From Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog: Colombe Josse is . . . a sort of tall blond leek who dresses like a penniless Bohemian.  If there is one thing I despise, it is the perverse affectation of rich people who go around dressing as if they were poor, in second-hand clothes, ill fitting gray […]

From Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog: Mamam announced at the dinner table last night, as if it were a pretext to let the champagne flow freely, that it was exactly 10 years ago that she started her “anaaalysis.”  Everyone will agree that this is absolutely maaarvelous.  As far as I can see, only psychoanalysis […]

From Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog: I open the envelope and read this little note written on a business card whose surface is so glossy that the ink, to the dismay of the defeated blotter, has bled slightly underneath each letter. Madame Michel, Would you be so kind as, to sign for the packages […]

From Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog: We are good primates, so we spend most of our time maintaining and defending our territory, so that it will protect and gratify us; climbing – or trying not to slide down – the tribe’s hierarchical ladder, and fornicating in every manner imaginable – even mere phantasams.  Thus […]

The Elegance of the Hedgehog is one of the loveliest books I’ve ever read.  I haven’t enjoyed reading a book so much in a very long time, and I was sad to finish it – I wanted it to go on and on.  I usually don’t enjoy rereading books, but I think I’ll keep this […]

From Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog: Say what you want, do what you will with all those fine speeches on evolution, civilization and a ton of other “-tion” words, mankind has not progressed very far from its origins: people still believe they’re not here by chance, and that there are gods, kindly for […]