Beatrice and Virgil: A Novel
Fate takes many forms. . . . When Henry receives a letter from an elderly taxidermist, it poses a puzzle that he cannot resist. As he is pulled further into the world of this strange and calculating man, Henry becomes increasingly involved with the lives of a donkey and a howler monkey—named...
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Fate takes many forms. . . . When Henry receives a letter from an elderly taxidermist, it poses a puzzle that he cannot resist. As he is pulled further 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 originality that made Life of Pi so beloved, 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.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN:
9781400069262 (1400069262)
ASIN: 1400069262
Publish date: 2010-04-13
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Pages no: 224
Edition language: English
Category:
Novels,
Literature,
Cultural,
Book Club,
Adult Fiction,
Literary Fiction,
Contemporary,
Animals,
World War II,
Canada,
Holocaust,
Fiction
Before buying this book, I was intrigued by the many angry reviews claiming that Beatrice And Virgil was offensive and "tricked" the reader. I couldn't disagree more with those opinions.There is nothing offensive in this book - there are some dark and disturbing scenes, but offensive? No, not unless...
http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2010/06/review-beatrice-and-virgil-by-yann.html
The writing is powerful and masterful, but the juxtaposing of Holocaust and taxidermy did not work for me. Graphic details of taxidermic craft though definitely enlightening were not inspiring. Detailed descriptions of torturing an intelligent donkey and other horrific scenes were neither revealing...
One would think the story presents animal suffering as an allegory for the Holocaust, but in the narrative Henry says the Holocaust was an allegory for animal suffering. Which one is it?I finished reading this in a bus ride to work and as I closed the book I was still thinking hard about it. Maybe u...
I've put off this review for several weeks because Beatrice and Virgil is so unlike anything I was expecting. After I finished listening to the story, I was stunned into silence, left waffling between wanting to yell WTF and yet proclaiming Martel's brilliance as loudly as possible. After two weeks...