As the title suggests, I’m not sure what to think of this book. Barbery has a knack for a good turn-of-phrase, and some of the observations in the novel made me literally laugh out loud. There was also a good deal of beauty in some of the observations/reflections.
However, I couldn’t tell if I was supposed to empathize with the viewpoint characters or if they too were (to an extent) the butt of the novel’s joke.
My own biases as a religious person could be coming into play here, but Renée and Paloma’s shared dismissal of spirituality seemed out of place with their openness to philosophy and search for beauty.
At the same time, their meditations on the eternal qualities of momentary things made me pause in admiration.
Finally, I was disappointed in the predictability of the ending, but I thought it was written well. I did get a little misty-eyed when >!Renée died!< due to the intentionality of >!her farewells!< but >!her death!< overall felt like too obvious of a conclusion.
It could be my own Americanized need for a happy ending, but it seemed a little emotionally manipulative (or even a touch cynical) for Barbery to >!finally allow the character to reveal her true self- a thing she feared would kill her- and then immediately die!<.
What are your thoughts?
by Zyphrail