Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Jul 01, 2013andreabroomfield rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Elegance of the Hedgehog was an extraordinary novel, one where I became absorbed in the characters and found myself caring a great deal about what they thought and said. Muriel Barbery's Gourmet Rhapsody did not match up to the artistry of Elegance of the Hedgehog. It was more lightweight and less absorbing. I did appreciate the protagonist's florid, sensual descriptions of food, and I think his method of description might be good for me to use in a food writing class. However, the characters were largely forgettable because they are allowed so little space to speak of the man most of them have come to despise: Monsieur Arthens. I did get to the novel's end, and I did want to know if M. Arthens found the allusive flavor. I also thought that in some respects, the novel was a shrewd examination of the meaning of good food and how much culture can get in the way of understanding what good food really is.