The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

The Locale: Tassy's Home

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The Book:
Renee is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building, home to members of the great and the good. Over the years she has maintained her carefully constructed persona as someone reliable but totally uncultivated, in keeping, she feels, with society's expectations of what a concierge should be. But beneath this facade lies the real Renee: passionate about culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her employers with their outwardly successful but emotionally void lives. Down in her lodge, apart from weekly visits by her one friend Manuela, Renee lives resigned to her lonely lot with only her cat for company. Meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the pampered and vacuous future laid out for her, and decides to end her life on her thirteenth birthday. But unknown to them both, the sudden death of one of their privileged neighbours will dramatically alter their lives forever.

The Book Discussion:
Tassy and Sarah really enjoyed the book.   Susan had read it before and loved it; although, did not like the ending.  It was dense and required a bit of effort. Almost no one finished the book! Only Diana (well, she read the last bit), Lori (read 50 pages but can tell you all about the characters and why they are the way they are), Brenda, Susan (listened to it on tape), Yeline and I were there. The food was amazing. House decorated Japanese; food was French (salad, chicken with Dijon sauce). We even had tea and madeleine’s! And chocolate crème pots. YUM.

Up for Vote:
Holly presented the following:

• Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• The Long Walk by Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman

Up Next:
American Ghost by Janis Owens, hosted by Yeline, our annual Holiday Gathering, December 6th, 6pm @ Food Glorious Food.

Next to Present:  Carmen

Then:

• Susan S. 
• Brenda 
• Lori 
• Sarah 
• Susan H. 
• Diana 
• Angela 
• Tassy 
• Yeline 
• Holly
• Carmen