Connect
Sponsors
Currently Reading
-
Terms
The Book Lady's Blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Reviews and articles posted here are property of The Book Lady's Blog and are not to be posted elsewhere without permission. Please contact me if you wish to post any of my work, or any excerpt thereof, in any other location or format.
Miscellaneous
Meet Bookrageous!
Technical Stuff
Design Credits
Apr
13
Book Review: Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
2010 at 10am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
The subtitle of this post should be something like “In which I explain my ambivalence about a book I REALLY wanted to love. But meh.”
Published April 13, 2010 by Spiegel & Grau (a RandomHouse imprint)
Nine years after Life of Pi (which, by the way, completely rocked my world), Yann Martel brings us Beatrice and Virgil, one of the most anticipated novels of the year. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most disappointing. And believe me, this is not the review I hoped to be writing for this book. In fact, it’s not the review I thought I’d be writing as I read the first half of the book. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Beatrice and Virgil is about Henry, a writer whose previous novel—a highly-acclaimed story that used animals to ask BIG QUESTIONS about humanity—earned him fame, wealth, and the desire to create something even better. If you’ve read Life of Pi, you’re thinking that Henry’s situation sounds pretty familiar right now….and that’s because it is, as Henry is basically Martel. Wanting to push the envelope further and maintain his reputation for philosophical writing, Henry has written a flip book about the Holocaust, in which one side of the book is a nonfiction essay, and the other side (which you read after flipping the book upside down and opening from the other cover) is fiction.
Henry’s publishers hate the book, primarily because they have no idea how to package and market something that does not fit neatly into one category, but according to Henry, they are missing the point. The important distinction is not the one between fiction and nonfiction.
The useful division is between the fiction and nonfiction that speaks the truth and the fiction and nonfiction that utters lies.
Martel, by proxy of Henry, is talking about fiction’s capacity to be, to borrow from Stephen Colbert’s lexicon, “truthier” than reality, and he is arguing for the importance of examining the Holocaust—a part of history left almost completely to nonfiction—through the lens of fiction.
Why this suspicion of the imagination, why the resistance to artful metaphor? A work of art works because it is true, not because it is real. Was there not a danger to representing the Holocaust in a way behold to factuality?
When one of the publishers asks Henry “What’s your book about?” he struggles to explain. They don’t seem to understand why he thinks it is so important to write fiction about the Holocaust, but Henry nails it with this:
If history doesn’t become story, it dies to everyone except the historian.
Henry goes on to explain that he used animals in his first novel because “speaking before his tribe, naked, he was only human and therefore possibly—likely—surely, a liar. But dressed in furs and feathers, he became a shaman and spoke a greater truth.” Martel is obviously talking about Life of Pi here, and I loved this part of the book, which shed new light on a story I love deeply and have read many times. But he is also setting up what he believes Beatrice and Virgil is going to accomplish, and I’m sorry to say that he fails to deliver.
So, after hitting a wall on the flip book, Henry agitates for a while, until, sorting his mail one day, he comes across an envelope containing pieces of the script for a play, a Flaubert story called “The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitator,” and a note from another man named Henry, who says that he needs Henry-the-author’s help. Using the return address on the envelope, Henry sets off in search of his correspondent and meets Henry-the-taxidermist who has written a play about a monkey named Virgil and a donkey named Beatrice. Acknowledging the allusion to Dante, the taxidermist calls Beatrice and Virgil his “guides through hell,” and goes on to explain that he became a taxidermist in order to bear witness, “to see if something could be saved once the irreparable had been done.”
The taxidermist’s play has many charming moments, but it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and Henry becomes more frustrated with every meeting. Then the taxidermist shares a section of play that reveals Virgil is anxious. Very anxious. When questioned, the taxidermist reveals that Virgil is anxious “because he’s a howler monkey in a world that doesn’t want howler monkeys,” thereby confirming Henry’s growing suspicions that the taxidermist is doing what he, Henry, has been trying to do all along. He is writing a play about the Holocaust.
Beatrice and Virgil—the book—is beautifully written. Beatrice and Virgil—the play—provides an interesting if less-than-subtle and verging-on-insulting allegory to the Holocaust and a strong argument for the importance and power of fiction in helping us understand and cope with the unexplainable. Beatrice and Virgil have a conversation about how they are going to talk about what is happening to them when it’s all over, and they agree that they will refer to it as The Horrors. As for why they’ll talk about it:
VIRGIL: To talk-about so that we might live-with—I presume that’s why we want to do this?
BEATRICE: Yes. To remember and yet to go on living.
Yes!
As the discussion continues, the emotion, the pain and suffering, that Beatrice and Virgil share is just as palpable as if it were coming from human characters. In fact, it may be more so because our distance from them allows us to feel their experiences more deeply. Sure, the taxidermist is creepy and antisocial. And yes, his play has many problems. But he seems to be doing something that Henry/Martel hasn’t been able to figure out how to do.
But then.
Oh then.
Then, there is a twist that comes like a punch in the gut and recasts everything that precedes it. (Sort of like that twist at the end of Life of Pi, but with the opposite effect.)
And that is why I feel so ambivalent about this book. I loved—LOVED—the first fifty pages of Beatrice and Virgil and even tossed around the pantyworthy word to describe it. Henry/Martel’s meditation on how fiction works, why it is important, and the ways it allows us to approach and examine the parts of our lives and histories that are difficult to face in nonfiction is eloquent, and the writing is gorgeous. It just feels like the Martel that I loved for Life of Pi. But Henry’s relationship with the taxidermist is overwrought and over-written, and the taxidermist’s play has just as many weaknesses as it does strengths.
And that twist at the end changes EVERYTHING.
It shook me so deeply that I had to go back and re-read the last half of the book, and then I didn’t love Beatrice and Virgil so much. If Martel had foregone the whole Henry-as-thinly-veiled-character-for-himself thing and just published the first section of this book as an essay about fiction and a polemic for using fiction to represent and address traumatic events, I would have been all over it. The first part of this book is wonderful. The remainder of it is angsty (particularly in light of THE BIG TWIST), and self-important and seems intended to make readers feel like they must be missing something if they don’t love it.
I’m not falling for that trick this time. Martel has succeeded in giving us a book that begs to be discussed, and that is certainly an accomplishment, but the discussions are more likely to leave friends and book clubs banging their heads in frustration than they are to lead to any kind of agreement or furthering of the art of fiction. So, from this Book Lady, Martel gets points for the noble goal of Beatrice and Virgil and for explaining that goal so skillfully, but he fails to achieve what he says (through Henry) he is going to, and he makes some disturbing analogies, comparing Jews to helpless animals, along the way. Because I am truly ambivalent about this one, I’m rating it right in the middle of the scale at 2.5 out of 5.
Hey, FTC: I received a galley of this book from the publisher.
I am an IndieBound affiliate and will receive a small commission if you purchase Beatrice and Virgil through a link in this review….but it’s not like I think you will, after what I’ve said about it.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Rebecca Schinsky
Related posts:
I just posted my thoughts too, and funny thing… we used the exact same wording for our reactions: a punch in the gut!
I keep hearing how awful this book is, and that makes me so sad since I too loved Life of Pi… I think sometimes authors have one special, magical book inside them and can’t ever rise to that level again. I might read Beatrice and Virgil anyway, but it’s gonna have to be a library rental or borrowed copy.
Though I’ll never read this book because the subject matter is not my thing, I have to tell you that I absolutely loved your review for its depth and your prose!
Even if I disagree with some of your feelings about this book, you wrote a terrific review-terrific in that it was so well written and I could absolutely understand every point you made. It turns out that I liked this book way more than you did but again, amazing job reviewing it!
Your review was really well written. Felt like you took us right through the trip of being all enthousiastic and then not knowing what to think anymore.
I have to say, from what you’ve said here, I would love reading about what Martel has to say on fiction and history. The line: “If history doesn’t become story, it dies to everyone except the historian.” could be used in so many classes on history.
Then again, I was left disturbed, but managed to come to terms with the twist at the end of Life of Pi and I’ve read other reviews that also mention that they’re not so sure if this twist manages to do the same. It makes me curious about the book, but also anxious, because I do not like to be left as dissatisfied as you’re sounding.
How weird! (But also: it must really beg to be called that, right?) Heading over to read your review now.
I’ve heard so many mixed reviews about this book — it’s on my to-read list but is it worth purchasing or should I just borrow it from the library?
That’s a call I can’t make for you. Some people have loved this book and would say “Yes, buy it!” Others hated it. I’m in between. If you like to write in books or make notes as you read, you’ll want to buy this one because it BEGS for marginalia.
As the above reader said, it was disturbing and shocking and shook me to the core but after thinking about it a bit, I didn’t expect it to end neatly, not with the way that it came out of the gate. I too went back and read the last bit of it again and it seemed to sit better with me. The Henry (as the thinly veiled character of himself) was there all along. Don’t you think?
I’m talking about the revelation about who the taxidermist is…I couldn’t square it.
I’m not informed enough about Martel or this book to say much, but is he seriously arguing there is a lack of fiction about the Holocaust?
I think his point is that, for such a huge historic event, there is relatively little fiction compared to what’s out there about other major events. We have TONS of WWII fiction, but rather little Holocaust fiction.
Wow, I am intrigued! The first half of the book does sound really great. I definitely want to read this one, and am interested to see what the big twist is!
Terrific review! Maybe I should just go into B&N, grab a cappucino and read the first half of the book in the bookstore and leave it at that.
That’s an idea! But if you’re going to read it, you should just read the whole thing (it’s relatively short) so you can really join the convo about this book.
I skimmed your review and got an idea of how you feel about it. It is interesting to see the different reactions I’ve seen to it.
Yes, I think this is DEFINITELY a love-it-or-hate-it book. While I fall on the love side, I definitely understand what you’re saying about the twist. It’s just a twist that worked for me. Maybe particularly because I teach a lot of Holocaust literature in my tenth grade classes, this book REALLY excited me for its discussion-able implications.
I want to cry and tear at my clothes. I want to love this book! Still, you have me going to the point where I’m going to HAVE to read it either way.
You might love it, Sandy! There are reviewers I respect on both sides of this one (for example, Ti, whom I usually agree with, loved it).
Great review! It’s such a let down when a book you wanted so much to like just doesn’t live up to the expectations
If you hadn’t said TWIST in this review, I’d probably have written this book off and made snarky comments to my loved ones about author-stand-in characters. But now I am so curious to know what the TWIST is. Can you tell me where in the book the TWIST happens? So that I can find it out first, and see if knowing the TWIST all along makes the book any better? I promise you won’t be spoiling it for me! I love knowing TWISTS ahead of time.
The last 20 pages. If you really want to know, email me, and I’ll spoil it all for you!
I guess you could say that, but it seems like he’s saying the very idea of fiction about the Holocaust is somehow novel or subversive. .
No. He’s using the Holocaust as an example of the importance of using representations of an event to further understanding and memory of the event.
Of course, being spoiler-crazed me, I TOTALLY want to know what THE BIG TWIST is before investing in the book. Spoilers don’t bother me, but crazy and disappointing plot twists do.
I do like the idea of the book as an allegory for so much else that is important. And I agree about fiction being required about the Holocaust (AND any other horrible occurrence such as that). So that is great, especially as Martel is so GOOD at allegory, as proven by Life of Pi.
Boo, I say. Boo. I was hoping that this was going to be good. I had a similar experience with Life of Pi. Boo yet again.
Great review! At least reading it was entertaining.
I completely agree that he proves it with Life of Pi. It just doesn’t work so much here. And if you MUST know the spoilers, I will tell you…
I found LIFE OF PI to be one of the most devastating books (emotionally, and as a mom) I’ve ever read. I was totally blown away and haven’t been able to reread, although I should as a writer.
Hmm, not sure if I’ll make it through this one.
Have you read Markus Zusak’s THE BOOK THIEF yet? The best piece of Holocaust fiction, and it’s usually marketed as YA. My adult book group loved it.
I read THE BOOK THIEF last year and really enjoyed it but didn’t quite love it. Death as narrator, though, was a total stroke of brilliance.
Fantastic review Rebecca. You managed to put everything was thinking, but unable to put into words, into words. So thank you for that!
I had such high expectations for this book…if only I hadn’t read those last pages.
Wow, I was so surprised to see that you gave this 2.5. I skimmed your review because I don’t like to know too much going into a book when I read it. I was so hoping that it would be as good as Life of Pi.
Oh no! I’ve been so looking forward to this one and I’m disappointed already since I trust your opinion.
I agree with all of the above that your review was fantastic and in-depth. I loved Life of Pi, even though given just a summary of it, I would have never chosen it. It was recommended to me by my former AP English teacher, while I was teaching with her years later, and Martel seemed to be a new voice who would turn out other, exceptional works. When I came across a reprint of his short story collection, The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, I bought it immediately and then… tried to read it. Sadly, I was wholly unimpressed and it has been sitting on a bookshelf ever since. However, I was extremely excited to read your review of a new novel by him (since I’m not much of a short story person & thought perhaps that was what stopped me from liking The Facts). Now, like everybody else, I just want to know what the twist is… without ever reading what doesn’t sound like a very good novel. Thanks for your extremely honest opinion!
Email me if you really want to know the twist, and I will spoil away.
Intersting. I too loved “Life of Pi” and I imagine it would be hard to follow that up. But I got a little dizzy reading the synopsis. I’ll probably end up checking this out … but maybe I won’t rush to do it.
So what you’re saying is you’re taking back your panties?
I really have no interest in reading this one…it sounds frustrating. I’m currently reading Maus I and Maus II, which uses animals to tell a story of the Holocaust, so I’ll just get my animal/Holocaust stories there.
I’m taking them back and locking them up chastity-belt style!
The first part of this book really does sound great. You have me really curious about the big twist. You seem to have such strong emotions about this book, both positive and negative. I almost want to read it just to compare my reactions!
Oh I so wanted this book to be everything that Life of Pi was! I am a bit disappointed right now.
Well, now I really want to read those first pages anyway!
This is disappointing. I haven’t read Life of Pi yet (I do own it) but I was looking forward to this one. Now I’m glad I don’t have an ARC.
Meghan, LIFE OF PI is a must. But you can skip this one, no worries.
I want to read this one and be surprised so honestly, I quit reading your post halfway through. But I’ll come back to it, after I find a copy of the book!
I’m even more interested in reading this now. Even if you didn’t love it – I must know what you are talking about.
I think that’s the thing that is going to sell this book—people are going to read all of the mixed reviews (and there are a ton already) and just HAVE TO KNOW for themselves.
[...] than I did. Firstly, I think you should go to Rebecca at The Book Lady’s Blog because her review comes closest to what I think about the book. She nails it folks. She helped me understand what [...]
[...] had to reread the entire second half of the book after reading the ending – check out her review), the more I felt that I really just didn’t buy the ending. The realizations were too sudden, [...]
Thanks for the review! I’ve been iffy about this one (and, while I respect Life of Pi, it wasn’t my favorite). It’s still on my TBR list, but not so high up there.
[...] Source: Bookland, Griffin, Georgia Rating: 4/5 Why I Read It: It first came to my attention after this review from Rebecca at The Book Lady’s Blog. It came back up after this review at Devourer of Books, [...]
[...] #iheartthespark? Remember when I spoiled The Lost Symbol? Remember all that ambivalence about Beatrice and Virgil? And don’t even get me started on Stephenie [...]
I believed the title characters. As much as the ending was silly (the words “deus ex machina” came immediately to mind), and also the accounts of some specifics of “the Horrors” by Beatrice and Virgil were too blunt for the delicate personalities of the donkey and monkey (and, admittedly, for what is supposed to be a fictional allegory of the Holocaust, rather than a force-feeding), most of the dialogue between the two characters felt real. Of course, I have not read “Waiting for Goddot,” so I cannot possibly be offended by any too-great similarities. I just think I will always remember Beatrice and Virgil as being real, believable characters.
I just closed the book and am really still digesting it. I have to say it is one that should be read “Poe Style” ie; start to finish without interruption. Hard to do and I admit I had many stops and starts. I didn’t read “Life of Pi” so I am unable to compare but I am sure of one thing; that I will be thinking about this novel for some time, and isn’t that the point? In the wonderful sea of Vampires and Werewolves, it was absolutely invigorating to read a book book that had some “meat” to it! Will certainly stock it in my store.
[...] I write thorough, long-form reviews of my reading and believe that book reviews are about much more than summarizing plot and discussing my reaction. Take some time to browse through my book review archives, and you’ll find in-depth analyses of writing, language, symbolism, and, well, you get the picture. I’ve been on a streak of fabulous books lately, but I’m not afraid to say it when a book just doesn’t work. [...]
You were a little bit more generous than I was in terms of rating the book, because I gave “Beatrice and Virgil” a 2 out of 5. Like you, I was so impressed with the build-up and felt almost insulted at the how it led up to such an ending.
Wonderfully written review, by the way. One of the better ones I’ve read on this book.
Thanks! My initial reaction was to give it 0 out of 5 because I threw it at the wall, and that rarely happens, but I felt like the 2.5 (which is still a D if we’re talking about grades) really reflected my ambivalence. The further I get away from my reading of it, though, the more I feel inclined to lower the rating.
I agree with both your review and Maria! I expected greatness after Life of Pi, which is in my top five books of all time. I also thing your rating was too generous. I would give it a 1 out of 5. I wanted to stop reading towards the end of the book, but I kept pushing forward simply hoping something more would be established. Now I am sorely disappointed after just finishing it to discover that I feel I wasted my time.
But I agree with your other reviewers, you write an excellent review! Cheers
[...] The Book Lady’s Blog [...]
[...] adored Day for Night. I loved Beatrice & Virgil not-so-much. And here’s [...]
But you missed the point!! Henry was tricked into helping this guy write his play. It’s an interesting layer to the story that to me seems to be the most poigniant. All the descriptions, getting Henry to fill in the blanks. Can you see where I’m going with this? There are two sides to every story. It’s interesting to see the conversation and participation of the two archetypes (Henry and the Taxidermist). Your review failed to capture the true FABLE to the story. Did you read any Grimm’s??????
Yeah, I got all of that, and I still think this is one of the worst books I’ve read in recent years.
Hi Rebecca, It’s a bit late in the day, but I was searching for reviews of B & V, and I really liked yours, I pretty much agree with what you said in the posts and the comments.
I wrote a review of this book recently, would you like to come and see? its at http://riversihaveknown.wordpress.com/2012/03/18/beatrice-and-virgil-by-yann-martel-a-review/
Please do visit and leave your comments, and if you like it, please follow
Looking forward to seeing you there…
Amritorupa Kanjilal´s last [type] ..Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel: A Review