elusivesue's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed Life of Pi - I liked this work as well, but for different reasons. It read a little faster than Life of Pi, to me, because portions of the book were in play format, and they go quickly. The allegorical/symbolic nature of the book really sold the book for me, in that it was solid enough that you understood the importance of the symbolism to the work (and the author), but subtle enough that you weren't being beaten over the head with it, which I think tends to diminish the power of symbolism if you're being smacked with it. The ending ending (yes, I used ending twice for a purpose, but I don't want to tell why so as not to spoil) was very powerful.
zoracious's review against another edition
2.0
I feel that this was Martel's attempt at a [b:Slaughterhouse-Five|4981|Slaughterhouse-Five|Kurt Vonnegut|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337996187s/4981.jpg|1683562]-esque Holocaust novel. Like [b:Life of Pi|4214|Life of Pi|Yann Martel|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320562005s/4214.jpg|1392700], I couldn't stop reading, but it rubbed me the wrong way. It strikes me as disingenuous in a way that other novels of the same kind do not.
stitchandwitch's review against another edition
3.0
Daring.
Brave.
Intelligent.
With the potential to be horribly offensive. And the potential to be ground-breaking.
That just might be what makes it brilliant. Maybe. The ending is still too fresh in my mind for me to make a decision on that. I'm afraid I won't know my true feelings on this book for years.
Had Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel, been available when I was twenty-one, twenty-two years old, it could have influenced my worldview, much in the way Daniel Quinn did. This book forces the reader into some uncomfortable areas of life and philosophy, that for a young, fresh-minded thinker, could be life-changing.
Much like his earlier book, Life of Pi, this book is a story framed as the intentional telling of a story. There is also the framework of a play. This is a story that dances - sometimes delicately, sometimes stepping on the reader's toes - around ideas of philosophy, the evils of humanity and the horrors of our world.
This is a dark, thought-provoking book, asking the reader to both suspend reality and face it at the same time. I could see it working really well to fuel conversations in an undergrad literary course, or even for seniors in high school.
However, it could also be used to lay out a thousand writing ploys, literary tricks and gimmicks. Because Martel's tricks and gimmicks are truly that obvious.
Again, like Life of Pi, this is a story that loses impact if you know the ending, so I'm hesitant to write too much. Don't let the cover, the bright orange of it, fool you. Also, don't let the size, fool you. This is not a light, happy read.
http://imaginekatrina.blogspot.com/2014/12/beatrice-virgil-review.html
Brave.
Intelligent.
With the potential to be horribly offensive. And the potential to be ground-breaking.
That just might be what makes it brilliant. Maybe. The ending is still too fresh in my mind for me to make a decision on that. I'm afraid I won't know my true feelings on this book for years.
Had Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel, been available when I was twenty-one, twenty-two years old, it could have influenced my worldview, much in the way Daniel Quinn did. This book forces the reader into some uncomfortable areas of life and philosophy, that for a young, fresh-minded thinker, could be life-changing.
Much like his earlier book, Life of Pi, this book is a story framed as the intentional telling of a story. There is also the framework of a play. This is a story that dances - sometimes delicately, sometimes stepping on the reader's toes - around ideas of philosophy, the evils of humanity and the horrors of our world.
This is a dark, thought-provoking book, asking the reader to both suspend reality and face it at the same time. I could see it working really well to fuel conversations in an undergrad literary course, or even for seniors in high school.
However, it could also be used to lay out a thousand writing ploys, literary tricks and gimmicks. Because Martel's tricks and gimmicks are truly that obvious.
Again, like Life of Pi, this is a story that loses impact if you know the ending, so I'm hesitant to write too much. Don't let the cover, the bright orange of it, fool you. Also, don't let the size, fool you. This is not a light, happy read.
http://imaginekatrina.blogspot.com/2014/12/beatrice-virgil-review.html
fmcculley's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
anywiebs's review against another edition
So, this book wasn't at all what I expected.
It was awesomely written, I have to give it that.
It didn't have that much of a story, but for me that didn't matter.
I was drawn into the play in the book and I was searching for clues and hidden meanings in it with Henry.
The ending totally took me by surprise, I didn't expect that - but it was a rather gruesome and great twist.
Even though I really liked reading this book, I wouldn't go around recommending it to people. It's just not a book for everyone I think.
It was awesomely written, I have to give it that.
It didn't have that much of a story, but for me that didn't matter.
I was drawn into the play in the book and I was searching for clues and hidden meanings in it with Henry.
The ending totally took me by surprise, I didn't expect that - but it was a rather gruesome and great twist.
Even though I really liked reading this book, I wouldn't go around recommending it to people. It's just not a book for everyone I think.
travelgirlut's review against another edition
1.0
I just finished this book and I feel like crying, and it's not because the book was sad at the end; it's because I feel that everything good and happy has been stripped from my head from reading this book. It was depressing and dark and angry and all sorts of other things that I can't put words to. At first I thought I wasn't liking it because I wasn't looking deep enough into the story to see the symbolism and find the meaning in it. I read to escape, so the fact that the book seemed to be asking me to think was kind of a put-off. But I kept reading in the hopes that at the end I would nod to myself and say, "Oh, I think I get it," and be okay with the fact that I didn't grasp it all. But in the end I didn't get it and I don't need to get it. My emotions tell me all I needed to know. I can see that there would be those who find the writing in this book deep and brilliant, but I just can't. It was too much.
melissa_reads's review
5.0
2 words: holy sh*t!
loved the ending/epilogue, though the plot twist was very sudden and I'm still wrapping my brain around it.
I feel like this is a book I will have to read once or twice more to fully appreciate, like the author's other pieces.
loved the ending/epilogue, though the plot twist was very sudden and I'm still wrapping my brain around it.
I feel like this is a book I will have to read once or twice more to fully appreciate, like the author's other pieces.
lzzparis's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the storytelling throughout but the ending was so illogical that it really knocked it down a few notches for me.
mariefleurie's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5