Reviews tagging 'Death'

Igelkottens elegans by Muriel Barbery

36 reviews

mxpringle's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book made me cry so much and it was so inspiring. It's such a beautiful look into what it means to try to change the way your life was meant to be carried out and whether it is possible to change the destinies placed on us by class structures.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

quills4days's review against another edition

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

irenelpynn's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Classism

catandherbooks's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

I am heartbroken, not just because of the ending but because of the rest of the story. This book os one of the best I've ever read and I'll think about it (I hope) for the rest of my life. 

Perfect for fans of Fredrik Backman. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Child death and Terminal illness

larebe's review against another edition

2.0

There were a few engaging moments in this book, namely the later scenes with Paloma and Renee, and Renee and Prof Ozu, but it’s mostly just pretentious. Also, this was written in 2006 but the r- word slur was used multiple times, and it contained very infantilizing and degrading language about someone with Down Syndrome.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism and Death

camillarossi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Classism

Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, and Alcohol

ayamaro's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Death and Mental illness

Minor: Cancer and Sexual assault

gabgon2597's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Suicide, Car accident, and Classism

Minor: Drug abuse

baruss666's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

5.0

It has, without a doubt, become my favourite book. It has everything. There's no point in trying to describe, it just ticks it all. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts

leduyhxxng's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

The Elegance of the Hedgehog is not an easy read for all through the book was heavy prose laced with comprehensive references to philosophy, psychoanalysis, Yasujirō Ozu's The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice, and Leo Tolstoy's fictive works. For me, even with an audiobook, the reading experience, still, was quite painful because the plot only picks up halfway through, the first one hundred and fifty pages spent laboriously on the two main characters Renée and Paloma, fleshing each of them out as thinking individuals. More excitingly, in the other half, readers get to see them, both of whom initially are very reclusive, in action and in growing relation to other people. We see them learn to recognise and welcome love to the point that they themselves begin, but only begin, to give love—and the possibility of such a gesture, the promise of it, is beyond beautiful. However, Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog is very much an acquired taste, at least for my own preference; I dislike convoluted discourse, a feature from which this book did not shy away, the dreaded act of meandering even embraced into signature. It is furiously hard to love this book, but I find that in the end the effort is worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death