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The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Muriel Barbery

Finish date: September 1, 2010

Why we're reading this: Delightful mixture of philosophy and art as seen through the eyes of a middle aged plus woman and a pre-p…more
[close] Delightful mixture of philosophy and art as seen through the eyes of a middle aged plus woman and a pre-pubescent teenage girl. Set in Paris, France yet incorporates Japanese film and philosophy... A delightful surprise at every corner.

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Oct 23, 2014 Panda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite-books

"Doamna Michel are eleganta ariciului: exteriorul e baricadat de tepi, o adevarata fortareata dar am intuitia ca in interior este la fel de rafinata ca si aricii, animale fals indolente, incapatanat de solitare si teribil de elegante."
“Ceea ce nu-i în regulă este că toţi copiii cred în vorbele adulţilor şi, deveniţi adulţi, se răzbună înşelându-şi propriii copii. „Viaţa are un sens pe care-l cunosc doar oamenii mari” este minciuna universală în care toată lumea e obligată să credă. Când, la vârs ...more

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Apr 22, 2013 scherzo♫ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mundane-fic, atwi-80-books

"Civilization is the mastery of violence, the triumph, constantly challenged, over the aggressive nature of the primate." ...more

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Aug 07, 2010 Lynn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: education, food, family, art, france, fiction, memior, literature, girls, literary-fiction

A long winded novel told from two protagonists point of view, one a 54 year old concierge of a wealthy apartment building who pretends to be uneducated and as stupid as she thinks she should be so as not to get her hopes up for a better life and a young girl who sees the pretentiousness of her family and plays dumb so as not to challenge them with her intelligence. A Japanese tenant who can break through the social pretensions of the French residence is the person who sees the women as they are ...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Marea rated it really liked it

If you are good at inferring vocabulary and get through the first 1/2 of this book, you will end up LOVING IT! Though I thought the philosophical standpoints were hogwash, I still grew to understand both narrators, Renee and Paloma, and their struggles as the book progressed; they became more lovable. And, the ending? Worth it!

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