A Moment of Sublimity
My favorite gift from Stanley: my unimug tea infuser "In this way, Papa constructs himself, every day. I say 'constructs himself' because I think that each time it's a new construction, as if everything has been reduced to ashes during the night, and he has to start from scratch." --Muriel Barbery In The Elegance of the Hedgehog , Paloma, a 12 year old, shares her rich interiority with its timeless wisdom and sharp analysis of those whose lives are entwined with hers. In her "Profound Thoughts," or journal entries, we recognize her kindred spirit with the building's concierge, the story's "hedgehog" and heroine. Both are intelligent women who use masks of mediocrity in order to cultivate their extraordinary spirits behind shields of introversion. Another similarity between Renee the concierge and young Paloma is a love of tea. Renee muses about the meaning of a cup of tea in the morning or