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jonfaith's review against another edition
5.0
I did find this brilliant. A slight breeze of inspiration, peppered with insights and regrets. It was certainly configured for a popular recpetion, but the images remained transportive. I was affected.
sarahintheyo's review against another edition
5.0
Had a bit of a slow start, but was a very charming and heartfelt story.
laurenjoy's review against another edition
3.0
This book was really good to begin with- there were moments where even in the English translation I could almost hear the original French turns-of-phrases. The main characters were attractive because of their personalities which made a refreshing change. The plot device to explain one of the characters sounded so defensive and weak though that I ended up liking the character less after her personal history than I did when I viewed her as a hidden literati feigning ignorance as a concierge.
kstaaland's review against another edition
1.0
I've tried to finish this book half a dozen times & I've only managed three quarters through, even when trapped in the car with the audiobook. Boring.
kamasue's review against another edition
4.0
I would like to be able to read this in the original French...
mountainmama303's review against another edition
2.0
This book was just "ok." There are two narrators, one is the clandestine concierge of a fancy apartment building in France and the other is a smart 12 year old who lives in that building with her bourgeois parents. The alternating chapters were not quite compelling enough for me to keep turning the pages. It took me a month to read this book, which is twice as long as I expected. The last 100 pages, though, are quite good. I wish the beginning of the book had been as readable.
jensen1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
sue_reilly's review against another edition
5.0
I did not expect to like this book-- a French novel with a heavy dose of philosophy sounded very pretentious. But I found the narration down-to-earth and the philosophy incredibly tolerable, with the exception of a short discussion of phenomenology which annoyed me a little. The novel is very character-centered with little plot, but I was drawn to the characters-- Paloma, a bright but suicidal 12-year old who can't stand her pretentious and shallow family; Renée Michel, the concierge of the expensive Parisian apartment building where they live, who is an autodidact who fakes stupidity for the sake of fitting the expectations of a concierge; and Kakuro Ozu, a Japanese man who crosses class and age boundaries to befriend both of them. I thought the commentary on class and education was interesting and added a lot of suspense to the book. It was obvious that the author has a bias toward an Asian aesthetic-- all of the "good" characters in the book are drawn to Asian art and ideas. The "bad" characters are heavily steeped in Old World politics and class. It is charming and light despite the heavy themes, and it is lovely to follow the changes in the characters through the book. It is narrated in alternating passages by Renée (primarily) and Paloma. I liked the structure also.
classic_monolith's review against another edition
5.0
I just reread this old favorite and it still holds for me. Themes of disillusionment with society, isolation, self deprecating humor, depression, and cognitive dissonance are my jam. I can't help but laugh at the isolated heady pompousness and the relentless self and other judging. My younger self has too much in common with the central characters.