At first glance, it may not seem like Paloma, a 12 year-old prodigy, has much in common with Renee, the concierge at her upscale Parisian apartment building. However, when mysterious new tenant, Monsieur Ozu moves in Renee and Paloma begin to discover they are more alike than different, and neither is happy living among the wealthy yet vapid residents of 7, Rue de Grenelle. Barbery’s delicate prose, written in alternating voices makes this a hard book to put down.

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