A review by charstory
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

4.0

This book was recommended by a friend so I picked it up. I'm so glad I did! As many have said, a slower start, but I am so in love with the syntax, the vocabulary used (I had to look some up and I feel that's a good sign), I enjoyed the slower build. I listened and the best place for me is the car so I'm not distracted otherwise. Luckily a trip to Austin solved it. The narrators were excellent and gave so much shape to their characters. Yes, the characters seem snobbish in their own right (as they judge others as snobbish or fools or worse) but as the story unfolds, I learned this is their armor against a world in which they are reluctant--or are too frightened--to engage. Let me encourage word and phrase lovers to hang in there. When Mr. Ozu arrives, the plot quickly begins to turn. Lots of music, movies, and art to unpack here as well. I'll be buying a hard copy so I can go back and savor those turns of phrase, "a prophet of the contemporary elite," and "lexical misdeeds," just to name two.