The Blurb:
“Fate takes many forms …When Henry receives a letter from an elderly taxidermist, it poses a puzzle that he cannot resist. As he is pulling into the world of this strange and calculating man, Henry becomes increasingly involved with the lives of a donkey and a howler monkey – named Beatrice and Virgil – and the epic journey they undertake together. With all the spirit and orginality that made Life of Pi so treasured, this brilliant new novel takes the reader on a haunting odyssey. On the way, Martel asks profound questions about life and art, truth and deception, responsibility and complicity.”
(source: Amazon)
What I thought:
I barely know where to start with this book. I actually finished it over a week ago but wanted to wait a while to collect my thoughts about it and see if they are any clearer after some consideration. They aren’t: I am just as confused.
I was so desperate to get my mitts on this book: Life of Pi is one of my all-time favourites and I have developed a huge crush on tigers since reading the book. When I saw the cover and the blurb for Beatrice and Virgil I was practically cartwheeling round the room in anticipation of my my brand new crush on donkeys and howler monkeys. It’s by Yann Martel. It’s got animals in it. What’s not to love?
I will attempt to describe the plot now: There is an author called Henry who has had two really successful books out and he has just written a third which gets panned by his publishers. In the first 20 pages of this book I learned more about flip books than I ever realised I cared (and am assured that I still don’t). Henry throws his toys out of the pram and moves to another (unamed) city to live off his previous royalties and do things like join an orchestra and a drama group without writing another thing. One day he ets a strange letter from a man also called Henry. The letter contains a chapter of a play that Henry #2 has written and asks Henry #1 for help. Coincidentally, Henry #2 lives in the same city where Henry #1 has just moved to so Henry #1 decides to pay him a visit and finds that Henry #2 lives and works as a taxidermist. The rest of the book flits between the play that Henry #2 has written which is about a donkey called Beatrice and a howler monkey called Virgil who live on a striped shirt, and the two Henry’s meeting to discuss the play.
I have to be honest that if a) I hadn’t loved Life of Pi so much and b) been kindly sent my copy by the publisher for review I’m not sure that I would have wanted to carry on reading after the first 50 pages. I say wouldn’t have wanted to, but even so I probably would have as I felt strangely compelled to keep reading. The play with the animals was a very obvious metaphor for the holocaust and there were times when I felt like I was being beaten over the head with them. The ending too: I can’t decide whether I was being blatantly manipulated or whether Martel has just done a really good job of making me feel what the holocaust was ultimately all about – I was heartbroken at the end, both with the ending of the play and with the Games for Gustav which was a series of “Sophie’s choice”-like questions about what would you do in this situation?
I think that this is possibly the first time I have been so unsure how to score a book. It certainly wasn’t a book I necessarily enjoyed but was it a good book? I really don’t know whether it’s complete trash or absolute genius. Having said that, I do still keep thinking about it.
Have you read it? What did you think? I’d love to hear what others thoughts are on this book – it would certainly make a great discussion.
Farm Lane Books had this to say: Overall I found that the whole book made my blood boil with rage.
(my copy of this book was sent to me for review from Canongate – thank you).
I have not read this and I really want to for the same reasons you mentioned. What made me want to comment on your post straight away is that you express your uncertainty about the book so well and dare to do so. I have seen so many reviews of people who don’t know what to think of the ending and thus state they hated it, or didn’t like the ending and thus state that they think the book is trash. I am glad to find your review, since it openly questions such conclusions to reviews of this book. It might seem like you can’t make a sensible review of this book, but I think that that might be the strength of the book and your review. Not that I know what I’m talking about of course, having not yet read Beatrice and Virgil.
Thanks Iris! Yes, I do know what you mean. This seems to be such a marmite book, having lovers and haters at both end of the spectrum, but I honestly can’t decide what I think about it. Perhaps it’s a great book in that case as I am still thinking about it and pondering over it 10 days later – it has certainly stayed with me, that’s for sure.
I think it is great that this book is so memorable and I can still talk about every little detail several months after reading it. It drove me mad, but I think that means I at least engaged with it. I still can’t decide whether this book is genius or trash, but I can say that I didn’t like reading it at all!
I’m with you Jackie, I still can’t decide.
I am with you on this book — I read not long after its release and I still don’t know what to say about it. I might need to re-read it before I can give it a proper review.
But I agree with you, it would make an excellent book for discussion.
I looked for your review on your blog earlier Suzanne but couldn’t find it – I remembered you saying that you wanted to discuss it.
It would make an interesting choice for book groups, I reckon. I’d love to have had a group discussion about it.
I really want to read this and should have already as I was sent it a while back, and I loved The Life of Pi, but something stops me. Interestingly the more mixed reviews or the more marmite the reviews the more I want to read this.
Great review Boof!
Thanks Simon. Funnily enough it was the mixed reviews that got me really curious too. Can’t wait to hear what you think.
I was curious when the reviews seemed mixed, but now I feel like I’ve seen more bad reviews than good. Combine that with the fact that I liked The Life of Pi but have never had even the slightest urge to reread it, and you have my decision not to read Beatrice and Virgil. It sounds bewildering at best and extremely annoying as well.
Bewildering is a pretty appt word, Jenny.
You beat me to it! I have read such mixed reviews about this book that yours doesn’t surprise me, but it all makes me more curious. I can’t say I’ll get to read it any time soon what with the pile I “need” to read, but I hope to be able to engage in discussion after I do read it!
I’d love to hear what you do think when you’ve read it, Steph.
I read it a few months ago – review is here – and I liked it but didn’t. Or, I liked it but with a few reservations.
For much of the book, I wasn’t sure what was going on, but towards the end I felt indescribably moved and the ending itself was so tragic. Everything clicked together without being obvious. I loved the characters of Beatrice and Virgil; the taxidermist creeped the hell out of me, and I found overall that I like it more and more as time goes on. It’s such a quiet, unassuming book, but the more you think about it, the more powerful it becomes.
Shannon, I loved the characters of Beatrice and Virgil too. I’m a sucker for animals in books anyway.
I agree that the more you think about it the more powerful it becomes too.
Everyone has already said it, however I shall reiterate as well — mixed reviews amount to my rising curiosity. I might need to settle on down and have a look!
I definitely think it needs to be read – I’d love to hear what you think about it if you do
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