Discover the Refined Beauty of the Hedgehog

Carol Zhou: There is a lot of psychology in this novel. The author gets inside the thoughts of an older woman and a young girl and we begin to understand how each sees the world in their own way, one with the wisdom of a life lived, and the other with a youthful critical view. In many ways they think alike, and when they realize this, they become friends on a deeper level. This novel explores friendship, love, wisdom, and innocence.

United States on Feb 10, 2024

Shirley A. Zandt: I read this book a few years ago and absolutely loved it. It is one of the best reads ever! I loaned the book which was never returned to me. I mentioned it to friends who love well written books. I decided to purchase another copy as I wish to read it again. If you love a very well written book with amazing characters then this is a MUST read!

Canada on Sep 24, 2023

Amazon Customer: I have this book on audio and well as other versions. And it seems to be the kind of thing I need to read. As an audiobook, it is like having the conversations we have in our 20s when we have time to think about things, to question life and people and such.

I am an introvert so like the two main characters, I can spend a lot of time in my own mind, trying to figure people out from an observer point of view. I also get what it is like to have parts of myself, I am resistant to share, because I worry about acceptance or derision, as the main characters do.

There are references to Anna Karenina which is interesting because it is a long novel and seems like I have to read and experience it in different ways to appreciate it. But the concierge has a way of showing how that literature can apply to us. I am trying to read the older classics at my age and learn from them. I am trying to appreciate the messages in them.

There is a lot of discussion about philosophy which is also brought down to earth in a way. I studied it in college and it bored me. It was never explained in a way that taught me about how those ideas could apply to me.

I know some people may...

United States on Apr 05, 2022

Sefton Boyd: Worth reading twice and I rarely say this as time presses us always.

France on Nov 01, 2021

cecilia gross: Este livro é o a obra mais linda que ja li
Muriel. Arbery, com suas personagens descreve toda delicadeza e a imbecibilidade humana.Demostra de forma simples e quase didatica as polaridades que nos circundam e habitam
Enfim super recomendo
Aplausos infinitos para Muriel. Arbery

Brazil on Aug 26, 2021

Jesús Rodríguez Santiago: Letra algo pequeña y calidad del papel algo justa

Spain on Apr 03, 2021

Costello: hat man einfach Glück und selten genug, man findet ein Buch, das man sogar digital wieder lesen muss. Dieses ists!

Germany on Oct 28, 2020

DC Palter: One of my book clubs was reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I'd heard it had some relevance to Japan, and a quick search online showed that one of the main characters was named "Kakuro Ozu." Hmmm.

I almost didn't pick up the book. There are too many novels that feature Japan as a setting or include a Japanese character or two, written by people who know nothing about Japan and the Japanese, and I feel no need to add to my collection of hated books. The name, Kakuro, seemed a dead give-away that this book lacked authenticity. "Kakuro" could plausibly be a Japanese man's name, but it isn't. Look up the name on facebook or linkedin and you won't find another Kakuro.

But the book was sitting on my desk and I had finished the previous book, so I picked it up just to see who this Kakuro was. And very quickly I was pulled in by this novel. Though perhaps "novel" isn't quite the right word. Novelization of Zen Buddhist philosophy would probably be a better description, more of a textbook on Zen thought taught through real-world example than a story for the sake of entertainment.

And it was clear that the writer did understand both Zen and Japan. So that left me...

United States on May 20, 2014