欧宝娱乐

If you bite into this expecting a light, buttery, wholly unhealthy croissant, be forewarned -- it has some fiber in it, too. It鈥檚 about two unlikely intellectuals. One is a dowdy concierge in an upscale Paris apartment and the other is an unusual 12-year-old girl living there with her well-to-do family. I like how their brainpower comes through in their ideas and observations rather than from the author just telling us how 鈥渨icked smaht鈥� they are (to borrow Chuckie鈥檚 phrase from Good Will Hunting).

Their outsized crania were not always easy to carry. Renee, the concierge, was not to the manor born (probably more like the servants鈥� quarters) and she never seemed to forget it. She had a real thirst for knowledge, though 鈥�- an accomplished autodidact in philosophy, film, art, and music. But she never felt comfortable sharing any of these joys with anyone given what she felt the attitudes towards a woman of her social standing would be. The girl was a different story. Her cross to bear was how to carve out a niche for herself in a family that was all too comfortable with its elevated status. Her main weapon against the soullessness of life in the upper crust was cynicism. She wielded it well, sometimes to humorous effect. At times she may not have seemed real, but then you could say the same about the Coneheads, and if you recall, they too were from France.

As everyone knows, smart people don鈥檛 always figure out ways to be happy. This is one of the themes. However, they might just meet someone with a clear-sighted appreciation for hidden beauty, an easy manner, and a rich vein of empathy for kindred spirits. Much of the meeting up takes place late, but is powerful when it finally does. The spoiler police prevent me from saying as much as I'd like.

In addition to interesting characters, a solid plot, and real wisdom to impart, the book was well-written to boot. I rarely think to appreciate how difficult a translator鈥檚 job must be to project a distinctive voice, but this work really stood out. Comment on dit 鈥�2 thumbs up鈥� en Francais? At least I know how to say croissant + fibre = still 诲茅濒颈肠颈别耻虫.