Beatrice and Virgil

A Novel

By: Yann Martel

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 6 hrs

Publisher's summary

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.

©2010 Yann Martel (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

"[A] fable-type story with iceberg-deep dimensions reaching far below the surface of its general premise." (Booklist)

Devistating Stunning Beautiful

I just finished this book and feel somewhat outside my body. A very, harsh, deep, thoughtful, worldly, ruthless and tender book. Martel is an amazing writer. And though it’s a very dark and disturbing story, it is a valuable piece of literature and I highly recommend a listen. The narrator was perfect.

BEATRICE AND VIRGIL - Outstanding in all ways!

If you could sum up Beatrice and Virgil in three words, what would they be?

Talent ... integrity ... professionalism.

What other book might you compare Beatrice and Virgil to and why?

George Orwell's ANIMAL FARM. There is a depth of allegorical similarity pertaining to a societal cataclysm in each book. In addition, the gradual revelation that all is not what it appears to be is a major theme of each book. I thought I knew quite a bit about the Holocaust, but the genuine darkness of which man is capable has made me reconsider my smugness. BEATRICE AND VIRGIL is a magnificent piece of well-written allegorical fiction.

Have you listened to any of Mark Bramhall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first experience with an audio book. In truth, Mark Bramhall's incredible talent and unbelievable acting ability can only enhance any book he reads. Mr. Bramhall will always be a consideration for future audible.com books I purchase.

If you could rename Beatrice and Virgil, what would you call it?

Evil Never Dies. (But nothing can compare to the original title.)

Any additional comments?

This is a magnificent novel written by a highly gifted author, read by a profoundly talented actor, and has been one of the most awesome literary experiences of my life. A slow reader by nature (I don't want to "miss" anything, so I find myself re-reading and underlining and making marginal comments to the point of distraction), I "read" this book in under half the time it usually takes me to complete fiction. Actually, I was so drawn in by the entire artistic performance that I am beginning to see my note-taking as a hindrance to enjoyable and intellectually profitable reading... at least of fiction.Earlier today I wrote a much more extensive review, but - sadly - I didn't save it. While making minor changes, my clumsy fingers lost it. Just as well, perhaps ... at the moment BEATRICE AND VIRGIL really seems to belong to me alone.

I look forward to more of these remarkable offerings from audible.com.Hats off to Yann Martel and Mark Bramhall. With that combination, you will always have a winner!

I don't do reviews

If you expect life of pi 2 forget it.If you expect to get uplifted and smile at a great end, forget it.
If you want to search your soul as a human being
then read it. Good luck and thanks to the author.

Slow and strange

I really wanted to like this book, I loved the Life of Pi, but it was so incredibly slow going that I just couldn't get into the groove of it. The subject matter is presented in such a bland way in the beginning, that it's hard to find a reason to continue, and the narration is less than inspiring.

Great auditory reading

Mark Bramhall did an excellent job reading the book. He is now one of my three favorite readers, the other two being Joe Barrett and Campbell Scott.
The story was interesting a kept me involved. Not as good as PI, but still quality writing. It will definately appeal to the morbid soul.

incredibly powerful

** spoiler alert ** This was extremely difficult to read, and to rate. Had I known it was a book about the absolute worst moments from the Holocaust, I probably would have avoided it. But why would I avoid it? It's a part of my own personal history, as the child and grandchild of Holocaust survivors. I was born only 15 years after the end of that horrific war (the "Horrors" as it is called in this book), yet my life was so easy and cushy and removed as a first-generation American. So, I shouldn't avoid books like this, but it is hard, hard, hard to read.

I love Martel's writing. His style is like none other. You do need to be in the right frame of mind for a book filled with metaphors and literary references. This book required no small measure of patience. The premise was an interesting choice, and very effective. The last quarter of the book was some of the most difficult material I've ever read, and it will make you very anxious. As another reviewer said, it will rip you apart from the inside. I took a few minutes to read others' reviews after I finished, to see if anyone could shed light on some of the more obscure metaphors, and particularly about the last couple of chapters, and that helped me to realize that for those of that really valued this book, we had a common visceral reaction.

There were certain moments that will really stay with me, for example when Beatrice and Virgil are trying to hear the silence, and after Virgil gives the "on-board the train" speech, Beatrice hears the souls of thousands departing. I'm not paraphrasing that well; it was incredibly powerfully written. And the end, Games for Gustaf, will forever be some of the best-worst provocative writing I have had to think hard about. It made me feel so incredibly fortunate to be that first-generation American. And I agree with the author, that it is a story that bears repeating in different formats, painful as it is.

🙈🙉🙊

Yann Martel never never seems to disappoint. Haunting, eyrie, truthful, and intriguing, you get sucked into the story and he continues to shed light onto vast and difficult topics.

Torture

Reading this book, with the exception of some really interesting passages like the description of the pear, was torture. The graphic depiction of the torture of animals, metaphoric though it was, was just impossible for me to listen to once I saw where it was going. For those of us like me who read and enjoyed the quirky Life of Pi, and based on the somewhat whimsical nature of this book's cover art, this story unfolded in an unexpected and devastating fashion. I don't like putting the sort of images that Mr. Martel created into my head, where they will remain. I felt blindsided.

Brutal!

This is the first audible book I've ever deleted. The violent imagery is not what I expected from the writer of the Life of Pi. The "story" is disjointed, goes nowhere and is just dark & disturbing. I don't recommend this title to anyone.

SO DARK

What disappointed you about Beatrice and Virgil?

TERRIBLE BOOK. poor story line and very very dark! Nothing like Life of Pi. I
was hoping for another witty story but was so disappointed