The Elegance of the Hedgehog in Around the World in 80 Books

Sep 22, 2014 Sera rated it it was ok

Shelves: literary-fiction, audio, library, 1001-books

Oh boy. If as a reader, you enjoy books with characters who wax philosophically but do little else, then this book is for you. It's heavy on political and social commentary, but short on plot, which is a shame, because when the author engages in storytelling, the book becomes much more interesting.

In addition, the theme of upper versus lower class didn't really do it for me. The characters who represent each of these perspectives are pretentious in their own way, as is the writing in the book. ...more

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Apr 07, 2014 Barondestructo rated it did not like it

50-something Parisian concierge Renee is a closet intellectual who keeps her interests and intelligence a secret from the upper class tenants of her building because she doesn’t want them judging her. Ironically, she spends most of this novel generalizing and judging the upper class tenants of her building – when she’s not going on philosophical tangents. Paloma is a young Parisian teen who has evidently read Mersault’s L’Etranger one too many times and is overcome by a pervading sense of ennui. ...more

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May 20, 2010 SarahC rated it it was ok

Shelves: four-seasons

Renee Michel works as a concierge, serving the residents of a high-end apartment building. She has the perfect observation point of the daily actions of the upper middle class residents. It seems that little can be hidden by those who live under the same roof, even in a large apartment house. Renee sees the temperaments, prejudices, and pseudo-education of those who pass before her. Renee believes she is surrounded by very superficial lives.

The widowed Renee, from an impoverished past, has lived Renee Michel works as a concierge, serving the residents of a high-end apartment building. She has the perfect observation point of the daily actions of the upper middle class residents. It seems that little can be hidden by those who live under the same roof, even in a large apartment house. Renee sees the temperaments, prejudices, and pseudo-education of those who pass before her. Renee believes she is surrounded by very superficial lives.

The widowed Renee, from an impoverished past, has lived many years as a scholar of the fine things in life and has developed deep appreciation of language, music, and art. Her defining mode of life is that of hiding her knowledge away -- she has led a clandestine life of the mind. The question soon surfaces as you read: doesn’t a life in hiding mean there are things she has missed about the people she encounters? Is she simply wrong in her impressions and perceptions of these passing acquaintances?

We are soon introduced to Paloma, the youngest child of one of resident families. Paloma is in a search for answers to many things -- but primarily the reason why she should continue to exist at all. Renee and Paloma will intersect when Paloma is intrigued by this concierge who hides her true erudite ways. And Paloma seeks Renee’s protected sphere in which to rest and hide her own thoughts.

Intriguing as Renee’s beliefs are, she has created an artificial barrier between herself and life. She doesn’t touch the community -- she never visits a hairstylist, she orders even her socks and underthings by mail. Even though she has worked to broaden her mind, she still seems to live with notions too much.

The novel is full of observations and it questions knowledge, class, philosophy, and emotion. It is a weighty story and moves slowly. It becomes quicker and lighter at times, but a heaviness concludes the story. It is a unique novel and has gained much praise due to that. This uniqueness doesn’t make up for all the separate elements here that aren’t particularly strong. ...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Ra rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: nypl

I read this book to the end, and I feel it is overly pretentious. Unfortunately it re-enforces the prejudice I have against European "literary fiction".

The book consists of the internal monologues of its two main protagonists, one a middle aged concierge of humble background who is also a highly intellectual autodidact, and trying to hide this from her employers. The second is a pre-teen suicidal girl, who is also very intelligent and trying to find meaning in life before the day she set for her ...more

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Sep 17, 2015 Jillian rated it did not like it

Nope. Did not like this. Listened to this on audiobook and felt so frustrated at everyone. The plight of the poor educated elite; People pretending to be stupid when they are smart; Some fetishized view of Asian culture; A snobby, obnoxious girl who thinks that suicidal ideation makes her compelling? I couldn't care for anyone and the whole tone of snob was very off-putting. ...more

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