THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG BY MURIEL BARBERY

The Elegance of the Hedgehog is set in Paris, in an apartment block inhabited by rich... well let's just say it: snobs. Renee is the concierge in the apartment block, and one of the book's two protagonists. On the outside, she is the perfect conciege: subservient, quiet and uneducated. Behind her door, she reads Tolstoy and thinks philosophically about life. The other is 12-year-old genius Paloma, who plans on commiting suicide on her thirteenth birthday to avoid a dull adult life like that of her rich parents.

One of the men in the block dies and his apartment is sold to a new owner, who brings change with him. He discovers Renee's secret and he and Paloma work together to bring her out of her shell.

The story is told from Renee's perspective, and also through Paloma's two diaries: 'Journal of the Movement of the World' and 'Profound Thoughts'. The book is filled with philosophical thoughts and is, because of this, fairly complicated to understand, however it can be read as simply a good story with the more philosophical sections overlooked.

As a teenager, I read some of the philosophy, but I did find lots of it hard to understand. However, the story itself is incredibly good, so even if you think you won't understand the philosophy, I would still recommend this book.

Muriel Barbery is French and this book has been translated into English. I would highly recommend it to older teenagers and adults. The characters are well developed and the story is beautiful.

Butterflies: 7 out of 10
Recommended for people: who are 14+ and will understand at least some of the philosophy.
Warnings: the philosophy could be overwhelming but the book is excellent despite that. Paloma is frank in discussing some life issues and there are some events in the book that could be considered disturbing for younger readers but it is not a really huge issue.

P.S. I have changed the blog layout slightly, I think it looks a bit more interesting now. What do you think?