Monday, October 26, 2009

Itty Bitty Book Review: "The Elegance of the Hedgehog"

"The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery




Translated from the French and seems to be a world wide hit. It is a very enjoyable read and I see in one of the reviews that a Parisian psychotherapist is prescribing this book to her patients instead of Prozac! It does give one that warm fuzzy feeling without being overly sentimental.

It has a very French feel to it and is, among other things, a social satire of class and the French love of philosophy and erudition.

Perhaps the highest recommendation is that I look forward to reading it again for our Jan bookclub pick and I almost never like re-reading books except Alice Munro, of course. BTW, Jane Campion who directed "The Piano" and "Bright Star" which is on Keats and currently playing is directing a film based on a Munro story called "Runaway". Really looking forward to that. Heard Campion being interviewed on Writers and Co on CBC.