Saturday, July 3, 2010

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry

The Elegance of the HedgehogThis novel explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building from two perspectives - the concierge, Renée Michel, who deliberately hides her radiant intelligence from the upper-crust residents of 7 rue de Grenelle, and Paloma Josse, who also lives in the building, is the precocious 12 year old girl who recognizes Renée as a kindred spirit is nothing short of a revelation.


This novel has laborious philosophical passages (the author is a professor of philosophy) that drone on and on.  I just couldn't get into the characters or the story so I am moving on to other books.

Rating: 1 Do NOT Recommend