The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery
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Book Reviews of The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Book Review: Well-written, philosophical, and funny
Summary: 4 Stars
This book follows the thoughts of two individuals who are isolated from the world around them: a luxury hotel in Paris. The first is the concierge named Renee who goes out of her way to make it seem as if she embodies the cliches of her position: no one expects that she secretly loves War and Peace, watches Japanese films, and listens to Mozart. The other is Paloma, an extremely intelligent but completely disillusioned twelve year old who makes plans to commit suicide and burn the family's apartment down on her thirteenth birthday. The chapters take the form of essay-like journal entries for the most part, alternating between the two characters. This leads to one of my complaints: the number of pages given to Renee are considerably more than those given to Paloma (especially as the book progresses), who I personally liked reading about more. Hence the four stars.
Over all, though, this book is very good so long as you are not expecting an exciting plot. It focuses on observations and thoughts rather than the actual actions, although things do get more interesting once a wealthy Japanese man moves in and manages to understand and unite both of them. The writing style is great, especially when it is considered that this is a translation and not the original. Though the topics of the character's thoughts are mostly serious-the meaning of life, the purpose of Art, etc.-I was astonished at how funny this book was in some situations. The author has an ability that is becoming fairly rare: she is able to inspire thought while still being extremely entertaining. I normally do not laugh out loud when I read, but I must confess a few chuckles escaped. Consider this passage and you will get an idea of the wit and lucidity of Paloma:
Maman announced at the dinner table last night, as if it were a pretext to let the champagne flow freely, that it was exactly ten years ago that she started her "anaaalysis." Everyone will agree that this is absolutely maaarvelous... What my mother didn't say is that it's also been exactly ten years since she started taking anti-depressants. But apparently she doesn't see the connection.
My other complaint is that I did not particularly like the way the ending was written; the language seemed in a certain area to be a bit too overblown and sentimental, but it is a matter of taste. Overall I give this book a firm recommendation.
Some reviews have noted that they feel the characters to be distant. This is true, but anyone who has felt similarly isolated from other people and more comfortable in their own minds will identify with the characters and understand where they are coming from. I certainly did.
Book Review: An Artful Construction
Summary: 4 Stars
How wonderful to find a book of such intellectual content! The novel's two narrators -- Renée Michel, a fifty-something self-taught concierge, and Paloma Josse, the precocious twelve-year-old daughter of a rich family in the upscale Paris apartment building that she serves -- are unlikely intellectuals, but between them, they appear to have read more, thought more, seen more, than any of their elders and betters. Mind you, Renée (the elegant hedgehog of the title) probably knows more than most of her readers; many of her references, especially to French philosophy and linguistics, went right past me, though those that I did get gave me a pleasant feeling of satisfaction -- and by extension a sort of borrowed familiarity with the rest. It is a feel-good book for the intellect.
Somewhere beyond page 100, as the smart talk continued, but nothing had yet happened, I began to reflect that the erudite concierge and precocious pre-teen are merely constructs of the author's imagination, and not entirely believable ones as that. While Renée's artistic exposure seems just credible for an autodidact, her criticisms of the French university system do not ring true for one who has not actually suffered under it. I can't help feeling that Muriel Barbery uses her characters as mouthpieces for her own voice. And, for a book that ridicules social snobbery, Barbery is all too ready to replace it with reminders of her own intellectual superiority. Concierge or not, Mme. Michel's intolerance of a misplaced comma or incorrect verb choice will be familiar to anybody who has ever been despised for their inadequate French. It can make for uncomfortable reading if you are not quite sure that you yourself would pass the concierge's scrutiny!
But then in the second third of the book, a new owner buys one of the apartments, and everything changes. Kazuo Ozu, a sixtyish Japanese businessman of polished courtesy, immediately recognizes Renée's quality, and befriends both her and Paloma. The book now turns into more of a fable, a double Cinderella story for our times. Events now move as quickly as they had been slow before. We begin to see that both women might have embraced the intellect as a protection against their emotions, and we learn of an event in Renée's childhood that may have set her on this path. We also see that some other residents of the building might not have been so pretentious or unfeeling as they first appeared. The thaw of the last half of the book brings a lot of pleasure, and only the arbitrary ending reminds one of the controlling hand of the novelist at work.
Book Review: A lovely gem of a book
Summary: 5 Stars
Renee Michel is the concierge of a small but elegant Paris apartment building, inhabited by eight families who are part of the wealthy upper echelon of French society. Our concierge strives to blend into the surroundings, to present a bland but courteous demeanor to those who only see her in relation to what she can do for them. So Renee goes through life hiding whom she really is, presenting the demeanor of uneducated woman who could aspire to nothing more than the job she has held for 27 years. However when the door to her loge is closed we learn of another Renee, a self educated woman who glories in Tolstoy, Dutch artists, Mozart and Japanese culture. It is her secret life away from the world, one she works assiduously at keeping hidden.
Paloma Josse is twelve years old and lives with her wealthy family in the building where Renee works. An exceedingly bright child, Paloma too presents a different face to the world, trying hard to hide her intelligence and just fit in. Paloma is frequently at odds with her family all of whom she disdains for their clichéd lifestyle. It is for this reason Paloma has decided that on her 13 birthday she will commit suicide. Before she goes through with her plan she begins recording her Profound Thoughts in a journal that we become privy to. Although Renee and Paloma are aware of each other, they have little to do with each other; we just get to see the residents through two sets of eyes.
At first I wasn't sure about this book, I wasn't at all sure I liked either of the main characters, whose stories are revealed in alternating chapters. At times I found them a bit pretentious and very self-centered. After a few chapters they began to grow on me, and I enjoyed their wit and humor, as well as their rather astute observations of the people around them. Just as I was settling into a comfort level with these two protagonists, Mr. Kakuro Ozu, a Japanese gentleman, moves into the building. As Mr. Ozu befriends the concierge and the young girl both Renee and Paloma's lives will become intertwined and changed in ways neither of them could foresee, leading to a series of events that are humorous, touching and sometimes heartbreaking. From the time he enters the story until the last page I could not put this book down. The writing is beautiful and as much as I wanted to finish this book I also didn't want it to end. I was sorry to turn the last page and end my time with Paloma, Renee and Kakuro. Recommended very highly.
Book Review: Floral language masks poor content
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this book at the airport and read the entire thing on my fight. This book was my lifeline out of boredom, but it failed me and I couldn't quit because I hate quitting on a book. It was pretentious from beginning to end. Props to whoever did the translation for having such a wonderful grasp of language because this book is very descriptive...but pointlessly so because the development of the story is and the characters is almost non-existent. The entire irony of the book is that the author spends allot of time lamenting about the lack of intelligence in the world and on picking on intellectual wannabes that she actually comes across as the very intellectual snob that she is criticizing. There was allot of blah blah blah (about 70 percent) where the author makes sweeping philosophical statements about intelligence and the meaning of life which didn't actually contribute to the development of the story and the characters.
Besides the snobbery, the big problem that I have with the book is that the tone of all three of the major characters was the same. They all sounded like clones of each other regurgitating the same sweeping statements about intelligence, and if it weren't for changes in font I would not be able to tell who's consciousness I was following. There was not a single character foil. The entire book felt very forced. The author was unable to disconnect herself from her opinions to deliver characters that are unique in their own way. Let me save you some time and tell you what the author wants you to get out of the book: a) You are intelligent if you listen to classical music, read Proust and Kant, watch foreign movies; and b) You are intelligent if you hate everybody who doesn't enjoy your intellectual pursuits and doesn't interpret through art the same things you interpret. This narrow minded view of intelligence makes it hard to connect with any of the characters because they are so absorbed by this definition of intelligence that they come across as vapid and one-dimensional...if only life was that easy!. Now, I hate being so negative so I will finish with a really positive recommendation of a book that in my opinion is beautifully written, executed, both hilarious and somber at the same time (basically everything that this book is not). I recommend "A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES" by John Kennedy Toole.
http://www.amazon.com/Confederacy-Dunces-John-Kennedy-Toole/dp/0802130208
Book Review: Wisdom from very unexpected sources
Summary: 5 Stars
The author, a former teacher of philosophy, examines the assumptions and absurdities of class-based French society through the voices of two intellectual residents of an upper-middle class apartment building in Paris consisting of eight families, though both of them have managed to conceal their erudition. Renee, fifty-four years old, has been the concierge of the building for twenty-seven years, and during that time has transformed herself into the equivalent of a scholar in art, philosophy, and literature while maintaining the outward appearances and habits of a peasant woman. Paloma Josse is a precocious twelve-year-old who sees through the follies, obsessions, and illusions of her family members and other building residents, though, like Renee, she keeps her observations well guarded.
Through short, alternating chapters that consist of the musings and observations of first Renee and then Paloma, the reader learns of the nature of Parisian society and the inconsequentiality of those of humble origins to those of considerable wealth. Indeed, Renee learned at an early age that coming to the attention of elites usually results unnecessary suffering. Both Paloma and, especially, Renee infuse their observations of life with references to art and literature. Despite any obscurity, their insights are quite astute and often acerbic.
The story gains impetus when a wealthy Japanese man, Kakuro Ozu, moves into the apartment building after a resident's death. Since both Renee and Paloma appreciate Japanese culture, not to mention Renee's knowledge of literature, Kakuro senses that they are kindred souls. Subsequent socialization with Kakuro is both thrilling and enervating to Renee, as she knows that she has overstepped her social station, despite reassurances from Kakuro.
This is definitely a thinking person's novel. Life's ironies, absurdities, and cruelties are explored. It is very interesting to watch these characters work through them. A modicum of happiness is achieved through their understandings. It would be hard to argue that these characters are not highly improbable, despite their abilities to capture us. Yet, perhaps we could hope that they could exist. The philosophical nature of the book may be tiresome to some, but the author keeps the almost non-stop reflecting moving well by shifting the voices frequently. It all does reach a thought-provoking conclusion.