Book Review: THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG by Muriel Barbery
From: Barbara Lechner
1/27/2013
If not for the Anstett Book Club I would have followed my
daughter's formula, “If you don't like a book by page 35 'deep-six' it.” It
took me to page one hundred and 35 to finally find a comfort zone and not feel
I had homework to do. Am I glad I kept persisting ...mostly due to hearing
Shannon's recommendation for this book running in my head...there had to be
something that made her like this book. And, she was right!
I wanted to go back and re-read the first 135 pages to see
why I was so blind to the building blocks to
the author's character and story development. I suspect I am a lazy
reader. (sigh!)
The setting of an upper class apartment building inhabited
by a host of characters and managed by the story's main character – concierge
Renee – was not hard for me to relate to since George and I lived in a similar
setting in downtown Milwaukee for 13 years. Our building was different in that
it housed a mix of wealthy and “real” working people (like G and me) but there
was no loss for a cast of characters and lots of backstory (i.e. the attorney
who went to jail for embezzling, the diamond salesman who was robbed in the
building, the love affair of two neighbors, the brilliant man who had lost his
mind).
The philosophical ruminations of Renee, raised in poverty
and a self-taught intelligent woman, and the brilliant pre-teen Paloma a tenant
in the building and daughter of wealthy parents, are gems in and of themselves.
The women (adult and child) share a friendship and create a safe-haven to be
who they are. I believe that Renee, who has hidden her intellect from the
tenants discovers that she is not alone in feeling the misfit and even begins
to appreciate her uniqueness. She begins to connect to the new tenant Mr.
Kakuro and his gift for seeing her for what she is brings happiness to the
story and relief for the reader.
I will enjoy going back to favorite ruminations and plan to
use them for inspiration in my own life.
Happy reading!
I am sorry the book was a struggle at first. I suspect Grandma didn't love it because its pretty light on action. I'm glad you hung in there. I think you have to be in the mood for it - like when we hated the movie Arthur the first time we saw it and then years later loved it! You are most certainly not a lazy reader!
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