'Witty and touching, this novel features two of my favorite female characters' Gillian Anderson‘Resistance is futile . . . you might as well buy it before someone recommends it for your book group. Its charm will make you say yes’ The Guardian‘Clever, informative and moving . . . an admirable novel which deserves as wide a readership here as it had in France’ The Observer‘Wins over its fans with a life-affirming message, a generous portion of heart and Barbery’s frequently wicked sense of humor’ Time Magazine‘A book of great charm and grace’ Metro ‘The book’s attractive, Amélie-esque Parisian setting and cast of eccentrics will appeal to many’ Sunday Telegraph‘Breathtakingly singular novel . . . totally French yet completely universal’ Good Housekeeping‘Reveals itself as a version of the Cinderella fairytale’ Financial Times'Gently satirical, exceptionally winning and inevitably bittersweet' Washington Post'Barbery’s sly wit . . . bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations' New Yorker'The narrators’ kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson’s fluent translation) propel us ahead' New York Times Book Review'An elegant, light-spirited and very European adult fable' Kirkus Reviews'Nobody ever imagined that this tender, funny book with a philosophical vein would have enjoyed such incredible success. For some, it is part Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder, part Monsieur Malaussene by Daniel Pennac. While for others it resembles a written version of the film Amélie. Either way, readers are responding in vast numbers' Le Monde 'The reader will be amused, surprised and moved by this philosophical tale: a user's guide to life which is a delight on every level' Elle 'Enthusiastically recommended for anyone who loves books that grow quietly and then blossom suddenly' Marie Claire
