The Elegance of the Hedgehog was published in 2009, having been translated from its original French. I came across it in Waterstones where it was part of their 3 for 2 offer, the cover boasted that it had sold 2.5 million copies, been serialised on Radio 4 and received multiple favourable reviews and so I decided to give it a try. The story is told from what initially seem like two very different points of view - Renee is the concierge of an apartment block in Paris which is home to the wealthy and influential . Very few of the inhabitants pay her any attention other than when they need her services which suits Renee for although she appears to be a typical ...  Read the complete review

The Elegance of the Hedgehog is one of the most endearing books of all time. It takes place in Paris, France at 7 Rue de Grenelle, a luxury apartment building. The story unfolds through the alternating narration of two characters; Renne Michel, a 54 year old concierge and Paloma Josse a 12 year old girl on the brink of suicide. The organization of the story is one of confessional between these two characters, Renee admitting to the reader that though she may appear to be an ordinary looking concierge she is in fact an autodidact with interests in Tolstoy and fine food. Paloma on the other hand comes from a high class family with high expectations for her to ...  Read the complete review

I picked up this book in Waterstones a couple of months ago. I had chosen two other books in their 3 for 2 section, and was browsing for another one when this title caught my eye. Of course I had to pick it up and read the blurb on the back, and luckily, in addition to the fantastic title, it sounded like an interesting read. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery tells the story of Renee, a concierge in a fancy Parisian apartment block, and Paloma, a 12 year old girl who lives in that apartment block. On the surface, Renee appears to be a typical concierge, who is simple, uncultured and eats bland and funny smelling food. However, she is very ...  Read the complete review