I just finished this and really enjoyed it. Likeable characters, interesting story, light reading. ( )

A complete delight of a story, filled with delicious, well-drawn and complex characters, the scent of Paris, the light that filters in through old windows in ancient apartments in an arrondissement tucked somewhere near the Eiffel Tower…

It made me miss Europe with an ache that I haven’t felt in a while- missing the scenery, the civilization, the subtle differences between vous and tu and all that that means. The food. The art. Sigh.

I’d like to read this in French someday, should I ever be able to drag up my schoolgirl French to anything approximating coherence. I feel reading it in the original language (though the translation is excellent) would bring even more of these feelings to the reader- and they are so pleasurable I had to immediately tell people about how lovely this book was.

A delight only spoiled by its ending- I miss the characters already. Read it. It’s a happy book. Nice nice people. ( )

The concept behind Hunting and Gathering is super simple. Bring four very different people together and tell a story about how they coexist. Each has a personal tragedy; a difficulty finding solid ground either mentally, physically, or financially. For some, all three imbalances exist. Philibert is the understated hero who brings anorexically malnourished Camille to his barely furnished apartment. He is already sharing the space with overworked and underemotional Franck, a chef with very little time or patience for anyone except an ailing grandmother. Philibert is not without his own issues. He suffers from debilitating social anxiety. To compensate for a stutter, he dresses outrageously and is excessively polite. They all share common issues of loss, an inability to cope with family, and an undeniable fondness for one another. When Franck brings his grandmother to the dilapidated apartment as the fourth roommate the relationships grow deeper and more meaningful. ( )

This book was somewhat disjointed but I liked the overall feeling. It definitely read like a translation. Also, it made me cry a lot. Is that the sign of a good book? I think I'm just a crier. ( )

Camille Fauque tiene 26 años, dibuja de maravilla, pero no tiene fuerza para hacerlo. Frágil y desorientada, malvive en una buhardilla y parece esmerarse en desaparecer: apenas come, limpia oficinas de noche, y su relación con el mundo es casi agonizante. Philibert Marquet, su vecino, vive en un apartamento enorme del que podría ser desalojado; es tartamudo, un caballero a la antigua que vende postales en un museo, y el casero de Franck Lestafier. Cocinero de un gran restaurante, Franck es mujeriego y malhablado, casi vulgar, lo cual irrita a la única persona que le ha querido, su abuela Paulette, que a sus 83 años se deja morir en un asilo añorando su hogar y las visitas de su nieto. Cuatro supervivientes, cuatro personajes magullados por la vida, cuyo encuentro va a salvarlos de un naufragio anunciado.