Germantown Novel Views Book Club - In Person

"The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery

Join us to discuss the "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery.

The Novel Views Book Club will meet in Group Study Room 5, located on the lower level of the library, in the Children's Room 

Join the Germantown Novel Views Book Club to discuss the One Maryland, One Book selection "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery.

"The phenomenal New York Times bestseller that "explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building" (Publishers Weekly). In an elegant hôtel particulier in Paris, Renée, the concierge, is all but invisible—short, plump, middle-aged, with bunions on her feet and an addiction to television soaps. Her only genuine attachment is to her cat, Leo. In short, she's everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in an upscale neighborhood. But Renée has a secret: She furtively, ferociously devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor, she scrutinizes the lives of the tenants—her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. Paloma is a twelve-year-old who lives on the fifth floor. Talented and precocious, she's come to terms with life's seeming futility and decided to end her own on her thirteenth birthday. Until then, she will continue hiding her extraordinary intelligence behind a mask of mediocrity, acting the part of an average pre-teen high on pop culture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. Paloma and Renée hide their true talents and finest qualities from a world they believe cannot or will not appreciate them. But after a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building, they will begin to recognize each other as kindred souls."-- MCPL Catalogue.

Print copies may be available at the Germantown Library after December 3, 2025.

Available on Overdrive/Libby as an eBook and on Hoopla as an eBook.   

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Questions about this program? Contact the branch at 240-777-0110

Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

GEN 1.0 10/27/2021

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