carolineinthelibrary 's review for:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

2.0

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I pride myself on being someone who doesn't DNF books...who doesn't even contemplate it! But this book almost got me. I just didn't care for it at all. The characters and plot feel so pretentious and haughty. I really only started to enjoy the book in the last hour or so, but it wasn't enough to redeem it for me. I often felt lost in the characters ramblings and maybe this is a culture difference but I found myself confused by the characters roles in society and in the building they live in - I'm only familiar with a hotel's concierge in the most general sense, let alone one that presumably lives in the same building as the residents of a...condo? Apartment? I don't know but not knowing took me out of it. The ending is definitely meant to be deep and meaningful, and I got that, but by the time we reach the end I don't really care enough about these characters to feel anything about the end.