The elegance of the hedgehog

Barbery, Muriel 1969- (Author). Anderson, Alison. (Added Author).

Summary: "Rene 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 sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday. Both Rene 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 Rene, winning Palomas trust, and helping the two discover their kindred souls. Moving, funny, tender, and triumphant, Barberys novel exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us."--Provided by the publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 1933372605
ISBN: 9781933372600 (trade pbk.)
Physical Description: print
325 p. ; 21 cm.
Edition: 29th printing
Publisher: New York : Europa Editions, 2008.
Badges:
- Top Holds Over Last 5 Years: 3 / 5.0

Content descriptions

General Note:

"2007 French booksellers prize"--P. [4] of cover.

Translated from the French.

Formatted Contents Note:

Marx (Preamble): 1. Whosoever Sows Desire - 2. The Miracles of Art - Camellias: 1. An Aristocrat - 2. On Wars and Colonies - 3. The Poodle as Totem - 4. Refusing the Fight - 5. In a Sorry State - 6. Homespun Cowls - 7. In the Confederate South - 8. Prophet of the Modern Elite - 9. Red October - 10. A Cat Called Roget - 11. The Rebellion of the Mongolian Tribes - 12. Phantom Comedy - 13. Eternity - 14. When of a Sudden, Old Japan - 15. The Rich Man's Burden - 16. Constitution's Spleen - 17. A Partridge's Ass - 18. Ryabinin - On Grammar: 1. Infinitesimal - 2. In a Moment of Grace - 3. Beneath the Skin - 4. Break and Continuity - 5. A Pleasant Impression - 6. Wabi - Summer Rain: 1. Clandestine - 2. The Great Work of Making Meaning - 3. Beyond Time - 4. Spider's Webs - 5. Of Lace and Frills and Flounces - 6. Just a Trim - 7. The Vestal Virgin in Her Finery - 8. Saints Alive - 9. Dull Gold - 10. What Congruence? - 11. Existence Without Duration - 12. A Wave of Hope - 13. Tiny Bladder - 14. How Much for One Roll? - 15. A Very Civilized Noble Savage - 16. And Then - 17. A New Heart - 18. Gentle Insomnia - Paloma: 1. Terribly Sharp - 2. For All Its Invisibility - 3. The Just Crusade - 4. The First Principle - 5. The Antipodes - 5. Baby Porpoise - 7. Deep Blue - 8. Contented Little Sips - 9. Sanae - 10. Dark Clouds - 11. Rain - 12. Sisters - 13. In the Pathways of Hell - 14. From Passageway to Pathway - 15. His Shoulders Soaked with Sweat - 16. Something Must Come to an End - 17. The Travails of Dressing Up - 18. Flowing Water - 19. They Shimmer - 20. Gagauz Tribes - 21. All Those Cups of Tea - 22. Meadow Grass - 23. My Camellias.