Book Tour: Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

Title: Beatrice and Virgil
Author: Yann Martel
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau; Reprint edition
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Paperback: 240 pages
ISBN: 7978-0812981544
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

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.

My Review:

This is neither a review nor a criticism of a book I did not enjoy, as one may have already noticed I did not rate this book, but rather some random thoughts about the book.  I agreed to take part in the tour for Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel and while his book was not for me, it does not mean others will not enjoy this book. Hindsight is 20/20 and looking back, my fist clue should have been my reaction to Life of Pi. I am well aware that Life of Pi was the 2002 Man Booker Prize winner and it was very well received, but not by me. It just was not a style I enjoyed. So when I was asked to review Beatrice and Virgil I thought, why not? I tried to keep an open mind while I read the book, and even when I wanted to stop, I kept reading, looking for something to cling to.

While I understand that Martel is trying to tell the readers about the atrocity of the Holocaust through a play with a howler monkey and a donkey, the point was almost lost on me in its absurdity. Was Martel trying to show the cruelty reserved only for humans by telling the story through animals? If so, Mark Twain summed it up nicely in a quote from his book The Damned Human Race, “Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it. It is a trait that is not known to the higher animals.” That quote alone would have saved me the time of reading the play within the story. In the beginning of the book Henry receives a work by Gustave Flaubert, an author whose works I admire, yet even his work appears to get lost amidst the play.

I have already spent more time then I indeed to and I apologise for the length. I did not care for Beatrice and Virgil, which in the grand scheme of life means precious little. You dear readers may discover it to be a work of pure genius. For me, I shall stick with Flaubert and Alighieri (two authors mentioned in this book) to read about life and the countless non-fiction books regarding the Holocaust that do not involve fictional, allegorical plays with animals. Yes, I realise Martel was being artistic; unfortunately it did not work for me.

I encourage everyone to check out the tour link and read what other reviewers have to say regarding Beatrice and Virgil, my opinion is merely that, my opinion.

About the Author:

The award-winning author of four previous books, the most recent of which is What Is Stephen Harper Reading?, Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963. He studied philosophy at Trent University, worked at odd jobs – tree planter, dishwasher, security guard – and travelled widely before turning to writing. He was awarded the Journey Prize for the title story in The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios. His second novel, Life of Pi, won the 2002 Man Booker, among other prizes.

Yann Martel lives in Saskatoon with the writer Alice Kuipers and their son.

Connect with Yann Martel on Facebook.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

I received a complimentary copy of Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

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