but in the time intervening, she commits her thoughts to paper in a series of Profound Thoughts, and Journal of the Movement of the World. As she describes the latter, “…I’m referring to the beauty that is there in the world, things that, being part of the movement of life, elevate us. The Journal…will be devoted therefore to the movement of people, bodies, or even—if there’s really nothing to say—things, and to finding whatever is beautiful enough to give life meaning. Grace, beauty, harmony, intensity. If I find something, then I may rethink my options: if I find a body with beautiful movement or, failing that, a beautiful idea for the mind, well then maybe I’ll think that life is worth living after all.”
Barbery, through both Renee and Paloma, savages the shallow materialism, the shallow intellectualism, and the social blindness and snobbishness of the elites, as well as phenomenology, bad grammar, the pretentiousness of French cuisine, and psychoanalysis.
On the plus side, Barbery asks, “What is the purpose of Art? To give us the brief, dazzling illusion of the camellia, carving from time an emotional aperture that cannot be reduced to animal logic. How is Art born? It is begotten in the mind’s ability to sculpt the sensorial domain. What does Art do for us? It gives shape to our emotions, makes them visible and, in so doing, places a seal of eternity upon them, a seal representing all those works that, by means of a particular form, have incarnated the universal nature of human emotions”. For Barbery, the true meaning of Art is in its depiction of the eternal in the particular (“The contemplation of eternity within the very movement of life”) and in ephemerality of life: “…have our civilizations become so destitute that we can only live in our fear of want? Can we only enjoy our possessions or our senses when we are certain that we shall always be able to enjoy them? Perhaps the Japanese have learned that you can only savor a pleasure when you know it is ephemeral and unique; armed with this knowledge, they are yet able to weave their lives“. She also considers what is particular in how art represents life: “When movement has been banished from a nature that seeks its continuity, when it becomes renegade and remarkable by virtue of its very discontinuity, it attains the level of esthetic creation. Because art is life, playing to other rhythms”. Paloma picks up this theme in her writings: “…beauty consists of its own passing, just as we reach for it. It’s the ephemeral configuration of things in the moment, when you can see both their beauty and their death….does this mean how we must live our lives? Constantly poised between beauty and death, between movement and its disappearance? Maybe that’s what being alive is all about: so we can track down those moments that are dying”.
For all her learning and perceptions of life and art and beauty, Renee is limited because she hides her true nature and for all her criticisms of false social barriers, she is susceptible to them too in her own insecurity. She has a wonderful woman friend whom she loves, but she is not a soul-mate, nor was her husband, for all that he was a good and loving man. It is only in Ozu that Renee finds her soul-mate, someone who immediately sees her for the person she is in her own skin, who shares her thoughts and views on life and art, and who helps to overcome her almost ingrained belief that there is too large a gap between their stations in life by telling her that “we can be anything we want” because, to him, there are no stations, only people relating to, and understanding, and loving each other.
The title is intriguing: why a hedgehog? Paloma cogitates upon this in the only reference in the book: “Madame Michel has the elegance of the hedgehog: on the outside, she’s covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary—and terribly elegant”.
Of course, the most famous literary reference to hedgehogs comes from Isaiah Berlin’s essay, The Hedgehog and the Fox, which found its inspiration in the quote from the Greek poet Archilochus which says: 'The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing'.
Berlin wrote: “Scholars have differed about the correct interpretation of these dark words, which may mean no more than that the fox, for all his cunning, is defeated by the hedgehog's one defense. But, taken figuratively, the words can be made to yield a sense in which they mark one of the deepest differences which divide writers and thinkers, and, it may be, human beings in general. For there exists a great chasm between those, on one side, who relate everything to a single central vision, one system less or more coherent or articulate, in terms of which they understand, think and feel-a single, universal, organizing principle in terms of which alone all that they are and say has significance-and, on the other side, those who pursue many ends, often unrelated and even contradictory, connected, if at all, only in some de facto way, for some psychological or physiological cause, related by no moral or aesthetic principle; these last lead lives, perform acts, and entertain ideas that are centrifugal rather than centripetal, their thought is scattered or diffused, moving on many levels, seizing upon the essence of a vast variety of experiences and objects for what they are in themselves, without consciously or unconsciously, seeking to fit them into, or exclude them from, any one unchanging, all-embracing, sometimes self-contradictory and incomplete, at times fanatical, unitary inner vision. The first kind of intellectual and artistic personality belongs to the hedgehogs, the second to the foxes.”
At the risk of stretching things, I would say that Renee was a hedgehog in the sense that Art (as understood in its various forms)is the central vision around which she organizes her thoughts on life and what is truly important in it.
This is a book that deserves reflection and re-reading.
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elegant apartment building with a small number of very wealthy owners; she works hard at projecting the expected role of a grumpy, ill-educated, limited, unattractive person, but she is, in fact, a serious autodidact, very well versed in literature (with a special fondness for Russian authors), music, philosophy, movies, and art, especially as exhibited in Japanese society; Paloma is a twelve-year old girl of vastly superior (and frankly unbelievable, except in a fable) intelligence and sensitivity who lives in the building with her completely bourgeois and irksome parents and sister and who, like Renee, hides her intelligence and precociousness from everyone and who also shares a fondness for things Japanese; Kakuro Ozu is a very wealthy Japanese businessman who buys, and completely renovates, one of the large flats in the building and who almost instantly perceives that there is much more to Renee than she lets on, simply because he sees her as a person, rather than regarding her through the prism of the limiting and expected role and status of a concierge. The story is told in the first person by Renee and Paloma, the latter having decided to commit suicide at thirteen because she sees no point to life, but in the time intervening, she commits her thoughts to paper in a series of Profound Thoughts, and Journal of the Movement of the World. As she describes the latter, “…I’m referring to the beauty that is there in the world, things that, being part of the movement of life, elevate us. The Journal…will be devoted therefore to the movement of people, bodies, or even—if there’s really nothing to say—things, and to finding whatever is beautiful enough to give life meaning. Grace, beauty, harmony, intensity. If I find something, then I may rethink my options: if I find a body with beautiful movement or, failing that, a beautiful idea for the mind, well then maybe I’ll think that life is worth living after all.”
Barbery, through both Renee and Paloma, savages the shallow materialism, the shallow intellectualism, and the social blindness and snobbishness of the elites, as well as phenomenology, bad grammar, the pretentiousness of French cuisine, and psychoanalysis.
On the plus side, Barbery asks, “What is the purpose of Art? To give us the brief, dazzling illusion of the camellia, carving from time an emotional aperture that cannot be reduced to animal logic. How is Art born? It is begotten in the mind’s ability to sculpt the sensorial domain. What does Art do for us? It gives shape to our emotions, makes them visible and, in so doing, places a seal of eternity upon them, a seal representing all those works that, by means of a particular form, have incarnated the universal nature of human emotions”. For Barbery, the true meaning of Art is in its depiction of the eternal in the particular (“The contemplation of eternity within the very movement of life”) and in ephemerality of life: “…have our civilizations become so destitute that we can only live in our fear of want? Can we only enjoy our possessions or our senses when we are certain that we shall always be able to enjoy them? Perhaps the Japanese have learned that you can only savor a pleasure when you know it is ephemeral and unique; armed with this knowledge, they are yet able to weave their lives“. She also considers what is particular in how art represents life: “When movement has been banished from a nature that seeks its continuity, when it becomes renegade and remarkable by virtue of its very discontinuity, it attains the level of esthetic creation. Because art is life, playing to other rhythms”. Paloma picks up this theme in her writings: “…beauty consists of its own passing, just as we reach for it. It’s the ephemeral configuration of things in the moment, when you can see both their beauty and their death….does this mean how we must live our lives? Constantly poised between beauty and death, between movement and its disappearance? Maybe that’s what being alive is all about: so we can track down those moments that are dying”.
For all her learning and perceptions of life and art and beauty, Renee is limited because she hides her true nature and for all her criticisms of false social barriers, she is susceptible to them too in her own insecurity. She has a wonderful woman friend whom she loves, but she is not a soul-mate, nor was her husband, for all that he was a good and loving man. It is only in Ozu that Renee finds her soul-mate, someone who immediately sees her for the person she is in her own skin, who shares her thoughts and views on life and art, and who helps to overcome her almost ingrained belief that there is too large a gap between their stations in life by telling her that “we can be anything we want” because, to him, there are no stations, only people relating to, and understanding, and loving each other.
The title is intriguing: why a hedgehog? Paloma cogitates upon this in the only reference in the book: “Madame Michel has the elegance of the hedgehog: on the outside, she’s covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary—and terribly elegant”.
Of course, the most famous literary reference to hedgehogs comes from Isaiah Berlin’s essay, The Hedgehog and the Fox, which found its inspiration in the quote from the Greek poet Archilochus which says: 'The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing'.
Berlin wrote: “Scholars have differed about the correct interpretation of these dark words, which may mean no more than that the fox, for all his cunning, is defeated by the hedgehog's one defense. But, taken figuratively, the words can be made to yield a sense in which they mark one of the deepest differences which divide writers and thinkers, and, it may be, human beings in general. For there exists a great chasm between those, on one side, who relate everything to a single central vision, one system less or more coherent or articulate, in terms of which they understand, think and feel-a single, universal, organizing principle in terms of which alone all that they are and say has significance-and, on the other side, those who pursue many ends, often unrelated and even contradictory, connected, if at all, only in some de facto way, for some psychological or physiological cause, related by no moral or aesthetic principle; these last lead lives, perform acts, and entertain ideas that are centrifugal rather than centripetal, their thought is scattered or diffused, moving on many levels, seizing upon the essence of a vast variety of experiences and objects for what they are in themselves, without consciously or unconsciously, seeking to fit them into, or exclude them from, any one unchanging, all-embracing, sometimes self-contradictory and incomplete, at times fanatical, unitary inner vision. The first kind of intellectual and artistic personality belongs to the hedgehogs, the second to the foxes.”
At the risk of stretching things, I would say that Renee was a hedgehog in the sense that Art (as understood in its various forms)is the central vision around which she organizes her thoughts on life and what is truly important in it.
This is a book that deserves reflection and re-reading.
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LibraryThing member bragan
This is the story of two closet intellectuals: a fifty-four-year old concierge at some sort of luxury apartment complex in Paris, and the 12-year-old daughter of one of the wealthy tenants. Both are intelligent and given to philosophical musings; much of the book consists of their somewhat rambling
This seems to be kind of a love-it-or-hate it book, and I was very curious to see which side I would end up on, but I think the answer is neither. Or maybe both. I don't know. It's hard to know what I think about this book. I started out feeling that the philosophical stuff was mildly interesting, even (or perhaps especially) when I wanted to argue with it, and that the writing had a certain odd charm, but absolutely hating the characters. They struck me as cowardly, wallowing in their own intellectual superiority while lacking the courage to do anything but rigidly conform to what they believe others expect of them. Worse, they both have that particular kind of arrogant intellectual attitude that assumes that everyone but them is a blind, shallow sheep of a human being walking uselessly through life with closed eyes and a brain full of nothing but meaningless banalities. Which, I am ashamed to admit, reminds me a bit of myself when I was, oh, about the age of the kid in this story. Eventually, though, I came to understand how ugly that attitude was, how lacking in any kind of perspective or empathy.... And, of course, the character flaws we've overcome in ourselves are often the ones we find least tolerable in other people. So, yeah, I hated these characters. At first. Near the end, though, I found myself warming to them quite a bit, as they began to change slowly under the influence of the new tenant, Monsieur Ozu, a man quite capable of being intelligent without being arrogant and sophisticated without being pretentious, a man who genuinely does not care what French society might think of him or his choice of friends. And I started to feel reassured by the idea that the author didn't exactly disagree with me about the two main characters and their flaws, that she was doing something much more interesting than using them as mouthpieces for her own ideas, and I began to think, you know, maybe this is a pretty good book after all. Maybe I'm starting to really feel something for these people. Maybe I like where this is going.... And then the incredibly cheap-feeling ending came along and annoyed the crap out of me.
So, yeah. I can say that I found this an interesting enough reading experience that I don't regret spending the time on it, but as to whether I liked it or not... Meh.
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thoughts about such topics as art, the class system, and the meaning of life (or the lack thereof), as well as their decidedly cynical observations of the people around them. Both, however, attempt to hide their inner lives from others as much as possible, until a new tenant moves in, brings them together, and begins to help bring them out of themselves.This seems to be kind of a love-it-or-hate it book, and I was very curious to see which side I would end up on, but I think the answer is neither. Or maybe both. I don't know. It's hard to know what I think about this book. I started out feeling that the philosophical stuff was mildly interesting, even (or perhaps especially) when I wanted to argue with it, and that the writing had a certain odd charm, but absolutely hating the characters. They struck me as cowardly, wallowing in their own intellectual superiority while lacking the courage to do anything but rigidly conform to what they believe others expect of them. Worse, they both have that particular kind of arrogant intellectual attitude that assumes that everyone but them is a blind, shallow sheep of a human being walking uselessly through life with closed eyes and a brain full of nothing but meaningless banalities. Which, I am ashamed to admit, reminds me a bit of myself when I was, oh, about the age of the kid in this story. Eventually, though, I came to understand how ugly that attitude was, how lacking in any kind of perspective or empathy.... And, of course, the character flaws we've overcome in ourselves are often the ones we find least tolerable in other people. So, yeah, I hated these characters. At first. Near the end, though, I found myself warming to them quite a bit, as they began to change slowly under the influence of the new tenant, Monsieur Ozu, a man quite capable of being intelligent without being arrogant and sophisticated without being pretentious, a man who genuinely does not care what French society might think of him or his choice of friends. And I started to feel reassured by the idea that the author didn't exactly disagree with me about the two main characters and their flaws, that she was doing something much more interesting than using them as mouthpieces for her own ideas, and I began to think, you know, maybe this is a pretty good book after all. Maybe I'm starting to really feel something for these people. Maybe I like where this is going.... And then the incredibly cheap-feeling ending came along and annoyed the crap out of me.
So, yeah. I can say that I found this an interesting enough reading experience that I don't regret spending the time on it, but as to whether I liked it or not... Meh.
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LibraryThing member phoebesmum
Oh, dear heavens, what a dreadful, tedious, tiresome, PRETENTIOUS book! I am pretty sure that when one of the characters is a 12-year-old who's planning to commit suicide (to avoid a predictable bourgeois future), one isn't supposed to think "Well, get on with it then" and, likewise, when the other
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main character is a concierge who not only makes a great to-do about her artistic and intellectual superiority but also continually refers to herself as an 'autodidact', one isn't supposed to cheer when the irritating cow gets hit by a truck – and yet, and yet … that's where I found myself. It's either author! or reader!fail, and I know which one I'm betting on. Remember, kids: everything Japanese = refined and cultured; everything Western = decadent and worthless. Show Less
LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
Elegance of the Hedgehog
This book is about the power of beauty to make life worthwhile and the power of art to illuminate beauty. The story is told in two voices: Renee, the 54 year old concierge of an elegant hotel in Paris; and Paloma a 12 year old girl living with her family in their 5th floor
Paloma, on the other hand, is born into a very wealthy family who greatly values intelligence, to a degree but she thinks would fear her exceptional abilities. They converse, but only on an acquisitive level. She feels none of them has an ability to see the "real" nature of life - that it is absurd, and we all just end up with no more purpose than swimming in a goldfish bowl. So having great disdain for them all she plans to kill herself and set fire to her apartment on her 13th birthday. In the meantime she keeps two journals, one of profound thoughts and one of the movement of the world "finding whatever is beautiful enough to give life meaning."
I think this is where the love it or hate it nature of readers' reactions to the book comes in. Some readers can't see beyond the disdain these two characters have for the people around them. Well, first of all, Paloma is 12, an intelligent 12. Disdain is in her nature. Renee, on the other hand is a woman who thinks herself not beautiful and whose job it is to wait on the wealthy who seem to value appearance more than anything. When she is talking about the death of her husband, she says, "Since we were concierges, it was a given that death, for us, must be a matter of course, whereas for our privileged neighbors it carried all the weight of injustice and drama. The death of a concierge leaves a slight indentation of every day life, belongs to a biological certainty that has nothing tragic about it...a non-entity who was merely returning to a nothingness from which he had never fully emerged." There's nothing like associating with rich people to make a person feel less than equal. So, I don't mind the disdain.
The reason I love this book is that it so clearly points out beauty and the meaning of beauty in the world. A first glimpse of beauty is in Renee's description of a tea ritual,..."when tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things...with each swallow time is sublimed." The book is called the Elegance of the Hedgehog because it mentions the elegance of the creature living inside the prickly exterior of the hedgehog that everyone sees. Rather it should have been named Camellias because the beginning of the romance of this book comes when Renee describes a Japanese movie she has seen. First she says that "...you desperately need Art, You seek to reconnect with your spiritual illusions, and you wish fervently that something might rescue you from your biological destiny". In the film The Munekata Sisters, the father, who is about to die, and daughter talk about a moss temple they have seen and the beauty of a camellia on the moss, then the violet mountains of Kyoto which look like azuki bean paste. "True novelty is that which does not grow old, despite the passage of time...The camellia against the moss of the temple, the violet hues of the Kyoto mountains...this sudden flowering of pure beauty at the heart of ephemeral passion: is this not something we all aspire to? And something that, in our Western civilization, we do not know how to attain?" For me, the book could have ended with this observation. Both Renee and Paloma are able to see the camellia on the moss and to make me see it too. Surprisingly the story doesn't end there.. Connections are made, friendships grow. The story of Renee and Paloma continues to build and build to the most perfect ending I could envision. I will be recommending this book to everyone.
This book is about the power of beauty to make life worthwhile and the power of art to illuminate beauty. The story is told in two voices: Renee, the 54 year old concierge of an elegant hotel in Paris; and Paloma a 12 year old girl living with her family in their 5th floor
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apartment of that building. Renee and Paloma share and treasure an intelligence that sets them apart from others. Renee is a plain looking woman who was born into a poor family. They were poor in both financial and emotional terms, they always had enough to eat but no prospects of a good life, and they never talked to each other. Renee's intelligence allowed her to get a good basic education, she married young, at 17, and she and her husband worked hard all their lives. Before the story begins Renee's husband has died of cancer and she lives alone with her fat cat Leo. No one would know the cat was named for Tolstoy, in fact no one has any idea of Renee's intelligence, her love of books, museums, movies and art in all forms. She chooses to show the world only a slow witted, competent concierge because she worries people may both expect too much of her and fear her if they know of her intelligence.Paloma, on the other hand, is born into a very wealthy family who greatly values intelligence, to a degree but she thinks would fear her exceptional abilities. They converse, but only on an acquisitive level. She feels none of them has an ability to see the "real" nature of life - that it is absurd, and we all just end up with no more purpose than swimming in a goldfish bowl. So having great disdain for them all she plans to kill herself and set fire to her apartment on her 13th birthday. In the meantime she keeps two journals, one of profound thoughts and one of the movement of the world "finding whatever is beautiful enough to give life meaning."
I think this is where the love it or hate it nature of readers' reactions to the book comes in. Some readers can't see beyond the disdain these two characters have for the people around them. Well, first of all, Paloma is 12, an intelligent 12. Disdain is in her nature. Renee, on the other hand is a woman who thinks herself not beautiful and whose job it is to wait on the wealthy who seem to value appearance more than anything. When she is talking about the death of her husband, she says, "Since we were concierges, it was a given that death, for us, must be a matter of course, whereas for our privileged neighbors it carried all the weight of injustice and drama. The death of a concierge leaves a slight indentation of every day life, belongs to a biological certainty that has nothing tragic about it...a non-entity who was merely returning to a nothingness from which he had never fully emerged." There's nothing like associating with rich people to make a person feel less than equal. So, I don't mind the disdain.
The reason I love this book is that it so clearly points out beauty and the meaning of beauty in the world. A first glimpse of beauty is in Renee's description of a tea ritual,..."when tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things...with each swallow time is sublimed." The book is called the Elegance of the Hedgehog because it mentions the elegance of the creature living inside the prickly exterior of the hedgehog that everyone sees. Rather it should have been named Camellias because the beginning of the romance of this book comes when Renee describes a Japanese movie she has seen. First she says that "...you desperately need Art, You seek to reconnect with your spiritual illusions, and you wish fervently that something might rescue you from your biological destiny". In the film The Munekata Sisters, the father, who is about to die, and daughter talk about a moss temple they have seen and the beauty of a camellia on the moss, then the violet mountains of Kyoto which look like azuki bean paste. "True novelty is that which does not grow old, despite the passage of time...The camellia against the moss of the temple, the violet hues of the Kyoto mountains...this sudden flowering of pure beauty at the heart of ephemeral passion: is this not something we all aspire to? And something that, in our Western civilization, we do not know how to attain?" For me, the book could have ended with this observation. Both Renee and Paloma are able to see the camellia on the moss and to make me see it too. Surprisingly the story doesn't end there.. Connections are made, friendships grow. The story of Renee and Paloma continues to build and build to the most perfect ending I could envision. I will be recommending this book to everyone.
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LibraryThing member Apolline
Some times a book can present itself to you by kicking you in the leg and screaming to be read. The kick being a catchy title and the scream an enchanting cover. Some of the books turn out to deserve all the fuss, but sadly many of them are not worth either the time or effort put in to reading it.
But some times, and very few indeed, you discover a book, not by a fancy cover, the enchanting title or the book loudly screaming “read me, read me!” while you rub your aching leg from all the kicking. Once in a while a book creeps unnoticeably up behind your back, whispering gently in your ear “you can read me if you want…”. No fuss, no screaming, yet it is the most wonderful creation of literature you have read in a long time. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is this type of book. It neither screams nor casting spells. It is what it is, a thoughtful, intelligent, sweet, heartwarming creation of a story. Through a few short weeks we get all the insights of the life in number 7, Rue de Grenelle, a grand apartment building in Paris.
Paloma is twelve, soon turning thirteen, and dead set on ending her life and setting her luxurious apartment on fire on her birthday. The young girl can see no reason to continue her monotonous existence of a life, appalled by all the wrong doings in the world, and way too smart for her own age. Through the whole book we get to follow her search for a reason to live, sometimes through her profound thoughts about society, her family, animals, the new neighbour or whatever occupies a young girls mind.
Renée is the concierge in number 7, Rue de Grenelle, an uneducated woman of fifty-four, but still as well read and smart as any MA student at a good university. She has decided to live a lie. Scared to face the world outside the apartment building, she is set on living the role of a true concierge, hiding her knowledge from everyone but her best, and only, friend. But things are about to change for the both of them. Will Paloma find a reason to live and will Renée be able to live a life as a person, not the role of a concierge?
This book is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is smart, sweet, witty yet serious, very thought provoking and moving. It is a low whisper that will stick with you for a long time after reading it, both unusual and insightful. The language is lovely and the characters so well described you feel they are sitting right next to you. Definitely a memorable book, that I will enjoy countless times in the future.
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Throughout the whole book you ask yourself why you bother, and as you turn the last page you conclude you would never have read it in the first place if it was not for the already mentioned mesmerising cover and the enchanting title that magically caught your attention. They were both traps, a set-up to lure unsuspecting booklovers to buying the mediocre book, otherwise no one would even think of it. But some times, and very few indeed, you discover a book, not by a fancy cover, the enchanting title or the book loudly screaming “read me, read me!” while you rub your aching leg from all the kicking. Once in a while a book creeps unnoticeably up behind your back, whispering gently in your ear “you can read me if you want…”. No fuss, no screaming, yet it is the most wonderful creation of literature you have read in a long time. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is this type of book. It neither screams nor casting spells. It is what it is, a thoughtful, intelligent, sweet, heartwarming creation of a story. Through a few short weeks we get all the insights of the life in number 7, Rue de Grenelle, a grand apartment building in Paris.
Paloma is twelve, soon turning thirteen, and dead set on ending her life and setting her luxurious apartment on fire on her birthday. The young girl can see no reason to continue her monotonous existence of a life, appalled by all the wrong doings in the world, and way too smart for her own age. Through the whole book we get to follow her search for a reason to live, sometimes through her profound thoughts about society, her family, animals, the new neighbour or whatever occupies a young girls mind.
Renée is the concierge in number 7, Rue de Grenelle, an uneducated woman of fifty-four, but still as well read and smart as any MA student at a good university. She has decided to live a lie. Scared to face the world outside the apartment building, she is set on living the role of a true concierge, hiding her knowledge from everyone but her best, and only, friend. But things are about to change for the both of them. Will Paloma find a reason to live and will Renée be able to live a life as a person, not the role of a concierge?
This book is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is smart, sweet, witty yet serious, very thought provoking and moving. It is a low whisper that will stick with you for a long time after reading it, both unusual and insightful. The language is lovely and the characters so well described you feel they are sitting right next to you. Definitely a memorable book, that I will enjoy countless times in the future.
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LibraryThing member rmckeown
I hardly know where to begin with this review. Every once in a great while – ten years? twenty? – a book comes along that combines all the best things about literature: characters who are interesting, sympathetic, emotionally complex, with intelligence, élan, and a clear perspective on the
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is the story of Renée Michel, who says of herself, “I am a widow, I am short, ugly, and plump, I have bunions on my feet” with “the breath of a mammoth” (19). She has served as concierge for an upscale condo building in Paris for twenty-seven years. Renée also refers to herself as “poor, discreet, and insignificant” (18). Despite all this, she is extremely intelligent and incredibly well-read across an amazingly eclectic selection of literature, philosophy, history, art, and politics.
Living with her parents and an older sister in one of the eight luxury apartments is Paloma Josse, a precocious twelve-year-old who has decided to commit suicide on her 13th birthday, June 16th. Paloma describes herself as “Exceptionally intelligent” (23). Paloma likes few things more than reading, and she, too, is incredibly well-read for someone her age.
What these two share amounts to an obsessive desire to hide their intelligence from the world. Renée does so because of her position as a concierge, “since it has been written somewhere that concierges are old, ugly and sour” (19), and Paloma does so because “an exceptionally gifted child would never have a moment’s peace” (23).
The lives of these two characters intersect in a surprising and unforgettable way. Elegance represents one of the finest examples of the psychological novel I have ever read. This complicated genre examines the “invisible life” of a character, who employs an interior monologue to describe her unspoken and subconscious existence. The list of practitioners of this form of the novel date back to Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, George Meredith, Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad up to James Joyce and William Faulkner. If this sounds dry and dull, I will admit it can be. But Barbery has defied that stereotype and written a magnificent, wonderful, and lovely book.
The story abounds with literary and cultural references. It does take a fair amount of concentration, but I can list ten or twelve chapters that I immediately re-read to absorb the full impact of the prose. When thinking about a cup of tea, Renée muses,
“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment” (91).
What a wonderful line – “a jewel of infinity in a single moment.” Breathtaking prose like this occurs on nearly every page.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog or the original title, L’Élégance du Hérisson, is clearly one of the finest novels I have read in many years. If you call yourself a reader, you must read this book. Now. Without delay. 10 stars. The highest possible rating.
--Jim, 2/11/10
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world around them, and a story that won’t allow the reader to put down the book, all the while making the approaching end something to be delayed. My only regret is that I cannot read Barbery in the original language.The Elegance of the Hedgehog is the story of Renée Michel, who says of herself, “I am a widow, I am short, ugly, and plump, I have bunions on my feet” with “the breath of a mammoth” (19). She has served as concierge for an upscale condo building in Paris for twenty-seven years. Renée also refers to herself as “poor, discreet, and insignificant” (18). Despite all this, she is extremely intelligent and incredibly well-read across an amazingly eclectic selection of literature, philosophy, history, art, and politics.
Living with her parents and an older sister in one of the eight luxury apartments is Paloma Josse, a precocious twelve-year-old who has decided to commit suicide on her 13th birthday, June 16th. Paloma describes herself as “Exceptionally intelligent” (23). Paloma likes few things more than reading, and she, too, is incredibly well-read for someone her age.
What these two share amounts to an obsessive desire to hide their intelligence from the world. Renée does so because of her position as a concierge, “since it has been written somewhere that concierges are old, ugly and sour” (19), and Paloma does so because “an exceptionally gifted child would never have a moment’s peace” (23).
The lives of these two characters intersect in a surprising and unforgettable way. Elegance represents one of the finest examples of the psychological novel I have ever read. This complicated genre examines the “invisible life” of a character, who employs an interior monologue to describe her unspoken and subconscious existence. The list of practitioners of this form of the novel date back to Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, George Meredith, Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad up to James Joyce and William Faulkner. If this sounds dry and dull, I will admit it can be. But Barbery has defied that stereotype and written a magnificent, wonderful, and lovely book.
The story abounds with literary and cultural references. It does take a fair amount of concentration, but I can list ten or twelve chapters that I immediately re-read to absorb the full impact of the prose. When thinking about a cup of tea, Renée muses,
“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment” (91).
What a wonderful line – “a jewel of infinity in a single moment.” Breathtaking prose like this occurs on nearly every page.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog or the original title, L’Élégance du Hérisson, is clearly one of the finest novels I have read in many years. If you call yourself a reader, you must read this book. Now. Without delay. 10 stars. The highest possible rating.
--Jim, 2/11/10
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LibraryThing member mirrornoir
Even after reading dozens of enthusiastic reviews, I still can't understand how anyone could ever find a book like this intelligent or enjoyable. It's the story of a twelve year old girl - who is AFFLICTED by intelligence, which is apparently very tragic, and a fifty year old concierge, who also
Anyways, the two characters - Renee and Paloma, respectively - frown upon the snobs that populate upper-class French society - while not noticing that their condescending, disgusted attitude at these 'snobs' makes them snobs in themselves.
One of the worst - if not THE worst - books I've ever read
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suffers from this horrible thing called intelligence. The entire book's suspense hinges on the fact that they want to hide their terrible disease of INTELLIGENCE from everyone they know, while writing in the exact same style - long, elaborate sentences with lots of big words that amount to Barbery flaunting her wide vocabulary.Anyways, the two characters - Renee and Paloma, respectively - frown upon the snobs that populate upper-class French society - while not noticing that their condescending, disgusted attitude at these 'snobs' makes them snobs in themselves.
One of the worst - if not THE worst - books I've ever read
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LibraryThing member Berly
You know how when everyone raves about a book and you become just a little bit hesitant about trying it, for fear that it can't possible live up to the expectations? Well, all my LT friends were right! (I can't remember who first recommend it, but richardderus, brenzi, wookiebender, cameling,
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rainpebble, jdthloue, bonniebooks, Whisper1, teelgee, msf59, womansheart, and Donna828 all have it.) I loved this book! The characters completely drew me in. Renée, the seemingly simple concierge of an apartment building, hides her brilliance behind a dowdy exterior, but oh! what I wouldn't give to have tea with her! And Poloma, an equally brilliant twelve-year-old who lives in the building, feels disenfranchised and is planning her suicide. One is making do with life and the other is searching for a reason to continue living. The vocabulary was enticing. The casual conversations covering philosophy, great painters, class boundaries, morals, etc., were wonderful. The main character's secret lives were both sad and enchanting and I could easily relate to the need to hide from the world. The ending took me by complete surprise and, in general, Hedgehog has forced me to re-evaluate whether I have fallen into the trap of looking past people and seeing them only superficially. A favorite for the year. Show Less
LibraryThing member traciragas
Nothing I could say about this book will be enough. To say it was the best book I’ve ever read – would be true but not nearly good enough. That I dog-eared almost every other page because there was a quote I liked. That there were so many true parts that resonated with me. That still wouldn’t
Paloma and Renee are two of the most amazing characters I've ever met in any book. The way their thoughts were so in-sync. surprised but then as I got to know them, I expected it. These two characters were connected in a way that rarely happens with people.
Though I have a million more, these two stood out:
“Personally, I think there is only one thing to do: find the task we have been placed on this earth to do, and accomplish it as best we can, with all our strength, without making things complicated or thinking there’s anything divine about our animal nature. This is the only way we will ever feel that we have been doing something constructive when death comes to get us.” – page 238
“Nor must we forget that these old people were young once, that a lifespan is pathetically short, that one day you’re twenty and the next day you’re eighty.” – page 128
Renee reminded me about camellias and destiny. Paloma reminded me of hope for the future and what we were put on this earth to do.
Totally amazing book. I’ll remember these characters forever.
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do it justice. Paloma and Renee are two of the most amazing characters I've ever met in any book. The way their thoughts were so in-sync. surprised but then as I got to know them, I expected it. These two characters were connected in a way that rarely happens with people.
Though I have a million more, these two stood out:
“Personally, I think there is only one thing to do: find the task we have been placed on this earth to do, and accomplish it as best we can, with all our strength, without making things complicated or thinking there’s anything divine about our animal nature. This is the only way we will ever feel that we have been doing something constructive when death comes to get us.” – page 238
“Nor must we forget that these old people were young once, that a lifespan is pathetically short, that one day you’re twenty and the next day you’re eighty.” – page 128
Renee reminded me about camellias and destiny. Paloma reminded me of hope for the future and what we were put on this earth to do.
Totally amazing book. I’ll remember these characters forever.
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LibraryThing member cameling
This is a beautifully written book, although probably appreciated more by autodidacts. The author makes many literary references, and unless the reader has read relatively widely, this could become rather frustrating because the relevance of the references do add a hidden depth to her writing.
This
The book made me consider how many people there are who go through life hiding who they really are, and how many people hide their true intellect because they fear ridicule, or because they just want to blend in and be accepted by society with fewer expectations.
The relationship between the young Paloma and the old concierge Renee does not come into play until the last third of the book. But it is the relationship between Paloma and the elegant Mr Ozu, and the relationship between Mr Ozu and Renee that are the shining moments in this book. Mr Ozu, the new resident in the building is an unexpected link to the 2 ladies and the catalyst that helps them both emerge from their personal shadows.
This
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book was not what I had expected. I was expecting something lighter but what I received for the time I took to read this book, was something much deeper, more philosophical and much more insightful than the synopsis on the jacket cover alluded to. The book made me consider how many people there are who go through life hiding who they really are, and how many people hide their true intellect because they fear ridicule, or because they just want to blend in and be accepted by society with fewer expectations.
The relationship between the young Paloma and the old concierge Renee does not come into play until the last third of the book. But it is the relationship between Paloma and the elegant Mr Ozu, and the relationship between Mr Ozu and Renee that are the shining moments in this book. Mr Ozu, the new resident in the building is an unexpected link to the 2 ladies and the catalyst that helps them both emerge from their personal shadows.
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LibraryThing member thorold
This struck me as one of those books that looks better the closer you are too it. The language, the observation, the range of topics and the acuteness with which the two narrators comment on them are all a great pleasure. There's something eminently quotable on practically every page.
On the other
The central message of the book — that life is worth living after all, because it contains moments of beauty and the pleasure of helping others — is presented very cleverly, but it's ultimately rather a banal thought.
It's a very French book, moving at a glacial, Proustian pace for the most part, but with clever injections of action in the style of le chick-lit anglo-saxon here and there to take us off our guard. Essentially nothing happens in the first 200 pages or so, which are used to establish to the reader just how anti-social both Renée and Paloma are. Even when things do start to happen, the pace is kept tantalisingly slow. When Renée goes out to dinner, it takes her three chapters to get from the front door of her host's apartment to the kitchen, then a further two to go to the toilet. If you are happy to read it slowly and pause to enjoy the language, that's fine, but you would probably get very irritated with it if you were skimming through the philosophy and looking for the storyline. If you are a madeleines-and-tisane sort of reader, you'll probably enjoy this (especially if you can read it in French); if you're looking for fast-moving action or romance, other novels are available.
On the other
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hand, if you zoom out a bit and look at the book as a whole, there doesn't seem to be very much there. The notion of the narrator as the only clever person in a world full of unappreciative, stupid people is a literary trope as old as the hills, and having two such narrators in the same book just comes over as arrogant. There's also an odd incongruity between the narrative conventions applied to the two narrators, Renée and Paloma. Renée, the widowed, fifty-something concièrge who reads Tolstoy and Hegel, is a believable, naturalistic portrait: I've certainly met many people like that over the years (if you have anything to do with an institution like the Open University, you soon realise that the world is full of highly intelligent people who missed out on formal education). Only her somewhat Dickensian childhood seems a bit anachronistic for someone born in France in the 1950s. The adolescent Paloma, on the other hand, obviously isn't meant as a naturalistic portrait. Her insights into the world around her are clever and often very amusing, but they are those of an adult, based on an adult's experience of life. There's nothing wrong with this technique, in itself, but it's oddly disturbing side-by-side with Renée's narrative. Barbery foregrounds the difference by presenting Renée's narrative as a simple train of thought, but Paloma's as a series of written documents (numbered Pensées profondes and Journaux du mouvement du monde).The central message of the book — that life is worth living after all, because it contains moments of beauty and the pleasure of helping others — is presented very cleverly, but it's ultimately rather a banal thought.
It's a very French book, moving at a glacial, Proustian pace for the most part, but with clever injections of action in the style of le chick-lit anglo-saxon here and there to take us off our guard. Essentially nothing happens in the first 200 pages or so, which are used to establish to the reader just how anti-social both Renée and Paloma are. Even when things do start to happen, the pace is kept tantalisingly slow. When Renée goes out to dinner, it takes her three chapters to get from the front door of her host's apartment to the kitchen, then a further two to go to the toilet. If you are happy to read it slowly and pause to enjoy the language, that's fine, but you would probably get very irritated with it if you were skimming through the philosophy and looking for the storyline. If you are a madeleines-and-tisane sort of reader, you'll probably enjoy this (especially if you can read it in French); if you're looking for fast-moving action or romance, other novels are available.
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LibraryThing member pdebolt
Good literature touches both the mind and the heart, which is evident in this absorbing novel. This is a book that I will re-read and give as a gift to people in my life who value well-written, thought-provoking prose. So many phrases struck a chord with me, but none more than this thought by
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Paloma: "...pity the poor in spirit who know neither the enchantment nor the beauty of language." Show Less
LibraryThing member nittnut
The book started out slowly for me. The author definitely takes her time developing the characters. The story is told through two voices, Renee, the concierge of the apartment building, and Paloma, a 12 year old girl who lives in the apartment. The story rarely leaves the apartment building. Both
As the story develops, both Renee and Paloma learn to live. Renee by learning to be herself and open herself to love and friendship, Paloma by choosing to help heal the hurts she sees around her.
A couple of quotes I really liked:
"when the struggle to dominate our primate aggressiveness takes up arms as powerful as books and words, the undertaking is an easy one, and that is how I became an educated person, finding in written symbols the strength to resist my own nature."
"Madame Michel has the elegance of the hedgehog: on the outside, she's covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary - and terribly elegant."
"We don't recognize each other because other people have become our permanent mirrors."
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main characters are philosophers, not by occupation, but by personality. Renee is hiding her true self from the others living in the apartment. She is well-read and intelligent, but fears that if they know that, her position will be jeopardized. Paloma is extremely gifted, but wishes to hide this fact from her family. She fears that her life will no longer belong to her if they realize just how bright she is. Both characters are hiding, and as a result, not truly living.As the story develops, both Renee and Paloma learn to live. Renee by learning to be herself and open herself to love and friendship, Paloma by choosing to help heal the hurts she sees around her.
A couple of quotes I really liked:
"when the struggle to dominate our primate aggressiveness takes up arms as powerful as books and words, the undertaking is an easy one, and that is how I became an educated person, finding in written symbols the strength to resist my own nature."
"Madame Michel has the elegance of the hedgehog: on the outside, she's covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary - and terribly elegant."
"We don't recognize each other because other people have become our permanent mirrors."
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LibraryThing member ImpudentAngel
Finished. Finally! I had put this book aside one time a few months ago because I couldn't get into it, but picked it up again when it was recommended by someone. I decided I may have been too hasty, and tried again. Even though I still didn't like it, I determined myself to see it through to the
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end. I was right all along. I really didn't like it. It actually took me about 275 pages until I began to get interested. From that point on, the final 50 pages redeemed the book from being thrown into the fireplace - even though it belongs to the library.Much of the time I found myself sitting with glazed-over eyes, trying to make sense of all the artsy-fartsy lingo (excuse me.) I might as well have been reading Greek, for all I got out of the esoteric drivel. Such blathering. Such tortuous philosophical claptrap. Such drivel. Such a waste of time. Show Less
LibraryThing member embarczynski
I selected this book for its cover. Well, my daughter and I went for it at the same time for the same reason. I want to eloquently express how much I like this book, but think it is enought to tell you that I was compelled to hug it when I finished the last sentence. I recommend it to everyone that
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enjoys to read. The plot is simple, the language is beautiful, thoughtful, philosophical. You won't be sorry. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
My preconceived idea about this book is that it would be somewhat comic and charming book but light. Boy was I wrong.
There are some funny portions but neither of the protagonists could really be called charming and it is quite a demanding read. I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading a
As I said, there are two protagonists: Madame Renee Michel, the 54 year old concierge at number 7, rue de Grenelle in Paris and Paloma Josse, 12 years old and also a resident at number 7, rue de Grenelle. Both Renee and Paloma are very intelligent but Renee, who is self-taught, has been able to hide her intelligence all these years because a concierge is not supposed to be reading Tolstoy or interested in fine art. Paloma also tries to hide her intelligence but isn't as successful as Madame Michel because she still comes first in her class. She studies her parents and their friends and is convinced that adult life holds no attraction for her. She has therefore decided to commit suicide when she turns 13 but meanwhile she is constructing two journals. One will be profound thoughts but they can only be in the form of haiku or tanka, three lines and five lines respectively. Paloma loves all things Japanese. The other will be an exploration of "the masterpieces of matter" because she wants to make sure there isn't something worth living for that she would miss if she committed suicide.
Madame Michel is a devotee of Japanese cinema. When the new owner of one of the apartments, who is Japanese, is introduced to her she does not catch his name but she slips up in her facade of stupidness by quoting the first line of Anna Karenina:
All happy families are alike.
The new owner recognizes the quote and replies:
Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
In this way is Madame Michel unmasked. Monsieur Ozu, who has the same last name as her favourite Japanese director, confides to Paloma that he thinks the concierge is not what she seems. Paloma has also noticed some things. Soon Madame Michel is dining with Monsiur Ozu and having heart to heart talks with Paloma and her life is changed. Paloma's life is also changed by Madame Michel and Monsieur Ozu.
The ending is a bit of a shock but I won't say more so as not to spoil things. I can see more stories coming out of number 7, rue de Grenelle or at least I certainly hope so.
The following passage is Madame Michel's musing about the pleasure in sharing tea with a friend and I thought it was wonderful:
At moments like this the web of life is revealed by the power of ritual, and each time we renew our ceremony, the pleasure will be all the greater for our having violated one of its principles. [She and her housekeeper friend are having tea in the morning for the first time.] Moments like this act as magical interludes, placing our hearts at the edge of our souls: fleetingly, yet intensely, a fragment of eternity has come to enrich time. Elsewhere the world may be blustering or sleeping, wars are fought, people live and die, some nations disintegrate, while others are born, soon to be swallowed up in turn--and in all this sound and fury, amidst eruptions and undertows, while the world goes its merry way, bursts into flames, tears itself apart and is reborn: human life continues to throb. So, let us drink a cup of tea.
There are some funny portions but neither of the protagonists could really be called charming and it is quite a demanding read. I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading a
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translation from French because it was so well done. Alison Anderson is the translator but her name only appears on the inside back cover and on the title page. I think she deserves more notice than that because this could not have been an easy book to translate.As I said, there are two protagonists: Madame Renee Michel, the 54 year old concierge at number 7, rue de Grenelle in Paris and Paloma Josse, 12 years old and also a resident at number 7, rue de Grenelle. Both Renee and Paloma are very intelligent but Renee, who is self-taught, has been able to hide her intelligence all these years because a concierge is not supposed to be reading Tolstoy or interested in fine art. Paloma also tries to hide her intelligence but isn't as successful as Madame Michel because she still comes first in her class. She studies her parents and their friends and is convinced that adult life holds no attraction for her. She has therefore decided to commit suicide when she turns 13 but meanwhile she is constructing two journals. One will be profound thoughts but they can only be in the form of haiku or tanka, three lines and five lines respectively. Paloma loves all things Japanese. The other will be an exploration of "the masterpieces of matter" because she wants to make sure there isn't something worth living for that she would miss if she committed suicide.
Madame Michel is a devotee of Japanese cinema. When the new owner of one of the apartments, who is Japanese, is introduced to her she does not catch his name but she slips up in her facade of stupidness by quoting the first line of Anna Karenina:
All happy families are alike.
The new owner recognizes the quote and replies:
Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
In this way is Madame Michel unmasked. Monsieur Ozu, who has the same last name as her favourite Japanese director, confides to Paloma that he thinks the concierge is not what she seems. Paloma has also noticed some things. Soon Madame Michel is dining with Monsiur Ozu and having heart to heart talks with Paloma and her life is changed. Paloma's life is also changed by Madame Michel and Monsieur Ozu.
The ending is a bit of a shock but I won't say more so as not to spoil things. I can see more stories coming out of number 7, rue de Grenelle or at least I certainly hope so.
The following passage is Madame Michel's musing about the pleasure in sharing tea with a friend and I thought it was wonderful:
At moments like this the web of life is revealed by the power of ritual, and each time we renew our ceremony, the pleasure will be all the greater for our having violated one of its principles. [She and her housekeeper friend are having tea in the morning for the first time.] Moments like this act as magical interludes, placing our hearts at the edge of our souls: fleetingly, yet intensely, a fragment of eternity has come to enrich time. Elsewhere the world may be blustering or sleeping, wars are fought, people live and die, some nations disintegrate, while others are born, soon to be swallowed up in turn--and in all this sound and fury, amidst eruptions and undertows, while the world goes its merry way, bursts into flames, tears itself apart and is reborn: human life continues to throb. So, let us drink a cup of tea.
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LibraryThing member yhaduong
I'm not at all sure why this book has received so much praise. The story is lovely and endearing but the writing is simplistic. Rather than incorporate ideas about art and life into the novel, the author simply uses her characters as repositories of essay-like thoughts. I quite enjoyed the concept
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behind the novel but found it tedious to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member seekingflight
I really enjoyed this - although many others in my bookclub did not - the story of the concierge of a Paris building, and an unhappy 12-year-old who lives there.
Yes, the way in which concierge played a part, ‘living down’ to the supposed cliché of her kind, could have been annoying, as a form
Yes, Paloma, the precocious 12-year old who shares the narration of the story, could have been dismissed as irritating and narcissistic.
Yes, it did feel somewhat pretentious in the beginning.
But I really came to enjoy the insights both of these narrators had to offer on life (especially a diatribe about the importance of correct punctuation, and an ironic take on the way in which a thesis should (not) be written). Moreover, I enjoyed the gradual unfolding of the story of the way in which these two individuals came to influence each other, and the way in which the book has been described as a ‘celebration of the invisible selves’ that we all have.
Perhaps there are people in our own immediate surroundings who might similarly enrich our own lives, were we only to take the trouble to look beyond surface appearances, and risk showing aspects of ourselves typically kept well-hidden through fear that they would not be understood or appreciated?
Yes, the way in which concierge played a part, ‘living down’ to the supposed cliché of her kind, could have been annoying, as a form
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of 'reverse snobbery', but I found this amusing rather than irritating. Yes, Paloma, the precocious 12-year old who shares the narration of the story, could have been dismissed as irritating and narcissistic.
Yes, it did feel somewhat pretentious in the beginning.
But I really came to enjoy the insights both of these narrators had to offer on life (especially a diatribe about the importance of correct punctuation, and an ironic take on the way in which a thesis should (not) be written). Moreover, I enjoyed the gradual unfolding of the story of the way in which these two individuals came to influence each other, and the way in which the book has been described as a ‘celebration of the invisible selves’ that we all have.
Perhaps there are people in our own immediate surroundings who might similarly enrich our own lives, were we only to take the trouble to look beyond surface appearances, and risk showing aspects of ourselves typically kept well-hidden through fear that they would not be understood or appreciated?
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
7 Rue de Grenelle is one of the better addresses in Paris. In this elegant building, there are eight luxury apartments inhabited by families of the upper class bourgeoisie, a concierge called Renée, and a very unhappy twelve-year-old tenant called Paloma. The novel is told via the alternating
The first thing that struck me about this novel is how very French it is, and I wondered whether the references to Parisian prototypical personalities translated well into other languages and cultures. The character of Renée was an interesting one, very profound and saddled with a difficult past, coming as she did from a dirt-poor family where the parents barely knew their own children by name. I enjoyed the way she recounted her play-acting as the dumb concierge when dealing with the tenants, which greatly contrasted with her great intellect, but grew a little bit annoyed with Barbery's insistence that the reader should be greatly surprised to discover a concierge with so much culture. But then again, the French are very class-conscious and very attached to their ideas of what a person's role and aptitudes should be, and none more so than the wealthy who insist on maintaining a clear divide.
Next, I was quite daunted with just how intense the novel was. Between Renée's philosophic ruminations, which granted, are served up along with plenty of amusing incidents about her dealings with the tenants, and Paloma's angst-ridden observations on her admittedly amusingly flawed family members, the novel, which from the outset sounded like it had an amusing premise demanded the reader's full attention and intellect. Thankfully, things did lighten up quite a bit, at least temporarily with the arrival of the new tenant, Mr Kakuro Ozu, which was a great and much needed relief. I couldn't help but think that Barbery felt like she had a lot to prove and was compelled to demonstrate the extent of her culture and understanding of human nature, perhaps because something about this novel seemed a little bit forced, especially when one considers the ending she opted for, which I'm still trying to make my mind up about. Had she written herself into a corner and decided there was only one way to conclude, or rather, was she trying to demonstrate how vital it is that we pay attention to life's every minute detail? I don't know, but the impression I'm left with is that it was a bit of a cop-out.
Did I like this novel? I honestly can't quite say. I was hoping that I'd be able to figure it out by writing this review, but I'm still undecided. I can honestly say that I'm glad that I read it, because it presented interesting characters and interactions, though perhaps this wasn't the optimal timing for me to read an existentialist treaty on life and death, half of which is seen through the eyes of a brooding adolescent, having been there, done that; it wasn't much fun this time around either.
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voices of Renée and Paloma who both keep journals and contrary to outward appearances actually have quite a lot in common. Paloma is very sensitive, has to make efforts not to score the highest marks in class, passionate about Japanese culture, and feels completely alienated from her politician father, her neurotic pill-popping mother and self-involved older sister, which she considers to be insufferable snobs. When we first meet her, she has already formed a plan to journal her pensées profondes (deep thoughts) until comes the time to kill herself on the day of her thirteenth birthday. She intends to leave chaos and destruction behind, because she has also resolved to burn down the family apartment before doing away with herself. Renée on the other hand quite happy with the state of her life, which she has neatly split into two distinct parts for the past 27 years. She presents an outer persona of the stereotyped concierge by maintaining a frumpy appearance, pretending to watch tv all day and being none too clever, while her secret self is a bright autodidact, a passionate consumer of literature, philosophy, foreign movies and gourmet foods, with high grammatical standards. Renée is a widow and has had little to no friends in her life, but has a standing date with Manuela, a cleaning lady who works in the building with whom she has formed a true bond over a regular ritual of tea and pastries. What will eventually bring Paloma and Renée together is the arrival of a new and fascinating tenant who takes a liking to both Paloma's and Renées unaffected ways.The first thing that struck me about this novel is how very French it is, and I wondered whether the references to Parisian prototypical personalities translated well into other languages and cultures. The character of Renée was an interesting one, very profound and saddled with a difficult past, coming as she did from a dirt-poor family where the parents barely knew their own children by name. I enjoyed the way she recounted her play-acting as the dumb concierge when dealing with the tenants, which greatly contrasted with her great intellect, but grew a little bit annoyed with Barbery's insistence that the reader should be greatly surprised to discover a concierge with so much culture. But then again, the French are very class-conscious and very attached to their ideas of what a person's role and aptitudes should be, and none more so than the wealthy who insist on maintaining a clear divide.
Next, I was quite daunted with just how intense the novel was. Between Renée's philosophic ruminations, which granted, are served up along with plenty of amusing incidents about her dealings with the tenants, and Paloma's angst-ridden observations on her admittedly amusingly flawed family members, the novel, which from the outset sounded like it had an amusing premise demanded the reader's full attention and intellect. Thankfully, things did lighten up quite a bit, at least temporarily with the arrival of the new tenant, Mr Kakuro Ozu, which was a great and much needed relief. I couldn't help but think that Barbery felt like she had a lot to prove and was compelled to demonstrate the extent of her culture and understanding of human nature, perhaps because something about this novel seemed a little bit forced, especially when one considers the ending she opted for, which I'm still trying to make my mind up about. Had she written herself into a corner and decided there was only one way to conclude, or rather, was she trying to demonstrate how vital it is that we pay attention to life's every minute detail? I don't know, but the impression I'm left with is that it was a bit of a cop-out.
Did I like this novel? I honestly can't quite say. I was hoping that I'd be able to figure it out by writing this review, but I'm still undecided. I can honestly say that I'm glad that I read it, because it presented interesting characters and interactions, though perhaps this wasn't the optimal timing for me to read an existentialist treaty on life and death, half of which is seen through the eyes of a brooding adolescent, having been there, done that; it wasn't much fun this time around either.
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LibraryThing member richardderus
This book is a delightful disappointment, a hugely successful failure, a predictable page-turner.
Since I read a translation by novelist Alison Anderson, whose "Hidden Latitudes" I read ten or so years ago and quite liked, any comment I make on the writing of this book is misplaced. I don't know
What do Paloma, a twelve-year-old child of privilege and Renée, a fifty-four-year-old daughter of poverty have in common? The novel sets out to define their commonality of cause and kinship. That they are sisters under the skin is a set-piece of the book from the start. This really isn't good news, since the characters are not necessarily best understood as being in tandem; they share one central characteristic that organizes each one's life: They hide. Hiding from others, the masks required of those who are different from the norm, this rich seam is well and fully explored in this novel. It is even over-explored. Perhaps “beaten half to death” would be the way to say it. Paloma is far smarter than her elegant Parisian power-couple parents or her very bright (in an average sort of way) college-student sister. She begins her journey through the pages by announcing that, on her next birthday, she will commit suicide and simultaneously burn her home down. Adolescent angst, oh goody, was my first thought. Little Paloma with no problemas wants to kill herself, well sugar, go do that and leave old man Richard alone. Little by little, Paloma records in her two journals the few things she can find in her little world that make life worth living. It is these reflections and observations that make the meat of the book, that give us enough insight into this young person's development to make reading her philosophical ramblings worth the time and effort.
Renée, the adult in the piece, is even less obviously sympathetic; she's decided to hide her intelligence and be, to all outward appearances, the typical working-class occupant of a concierge's loge. She isn't that at all, and she reports to us in her first-person narration that she has no respect for those who employ her since they are so easily fooled into believing her crafted image. So far, so average. What makes this book's whole greater than the sum of its parts is the quality of the philosophical musings the two characters indulge in; they are very well worth the time to read.
I can't say I was happy with the ending of this book and I was distinctly irked by the revelation of the Great Buried Secret in Renée's past, it seemed so pat and contrived and predictable. Paloma's plot line resolves in a great whoosh of predictability, too. But this is a book that uses the formula (loners are people, too! Loneliness is bad! Look around you, there are treasures on every doorstep!) to a very satisfying-to-read end. On balance, recommended reading for anyone who likes underdog stories, and who has an interest in philosophical musings. Worth a read for anyone who simply wants to pass a few pleasant hours. Avoid at all costs if happy endings are the only ones you like. Don't bother with the book if you are looking for any sort of challenge in the reading or the thinking you'll do here.
Since I read a translation by novelist Alison Anderson, whose "Hidden Latitudes" I read ten or so years ago and quite liked, any comment I make on the writing of this book is misplaced. I don't know
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what Muriel Barbery's writing is like. I know that Barbery is well served by her translator. Anderson presents us with a text whose twining first-person narratives rather resemble the narrative technique she used in "Hidden Latitudes" to tell Amelia Earhart's imagined life stranded on a desert island.What do Paloma, a twelve-year-old child of privilege and Renée, a fifty-four-year-old daughter of poverty have in common? The novel sets out to define their commonality of cause and kinship. That they are sisters under the skin is a set-piece of the book from the start. This really isn't good news, since the characters are not necessarily best understood as being in tandem; they share one central characteristic that organizes each one's life: They hide. Hiding from others, the masks required of those who are different from the norm, this rich seam is well and fully explored in this novel. It is even over-explored. Perhaps “beaten half to death” would be the way to say it. Paloma is far smarter than her elegant Parisian power-couple parents or her very bright (in an average sort of way) college-student sister. She begins her journey through the pages by announcing that, on her next birthday, she will commit suicide and simultaneously burn her home down. Adolescent angst, oh goody, was my first thought. Little Paloma with no problemas wants to kill herself, well sugar, go do that and leave old man Richard alone. Little by little, Paloma records in her two journals the few things she can find in her little world that make life worth living. It is these reflections and observations that make the meat of the book, that give us enough insight into this young person's development to make reading her philosophical ramblings worth the time and effort.
Renée, the adult in the piece, is even less obviously sympathetic; she's decided to hide her intelligence and be, to all outward appearances, the typical working-class occupant of a concierge's loge. She isn't that at all, and she reports to us in her first-person narration that she has no respect for those who employ her since they are so easily fooled into believing her crafted image. So far, so average. What makes this book's whole greater than the sum of its parts is the quality of the philosophical musings the two characters indulge in; they are very well worth the time to read.
I can't say I was happy with the ending of this book and I was distinctly irked by the revelation of the Great Buried Secret in Renée's past, it seemed so pat and contrived and predictable. Paloma's plot line resolves in a great whoosh of predictability, too. But this is a book that uses the formula (loners are people, too! Loneliness is bad! Look around you, there are treasures on every doorstep!) to a very satisfying-to-read end. On balance, recommended reading for anyone who likes underdog stories, and who has an interest in philosophical musings. Worth a read for anyone who simply wants to pass a few pleasant hours. Avoid at all costs if happy endings are the only ones you like. Don't bother with the book if you are looking for any sort of challenge in the reading or the thinking you'll do here.
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LibraryThing member sacrain
I may have missed something here...I could NOT GET THROUGH THIS BOOK. For the life of me. It was kind of torturous. Perhaps my dislike of all literary endeavors a la Francais contributed to my anguish, or perhaps it was my own dim-wittedness that prevented me from finishing this book. Whatever the
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reason, I read others' glowing reviews wistfully, wishing I had been smart enough, patient enough, or French enough to get through the entire tome. I watched a Hills Marathon that weekend instead... Show Less
LibraryThing member lycomayflower
The Elegance of the Hedgehog contains two narratives--one from the concierge at a high class apartment building who loves to read, listen to classical music, and watch films and who feels she must hide her interests from the rich, shallow tenants of her building and the other from a very bright
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twelve-year-old girl who is a resident of the building and finds adults and the adult world hopelessly shallow and uninteresting. Partly through each characters' interaction with a new tenant, an elegant, kind Japanese gentleman, and partly through their brief interactions with each other, the concierge and the girl each learn to let go of their more extreme judgements on the world. The novel has little to no action or plot, and it is more philosophy than fiction. I disagreed with many of the conclusions that these characters come to, but I enjoyed the observations they made. And I think I would like having either of them round for supper. Overall a book which bemused me, but which I was happy to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member veevoxvoom
Summary: Renee is the concierge of a fancy Paris apartment. Although incredibly intelligent and cultured, she prefers to play to class stereotypes and be unassuming. Paloma is the equally intelligent and precocious twelve-year-old girl who lives in Renee’s apartment. Disgusted by the pretensions
Review: So I’ve heard a lot of good buzz about this book. It was a big hit in France, and it was lauded for being a very philosophical book. Not much happens in plot, but a lot happens in thinking. Most of the book is about Renee and Paloma mulling over ideas about life, culture, and beauty. They are both dissatisfied with the current intellectual and cultural climate in France, especially that of the bourgeoisie.
In many ways, this is a novel about class. As a Canadian, class concerns are a bit novel to me. That isn’t to say we don’t have class distinctions in Canada, but they are not as rigid as they seem to be in Renee’s world. So that was fascinating to read about.
Also, I ended up liking both Renee and Paloma, which I didn’t think I would at first. They are both very critical, somewhat pretentious people themselves. But their personalities grew on me.
However, I cannot say I really enjoyed the book, because despite its promising premise, it has managed to hit one of my biggest pet peeves: it is orientalist. In expressing their frustrations with their own culture, Renee and Paloma embark on a love affair with Japanese culture. Which would be fine, but their portrayal of Japanese culture is so romantic and idealized that I could not stomach it. Japan was like the Mary Sue of the book — anyone with connections to it could do no wrong and were clearly better than those poor, ignorant Parisians. Ugh. It was especially obnoxious to me because the virtues that Renee and Paloma see in Japanese culture are informed by their tradition of western European liberal humanism. So it never felt like real Japanese culture on display. More like Japanese culture dressed up in western clothing for westerners to ooh and aah over. Not my thing.
Conclusion: An ambitious novel, but I could not stand its portrayal of other cultures.
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of her upper class family and neighbours, she makes a plan to kill herself on her birthday. When a Japanese man moves into the apartment, both Renee and Paloma begin to discover their places in the world.Review: So I’ve heard a lot of good buzz about this book. It was a big hit in France, and it was lauded for being a very philosophical book. Not much happens in plot, but a lot happens in thinking. Most of the book is about Renee and Paloma mulling over ideas about life, culture, and beauty. They are both dissatisfied with the current intellectual and cultural climate in France, especially that of the bourgeoisie.
In many ways, this is a novel about class. As a Canadian, class concerns are a bit novel to me. That isn’t to say we don’t have class distinctions in Canada, but they are not as rigid as they seem to be in Renee’s world. So that was fascinating to read about.
Also, I ended up liking both Renee and Paloma, which I didn’t think I would at first. They are both very critical, somewhat pretentious people themselves. But their personalities grew on me.
However, I cannot say I really enjoyed the book, because despite its promising premise, it has managed to hit one of my biggest pet peeves: it is orientalist. In expressing their frustrations with their own culture, Renee and Paloma embark on a love affair with Japanese culture. Which would be fine, but their portrayal of Japanese culture is so romantic and idealized that I could not stomach it. Japan was like the Mary Sue of the book — anyone with connections to it could do no wrong and were clearly better than those poor, ignorant Parisians. Ugh. It was especially obnoxious to me because the virtues that Renee and Paloma see in Japanese culture are informed by their tradition of western European liberal humanism. So it never felt like real Japanese culture on display. More like Japanese culture dressed up in western clothing for westerners to ooh and aah over. Not my thing.
Conclusion: An ambitious novel, but I could not stand its portrayal of other cultures.
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Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Shortlist — 2010)
Audie Award (Finalist — 2010)
Best Translated Book Award (Longlist — 2008)
French-American Foundation Translation Prize (Shortlist — Fiction — 2008)
Pages
325
ISBN
1933372605 / 9781933372600