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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.
What the critics say
"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)
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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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-06-08
Beautiful story and great 2 voice narration
Yes there is philosophy in this book and I do look forward to discussing it with my book club. But also, it is simply a beautiful story. Recommended.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Rebecca
- 2020-09-08
Idk, too pretentious for me 🤷♀️
After an hour or two I just stopped. Maybe it's not my cup of tea. But it's just showey prose that seems intended to illicit awe that it dare exist. I'm not sure what purpose it serves, so I'm out
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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
- celia gjosund
- 2020-01-10
enlightening
just a lovely worded book on class love loneliness and beauty. a very enjoyable read
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Madeline Comeau
- 2019-04-01
Quirky For Sure
I happened upon this book in a small, independently owned bookstore. I was so taken by the title that I ordered it as a gift for my niece, who happens to love hedgehogs, and ordered my copy on Audible. I loved this one-of-a-kind novel and recommend it to any readers who are up for a quirky break from their usual genre preferences.
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-09-14
Great Characters
#Audible1
I wasn't completely sure I was going to like this book when I first started listening to it, but I found myself becoming very fond of the characters as the story went on. This book would appeal to people who like character driven stories, with clever characters who insightfully observe the world around them.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Pyles
- 2010-04-21
It surprised me
I would not have had the patience to read this book with my eyes. I used it as a companion for pulling weeds and I must report that the garden and I are both the better for it. It was a very good listen. I'll not forget these characters anytime soon.
73 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Zuleika
- 2009-07-23
Fantastic!
This is an absolutely charming and wonderful book that I'll be recommending to lots of people. It is told in the first person by two narrators, both of whom are very intelligent intellectuals who are constantly evaluating the psychological and philosophical nuances of everything. While that sounds like it could be unbelievable dull, it isn't. I laughed so hard at one point, I had to stop the recording.
Cassandra Morris is very good, but Barbara Rosenblatt gives an award winning performance. It is one of the best narrations I have heard not just from Rosenblatt, but from anyone.
60 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- A.
- 2009-06-19
An " Elegent" Novel
I'll admit at first I was frustrated by The Elegance of Hedgehogs. The plot took a long time developing and the two main characters spent a lot of time pontificating on heavy themes. I love philosophy as reflected by fiction, but I felt the author spent much too much time on heady intellectual theories and not nearly enough time in the forward action of the story. However this was all absolved as I learned to understand them. One is an older woman in her 50s, a concierge in a rich apartment building who has been stunted by class expectations of her childhood and tries to hide the fact that she is an intellectual so as not be seen as putting on "airs". The other is a 12 year old girl of parents who pretend to have socialist aspirations but are really bourgeois, aloof and unfeeling. The girl is of extraordinary intelligence and can see through the facades maintained by her parents, older sister and adult society at large. She is disenchanted with the idea of growing up and living a "fish bowl" existence. Thus she has resolved to kill herself on her 13th birthday. As the story progressed I realized that to truly understand these characters and the boxes they put themselves it was important for the reader to endure the various wonderings, profound thoughts and journal exaltations, otherwise the resolution when they discover that their fates are not predetermined would not have been nearly as satisfying. It is an all together "elegant" novel filled with minute perceptions and sensory satisfactions.
51 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Lynn
- 2009-06-17
Characters to Love
Delightful rendering of a wonderful set of characters. Provocative in its reflection of literature, art and the meaning of life. Fun, though, and not too heavy. Full of fantastic language even though a translated work. In fact, I have ordered a print copy to review in addition to this pleasant listen.
35 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Sara
- 2016-10-12
Stuck In A Quandary
If you read the reviews here you will notice a strong divide between lovers and haters of this book. I find myself in the odd position of agreeing with both of these extreme ends of the review spectrum. On one hand I thought the first part of the book was lecturing and posing in tone and that the narrators mispronounced many words. Then as the book progressed the whole feeling changed and I found myself really liking the story and thinking the narrators were good.
I know this isn't much of a help if you are trying to decide on whether or not to try the book. I'm afraid that I am of two minds and will have to give it all three stars and stand right in the middle. Parts of the book and narration are excellent and deserve 5 stars and parts are just dreadful. I will say that in the end I was glad I gave it a try and stuck with it, but I'm also glad the book was on sale and that I didn't spend a credit.
34 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Ann S. Tidwell
- 2009-06-19
Overstuffed
I really did try to listen. Someone is trying too hard to impress. Like being trapped in a corner at a party by a first-year philosophy student.
33 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Pamela J. Lassiter
- 2009-06-23
Enchanting
Although it took a bit of time, perhaps one hour of listening, to "get into" the personalities of the story, I found this to be a completely beautiful and thought-provoking novel. Barbara Rosenblat is a genius storyteller. She is funny, sublime, and absolutely perfect in her role. Honestly, this is one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure of reading (listening) and I highly recommend it. It is a literature that makes you think about it for days as well as cry when you think about the characters. If I could give this 6 stars, I would!!!
31 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 2010-08-15
This book is not what you think...
I liked this book quite a bit. The book, the story, and the characters are all simple, yet satisfying. The writing and language are superior. The meaning was, in my opinion, the key and was not overt. This seems to lead to strong feelings, both positive and negative about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the narration and the humor, but mostly I enjoyed the spirit.
30 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Liz
- 2011-07-24
Boring and pretentious
I persisted with this book for about a third of its length as I thought it MUST surely improve and engage me, but it didn't. The reviewer who said that it's like being trapped in a corner with a first-year philosophy student hit the nail on the head. I just wanted to escape!
22 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Alie
- 2009-12-07
Such poor narration
This is an example of a terribly poor choice for narration of an audiobook. Such a fabulous book - unfortunately it becomes frightfully annoying and trite given the mistaken interpretation by this narrator. After having read the original in French I was looking forward to hearing the translation. Unfortunately - was extremely dissappointed by this audio version which totally and completely misses the nuance and hope in this story which was one of the best French publications of 2009. Such a shame. So annoying I couldn't finish listening - a first amoung my Audible purchases. What a waste of excellent writing. Needs to be re-recorded.
19 people 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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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Fabrice
- 2017-10-25
Great plot twist
The huge plot twist at the end is truly amazing. The beginning though, I feel like, has too much description.