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The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (2008, Paperback)
US $2.99
ApproximatelyAU $4.58
Condition:
Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.
- Buy It NowThe Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (2008, Paperback)
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Get it between Fri, 15 Aug and Mon, 18 Aug to 94104.
Located in: Anaheim, California, United States
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eBay item number:264269554157
Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 9781933372600
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Europa Editions, Incorporated
ISBN-10
1933372605
ISBN-13
9781933372600
eBay Product ID (ePID)
66108350
Product Key Features
Book Title
Elégance of the Hedgehog
Number of Pages
336 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2008
Topic
Psychological, General, Literary
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Fiction
Format
Trade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height
1 in
Item Weight
11.3 Oz
Item Length
8.5 in
Item Width
5.6 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
TitleLeading
The
Reviews
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER INDIEBOUND TOP TEN BESTSELLER A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A BARNES AND NOBLE BET BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHICAGO SUN-TIMES FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR Praise for The Elegance of the Hedgehog "Gently satirical, exceptionally winning and inevitably bitersweet." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post " The Elegance of the Hedgehog is about love. But not the sappy, head-over-heels variety. Rather, it's about the love of one's friends. It's about the love you can experience when you connect with strangers. And it's about the possibility--but just that--of romantic love." -- The Huffington Post "Both [of the book's protagonists] create eloquent little essays on time, beauty and the meaning of life, Rene with the erudition and Paloma with adolescent brio." --The New York Times "Astute social satire and abstruse German philosophy are rarely found together, but here they are in this ingenious work of fiction." --The Boston Globe "In this supple novel of ideas, a best-seller in France...two autodidacts share an allergy to grammatical errors (the concierge considers a misplaced comma an 'underhanded attack') and a love of tea and moments of ineffable beauty. Barbery's sly wit, which bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations, keeps her tale aloft." --The New Yorker "This fable of love, frienship and the beauty of art not only gives innocence a voice, but also shows what a powerful novel can do: transport, educate and, ultimately, console." -- The Toronto Star " The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a high-wire performance." -- Los Angeles Times "[ The Elegance of the Hedgehog tells] a beautiful story with a large cast of fascinating, complicated characters whose behavior is delightfully unpredictable...No idea is too big or small to find a home in the Parisian apartment building where most of the characters live." --The Wall Street Journal "This dark but redemptive novel, an international bestseller, marks the English debut of Normandy philosophy professor Barbery...By turns very funny (particularly in Paloma's sections) and heartbreaking, Barbery never allows either of her dour narrators to get too cerebral or too sentimental. Her simple plot and sudden denouement add up to a great deal more than the sum of their parts." --Publishers Weekly " Hedgehog is really an international book, focused as it is on universal topics of childhood, philosophy, love, and art." -- The Daily Beast "This story, like all great tales, will break your heart, but it will also make you realize--or remember--that sometimes the pain is worth it." --Chicago Sun-Times, “The formula that made more than half a million readers in France fall in love with this book has, among other ingredients: intelligent humor, fine sentiments, an excellent literary and philosophical backdrop, good taste, sophistication and substance.â€� — La Repubblica “Enthusiastically recommended for anyone who loves books that grow quietly and then blossom suddenly.â€� — Marie Claire (France) “An exquisite book in the form of a philosophical fable that has enchanted hundreds of thousands of readers.â€� — Elle (Italy) “Nobody ever imagined that this tender, funny book with a philosophical vein would have enjoyed such incredible success. For some, it is part Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, part Monsieur Malaussene by Daniel Pennac. While for others it resembles a written version of the film Amelie. Either way, readers are responding in vast numbers.â€� — Le Monde, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER INDIEBOUND TOP TEN BESTSELLER A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A BARNES AND NOBLE BET BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHICAGO SUN-TIMES FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR Praise for The Elegance of the Hedgehog "Gently satirical, exceptionally winning and inevitably bitersweet." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post " The Elegance of the Hedgehog is about love. But not the sappy, head-over-heels variety. Rather, it's about the love of one's friends. It's about the love you can experience when you connect with strangers. And it's about the possibility--but just that--of romantic love." -- The Huffington Post "Both [of the book's protagonists] create eloquent little essays on time, beauty and the meaning of life, Renée with the erudition and Paloma with adolescent brio." --The New York Times "Astute social satire and abstruse German philosophy are rarely found together, but here they are in this ingenious work of fiction." --The Boston Globe "In this supple novel of ideas, a best-seller in France...two autodidacts share an allergy to grammatical errors (the concierge considers a misplaced comma an 'underhanded attack') and a love of tea and moments of ineffable beauty. Barbery's sly wit, which bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations, keeps her tale aloft." --The New Yorker "This fable of love, frienship and the beauty of art not only gives innocence a voice, but also shows what a powerful novel can do: transport, educate and, ultimately, console." -- The Toronto Star " The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a high-wire performance." -- Los Angeles Times "[ The Elegance of the Hedgehog tells] a beautiful story with a large cast of fascinating, complicated characters whose behavior is delightfully unpredictable...No idea is too big or small to find a home in the Parisian apartment building where most of the characters live." --The Wall Street Journal "This dark but redemptive novel, an international bestseller, marks the English debut of Normandy philosophy professor Barbery...By turns very funny (particularly in Paloma's sections) and heartbreaking, Barbery never allows either of her dour narrators to get too cerebral or too sentimental. Her simple plot and sudden denouement add up to a great deal more than the sum of their parts." --Publishers Weekly " Hedgehog is really an international book, focused as it is on universal topics of childhood, philosophy, love, and art." -- The Daily Beast "This story, like all great tales, will break your heart, but it will also make you realize--or remember--that sometimes the pain is worth it." --Chicago Sun-Times, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER INDIEBOUND TOP TEN BESTSELLER A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A BARNES AND NOBLE BET BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHICAGO SUN-TIMES FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR Praise for The Elegance of the Hedgehog "Gently satirical, exceptionally winning and inevitably bitersweet." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post " The Elegance of the Hedgehog is about love. But not the sappy, head-over-heels variety. Rather, it's about the love of one's friends. It's about the love you can experience when you connect with strangers. And it's about the possibility--but just that--of romantic love." -- The Huffington Post "Both [of the book's protagonists] create eloquent little essays on time, beauty and the meaning of life, Rene with the erudition and Paloma with adolescent brio." --The New York Times "Astute social satire and abstruse German philosophy are rarely found together, but here they are in this ingenious work of fiction." --The Boston Globe "In this supple novel of ideas, a best-seller in France...two autodidacts share an allergy to grammatical errors (the concierge considers a misplaced comma an 'underhanded attack') and a love of tea and moments of ineffable beauty. Barbery's sly wit, which bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations, keeps her tale aloft." --The New Yorker "This fable of love, frienship and the beauty of art not only gives innocence a voice, but also shows what a powerful novel can do: transport, educate and, ultimately, console." -- The Toronto Star " The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a high-wire performance." -- Los Angeles Times "[ The Elegance of the Hedgehog tells] a beautiful story with a large cast of fascinating, complicated characters whose behavior is delightfully unpredictable...No idea is too big or small to find a home in the Parisian apartment building where most of the characters live." --The Wall Street Journal "This dark but redemptive novel, an international bestseller, marks the English debut of Normandy philosophy professor Barbery...By turns very funny (particularly in Paloma's sections) and heartbreaking, Barbery never allows either of her dour narrators to get too cerebral or too sentimental. Her simple plot and sudden denouement add up to a great deal more than the sum of their parts." --Publishers Weekly " Hedgehog is really an international book, focused as it is on universal topics of childhood, philosophy, love, and art." -- The Daily Beast "This story, like all great tales, will break your heart, but it will also make you realize--or remember--that sometimes the pain is worth it." --Chicago Sun-Times , "The formula that made more than half a million readers in France fall in love with this book has, among other ingredients: intelligent humor, fine sentiments, an excellent literary and philosophical backdrop, good taste, sophistication and substance." --La Repubblica "Enthusiastically recommended for anyone who loves books that grow quietly and then blossom suddenly." --Marie Claire(France) "An exquisite book in the form of a philosophical fable that has enchanted hundreds of thousands of readers." --Elle(Italy) "Nobody ever imagined that this tender, funny book with a philosophical vein would have enjoyed such incredible success. For some, it is part Sophie's Worldby Jostein Gaarder, part Monsieur Malausseneby Daniel Pennac. While for others it resembles a written version of the film Amelie. Either way, readers are responding in vast numbers." --Le Monde
Dewey Edition
22
Grade From
Twelfth Grade
Dewey Decimal
843.92
Synopsis
" ""An exquisite book in the form of a philosophical fable that has enchanted hundreds of thousands of readers.""-Elle (Italy) The phenomenal New York Times bestseller that ""explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building"" (Publishers Weekly). In an elegant hotel particulier in Paris, Renee, the concierge, is all but invisible-short, plump, middle-aged, with bunions on her feet and an addiction to television soaps. Her only genuine attachment is to her cat, Leo. In short, she's everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in an upscale neighborhood. But Renee has a secret: she furtively, ferociously devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor, she scrutinizes the lives of the tenants-her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. Paloma is a twelve-year-old who lives on the fifth floor. Talented and precocious, she's come to terms with life's seeming futility and decided to end her own on her thirteenth birthday. Until then, she will continue hiding her extraordinary intelligence behind a mask of mediocrity, acting the part of an average pre-teen high on pop culture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. Paloma and Renee hide their true talents and finest qualities from a world they believe cannot or will not appreciate them. But after a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building, they will begin to recognize each other as kindred souls, in a novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us, and ""teaches philosophical lessons by shrewdly exposing rich secret lives hidden beneath conventional exteriors"" (Kirkus Reviews). ""The narrators' kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson's fluent translation) propel us ahead.""-The New York Times Book Review ""Barbery's sly wit . . . bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations.""-The New Yorker", The phenomenal New York Times bestseller that "explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building" ( Publishers Weekly ). In an elegant hôtel particulier in Paris, Renée, the concierge, is all but invisible--short, plump, middle-aged, with bunions on her feet and an addiction to television soaps. Her only genuine attachment is to her cat, Leo. In short, she's everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in an upscale neighborhood. But Renée has a secret: she furtively, ferociously devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor, she scrutinizes the lives of the tenants--her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. Paloma is a twelve-year-old who lives on the fifth floor. Talented and precocious, she's come to terms with life's seeming futility and decided to end her own on her thirteenth birthday. Until then, she will continue hiding her extraordinary intelligence behind a mask of mediocrity, acting the part of an average pre-teen high on pop culture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. Paloma and Renée hide their true talents and finest qualities from a world they believe cannot or will not appreciate them. But after a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building, they will begin to recognize each other as kindred souls, in a novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us, and "teaches philosophical lessons by shrewdly exposing rich secret lives hidden beneath conventional exteriors" ( Kirkus Reviews ). "The narrators' kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson's fluent translation) propel us ahead."-- The New York Times Book Review "Barbery's sly wit . . . bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations."-- The New Yorker, The phenomenal New York Times bestseller that "explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building" ( Publishers Weekly ). In an elegant h tel particulier in Paris, Ren e, the concierge, is all but invisible--short, plump, middle-aged, with bunions on her feet and an addiction to television soaps. Her only genuine attachment is to her cat, Leo. In short, she's everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in an upscale neighborhood. But Ren e has a secret: she furtively, ferociously devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor, she scrutinizes the lives of the tenants--her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. Paloma is a twelve-year-old who lives on the fifth floor. Talented and precocious, she's come to terms with life's seeming futility and decided to end her own on her thirteenth birthday. Until then, she will continue hiding her extraordinary intelligence behind a mask of mediocrity, acting the part of an average pre-teen high on pop culture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. Paloma and Ren e hide their true talents and finest qualities from a world they believe cannot or will not appreciate them. But after a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building, they will begin to recognize each other as kindred souls, in a novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us, and "teaches philosophical lessons by shrewdly exposing rich secret lives hidden beneath conventional exteriors" ( Kirkus Reviews ). "The narrators' kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson's fluent translation) propel us ahead."-- The New York Times Book Review "Barbery's sly wit . . . bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations."-- The New Yorker, The international bestseller that has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a moving, funny, atmospheric novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us. We are in an elegant h tel particulier in the center of Paris. Ren e, the building's concierge, is short, ugly, and plump. She has bunions on her feet. She is cantankerous and addicted to television soaps. Her only genuine attachment is to her cat, Leo. In short, she is everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in a posh Parisian neighborhood. But Ren e has a secret: she is a ferocious autodidact who furtively devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor she scrutinizes the lives of the building's tenants--her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. Then there's Paloma, a super-smart twelve-year-old and the youngest daughter of the Josses, who live on the fifth floor. Talented, precocious, and startingly lucid, she has come to terms with life's seeming futility and has decided to end her own on the day of her thirteenth birthday. Until then she will continue hiding her extraordinary intelligence behind a mask of mediocrity, acting the part of an average pre-teen high on pop subculture, a good but not an outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. Paloma and Ren e hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building. Only he is able to gain Paloma's trust and to see through Ren e's timeworn disguise to the secret that haunts her.
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Most relevant reviews
- 14 Apr, 2024
Capturing my attention!
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: mtwyouth
- 24 Jun, 2020
Using today's over stated superlatives for most books really disappoints most of the time. This book did not disappoint!
Verified purchase: YesCondition: NewSold by: missmuggle
- 20 May, 2020
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: bluevasemarketplace
- 25 Nov, 2017
Wordy, too convoluted
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- 31 Mar, 2020
Great Read
Verified purchase: YesCondition: NewSold by: B1CJoS8NTYS@Deleted