The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Author: Muriel Barbery
Translator: Alison Anderson
Published by: Gallic
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★★
Translator: Alison Anderson
Published by: Gallic
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★★
Renée is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building on the Left Bank. To the residents she is honest, reliable and uncultivated – an ideal concierge. But Renée has a secret. Beneath this conventional façade she is passionate about culture and. The arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her self-important employers.
Down in her lodge, Renée is resigned to living a lie; meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid a predictable bourgeois future and plans to commit suicide on ger thirteenth birthday.
But the death of one of their privileged neighbours will bring dramatic change to number 7, Rue de Grenelle, altering the course of both their lives for ever.
Down in her lodge, Renée is resigned to living a lie; meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid a predictable bourgeois future and plans to commit suicide on ger thirteenth birthday.
But the death of one of their privileged neighbours will bring dramatic change to number 7, Rue de Grenelle, altering the course of both their lives for ever.
My thoughts:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog was recommended to me last year during a reading spa at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath, and I’m so glad I was introduced to Muriel Barbery’s writing. I’ve always enjoyed French fiction and found myself very quickly drawn into this world of Parisian elegance. It's easy to see why this title has sold over ten million copies worldwide.
The storyline at first seemed relatively simple - the unmasking of a character presenting a front to the world and the consequences that brings. It is the way in which the plot is revealed that makes for such an engaging read.
There are two narrators and the story flits between the confessions of these two characters: Renée Michel, a fifty-four-year-old concierge in a Parisian block of luxury apartments, and Paloma Josse, a precocious twelve-year-old girl, the youngest daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the building. The apartment building is located on one of the most elegant streets in Paris. Divided into eight luxury apartments, all occupied by distinctly bourgeois families, with a courtyard and private garden.
Renée’s observations of the residents and their perception of her make for an enjoyable read. She is careful to conform to the concierge stereotype in public, hiding her intelligence and living a secret life of addiction to culture, whether it be art, music, literature, philosophy or films. She conceals these interests to keep her job and, she believes, to avoid the condemnation of the building's tenants. Aside from her cat Leo, she chooses to be alone and avoid her tenants' curiosity as much as possible.
Her perspective is that "To be poor, ugly and, moreover, intelligent condemns one, in our society, to a dark and disillusioned life, a condition one ought to accept at an early age".
Then there's Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius. Paloma lives on the fifth floor with her parents and sister. She is precocious and articulate, but unable to talk to her family (most of whom she despises) about the way she feels. She believes that life has no meaning and intends to commit suicide on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday.
Paloma is the only tenant who suspects Renée's refinement. Although they share interests in philosophy and literature, nothing happens between them until the death of a celebrated restaurant critic who had been living upstairs.
Following the critic’s death, a new character is introduced to the building. It is when Kakuro Ozu moves into the apartments that the changes begin. He has a profound effect on the lives of both Renée and Paloma.
I enjoyed all the characters featured in the novel and I liked the way the narrative switched between Renee and Paloma, giving each of them her own voice. This enabled the reader to view both characters from an internal perspective (each section being narrated in the first person) and an external perspective through the eyes of one another. Alison Anderson’s translation into English conveys the warmth and sophistication of Barbery’s writing and I was unsurprised to find that she has translated many books into English, as well as being a published novelist herself.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog feels light and airy, with moments of real tenderness and contemplation. It is a clever and very moving story about friendship, love, materialism, and class. A wonderful example of contemporary French literary fiction. I can’t wait to read more from this acclaimed author.
Overall reaction:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog was recommended to me last year during a reading spa at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath, and I’m so glad I was introduced to Muriel Barbery’s writing. I’ve always enjoyed French fiction and found myself very quickly drawn into this world of Parisian elegance. It's easy to see why this title has sold over ten million copies worldwide.
The storyline at first seemed relatively simple - the unmasking of a character presenting a front to the world and the consequences that brings. It is the way in which the plot is revealed that makes for such an engaging read.
There are two narrators and the story flits between the confessions of these two characters: Renée Michel, a fifty-four-year-old concierge in a Parisian block of luxury apartments, and Paloma Josse, a precocious twelve-year-old girl, the youngest daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the building. The apartment building is located on one of the most elegant streets in Paris. Divided into eight luxury apartments, all occupied by distinctly bourgeois families, with a courtyard and private garden.
Renée’s observations of the residents and their perception of her make for an enjoyable read. She is careful to conform to the concierge stereotype in public, hiding her intelligence and living a secret life of addiction to culture, whether it be art, music, literature, philosophy or films. She conceals these interests to keep her job and, she believes, to avoid the condemnation of the building's tenants. Aside from her cat Leo, she chooses to be alone and avoid her tenants' curiosity as much as possible.
Her perspective is that "To be poor, ugly and, moreover, intelligent condemns one, in our society, to a dark and disillusioned life, a condition one ought to accept at an early age".
Then there's Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius. Paloma lives on the fifth floor with her parents and sister. She is precocious and articulate, but unable to talk to her family (most of whom she despises) about the way she feels. She believes that life has no meaning and intends to commit suicide on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday.
Paloma is the only tenant who suspects Renée's refinement. Although they share interests in philosophy and literature, nothing happens between them until the death of a celebrated restaurant critic who had been living upstairs.
Following the critic’s death, a new character is introduced to the building. It is when Kakuro Ozu moves into the apartments that the changes begin. He has a profound effect on the lives of both Renée and Paloma.
I enjoyed all the characters featured in the novel and I liked the way the narrative switched between Renee and Paloma, giving each of them her own voice. This enabled the reader to view both characters from an internal perspective (each section being narrated in the first person) and an external perspective through the eyes of one another. Alison Anderson’s translation into English conveys the warmth and sophistication of Barbery’s writing and I was unsurprised to find that she has translated many books into English, as well as being a published novelist herself.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog feels light and airy, with moments of real tenderness and contemplation. It is a clever and very moving story about friendship, love, materialism, and class. A wonderful example of contemporary French literary fiction. I can’t wait to read more from this acclaimed author.
Overall reaction:
