alh0f3's review against another edition
2.0
What a disappointment. I didn't understand why it was necessary for the author to spend more than half of the book with philosophical musings, and then cram the actual story into the remaining pages. I didn't mind some of this setup, as I think it was necessary to establish the characters' perspectives and their isolation from the rest of their environment, but I would have preferred more interaction between the 2-3 main characters.
muslur's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I just finished it 10 minutes ago, and am still overwhelmed.
The book made me giggle, made butterflies appear in my stomach, made me cry loudly and best of all - made me happy that there is such a thing as books and litterature.
I fell in love reading this book. I fell in love with the amazing charactersand the beautiful way the author tells the story. The book is philosopical, intellectual, warming and it fills me with hope.
I got caught right from the beginning and never wanted it to end.
I can allready say that this book is one of my absolute favorites.
Since i don't have single complaint about this book, its allready given my rating for this book is five brightly shining stars.
The book made me giggle, made butterflies appear in my stomach, made me cry loudly and best of all - made me happy that there is such a thing as books and litterature.
I fell in love reading this book. I fell in love with the amazing charactersand the beautiful way the author tells the story. The book is philosopical, intellectual, warming and it fills me with hope.
I got caught right from the beginning and never wanted it to end.
I can allready say that this book is one of my absolute favorites.
Since i don't have single complaint about this book, its allready given my rating for this book is five brightly shining stars.
emcrosb's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rado88's review against another edition
I have read almost one third of the book and I didn't get a feeling I am getting somewhere. It seems very philosophical to me and it is full of ideas all the time. It was too chaotic and cynical for me, but that is just because this is not really my style. I think I could be very interesting for different type of reader.
carolyngrace's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
cheetahpig's review against another edition
3.0
Perhaps I'm being too sentimental or naive here, but the tragic ending of this book really threw me for a loop. Maybe I fell prey to the stereotype of French novels as being very light and airy and full of idle speculation without any real action or consequence. And, in my defense, the first 2/3 of the book actually fit that stereotype. Before getting to my shocked response to the ending, I'll try to give an unbiased review of the rest of the novel.
This novel is about a concierge at a posh Paris apartment complex who, to all outward appearances, is a simple, dull, stupid woman who hates her job and watches TV all day. What none of the tenants know, however, is that Renee is actually a supremely intelligent woman who, although she left school at the age of 13, has spent all of her time since then reading voraciously and devouring all kinds of high culture. Renee allows the tenants to think she's dull and average because things are easier that way, and because she feels that the wealthy tenants would resent having a lowly concierge displaying her superior culture and intelligence all the time. So Renee hides her true self and plays the part of the boring widow. Secretly, although Renee takes a lot of fulfillment out of her hobbies and books, she is quite lonely and feels that her life has hit a dead-end.
The story alternates between Renee's point of view and the point of view of one of the daughters of one of the apartment complex tenants. This girl, Paloma, is 12 years old and is a literal genius. She is planning on killing herself on her 13th birthday, because she's fed up with pretending to be average at school and dealing with her vapid, materialistic family.
Everything changes in the dreary lives of these two characters when a new tenant enters the apartment complex, a wealthy and cultured Japanese man named Kakuro. Paloma finds in Kakuro the first adult to ever truly treat her like an equal, and Renee finds in Kakuro a man she can truly feel comfortable with. Both of them befriend the newcomer and their lives are greatly enriched by knowing him. Renee and Paloma also begin to connect and find in each other a kindred soul.
Gradually, Renee drops her facade of stupidity and averageness, and begins letting her true personality shine through, at the coaxing of Kakuro. However, one thing preventing Renee from getting too close to Kakuro, despite her attraction to him, is an incident from her childhood that has been haunting her for years. When Renee was a child, her sister, Lisette, who was extremely beautiful, had an opportunity to escape the crushing poverty of her family by becoming a maid for a rich family. Things seemed to be looking up for Lisette and everyone was glad that she had finally found a way to climb up the social ladder. Some time later, Lisette was seduced and abandoned by the son of her employer, and both Lisette and her baby died in disgrace. The lesson that Renee took from this was that stepping outside of one's class and "putting on airs" can only end in tragedy and shame. For this reason, she was extremely hesitant to open herself up to Kakuro, who is most decidedly in a higher social class than Renee. When Kakuro hears about this tragic story from Renee's past, he reassures Renee that she is not doomed to repeat her sister's fate, and that nothing bad can come of their friendship.
Barbery does an excellent job of writing about lofty subjects like Art and Beauty and Class without devolving into too much pompous prose. There were a few moments when my inner critic would say, "Did that description of a rose really deserve that much artsty-fartsy language?" But for the most part, Barbery's prose is a pleasure to read (and obviously I was reading the English version of the novel, so who knows what kinds of subtle nuances were lost in translation). Barbery is able to toggle back and forth between the mundane details of life in a ritzy Paris apartment complex and more airy reflections on the meaning of life with an ease that would escape many lesser authors. Her sense of characterization and humor is fantastic, and there are many moments in the book that are wickedly funny.
However, the ending of this book is horrible. I don't mean horribly written, I mean horribly incongruent with the tone and message of the rest of the book. At its core, this is a book about redemption, being true to oneself, opening up and not being afraid to be vulnerable, and connecting with others through the power of beauty and mutual understanding. So, it seems terribly wrong that, just at the moment when Renee realizes she might be falling in love with Kakuro and just as her life begins to look promising again, the author has Renee get hit by a GIANT BUS while walking outside to run an errand. For such an important character, and at such a special moment in the story, to have her killed off in such a mundane, insignificant way without any warning seems like an assault on the reader's senses. It's as though Barbery were thinking to herself, "Let's see, now that I've spent 2/3 of the book having my characters philosophize about Love, Art, Beauty, Fate, and the like, it's time for a good, old-fashioned wake-up call -- I know, a GIANT BUS will appear out of nowhere and kill the main character who finally got her life together! That'll really make it a profound story!"
On top of that, Renee's death is a grim repeat of the whole tragic story of Lisette. Renee lived her life in fear that as soon as she got mixed up with rich people, she would die or be disgraced, just like her sister. And of course, the responsible thing for the author to have done is show how Renee is able to triumph over this trauma and connect with Kakuro despite this fear. But what does the author do instead? As soon as Renee gets mixed up with rich people, she dies! It's a dark confirmation of all of Renee's fears, and that kind of message is totally contrary to the rest of the book. It's not that I have anything against tragic endings -- I love tragedies, in fact -- but you can't just paste a tragic ending onto a story that's not a tragedy. This reading experience was like drinking a delicate, subtle cup of fine tea...and then capping it off with a giant, greasy Quarter Pounder with cheese. It's just wrong. And it's really a shame, too, because if the ending had been better, I would have given this book 4 or maybe even 5 stars. But Renee's death spoils everything for me, so this book only gets 3 stars.
So, yes, read this book, but prepare to be very angry with the author and very disappointed at the ending.
This novel is about a concierge at a posh Paris apartment complex who, to all outward appearances, is a simple, dull, stupid woman who hates her job and watches TV all day. What none of the tenants know, however, is that Renee is actually a supremely intelligent woman who, although she left school at the age of 13, has spent all of her time since then reading voraciously and devouring all kinds of high culture. Renee allows the tenants to think she's dull and average because things are easier that way, and because she feels that the wealthy tenants would resent having a lowly concierge displaying her superior culture and intelligence all the time. So Renee hides her true self and plays the part of the boring widow. Secretly, although Renee takes a lot of fulfillment out of her hobbies and books, she is quite lonely and feels that her life has hit a dead-end.
The story alternates between Renee's point of view and the point of view of one of the daughters of one of the apartment complex tenants. This girl, Paloma, is 12 years old and is a literal genius. She is planning on killing herself on her 13th birthday, because she's fed up with pretending to be average at school and dealing with her vapid, materialistic family.
Everything changes in the dreary lives of these two characters when a new tenant enters the apartment complex, a wealthy and cultured Japanese man named Kakuro. Paloma finds in Kakuro the first adult to ever truly treat her like an equal, and Renee finds in Kakuro a man she can truly feel comfortable with. Both of them befriend the newcomer and their lives are greatly enriched by knowing him. Renee and Paloma also begin to connect and find in each other a kindred soul.
Gradually, Renee drops her facade of stupidity and averageness, and begins letting her true personality shine through, at the coaxing of Kakuro. However, one thing preventing Renee from getting too close to Kakuro, despite her attraction to him, is an incident from her childhood that has been haunting her for years. When Renee was a child, her sister, Lisette, who was extremely beautiful, had an opportunity to escape the crushing poverty of her family by becoming a maid for a rich family. Things seemed to be looking up for Lisette and everyone was glad that she had finally found a way to climb up the social ladder. Some time later, Lisette was seduced and abandoned by the son of her employer, and both Lisette and her baby died in disgrace. The lesson that Renee took from this was that stepping outside of one's class and "putting on airs" can only end in tragedy and shame. For this reason, she was extremely hesitant to open herself up to Kakuro, who is most decidedly in a higher social class than Renee. When Kakuro hears about this tragic story from Renee's past, he reassures Renee that she is not doomed to repeat her sister's fate, and that nothing bad can come of their friendship.
Barbery does an excellent job of writing about lofty subjects like Art and Beauty and Class without devolving into too much pompous prose. There were a few moments when my inner critic would say, "Did that description of a rose really deserve that much artsty-fartsy language?" But for the most part, Barbery's prose is a pleasure to read (and obviously I was reading the English version of the novel, so who knows what kinds of subtle nuances were lost in translation). Barbery is able to toggle back and forth between the mundane details of life in a ritzy Paris apartment complex and more airy reflections on the meaning of life with an ease that would escape many lesser authors. Her sense of characterization and humor is fantastic, and there are many moments in the book that are wickedly funny.
However, the ending of this book is horrible. I don't mean horribly written, I mean horribly incongruent with the tone and message of the rest of the book. At its core, this is a book about redemption, being true to oneself, opening up and not being afraid to be vulnerable, and connecting with others through the power of beauty and mutual understanding. So, it seems terribly wrong that, just at the moment when Renee realizes she might be falling in love with Kakuro and just as her life begins to look promising again, the author has Renee get hit by a GIANT BUS while walking outside to run an errand. For such an important character, and at such a special moment in the story, to have her killed off in such a mundane, insignificant way without any warning seems like an assault on the reader's senses. It's as though Barbery were thinking to herself, "Let's see, now that I've spent 2/3 of the book having my characters philosophize about Love, Art, Beauty, Fate, and the like, it's time for a good, old-fashioned wake-up call -- I know, a GIANT BUS will appear out of nowhere and kill the main character who finally got her life together! That'll really make it a profound story!"
On top of that, Renee's death is a grim repeat of the whole tragic story of Lisette. Renee lived her life in fear that as soon as she got mixed up with rich people, she would die or be disgraced, just like her sister. And of course, the responsible thing for the author to have done is show how Renee is able to triumph over this trauma and connect with Kakuro despite this fear. But what does the author do instead? As soon as Renee gets mixed up with rich people, she dies! It's a dark confirmation of all of Renee's fears, and that kind of message is totally contrary to the rest of the book. It's not that I have anything against tragic endings -- I love tragedies, in fact -- but you can't just paste a tragic ending onto a story that's not a tragedy. This reading experience was like drinking a delicate, subtle cup of fine tea...and then capping it off with a giant, greasy Quarter Pounder with cheese. It's just wrong. And it's really a shame, too, because if the ending had been better, I would have given this book 4 or maybe even 5 stars. But Renee's death spoils everything for me, so this book only gets 3 stars.
So, yes, read this book, but prepare to be very angry with the author and very disappointed at the ending.
bersta's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
inquiry_from_an_anti_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Overview:
Renée is a concierge at the rue de Grenelle. A building for the affluent. Paloma is an occupant. They are from different generations, and different ways of seeing the world. Both see a path for their life, and death. Both are forced to change their minds about how they choose to live. Finding meaning in life. For this book has a philosophical theme. As the characters express their thoughts and critiques on philosophy, and various aspects of life. They see the façades that people put on, and then proceed to describe the people without the façades. While others might have illusions about their lives and avoid reality, Renée and Paloma want to engage with reality. That means many of life’s aspirations will be disillusioned. But they have intellectual aspirations, to enrich their life.
Caveats?
The philosophy can be a bit random. Some of the philosophical thoughts and critiques might be more for those who already know the philosophy described and can add their own understanding to the ideas.