[Book Review] The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Book Title: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Author: Muriel Barbery

No. of Pages: 325

Date Finished: 16/06/'17

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: 

The story's two protagonists consist of a fifty-four-year-old widowed concierge named Renee Michel working in a luxurious hotel in Paris and a twelve-year-old girl named Paloma Josse whose rich family lived in the luxurious hotel in which Renee Michel worked.

The story opens up by introducing to the reader in first person of this seemingly ordinary concierge, who was in fact concealing her true identity as an erudite, sensitive and artistic old lady, who read Tolstoy, admired Russian still-life paintings and enjoyed listening to Mozart.

Also in first person, we learn that Paloma Josse was an intelligent girl brighter than most children her age, born into a political, bourgeois family in Paris, her family often thought more about themselves than to care for others. She tried to conceal her intelligence, and was beginning to become weary of the world, thus desired to commit suicide to end her life in this seemingly pretentious world in which she lived that consisted of her insensitive teachers and her selfish family. The two protagonists display strong contrasts between them- one old, the other young; one poor, the other wealthy, etc. Furthermore, despite the two living in the same building, they led their own lives and hardly mentioned each other in the first few chapters of the book.

At the beginning, one would merely think that one was dealing with a lonely, eccentric and weird old lady and a rebellious, cynical and suicidal preteen. However, as the story progresses, it can be noticed that the two protagonists are very sensitive to the little details of the world around them, living life to the fullest. And the way that Barbery interweaves the two narratives together, often they were talking about similar topics but with different perspectives, really makes one feel very acquainted with the inhabitants of this hotel, who seemed extremely vulgar compared to the two intellectual protagonists, to the point that one can almost feel like one also lives there.

Then, the seemingly monotonous plot was completely twisted with the death of Monsieur Arthens, the family sold their apartment and a Japanese man- Kakuro Ozu moved in to their old apartment. It was Kakuro who first perceived Renee and Paloma's true selves; and united the two protagonists together. The progression of the story brings forth changes and growth in the two main characters, while they learn how to love the world despite its many faults, with the help of this Japanese man. Renee was able to get over her sister's death, which had led to a profound imprint in her childhood that had caused her reluctance to open herself to the world. Eventually she made some new friends and rediscover love after twenty-seven years of widowhood. Paloma was also able to discover love which she never truly experienced in her family, who always seemed to engrossed in their own affairs to care for others. 

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

(not for the faint-hearted)

In the end, after the sudden death of Renee, Paloma finally found the true meaning to her life: "there's a lot of despair, but also the odd moement of beauty, where time is no longer the same......an always within never", and concluded that she wouldn't commit suicide anymore. I, personally, think that this is very elegantly put. 

Something worth mentioning: I've noticed that all of Renee's parts were written in the present tense and Paloma's parts in the past tense. This could imply that Renee was trapped in the shadow of her past, so she always lived in the moment; and Paloma was weary of the present, hence, she wrote in the past tense. This also foreshadows the death of Renee, which the sudden end of the present tense in the text would be likely to bring the reader even more shock than the cease of the past. 

Overall, a very philosophical and thought-provoking read, yet not too cumbersome for one to absorb in one go. From Renee and Paloma's thoughts, we're able to reflect ourselves and the way we view the world. Moreover, one may discover that Paloma and Renee have much in common despite their apparent differences, both in their situation in life and society: both have an extraordinary intelligence which they're eager to conceal, both embrace the Japanese culture, both pay great attention to the minuscule details of the world around them, and both live amongst the inhabitants of number 7, rue de Grenelle. One day, I hope to be able to read this book in its original language - French. 

Conrad's Fate by Diana Wynne Jones

Title: Conrad's Fate

Author: Diana Wynne Jones

Date finished: 07/08/'12

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 6*

Overview (taken from the book's blurb): Someone at Stallery Mansion is changing the world. At first, only small details, but the changes get bigger and bigger. It's up to Conrad, a twelve-year old with terrible karma who's jioned the mansion's staff, to find out who is behind it.

But he's not the only one snooping around. His fellow servant-in-training, Christopher Chant, is charming, confident, and from another world, with a mission of his own- rescuing his friend, lost in an alternate Stallery Mansion. Can they save the day before Conrad's awful fate catches up with them?

Comments: A brilliant page-turner, it makes me unable to put down the book until the last page! Although I didn't read any of the Chrestomanci series before and this is the 6th book, I have no trouble understanding it and still found it witty, smart, humorous and exciting! I recommend it to all magic lovers!

[Book Review] The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Book Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Date Finished: 22-04-'12

Star Rating: 5/5 (if there was a such a thing as 6/5, it would have awarded it so!)

Overview (or the blurb of the book): In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a flight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-- and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Comments: Superbly written with fantastic imagination, the Hunger Games has successfully been added to one of my 'favourite books list'!! Told with a steady pace, the author carefully unspins this adventurous tale of the presumed future of North America~portrayed in the book as seemed to be the most savaged place there ever can be, with people fighting to each others' death while everyone else are forced to watch on TV. The presumed future of North America has not been portrayed very well, unlike the future we always thought it would be with flying cars, etc, with not much techological improvements, the TV was the only technology mentioned; and the people in the Capitol possessing much greed, fame, vanity, uncivility, and possibly everything negative we can think of.

The main character, Katniss, being good-natured but forced to be selfish due to her surroundings; this is the part where the author implies hope still exists, even in the world of cruelty, good people live and fight for their survival. Although the people of the Capitol are being described with such negativity, however, Cinna (her 'designer' for her dress so she can be memorable) is also a good hearted person. Another significant character~Peeta in this book was also firstly described as kind, since he spared some bread for Katniss when they were still children, but later on portrayed as a hypocrite due to his many actions that made both Katniss and the readers wonder about his true personality.

Collins' imaginery world of survival and selfishness might seem so far away and almost 'alien' to the world that we exist in, and yet, it is quite similar in many different ways. In our world, it's also all about survival, just in a different way, from as simple as surviving at school- not failing at tests, sticking with friends, or trying to impress a teacher; to the 'outside' world, where if you boil it down to the basics, mostly everything we do are to survive: earning money, socialising, or even being nice to someone even you dislike them in order to make a good impression, it's all about surviving in this world! It all dates back to our nature of 'the Law of the Jungle', where the weaks are ever preys to the strong.

Furthermore, there are all kinds of people in this world, same as in the Hunger Games, there are nice souls amongst the people who we often classify as 'unfriendly'- just like Cinna being a Capitol, sometimes they just cannot help it to be amongst the 'unfriendly'because they had to survive- just like when Peeta joined the 'Careers' in order to stop them attacking Katniss! Also, there are people out there who seems to be something but turns out to be the opposite, just like when Haymitch seems to be useless to the contesters at the beginning but turned out that he helped Katniss the most during the Games.

Also, the author cleverly 'foretells' the future from our current problems, whether on the fighting of natural resources, using renewable energy, poverty and many other global issues that world leaders are recking their brains to overcome right now in the Rio+20 Conference. I think she's basically saying: if these things aren't resolved, it will all just become bigger problems in the future. As mentioned before, the 'future' as Collins' portrayal from the book wasn't the wonderful future we dreamt to have; but quite on the contrary, Katniss' life was poor when she even has to fight for having human basic needs such as food, she wouldn't have any spare money to enjoy luxuries like the ones the Capitol might have enjoyed. This is telling us that if we don't resolve our current global issues, they will just become 'stumbling blocks' for our developments in the future.

This book was so great that I finished it in one day and even after finishing it, the different 'scenes' in the stories kept coming back to mind and I even felt sad after I finished it because I longed for more. An abolutely worthful read and I recommend this fantastic book to everyone!!

P.S. Remember to comment on my posts, whoever has also finished this book, so we can discuss ideas!! :)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Book title: Pride and Prejudice


 

Author: Jane Austen

Date: 07/08/’11

Page Number: 392 pages

Star Rating: 5


Overview: The story of Mrs. Bennet's attempts to marry off her five daughters is one of the best-loved and most enduring classics in English literature. Excitement fizzes through the Bennet household at Longbourn in Hertfordshire when young, eligible Mr. Charles Bingley rents the fine house nearby. He may have sisters, but he also has male friends, and one of these—the haughty, and even wealthier, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy—irks the vivacious Elizabeth Bennet, the second of the Bennet girls. She annoys him. Which is how we know they must one day marry. The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and Darcy is a splendid rendition of civilized sparring. As the characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, Jane Austen's radiantly caustic wit and keen observation sparkle.

Comments: When I only read the beginning, I quite disliked this story due to the difference in time and I thought the Bennets are all very foolish and vain, especially Mrs. Bennet. However, after finishing the whole story, I discovered that this book did not only reflect greatly of the problems of young ladies wanting to marry because of wealth and rank not only during that time period, but also throughout history. Furthermore, it has a moral: “Don’t judge anybody by the first acquaintance and impression of him/ her because they might have their own reasons for their actions,” although, lots of people do judge others by their first impressions.

Another moral coming from this fabulous book is: “Don’t just listen to one side of the story and give prejudice to some people; you have to listen to the whole story so you won’t make any understandings.” Also, it tells us that although politeness is really important, however, sometimes it is better to say your thoughts directly to the person because it can help with the understanding between two people. This book teaches us a lot while giving us a romantic love story- therefore I recommend it to everyone!


Good Sentences: 

• It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
• Within a short walk of Longbourn lived a family with whom the Bennets were particularly intimate.
• At five o'clock the two ladies retired to dress, and at half past six, Elizabeth was summoned to dinner.
• Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me. I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them.
• You shall not, for the sake of one individual, change the meaning of principle and integrity, nor endeavour to persuade yourself or me that selfishness is prudence, and insensibility of danger security for happiness.
• They were listened to with about as much delight as the rattle of a chair.
• Smiles decked the face of Mrs Bennet.
• ELizabeth, as she affectionately embraced her, whilst tears filled the eyes of both, lost not a moment in asking whether any news had been heard. 

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

Book Title: Journey to the centre of the earth


Author: Jules Verne


Date finished: 11/04/’11


Page Numbers: 232 pages


Star Rating: 5/5


Overview: This tremendously written novel by Jules Verne is about a professor of rocks and his nephew found a piece of paper written by N. Saknussem stuck in a book. They recoded the piece that is originally written in Latin and found out that it is a piece of paper on Saknussem’s journey to the centre of the earth. Therefore, the professor and his nephew decided on a journey following the steps of Saknussem deep into the centre of the world. Their adventure began by getting there but their surprise was way more they could even dream of. Deep under the crust of the earth, a lot of prehistoric plants and animals that were extinct millions and millions of years ago back on the crust were as live as anything under the crust. This story tells of their journey and what difficulties they had faced.


Comments: This novel is, without any doubt, a total masterpiece written by the master story-teller Jules Verne. This thrilling novel was not only written with beautifully descriptive sentences and a wild imagination, but also it deeply explores into the adventurous and courageous personality of Jules Verne, and perhaps his own great ambition to travel deep down beneath the earth’s crust into the centre of the globe. Although, from the technology of today, we all know that all of this is quite impossible, however, Jules Verne made everything all possible in our imaginations!!


Good Sentences: 

• Certain peaks, rising up boldly, pierced the grey clouds, and reappeared above the moving mists, like reefs emerging in the sky. 
• Here and there an isolated farm, a solitary farmhouse, made of wood, mud or pieces of lava, appeared like a poor beggar by the wayside.
• I gazed on all the wonders in silence, words failed me to express my feelings.

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’ Dell

Book Title: Island of the Blue Dolphins

Author: Scott O’ Dell

Page Numbers: 184 pages

Rating: 5 stars

Date: 22/03/’11

Good sentence(s): ‘….for animals and birds are like people, too, though they do not talk the same or do the same things. Without them, the earth would be an unhappy place.’

Overview: This captivating, touching and mesmerizing story accounts the story of an Indian girl named Karana, who was accidentally left behind on the island of the blue dolphins, where she lived, when white men from other countries came and sailed away with the other villagers to their country. She jumped out of the boat she was sailing on when she discovered that her little brother was left behind, and she accompanied her brother on the island. However, good times never last, one morning she woke up to discover her brother lay dead on the ground miles away from her house, attacked by wild dogs on the island. From there, the story begins the account of Karana’s determination of living on the island alone and her optimism and hopefulness of seeing the white ship sailing back to get her.

Comments: I was really touched by this remarkable masterpiece by Scott O’ Dell. The author does not only describe with great detail of the difficult and harsh life Karana had to put up with on the island and all the difficulties she faced living alone on the island, but also, he vividly described Karana’s determination and courage on fighting the wild dogs for revenge for her brother and her optimism and how she never gave herself up.

Near the ending part of the story, after having many pets and cared for them as her family, Karana finally understood that animals isn’t only for food and using their skins for making weapons, they could also be loved and cared for just like our family. I totally agree with the sentence the author wrote ‘….for animals and birds are like people, too, though they do not talk the same or do the same things. Without them, the earth would be an unhappy place.’ Although there are a lot of sad events in the story, such as the death of Karana’s brother and her dog, the ending was excellent.

I absolutely loved this intriguing and exciting story with a useful and excellent moral, Karana’s courage, determination and optimism is surely worthy of our admiration and praise.

Changeling by Delia Sherman

Book title: Changeling

Author: Delia Sherman

Page numbers: 289

Star Rating: 5/5

Date: 04/12/’10

Overview: Neef is a changeling, a human baby stolen by fairies and replaced with one of their own. She lives in "New York Between," a parallel Manhattan of elves, fairies, demons, and mythological spirits. Neef has always been protected by her (rat) nursemaid,Astris, until she winds up breaking Fairy Law. Now, unless she can meet the challenge of the Lady of Central Park, she’ll be sacrificed to the bloodthirsty Wild Hunt. But Neef is a native New Yorker, streetwise and sharp, and she’s determined to beat the rap. The acclaimed Delia Sherman’s first novel for younger readers turns both Manhattan and storytelling inside out!
Comments: A superbly written novel with an utterly ridiculous but on the contrary extremely interesting plot of a little fairy girl called Neef breaking a fairy rule that she didn’t even know of and was forced into going on a quest to enable herself to be again protected by the queen of the fairies. She had a thrilling but overall fun adventure, it includes meeting the evil mermaid queen and taking her mirror and other exciting events in the story.

I think Neef, overall, was quite a good girl and I think she was really nice and kind, although quite naughty sometimes, I can really feel what Neef felt, like her eagerness to go back home and how she tried to explain the rules to changeling but she didn’t understand. Sometimes, I could even feel that I was Neef and I am on this ridiculous quest! I love this terrific book and I recommend it to everyone who loves adventure!