Muriel Barbery - The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Title: The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Original title: L'Élégance du hérisson
Author: Muriel Barbery
Pub. year: 2006
Pages: 336
Editor: Europa
Summary: 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.

When I started this book, I'd heard a lot about it, but I didn't know what it was about. I was curious, not knowing if I were to like it.

Truth is, I liked it a lot, but... I disliked part of it too. It was a weird feeling because I liked the plot, the characters, and some references, but I was bored with some reflections all the same. So, I ended up skipping the ones that didn't quite appeal me. I guess it depends on what you're interested in. It's not the kind of book you want to read after a rough day.

Otherwise, it's a really nice book, well written, and characters are endearing, even though I don't always share their views. I especially enjoyed the story from the moment Mr Ozu enters it. I also thought that the end was really really well chosen. Even if I quite expected it, I wasn't sure and it still moved me.
And Paloma... oh, Paloma... this smart young girl who is so delusional about life. I think she was the one who fascinated me the most. I mean, I know it's mostly about Renée, but it's easy for her to criticise and stay hidden behind her door, her head in her books (even though she gets better) but she doesn't follow through on what she thinks. Yeah, I know, it's the whole point of her career choice. But Paloma has this little something that caught my eyes. I was moved by the way she sees people, how she perceives life, by her careless parents, ...

Anyhow, I closed the book with a lump in my throat (yeah Muffin, that one's definitely for you :P), glad I read it, even if I didn't enjoy all of it. I left the book with a rather good opinion of it, so.

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Daniel Pennac - The Scapegoat

Title: The Scapegoat (Malaussène serie, book 1)
Original title: Au bonheur des ogres (La Saga Malaussène, tome 1)
Author: Daniel Pennac
Pub. year: 1985
Pages: 256
Editor: Harvill Press

Summary: His title is Quality Controller, but Benjamin's function at The Store is scapegoat for the rage of the customers. So sweet is his nature, so pathetic and eloquent his contrition, that most indignant victims withdraw their complaints. But there is also the matter of the bombs that keep exploding not far from where Benjamin is standing. Naturally, he becomes the prime suspect, even as he and his journalist girlfriend, Julie, have begun to unearth an even deeper mystery, a sinister and sordid conspiracy whose unraveling wilt expose yet one more seam in the dark heart behind the beguiling veneer of contemporary Paris.

So, now that the John Green's special is over, let's talk about a French book!

I present to you the first book of the Malaussène serie. Definitely my favorite saga outside genres like fantasy, science fiction, ... The French title is clearly inspired by another French book from Emile Zola: Au bonheur des dames (which you could translate by The Ladies' Paradise), probably because both of them are mostly located in department stores. For the rest, it's pretty different, and much funnier.

Both complex and endearing, each character has his own personnality, and that is one of the most appealing things of this series. They're funny, eccentric, surprising and make you spend a really good moment with them. Especially, Benjamin Malaussene, whose bad luck led him to endorse his scapegoat role. Unfortunately for him, it's partly what makes this book so funny.
Moreover, he isn't the scapegoat only at work. He his one in his whole life. And his mother has the habit of falling in love, having a kid and letting him to Benjamin while she goes away with another man. Again and again. So he has to take care of his five half-siblings.

Daniel Pennac has this gift that makes me enjoy almost everything he writes. He has the ability to write about things that seem pretty incredible without being too caricatural and ruining the whole story.

Anyway, if THE Quentin Blake—who illustrates Roald Dahl stories—agreed to draw Pennac's Rights of the Readers, from his eponymous book, it surely shows the incredible talent of this writer, doesn't it?

EDIT 18/10/2013: A movie is now available in French theatres, based on this book!

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Timothée de Fombelle - Toby Alone

Title: Toby Alone (Tobie Lolness, book 1)
Original title: La Vie suspendue (Tobie Lolness, tome 1)
Author: Timothée de Fombelle
Pub. year: 2007
Pages: 400
Editor: Walker

Summary: Toby Lolness is just one and a half millimetres tall, and he’s the most wanted person in his world, the great oak Tree. When Toby’s father makes a ground-breaking discovery, tapping into the very heart of the Tree’s energy, he also realises that exploiting it could do permanent damage to their world. Refusing to reveal the secret of his invention to an enraged community, the family is exiled. But one man is determined to get hold of the forbidden knowledge ... and his plan is to destroy the Tree. Now Toby's parents have been imprisoned and sentenced to death. Only Toby has managed to escape, but for how long?

Toby Lolness is a two-parts saga that takes very little time to read. I've read each of these books in a few days only, maybe less.

This first book introduces us Toby, a 13 years old boy, who lives in the Tree. But the Tree is vast and a lot of tiny people live inside. There's the Treetop, the Lower Branches; the wise and kind people, the evil destructive people who are destroying the tree; and Toby, running for his life, after his parents have been imprisoned. Toby, trying to guess who is on his side, who is trying to catch him, and how to survive alone in the Tree, with almost everybody looking for him from the top to the roots. Luckily, he is not exactly alone all the way and he is full of resources!

Toby Lolness is a story about family, ecology, friendship, love, death, acceptance and so much more. But don't make the mistake to think that it's only a children book, for you can appreciate it even as grown-up. It's not patronizing, as some might be. It's just a story of a young teenager forced to leave his home, going even as far as the Ground Beyond, trying to live his life and saving his family while staying optimistic and hopeful.

After reading this book, you'll probably want to read the sequel (Toby and the Secrets of the Tree), so maybe you should aquire the two in one go. Like I said, it's a really fast reading so you can easily read them one after the other.

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Ernest Hemingway - The Sun Also Rises

Title: The Sun Also Rises
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Pub. year: 1926
Pages: 251
Editor: Scribner Book

Summary: The quintessential novel of the Lost Generation, The Sun Also Rises is one of Ernest Hemingway's masterpieces and a classic example of his spare but powerful writing style. A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation, the novel introduces two of Hemingway's most unforgettable characters : Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. It is an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. First published in 1926, The Sun Also Rises helped to establish Hemingway as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

I wanted to discover a bit more about Hemingway's life in Paris, because of a bookshop he used to go, and I thought this book would be a good start. Unfortunatly, it's more about Spain than Paris, and A Moveable Feast would probably have been more appropriate for my initial purpose.

However, it was nice to read something else from this author, even if I didn't really enjoy it. I was mostly bored and unattracted by the personality of the characters, the way they lived and talked. Even if I'm glad I learned a bit about the life during those years—and a bit more about Hemingway's style—I have to admit it's not my kind of reading.

I didn't really like the way the characters acted so scornful towards one another, such as: you're English, or you're Jewish, so you're that way. Heck, they're supposed to be friends! I know it was before WW2 and everything, but I always feel uncomfortable with that kind of statements. Plus there's a lot of repetition in words as well as in scenes, which doesn't help sweetening the pill.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that I'm not fond of the way he wrote and I was bored most of the time. That's a bit sad because I was hoping to like his books, but well, you don't choose what you like.

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The Start of the Challenge

Today's the day!


Let's start the Challenge! You can still apply for it whenever you want until it ends (Aug 31th, 2012). For those who don't know what challenge I'm talking about, go and have a look here and then there!



How does it work? Easy! Enter the challenge any time, read as many French books as you want, and enter your name & the title of your book (ie Lily (The little prince)) as well as the link to your article for the Challenge in the box below. Do it for as many articles as you publish. And leave a comment to let me know you're participating!






I'll put the name of the contestants here when I'll receive their first review of a French book! Enjoy your readings and see you very soon! (This article will be linked in the Challenge page, so that you can find it easily.)

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We want you to read French authors!

As French girls, we wanted to do a little something to promote French litterature to English speaking people. Then came the idea of this challenge. The goal is for you to read as many French books (in English, but if you want to try reading in French, be our guest) as you want.

I've made a non exhaustive list of French books that I know have been translated in English, feel free to choose other books too if you find some. I'll add them on the list.

This list will be on the challenge page so that you can access it easily without searching (you'll find the page at the top of the blog, just above the articles).

From the 1st of September, you'll be able to enter links pointing to your reviews of French books read for the challenge in the Mr Linky box right here. Once a month, I'll check them and will make a clear list of what each of you have read so far.


You'll have 1 year to read as many books as you chose to. Here are the different levels you can try to reach:

Antoine de St Exupéry level (1 book)
Alexandre Dumas level (3 books)
Albert Camus level (5 books)
Jules Verne level (10 books)
Victor Hugo level (More than 20 books)

To answer some of your questions:

* You can only read novels (let's say more than 80 pages at least) and plays.
* You can choose ebooks, paper or audio books.
* Only books read between September 1st and August 31st of this year count (but if you want to reread a book you've read before this challenge, you can).
* You can join and change your level of participation at any time, and you don't have to list in advance the book(s) you'll read.
* Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
* You can register starting today, just leave a comment on this post to let us know you're in.

Voilà! See you on September the 1st!

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Stephen Clarke - A Year in the Merde

Title: A Year in the Merde (Paul West, book 1)
Author: Stephen Clarke
Pub. year: 2005
Pages: 383
Editor: Black Swan

Summary : They do eat a lot of cheese, some of which smells like pigs' droppings.
They don't wash their armpits with garlic soap. Going on strike really is the second national participation sport after pétanque. And, yes, they do use suppositories. In his first novel, Stephen Clarke gives a laugh-out-loud account of the pleasures and perils of being a Brit in France. A Year in the Merde tells you how to get served by the grumpiest Parisian waiter; how to make amour -not war; and how to buy a house in the French countryside.

This book is a window to France for English speakers, especially English people. I found it interesting to discover this point of view on my country, and even more to share it with you as a French person. The author is quite realistic about France even if he draws a negative portrait of it. Luckily, he sees positive stuff in it as well.

The narrator is a sarcastic English man who discovers the hexagone and tries not to complain too much about the local English accent. He gets used to the numerous strikes and explains the differences there are between the two countries.

I have to say that all of it is not exactly true, and that some of it isn't true at all for me, but maybe that depends on where you live in France. Paris doesn't really reflect the life anywhere else in France on a lot of aspects. And obviously, he chose extreme characters to serve his purpose-most of them not really representative of our population. But I guess it would have been a little bit boring to pick "normal" people.

Even though I liked discovering this vision of France, I regretted that Paul West was so obsessed with dog shit, strikes and sex. I mean, it's funny at first, but after a while it becomes a bit boring and at some point, the reader stops enjoying the book for a moment. Apart from that, it was fun to read.

I read the second book, Merde Actually, but it's not worth mentionning. The narrator goes to the countryside but nothing really happens for the first half of the book, and the second half is still less entertaining than the first book. I also have Merde Happens in my TBR Pile but since I didn't really enjoy the 2nd, I don't really feel like reading it anymore... not before a long time, anyway.

Quotes :

"It's a sort of dyslexia. You know dyslexia?"
"Yes," Alexa nodded, peeling a ripe purple fig with painful symbolism.
"I'm in some way dyslexic. Or colour-blind. Some people can't make out the meaning in words or the differences between colours - I can't make out dog turds. I'm shitlexic."

"The Unions were furious that the government had been rumoured to be thinking about considering the possibility of maybe looking into the purely theoretical concept that it might one day (not now but in, say, 80 years' time) be less able to pay for transport workers to retire at 50"

"And in a similar vain, the rural party promised to change the law on endangered species so that hunters could now shoot dodos, unicorns, mermaids and American tourists."

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