Overview

OVER 10 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE SHORTLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD ‘Resistance is futile’ The Guardian ‘Clever, informative and moving’ The Observer 'Witty and touching' Gillian Anderson Renée is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building. She maintains a carefully constructed persona as someone uncultivated but reliable, in keeping with what she feels a concierge should be. But beneath this facade lies the real Renée: 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, Renée lives 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. By turns moving and hilarious, this unusual novel was described by Le Figaro as ‘the publishing phenomenon of the decade’.

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9781913547875

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Reviews

'Witty and touching, this novel features two of my favorite female characters' Gillian Anderson ‘Resistance is futile . . . you might as well buy it before someone recommends it for your book group. Its charm will make you say yes’ The Guardian ‘Clever, informative and moving . . . an admirable novel which deserves as wide a readership here as it had in France’ The Observer ‘Wins over its fans with a life-affirming message, a generous portion of heart and Barbery’s frequently wicked sense of humor’ Time Magazine ‘A book of great charm and grace’ Metro  ‘The book’s attractive, Amélie-esque Parisian setting and cast of eccentrics will appeal to many’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Breathtakingly singular novel . . . totally French yet completely universal’ Good Housekeeping ‘Reveals itself as a version of the Cinderella fairytale’ Financial Times 'Gently satirical, exceptionally winning and inevitably bittersweet' Washington Post 'Barbery’s sly wit . . . bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations' New Yorker 'The narrators’ kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson’s fluent translation) propel us ahead' New York Times Book Review 'An elegant, light-spirited and very European adult fable' Kirkus Reviews 'Nobody ever imagined that this tender, funny book with a philosophical vein would have enjoyed such incredible success. For some, it is part Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder, part Monsieur Malaussene by Daniel Pennac. While for others it resembles a written version of the film Amélie. Either way, readers are responding in vast numbers' Le Monde  'The reader will be amused, surprised and moved by this philosophical tale: a user's guide to life which is a delight on every level' Elle 'Enthusiastically recommended for anyone who loves books that grow quietly and then blossom suddenly' Marie Claire

'Witty and touching, this novel features two of my favorite female characters' Gillian Anderson 'Resistance is futile . . . you might as well buy it before someone recommends it for your book group. Its charm will make you say yes' The Guardian 'Clever, informative and moving . . . an admirable novel which deserves as wide a readership here as it had in France' The Observer 'Wins over its fans with a life-affirming message, a generous portion of heart and Barbery's frequently wicked sense of humor' Time Magazine 'A book of great charm and grace' Metro 'The book's attractive, Am�lie-esque Parisian setting and cast of eccentrics will appeal to many' Sunday Telegraph 'Breathtakingly singular novel . . . totally French yet completely universal' Good Housekeeping 'Reveals itself as a version of the Cinderella fairytale' Financial Times 'Gently satirical, exceptionally winning and inevitably bittersweet' Washington Post 'Barbery's sly wit . . . bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations' New Yorker 'The narrators' kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson's fluent translation) propel us ahead' New York Times Book Review 'An elegant, light-spirited and very European adult fable' Kirkus Reviews 'Nobody ever imagined that this tender, funny book with a philosophical vein would have enjoyed such incredible success. For some, it is part Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder, part Monsieur Malaussene by Daniel Pennac. While for others it resembles a written version of the film Am�lie. Either way, readers are responding in vast numbers' Le Monde 'The reader will be amused, surprised and moved by this philosophical tale: a user's guide to life which is a delight on every level' Elle 'Enthusiastically recommended for anyone who loves books that grow quietly and then blossom suddenly' Marie Claire

Author Information

Muriel Barbery is a former lecturer in philosophy and the author of four novels, including the IMPAC-shortlisted multimillion-copy bestseller The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Published in France in 2006 and in the UK in 2008, the novel was translated in 44 countries, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide, and was described by Le Figaro as ‘the publishing phenomenon of the decade’. Alison Anderson is an author and the translator of around 100 books from French, including Muriel Barbery’s previous novels and works by Amélie Nothomb and J. M. G. Le Clézio.

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