the elegance of the hedgehog book review

As the school year progresses, Annabel begins an unlikely friendship with Owen, an intense music lover who vows to always tell the truth. She is also keeping a secret about what actually happened the night in May that Sophie and her ended their friendship. Annabel herself has grown disinterested in modelling, but feigns interest for the sake of her mother. She begins the school year friendless, having to eat lunch with Owen Armstrong, the “angriest boy in school.” One of her older sisters suffers from a severe eating disorder that stemmed from her modelling career. However, Annabel’s life is not as simple as it appears. “I thought: pity the poor in spirit who know neither the enchantment nor the beauty of language.”Īnnabel Greene seems to be the girl she portrays in commercials and modelling shoots: the girl who has it all. This is a well written book about finding meaning in one’s own life.

This book is about how other people see you, how we see are self and the things that prevent us from truly seeing others.

I enjoyed the lyrical prose and the thoughts of the characters. I would recommend this book for anyone who loved The History of Love by Nicole Krauss or is interested in philosophy. I enjoyed this book for the ideas and the writing, but if you’re looking for a fast paced or involved plot, you won’t find it in this book. I loved how introspective it was, and I enjoyed the profound thoughts of Paloma’s. Beautifully written, The Elegance of The Hedgehog is a novel full of interesting and realistic characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys novels that make them reflect. This phenomenal novel is well written and thought provoking, with a sophisticated style that makes it memorable and very French. When a cultured Japanese man moves into the building, both Paloma and Renée find someone who truly sees them, and helps them see each other. Paloma has decided that she will kill herself on her thirteenth birthday, burning down the building before she dies. Paloma also hides her intelligence from others and is especially perceptive for a pre-teen. Like Renée, she is very interested in Japanese culture. Living in the same building, Paloma is a twelve-year-old daughter of a government official. She spends her days reading Russian literature, philosophy and admiring art.

But in reality Renée puts a great effort into keeping this façade, and is really incredibly intelligent and cultured. She is widowed, overweight, uneducated, and friendless aside from her cat and a cleaning woman. Renée appears to be a typical concierge in a Parisian apartment building of aristocrats.

The elegance of the hedgehog book review