The elegance of the hedgehog

Mixed reviews for this one; a stunning success in France but found to be sentimental and laboured by American commentators. I found its interesting philosophical ideas and gradual unfolding of the action made for slow paced reading but the examination of people's prejudices and preoccupations is fascinating.
And it has a satisfactory ending - a big success factor for me.

Madame Michel has the elegance of the hedgehog: on the outside, she’s covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary – and terribly elegant.  From The Elegance of the Hedgehog, page 143

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