The Elegance of the Hedgehog

While looking for audiobooks at the local library I came across The Elegance of the Hedgehog. The synopsis sounded interesting, and I looked up the print copy to sample some of the prose. I was pleased to see the novel didn't contain overly depressing situations, right wing assholes, or salacious gore. It's about a concierge in an upscale apartment building who spends her life hiding her intelligence from her rich patrons until a gifted young girl and a Japanese gentleman uncovers her secret.

The novel is by Muriel Barbery, a French teacher of philosophy and the characters spend most of their time in internal reflection. A product of French culture, I found the story sentimental and with an ending that was so stereotypically French I laughed out loud when it happened but I still enjoyed the book. I read it in print instead of as an audiobook because of the density of the prose but I think I might go back and get the audiobook to listen to it again. In 2009, they made a movie based on the book: The Hedgehog and I suppose there's an outside chance the library has this too.

posted by na on March 14, 2024 21:08