While others are drawn to the polished and flashy, I find myself gravitating to characters who seem to be dull and ordinary at first glance, yet hide within themselves a depth and clarity that no one would expect unless they win their way inside (kind of like the TARDIS? lol). This is how I feel about the two main characters within this novel, with their keen perceptions and insights of themselves and others, while never letting on that they can even see at all. The characters are intricate and multifaceted, and definitely induces emotions from the reader.

I appreciate that this book has taught me a few things about philosophy and the Arts, and got me back in the habit of looking words up in the dictionary (who can say that they know every word in THAT book? lol). I appreciate when a book stimulates a reader mentally while simultaneously educating it.

I will admit that the beginning drags on a little bit (extremely educational yet not altogether engaging at times), however once the characters meet (somewhere in the middle of the book) the plot line picks up. I can't help but feel protective of Renee after what she goes through, and I cannot imagine that others will not find her, Paloma, and Mr. Ozu endearing as well.

My only regret is that I didn't read this book sooner. A well written interesting book about characters who love literature - why would one not want to read this right away? Do so.

Simply a beautiful, elegantly told story.

In my romanticized version of Europe, after I've eaten ravioli in Roma, and sipped cappuccinos at a stand-up cafe, then I will stroll along the Seine and stop at booksellers with used treasures they sell along the river. In my romanticized version of Europe, the French and the Germans and the Albanians, they all drink good wine and smoke Gauloises at will. They eat thin slices of excellent cheese and talk about interesting things and deep things and not what they watched last night on TV. They talk about politics and paintings, they discuss books and don't care what Oprah thinks. The men read fiction and care about it. The women dress well but are also smart as hell. Together the men and the women, before they go off to have tantric sex on old-fashioned beds, they have long slow dinners at long wooden tables, or perhaps they are small round tables at an outdoor cafe on a cobblestone walkway, some Van Goghian starlight to brighten the evening, to sparkle off their bread knives.

This place I imagine is not real, I know. Oprah is shown around the world. Michael Bay films are global monsters and we stopped lighting the night with stars a long long time ago.

But then I read Muriel Barbery's "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" and all the intelligence and philosophy and the wit and the hope and pathos of the European, of the French, becomes real again. I haven't flown through a work of fiction like this in ages. Fact is, I keep putting the books I'm reading down (Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize winning "Wolf Hall" included). Barbery isn't afraid to discuss Marx and issues of class that continue today, she philosophizes on death and the meaning of life, but then she also discusses her love of Ridley Scott sci-fi movies and she quotes Eminem.

Yet for all its brainy seduction, the book is no lecture, the story no bore.

How many times did I stop at my local Indigo to look at the beautiful blue of the cover and the sheer perfection of that title: The Elegance of the Hedgehog. But it takes so much more to buy book, to read book, to trust all those hours to turn all those pages to force all those neurons. So I must thank a dear friend and poet for the suggestion. She told me I had to. And we all have friends like these. When they tell you you have to - you have to.

So I did. And now I recommend it to you.

I was surprised about how much I loved this. It was an instant love. We are taken on the quirky, brilliant, poignant and observant story of two (very introspective) secret geniuses, both hiding their genius from the people around them, and both in need of saving. This book is primarily the observations of the goings-on of a Parisian apartment complex, observations filled with wit and humour and sarcasm, and honest intelligence and philosophy, observations offered by a self-professed ugly concierge and not so average 12 year old. The plot pushes forward quietly and smartly to its culmination (brought on by the sudden death of a much loathed food critic and the appearance of a mysterious Japanese intellect), and left me wanting more and more and more of these two brilliant, memorable characters.

I purchased this novel on a whim after reading the description inside the cover and finding myself immediately engaged by the uniqueness of the two main characters. I rarely choose new books this way since I find I am often disappointed by what I thought would be an interesting and original story but this novel both surprised and delighted me.

The story describes the importance of Art, particularly the subtleties of language, in what may sometimes seem a meaningless existence. The tale is told through Renee, an autodidact that hides her love for Beauty and Art underneath the tough exterior of a stubborn concierge, and Paloma, a twelve year old determined to commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday to escape the goldfish bowl that is adulthood and to teach her family that the wealthy can also lose everything.

The tale is full of philosophical dialogue which ranges from the purpose of our consciousness to the significance of the movement of a single moment. The characters are so deptual and believable I could not pull myself away from the text. Interestingly, there is very little description of setting and the book takes place more in the minds of others than in an actual descriptive location (with some exceptions including the simple, yet elegant, apartment of Monsieur Ozu).

Overall I highly suggest this novel to anyone who has ever questioned the meaning of life and who has a high appreciation for literature, film and art. I will say, however, that this is not a book for everyone since it is heavy in philosophy (which can be confusing at times) and contains a lot of in depth critiques of language. The original language of the novel is French and I would suggest a minor understanding of the structure of the language before reading since it will be easier to understand some of the references made, particularly by Renee (for example the subtle difference between adressing an individual as tu or vous). It's not critical, but it is helpful in understanding some of the relationships and the absolute appreciation Renee has for language.

This is one clever novel written in a simple formula that draws the reader gradually into a philosophical fable.

Narrated alternately at each chapter, the story is dominated by Renée Michel, an unassuming concierge in her 50s who happens to be an autodidact who believes life is less complicated and more enjoyable by not displaying outwardly the depth of her knowledge. Paloma Josse is a precocious 12 year old daughter of a diplomat and socialite who lives in the same ritzy building as Renée, she believes adulthood is meaningless and plans to commit suicide on her 13th birthday and burn down the building she lives in.

The author tells Renée story in the first person and Paloma's is quoted from a dairy type notebook labelled "Profound Thoughts". They both share a friend in Monsieur Ozu, a mysterious, wealthy Japanese man who also resides in the building.

This story creeps up subtlety and takes hold of your attention without notice. It may seem slow at first but the author has written an exceptional tale about how one is perceived based on class, beauty and their position in life.
The described adventures of the characters show that even people from different backgrounds are not all that different and have a lot in common.

Although rich in texture and philosophy I found the story quite entertaining. It is a character study of three individuals and their inner thoughts towards life in general. This novel is not all substance it has a humorous side to it, one that made me smile and laugh at times.

"The Elegance of the Hedgehog" is a poignant and delightful read.

I really enjoyed "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" for the short journal entry-like chapters to fabricate an intricate story that brings the characters together. The writing was whimsical, philosophical, witty, and very poetic. It's a very beautiful story.

"The Elegance of the Hedgehog" takes place in an elegant apartment building in Paris that contains an intelligent concierge who takes great care to hide her intellect from the people living in the building. Renee the concierge has a love for art, literature and philosophy, but not with sharing her knowledge.


Another voice in the book is twelve year old Paloma who also is intelligent, is in love with anything Japanese, but she is contemplating suicide. Paloma also hides her intelligence from other people.

The book's story is told by these two voices, at some points they seem unrealistic and contrived, but they are still a pleasure to get to know.

Mr Ozu a Japanese man moves into the building and right away sees who Renee and Paloma are and he tries to bring them out of their shells. The three of them become friends and for the short period they know each other their lives are changed for the better.

The ending is surprising, but oddly fitting to the whole unrealistic nature of the book.

I enjoyed reading this book and I admit I had to look a few things up on the internet to figure out exactly what Renee was talking about. It also taught me to look at people in a slightly different light.

It is books like this one that remind me how wonderful the written word can be. I found this book thought-provoking and cleverly written.

This novel follows a 12-year-old brilliant-but-suicidal girl named Paloma and the intellectual-in-hiding concierge in the building Madame Michel. The book is written from both of their perspectives and they tell of the characters in their building and the absolute despair they feel for the current human race.

Both of them are old souls who seek to find meaning in a world of uppertclass robots that have no appreciation for culture except to know what is expensive and most impressive in their living room.

Barbery clearly defines a voice for each of these characters. Besides the change in font, it is easy to tell who is speaking. Each character has their own voice and their own style of writing which makes it easy to follow both of their stories. It is also interesting how both of the characters interpret the same situations. Although they are from different backgrounds and at different stages in their life, both characters see the events that transpire around them with a similar feeling towards it.

Although it did take me a few chapters to really get into the book, once I did I really started to enjoy it. Barbery manages to end the novel in such a way that leaves the reader feeling hopeful despite the lack of hope the main characters exhibit throughout the novel.

I can see how people might get frustrated with this book- it isn't one you can speed through, but rather for full enjoyment I think it should be savored and read slowly to grasp the all the delicate nuances. The language and philosophical elements are a treat for the mind, and this is such an intelligent book that it sparks thoughts in me still, despite having finished it months ago.

I was tempted by the promise of its philosophical touch and a clever ending. I was however lost in the midst of it by confusing lines of thoughts of the characters. I found the narrative at times long-winded and boring, sad to not have hold out long enough to collect the awaited reward of a final finale.

Several months ago Muriel Barbery's novel The Elegance of the Hedgehog was chosen as the book for the bookstore reading group I lead. We have a sort of willy nilly way of choosing our books and this novel ended up on the top of the heap. When we came together to discuss it a month later, other than the woman who had thrown it into the pile, no one else had finished the book- including me. I got about halfway through…and I just really didn't like the book at all. So imagine my dismay when the novel was chosen by my longstanding book club as our first novel for our new reading year! I had no choice but to finish the book.

So, I started again. And strangely, this time around, I didn't find the book so grating. That's not to say that I found it all that plausible, either. Still, I did manage to get through it.

Barbery's novel tells the story of Renee, a concierge at an elegant apartment building in Paris.

"I am short, ugly and plump, I have bunions on my feet and, if I am to credit early mornings of self-inflicted disgust, the breath of a mammoth. I did not go to college, I have always been poor, discreet and insignificant." (19)

Renee has, despite what she considers her considerable flaws, a deep and abiding love for literature, art and music. Seriously, the novel opens with a rumination on Marx - which is perhaps the reason why I didn't groove to the novel straight away the first time around: I know nothing about Marx.

Paloma lives in the building with her parents and older sister. At twelve, Paloma is already sick of the world and everyone in it.

"My parents are rich, my family is rich and my sister and I are, therefore rich….Despite all that, despite all this good fortune and all this wealth, I have known for a long time that the final destination is the goldfish bowl. How do I know? Well, the fact is that I am very intelligent. Exceptionally intelligent." (23)

The Elegance of the Hedgehog is about appearances. Renee is forever fearful about giving away her love of the finer things; after all, she's just a concierge. Paloma, is keeping a journal of profound thoughts and plotting her own death. And then into their lives comes a Japanese gentleman named Kakuro Ozu. He sees straight through these women, into their very heart of hearts and changes them in ways they might have never imagined.

This novel was a sensation in France. As with any translation, it's important to remember that you are not reading it in its original form; something is bound to be lost in the translation no matter how good it is.

I have a feeling that when we discuss this novel tomorrow night, most everyone will have loved it. I didn't love it (in fact I didn't like the ending at all!), but I did see the novel's charms- even though I often found the novel pretentious (all these mini-lessons on art and literature) and perhaps just a tad contrived.

I have mixed feelings about this book...many times i felt as though i was reading a series of short essays that were all tied together with a common thread. And some of those essays were a bit too philosophical for my liking. Although i like a book that makes me think, i don't want to feel as though i'm back in philosophy class with...whatever that professors name was. I don't want to have to reread a paragraph three times to be sure i understand the meaning before i move on. And i often felt that way while reading this book.

Having said that...i liked the plot, i liked the fairytale, the fable, the dream. I liked the characters and how they interacted. And for some reason i was expecting the ending...and it was perhaps the best ending for this type of read and for these characters and what they had to say.

One of the most remarkable books I've read in the last several years.
It should be read in French to get the added enjoyment of the beauty of the language.

It has been a long time since my eyes have graced the pages of such a magnificent work. With self-pity I mourn the end of my time in Paris with Renee and Paloma much like a child mourns the end of summer holiday, its enevitable fatality. My hat goes off Muriel Barbery Goddess of the Pen, genius really. A second hat off to Alison Anderson for tenderly translating a masterpiece with the delicacy of a fine art restorationist thus allowing me to participate as reader to experience the haunting power of November rain, the simplicity of Dutch still life, the honesty of heartfelt Movements of the World, the serenity brought by camellias in bloom, and the ability to appreciate the Elegance of the Hedgehog. Merci infiniment.

Renee lives a lie, she pretends to be cranky, dumb, and common, when in fact she is intelligent, thoughtful, and caring. Paloma is 12 pretending to be happy, while preparing for her suicide on her next birthday. Ozu is the man who sees them for what they really are. Together these three create a beautiful, intelligent story that will fill your heart with beautiful joy, and bitter sadness.
It also has several of the most romantic quotes I have read in recent months. Stunning, I loved it.