L'élégance du hérisson (original 2006; edition 2006)

SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is both entertaining and insufferable. One initially annoying character gets better (especially if you skim, or even skip, as I eventually did, the pompous philosophy and haiku chapters, which were just too too pretentiously French.)
Moreover the author got herself in an unfortunate bind: although the book could be a nice chick-lit fantasy with the idealistic message that appearances are deceiving (the story is a delightful, if improbable, cross-cultural, cross-class, older-people romance based on a “meeting of true minds”) the author can’t bring herself to actually consummate the romance, and, rather petulantly, kills her main character off and ends the book. It’s as if she decided that “sad ending” equals “art” (especially if you name-drop a bunch of philosophers and artists, including, naturally, a knowledge of pop culture) and couldn’t accept that her well written novel is an amusing and sentimental popular entertainment. More regrettably, her hasty ending sadly and completely undermines the very message she’s ostensibly selling us about the unimportance of background and class in the "true" connections between people. By its refusal to delve seriously into these issues (through, for instance, character development within a simple, unpretentious story of an unlikely friendship, rather than tedious warmed-over socio-literary digressions) the book comes off as rather inconsequential with a somewhat unpleasant snobby aftertaste. ( )

This is book we all wished to own and study more thoroughly. We all felt that the insights into the conduct of life warranted further examination and reflection. This title was an especially beautiful read and we were surprised by the "elegance" of language and thought. The discussion was rich and we all approached the story from our unique experiences so that we each read it with a different result and focus. I don't think we've read a book previously, that elicited such varying approaches.
Colleen and Martha joined us at the Khori Japanese restaurant, but Deb H. was unable to make it. ( )

Parts were great, others were too philosophical. ( )

When I received this book as a present, I intended to read it soon. That took a bit longer than I expected, but now I finally got to it.

It is an unusal book. Not easy to read, for it is quite philosophical. Apart from that it contains several hints to other books, common knowledge, music. I suspect that I've missed quite something of these parts of the book, so I think it will be a wise idea to re-read this book in a little while.
For despite it is an unusual book, I liked it a lot! ( )

Translated from French, this book serves not only as a novel, but as a series of succinct essays on love, hierarchy, and above all, beauty. With very short (normally 2-3) sections, the book is easy to put down and back up again, although I rarely found myself wanting to do the latter. Both narrators are extremely intelligent and highly believable. The language is precise and flows beautifully. And although plot does not come until late in this book, it will not fail to tug at your heartstrings when it does finally arrive. This book will make you in turns laugh and cry, but above all it will make you think. ( )