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The Elegance of the Hedgehog
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat, Cassandra Morris
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
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The Elegance of the Hedgehog
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Publisher's Summary
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.
Editorial reviews
The Elegance of the Hedgehog tells the story of a life spent in hiding. Madame Michel is the concierge of a luxurious Parisian apartment building, tending to the plants, signing for packages, and polishing the brass, retreating when she can to her rooms on the first floor. She keeps a television blaring where the tenants can hear it; she zealously polices her speech and gestures to keep from giving herself away. What is the secret she hides? Madame Michel is an intellectual. She knows Kant, but she's separated by class from other people who do, so she discusses his work with herself while we listen in. Her musings are voiced by Barbara Rosenblat, who lends an air of theatrical irony an auditory raised eyebrow to her descriptions of class blind spots and philosophical rabbit holes.
The other pole of the story is Paloma Josse, a 12-year-old tenant in the building, voiced by Cassandra Morris with an appropriate measure of sarcasm and outrage. Paloma is a wildly precocious girl raised in privilege who has all the gifts of intellect and all the faults of a pre-adolescent. She's grandiose she favors us with excerpts from a journal titled "Profound Thoughts". She's happy to throw stones at glass houses, and even plans to burn hers down, with the aim of teaching her family a pithy lesson about deprivation. She describes the currently deprived in terms that, while well-intentioned, condescend and distort. She is, in other words, a burgeoning intellect in serious need of the influence of an adult she can respect. An adult, perhaps, like the 54-year-old concierge on the first floor. But it takes more than a ride in an elevator to truly meet a woman who has spent her life in hiding. The novel takes two world views, both meticulously constructed from sound philosophical materials, and happily pulls them apart. Rosalie Knecht
Critic Reviews
"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)
What listeners say about The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alan Millett
- 03-01-2022
is life worth living?
this is a question asked by the young woman.
life vs death
beauty vs every day life
thinking vs feeling
poor vs rich
moments of always in the continual never.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-03-2022
worth every second
perfect duo narration; capturing the essence of the characters perfectly . Intelligent, emotive and hilarious. 10/10
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amanda Harding
- 16-10-2019
Loved this book
I wasn’t sure at the start. Had to re listen to the first couple of chapters but then loved it. Stick with it, it’s amazing
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 24-09-2020
slowly draws you in as an emotional world opens up
A slow gradual development of the story and prose to a rich tale of friendship, paralleling the opening up of the characters, lots of beautiful considerations of life and death and meaning.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Liz
- 27-07-2024
the telling of the story
life captured 🙌 just finished and am starting again, back into a world which feels like home
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lyn Bender
- 09-08-2018
Well worth the effort.
Seems to struggle ponderously towards a meaning. Seen through the eyes of an ageing concierge in Paris and the. Wisdom of a struggling twelve year old .Stunning in its final discovery. Keep going . It’s worth it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robert Berkley
- 01-12-2019
Elegance has many faces
A skilfully crafted novel that peels back several archetypal masks and finds some surprising faces hiding in the shadows. Laugh, cry, cheer and boo. I’m sure this book will have something for you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ruxandra Macfarlane
- 20-12-2019
A book that makes you think, feel and pause
Beautifully written. A tender story...
The performance is superb, it completes the book. Highly recommend.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Diana
- 19-03-2016
Beautiful world, irritating characters
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I might recommend it to someone who wants a little "peek" into this type of world, but truly, I don't know what kind of person would like to read this. There was nothing particularly incredible or refreshing about the story and as such little to recommend.
Would you ever listen to anything by Muriel Barbery again?
Probably. The story had its good parts. The character of Ozu was most endearing and interesting -- so if another Barbery book had characters more like Ozu but less like Renee and Paloma, I would be much more interested.
Do you think The Elegance of the Hedgehog needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No, as there was nothing left to explore at the end of the story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jo
- 24-06-2022
Utterly enthralled
Despite the ending this bill/story was an utter delight. Began listening again as soon as I finished the first time. The narrators are superb, especially Renee. I just adored it.
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