The Elegance of the Hedgehog

By: Muriel Barbery

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat, Cassandra Morris

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's Summary

An enchanting New York Times and international best seller and award-winner about life, art, literature, philosophy, culture, class, privilege, and power, seen through the eyes of a 54-year-old French concierge and a precocious but troubled 12-year-old girl.

Renee Michel is the 54-year-old concierge of a luxury Paris apartment building. Her exterior (short, ugly,and plump) and demeanor (poor, discreet, and insignificant) belie her keen, questing mind and profound erudition. Paloma Josse is a 12-year-old genius who behaves as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. She plans to kill herself on the 16th of June, her 13th birthday.

Both Renee and Paloma hide their true talents and finest qualities from the bourgeois families around them, until a wealthy Japanese gentleman named Ozu moves into building. Only he sees through them, perceiving the secret that haunts Renee, winning Paloma's trust, and helping the two discover their kindred souls. Moving, funny, tender, and triumphant, Barbery's novel exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.

©2006 Editions Gallimard, Paris (P)2009 Highbridge Company

Critic Reviews

"Gently satirical, exceptionally winning and inevitably bittersweet." ( The Washington Post )
"An exquisite book in the form of a philosophical fable that has enchanted hundreds of thousands of readers." (Italian Elle)
"Kinetic minds and engaging voices." ( New York Times Book Review)
"By turns very funny and heartbreaking". ( Publishers Weekly)
"Life-affirming." ( Time)

It surprised me

I would not have had the patience to read this book with my eyes. I used it as a companion for pulling weeds and I must report that the garden and I are both the better for it. It was a very good listen. I'll not forget these characters anytime soon.

59 of 61 people found this review helpful

Fantastic!

This is an absolutely charming and wonderful book that I'll be recommending to lots of people. It is told in the first person by two narrators, both of whom are very intelligent intellectuals who are constantly evaluating the psychological and philosophical nuances of everything. While that sounds like it could be unbelievable dull, it isn't. I laughed so hard at one point, I had to stop the recording.

Cassandra Morris is very good, but Barbara Rosenblatt gives an award winning performance. It is one of the best narrations I have heard not just from Rosenblatt, but from anyone.

49 of 52 people found this review helpful

Characters to Love

Delightful rendering of a wonderful set of characters. Provocative in its reflection of literature, art and the meaning of life. Fun, though, and not too heavy. Full of fantastic language even though a translated work. In fact, I have ordered a print copy to review in addition to this pleasant listen.

31 of 33 people found this review helpful

An " Elegent" Novel

I'll admit at first I was frustrated by The Elegance of Hedgehogs. The plot took a long time developing and the two main characters spent a lot of time pontificating on heavy themes. I love philosophy as reflected by fiction, but I felt the author spent much too much time on heady intellectual theories and not nearly enough time in the forward action of the story. However this was all absolved as I learned to understand them. One is an older woman in her 50s, a concierge in a rich apartment building who has been stunted by class expectations of her childhood and tries to hide the fact that she is an intellectual so as not be seen as putting on "airs". The other is a 12 year old girl of parents who pretend to have socialist aspirations but are really bourgeois, aloof and unfeeling. The girl is of extraordinary intelligence and can see through the facades maintained by her parents, older sister and adult society at large. She is disenchanted with the idea of growing up and living a "fish bowl" existence. Thus she has resolved to kill herself on her 13th birthday. As the story progressed I realized that to truly understand these characters and the boxes they put themselves it was important for the reader to endure the various wonderings, profound thoughts and journal exaltations, otherwise the resolution when they discover that their fates are not predetermined would not have been nearly as satisfying. It is an all together "elegant" novel filled with minute perceptions and sensory satisfactions.

46 of 51 people found this review helpful

Enchanting

Although it took a bit of time, perhaps one hour of listening, to "get into" the personalities of the story, I found this to be a completely beautiful and thought-provoking novel. Barbara Rosenblat is a genius storyteller. She is funny, sublime, and absolutely perfect in her role. Honestly, this is one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure of reading (listening) and I highly recommend it. It is a literature that makes you think about it for days as well as cry when you think about the characters. If I could give this 6 stars, I would!!!

26 of 29 people found this review helpful

This book is not what you think...

I liked this book quite a bit. The book, the story, and the characters are all simple, yet satisfying. The writing and language are superior. The meaning was, in my opinion, the key and was not overt. This seems to lead to strong feelings, both positive and negative about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the narration and the humor, but mostly I enjoyed the spirit.

25 of 28 people found this review helpful

Stuck In A Quandary

If you read the reviews here you will notice a strong divide between lovers and haters of this book. I find myself in the odd position of agreeing with both of these extreme ends of the review spectrum. On one hand I thought the first part of the book was lecturing and posing in tone and that the narrators mispronounced many words. Then as the book progressed the whole feeling changed and I found myself really liking the story and thinking the narrators were good.

I know this isn't much of a help if you are trying to decide on whether or not to try the book. I'm afraid that I am of two minds and will have to give it all three stars and stand right in the middle. Parts of the book and narration are excellent and deserve 5 stars and parts are just dreadful. I will say that in the end I was glad I gave it a try and stuck with it, but I'm also glad the book was on sale and that I didn't spend a credit.

30 of 34 people found this review helpful

Keep Listening

Put me to sleep repeatedly as I started the book... only Moby Dick has worked better. I wondered how it had ever been published considering the initial lack of plot and endless mental tangents. The characters however, do grow on you and I stayed up late in order to finish the charming and unexpected 2nd part. Came away with some delightful insights. Those who might find even more joy in the book would be lovers of: Russian literature, still life paintings, Japanese cuisine, complex minds, tea and of course, all things French.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Touching and Moving

I did not want to like this book, selected by book club. 15 minutes into it, I was hooked - it made me laugh and cry. I wanted to know these characters more and will listen to this audiobook again and again.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Must be a Philosophy Major

The summary of this book had potential. The audible reviews I read were good but boy was I mislead. I didn't like this book. I'm just not intellectual enough. I don't like philosophy and 45% of this book is philosophy. 15" rambling on the meaning of a kitchen table. Pretentious people. Trick ending. Good narration but would have been better if they had French accents as it takes place in Paris. Not for my average mind.

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

Awful narration

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

The book is fabulous - it was read abysmally

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Barbara Rosenblat and Cassandra Morris ?

Someone who can do a French accent

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Elegance of the Hedgehog

Lovely book but it's set in Paris, so why not have French readers, instead we have the most awful screechy voiced American child that ruined the story - ugh.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Cannot have enough of it!

There are books we enjoy, but also ones that we learn from and re-discover time after time.
I have this book in print, bought the film and also in audio format. Never got bored of it and always want to read some parts over and over again.
Simply great!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Wonderful wonderful book

This book came highly recommended and it exceeded my high expectations.
The story went right into me and I was very moved by it.
Yes, it is a great book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Exquisite

Wonderfully narrated, The Elegance of the Hedgehog took my breath away. Funny, charming, sad & poignant all at once. The story is simple but profound and the characters are delectable.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

A Camelia

The book is funny, well written, illuminating, surprising and sometimes you wander but Rene brings you straight back.

A Masterpiece!

Reading literature in translation is so rewarding, because so often we don't read outside our own language. So often books in other languages are especially sweet and unique! This novel is beautiful, and bittersweet and a wonderful depiction of philosophy, love, tragedy and life. Both Barbery and the narrators perfectly capture the different mindsets of the characters and the ending is so unexpected! This is a short but very poetic novel, which everyone should read!

Pretentious and poorly thought-out story.

Good stuff: Very well read by the two narrators. No problem giving a 5/5 for performance.

Bad stuff: Author seems to regurgitate the skimmed summaries of a few philosophy books in a bid to "sound smart," but the book only comes off as pretentious and shallow. The author is a philosophy teacher, and she is using the book as a vehicle to trash-talk psychology to the detriment to the plot. The book format is just abused throughout by the author who uses it as a soapbox.

Best book I've read for years

What made the experience of listening to The Elegance of the Hedgehog the most enjoyable?

It's perfect, subtle, sublime

What did you like best about this story?

Loved the setting.

What does Barbara Rosenblat and Cassandra Morris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The readers, especially Rosenblat are perfectly cast and Rosenblat breaks your (well, my) heart with her reading. Fabulous.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Inelegance, unfortunately

9 1/2 hour homage to snobby bourgeois values, read by two narrators in tones of insufferably smug self- congratulation. Could the author possibly have intended this tone? It was impossible to get beyond the performance to find out. I ploughed on, waiting for the protagonists’ come-uppance or for the satire to kick in. No dice.