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The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Muriel Barbery

Discussion: November/December 2008

Discussion leader: Barb

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November/December 2008

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What Members Thought

Oct 05, 2009 Kathrina rated it it was ok

Shelves: french, keeping-up-with-the-joneses

Pretentious, wordy, insincere. Paloma, stick to haiku and shut up; you're not enlightening me. Sum up: life sucks, but tea is nice, and some little things.
And then, you die.

OK, a few days had to go by and now I'm ready to come back and give a more thoughtful review. My stars still stay the same, but I first reacted with emotion, and now I've had time to analyze just what I was reacting to.

First, I'm really offended in the concept that art is meant only for "high-class" people. Or, only for real Pretentious, wordy, insincere. Paloma, stick to haiku and shut up; you're not enlightening me. Sum up: life sucks, but tea is nice, and some little things.
And then, you die.

OK, a few days had to go by and now I'm ready to come back and give a more thoughtful review. My stars still stay the same, but I first reacted with emotion, and now I've had time to analyze just what I was reacting to.

First, I'm really offended in the concept that art is meant only for "high-class" people. Or, only for really smart people. Madame Michel classes herself as a lowly peasant, and is ashamed to flaunt the fact that she is intelligent, and also that she enjoys "high art". I think it's a fundamental flaw to equate an appreciation for high art with class. Perhaps high art (this term is straight from the book, meaning an appreciation for literature, painting, classical music) is associated with the higher classes, one, because they are subjects taught in higher education, and two, because only the higher classes have the leisure to pursue them. But here's Madame Michele, who's never attended college, who has a natural tendency to pursue and understand them. That's a bit remarkable, but it also requires that she has the leisure to pursue them. Her "lower class" status doesn't quite convince me, when she has the time and resources to attend museum presentations and read 600 page novels. Pretentious Paloma is characterized as naturally appreciative of high art because of her natural intelligence, and I don't buy it at all. There are no influences in her life pushing her that way,and I can't follow how her disdain for the masses, when there are no individuals showing her a different viewpoint.
Secondly, Madame Michel is convinced not to flaunt her appreciation of art (to me, not the same thing as intelligence) because of the experience of her sister. Her sister gets into a relationship with someone of a higher class, gets pregnant, is abandoned, then dies along with the baby. How does Michel equate choosing a lover and getting dumped (a consequence that happens over and over regardless of class differences) with choosing to read Tolstoy? I just can't believe that art belongs to a particular class -- Tolstoy writes about peasants, after all -- and admitting to friends that you like to read will, in the end, kill you. It's foolish and ridiculous and offensive. I'm wondering how all these people who love this book, who I must assume also love to read, are swallowing this surmise. ...more

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Nov 04, 2010 Aylin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: _reviewed, fiction, by-of-in-france

Elegance of the Hedgehog unapologetically delves into some detailed philosophical musings which may be a bit much for some, but also balances things out with plenty of laugh-out- loud moments. The main characters are not endearingly quirky as much as they are highly cerebral misfits in their own cultural strata. They can be somewhat annoying at times (more so before you get to know and understand them better)- but who can't? It is a unique and very well written book with great dialogue and chara ...more

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Jul 17, 2009 Sally rated it really liked it

This was another Paris vacation-inspired read (though I'd been wanting to read it for a while). A sweet and tender story with quirky characters I fell in love with, and interesting philosophical and culture-related discussions (it's time for me to watch Yasujirō Ozu's The Munekata Sisters, revisit the art of seventeenth-century Dutch masters, and finally read Tolstoy's Anna Karenina). A book whose characters love grammar? Bring it on! A 12-year-old's inspired reflections on the beauty of a choir ...more

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Oct 31, 2009 Loreena rated it did not like it

The Elegance of a Hedgehog was nothing more than a vehicle for the author to display her vast vocabulary and supposed knowledge of paintings, art, grammar, philosophy, movies, culture, class...the list goes on. From the beginning I had a suspicion that this book was a venue for the author to show-off. The whole "suspense" of the book was that Renee was trying to hide her smartness from the people that resided in the building that she worked as a concierge. It was never clear why. The explanatio ...more

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Mar 26, 2010 Suzanne Moore rated it liked it

Shelves: 1001-2010, bwbc, ashe-spring-challenge

A hedgehog's spiked coat can fool one into believing they are rough creatures. Actually they have a tender personality sort of like humans. Like people, hedgehogs have good days and bad days.

Rene Mitchell is a 54 year old concierge at a Paris apartment building. The tenants recognize what she does for them, but not who she is. In her private life, she is a voracious reader and lover of art. Her cat is named Leo, after Tolstoy, and she obsesses over anything Japanese. She sarcastically observes t A hedgehog's spiked coat can fool one into believing they are rough creatures. Actually they have a tender personality sort of like humans. Like people, hedgehogs have good days and bad days.

Rene Mitchell is a 54 year old concierge at a Paris apartment building. The tenants recognize what she does for them, but not who she is. In her private life, she is a voracious reader and lover of art. Her cat is named Leo, after Tolstoy, and she obsesses over anything Japanese. She sarcastically observes the people she works for, baffled by their narrow minds and lavish lifestyles. She begins to notice one young girl, Paloma, who like herself remains inconspicuous to others.

Paloma is a genius and she has begun to believe that there is no reason to grow up if life is nothing more than what her parents and other adults in her social class make of it. Who needs deadlines and stress ...why should you be in a hurry to go no where? She has decided that she will kill herself on her 13th birthday and plans to burn down the apartment as well. Until her birthday she is keeping a journal where she records profound thoughts... just in case she realizes that there is a reason to live.

Although Renee is compared to a hedgehog, the description relates to Paloma as well. Both characters display figurative quills … personality barriers, but when self-reflecting they express themselves with philosophical elegance.

As the two unlikely acquaintances become friends, and a new tenant Monsieur Ozu takes an interest in Renee, the story develops with more positive observations. This proves to Paloma that there are reasons to value life and all that comes with it.

Barbery, a professor of philosophy, incorporates her discipline well. Paloma's profound thoughts and the cynicism of Renee made processing the story a struggle at times. I did like how I was forced to analyze and think though some of the ideas presented, but I also found it difficult to fully relax while reading this novel.

In the end … tragedy occurs and Paloma states: “I have finally concluded, maybe that's what life is about: there's a lot of despair, but also the odd moment of beauty, where time is no longer the same. It's as if those strains of music created a sort of interlude in time, something suspended, an elsewhere that had come to us, an always within never. Yes, that's it, an always within never.”

Now that is a profound thought! ...more

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Dec 25, 2009 Jamaie rated it did not like it

Shelves: did-not-care-for-it

Ok...OMGGGGG!!!!! This has got to be the horriblest(yeah, not a word)book I have ever had the dishonor of attempting to read, muchless finish. I made it halfway...and I gotta tell ya, sometimes I'd be so bored out of my skull that I found myself going over the sentences, but not actually reading it & when I flipped the page I would have no idea wth was actually going on. Wow...like I said, 1/2 way & now I feel like chucking the thing in a woodchipper..yes, I would feel better then. I do not reco ...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Dee rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2010-2019

did not like this one at all. could not get into it. found it quite boring.

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Aug 26, 2009 Mimi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: personal-library

Translated to English. A French concierge, a Japanese gentleman,and a 12 year old girl discover their lives intertwining with each impacting the other. The book slowly evolved and for a time I wasn't sure that I liked it but by the end I loved it! I found the vocabulary to be more advanced than most bestseller books. A very engaging read... ...more

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Oct 09, 2009 Kirsten rated it it was ok

Finished it....the end was better than the beginning or most of the rest of the book. I liked it better as it went on, but I feel like the author was a bit impressed with herself. It could be I woudl like it better if I read it rather than listened to the audio book (?). Also a bit predictable, which isn't necessarily a horrible thing. ...more

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