The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Muy bueno libro sobre el Paris contemporáneo

Watched Le Weekend film and this was what Lesley Duncan was reading on the Eurostar, then some in my reading group chose it and we all read it - mixed reviews.

The story of the ordinary concierge in a upmarket Paris apartment building is, on the surface, simple, a story of human connection. What stands out is the stunning language, the far-from-simple philosophy she spouts, and the character insights. The story is minimal, it's more about the interplay among the main characters. A quick, easy read, some aspects of the story will stay with you long after you finish the book. I loved Renée, but thought Paloma could have been better etched. Also felt the ending was somewhat a cop out. Too easy a way out after imbuing the characters with so much. Read it.

What's in being a geek? What do you do when you are highly intelligent, without any proper credentials, in a society of snobs who will not let you into their circle where you can talk to people who are mentally on your level? You hide. You pretend to be dumb and of dull wit, so that people will not accuse you of impudence and try to "put you in your place". You hide and try to create a loophole of a place where you can pursue your mental and spiritual interests undisturbed by a world that is unfair and would not let you be, otherwise.This is the world of Renee Michel, the witty, highly intellectual concierge of a luxurious apartment building in Paris, inhabited by people all too full of themselves., esp. the insufferable wives of rich, well educated men, and their spoiled, neurotic children.A concierge that owns two tv sets: one in the concierge room that will loudly play rubbish all day, soap operas, commercials, talk shows...so that people will think, she is there and doing her job, and one in the backroom, hideout where she "disappears into the world of art" and watches documentaries and such, and reads books on philosophy from the library. Accompanied by a cat named Leo, as in Leo Tolstoi...Until, one day, a friendly, unassuming but equally intelligent and witty Japanese-Russian moves in upstairs who owns two cats called Kitty and Levin, after two characters in Tolstoi's novels...How I love this book! I have rarely enjoyed a novel this much! And there must be more to it than my shot of French blood. ; )You can read more on this book, incl. several lengthy quotes from it, on my blog, there is a series on "The elegance of the hedgehog".This one is a bestseller in France, as well as in the New York Times

Muriel Barbery is a Professor of Philosophy and you can see this in her writing. There are a lot of philosophy descriptions in this book which I found to be tedious. However, I persevered and finally ended up liking this book. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is different from any book I have ever read.The main narrator of this book is Madame Renee Michel, a fifty-four year old widow who has worked for twenty-seven years as head concierge of a posh Parisian apartment building on 7, rue de Grenville. The inhabitants all belong to the upper class. Renee grew up poor and quit school at the age of twelve years old. Throughout her life she has studied philosophy secretly, always searching for knowledge. She has read Marx, appreciated Mozart, Dutch painting, Japanese culture, but most of all she loves literature. She lives alone with her cat Leo, named after Tolstoy. Renee is an unattractive woman. She is short, plump and has bunions on her feet. She is self-taught and believes that she is intellectually smarter than the residents. She is grateful for her job, but she keeps her intellectual side a secret. She lets them think she is simple and the perfect concierge, someone who lies around watching TV all day and blending into the background. But in reality, she spends her time reading, watching films and listening to music.Paloma Josse is twelve years old and lives in the apartment building with her wealthy parents and sister. Her mother has a Ph.D in literature and is a social snob. Her father is a senior Government official. Her sister is studying for her Master's degree at the Sorbonne. Paloma receives no attention or love from her parents because they're too busy with their own lives, which leaves her lonely and unhappy. Paloma has a secret too. She pretends to be an average student so that she can fit in at school. However, she has the intellectual level of a senior in college. Paloma has a plan to commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday. To do this, every day for one year she steals a sleeping pill from her mother's box on her night table and when the time arrives, Paloma will be ready to end it all. She has decided that life is useless.One day, a resident dies and a cultured and mysterious Japanese gentleman moves in. His name is Monsieur Kakuro Ozu. Renee thinks that he may be related to the Japanese film maker that she most admires. Monsieur Ozu suspects that Renee is not what she seems to be and wants to know her better. Paloma is also impressed with Monsieur Ozu, but his arrival is just around the time that she has decided to kill herself. Paloma begins to have hope for her future.Muriel Barbery has written a beautiful and eloquent story filled with humor, tragedy and philosophy.What started out to be boring ended up being a wonderful and interesting novel which I enjoyed very much.I highly recommend it. However, give yourself a little time to get into it. You will enjoy it too.