The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Sorry - not the best photo - but the title of this book instantly appealed to me, so I bought it without knowing anything (other than the back page blurb) about it!

The book describes a number of residents of a grand Parisian apartment building and how their lives interact. The main character is Renee, the concierge who is leading a double life - dutiful concierge without any life of her own whilst in reality she is passionate and knowledgeable about culture and the arts. Apparently the book has 'taken France by storm with sales of over a million copies'!

I found the book hard to get into and definitely not an easy read - it made me realise (much to my mother's horror, no doubt) that I didn't absorb much of what was taught at school in relation to english grammar, art history or literature. (Both my mother and father loved this book - which does not surprise me.)

There are some moments in the book that really gave me pause for thought, for example pg. 140 where the twelve year old Paloma (who plans to commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday) states "So here is my profound thought for the day: this is the first time I have met someone who seeks out people and sees beyond.....We never look beyond our assumptions and, what's worse, we have given up trying to meet others; we just meet ourselves. We don't recognise each other because other people have become our permanent mirrors." But most of the book was way too philosophical and intense for me. The second half of the book was a great improvement - once the Japanese tenant moved in but overall I was happy to finish the book. I would recommend this book to friends that love the english language, philosophy and a quirky story.