Journal Entry 1 by k00kaburra from San Jose, California USA on Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Rec'd via Amazon.com's Vine Program.
PAPERBACK ARC.

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Product Description
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.

About the Author
Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963. After studying philosophy at university, he worked odd jobs and traveled before turning to writing at the age of twenty-six. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed 2002 Man Booker Prize–winning novel Life of Pi, which was translated into thirty-eight languages and spent fifty-seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Yann Martel lives in Saskatchewan, Canada. 

Journal Entry 2 by k00kaburra from San Jose, California USA on Thursday, April 15, 2010

Started reading today. 

Journal Entry 3 by k00kaburra from San Jose, California USA on Saturday, April 17, 2010

Finished today.
Review to come. 

Journal Entry 4 by k00kaburra from San Jose, California USA on Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Written for Fashionista Piranha Book Blog & Amazon's Vine program.

After his publisher rejects a draft of Henry's new novel, the author decides to give up writing, even though his first novel was massively successful. He and his wife move to a new city and Henry starts working at a chocolatería and acting with an amateur theater group. He is satisfied with his new life, but one day he receives a package containing a short story by Flaubert and a fragment of a play, in which a character named Virgil describes a pear to a companion, Beatrice. Henry tracks down the author of the note, a creepy taxidermist (also named Henry) living in the same city, and agrees to assist him with the writing of his play. As the taxidermist feeds Henry bits of his play -he refuses to give him a copy of it, and will only read it aloud to Henry when they meet - it becomes clear that the story meant as an allegory, which intrigues and captivates Henry in spite of the reservations he feels for their author.

I'm trying to avoid giving away too much, but it's hard to talk about the book without revealing spoilers. I'll do my best.

Henry-the-author seems like an extremely autobiographical character. Like Martel, he wrote a highly acclaimed first novel that won prizes, was adopted by book clubs and optioned for a movie. And then Henry got a killer case of writer's block after a highly ambitious book, meant to be a fusion of fiction and non-fiction related to the Holocaust, is rejected by publishers. The rejected book sounds quite similar to what Beatrice and Virgil eventually became.

The play-within-a-play, the story of Beatrice and Virgil, is a “Theatre of the Absurd” sort of play heavily influenced by Beckett and his Waiting for Godot. The first scene we're shown, the pear scene, is brilliant, but as the play progresses the characters become plodding and muddled, and finally bogged down in the seriousness of their fate.

Beatrice and Virgil is a meandering book that never seems to find its purpose. Early in the book, Henry meets with his publisher in an attempt to sell them on the idea of his novel. When asked, “What is this novel about?” Henry is unable to answer. I can't help but wonder if Martel, too, would be stumped by this question. The story isn't difficult to read, but it is so layered and thoroughly suffused with symbolism that unraveling whatever message Martel is trying to convey is challenging. The ending is utterly predictable, but getting there was so laborious that I was just happy the book was over. I'm not 'off' Martel by any means. I really liked Life of Pi and I will definitely pick up his next book when it comes out. But I wouldn't really recommend this one. 

Journal Entry 5 by k00kaburra from San Jose, California USA on Sunday, May 09, 2010

Journal Entry 6 by k00kaburra at Bookring, Book Ring -- Controlled Releases on Friday, May 14, 2010

Released 2 yrs ago (5/14/2010 UTC) at Bookring, Book Ring -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

sent to dabercro to begin the book ring! 

Journal Entry 7 by dabercro from Clinton, Utah USA on Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Received in the mail today. Will start reading in the next couple of days. 

Journal Entry 8 by dabercro at Clinton, Utah USA on Wednesday, June 02, 2010

I actually finished reading this book May 25 but have been on vacation without computer access.

I didn't like this book as much as I did Life of Pi. I had a hard time getting through the book and wondered if it was because I wasn't home and was often only able to read a few pages at a time. I found myself rereading pages when I would get back to the book to make sense out of what I was reading. Thank goodness it was a short book. I felt like I waded through it. The "Games for Gustav" at the end of the book are very thought provoking. I'm not sure how I would answer the questions.



 

Journal Entry 9 by dabercro at BOOKRING, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Monday, June 07, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (6/7/2010 UTC) at BOOKRING, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to the next participant, K9stylist, in SC. 

Journal Entry 10 by K9stylist at Summerville, South Carolina USA on Sunday, June 13, 2010

will read as soon as possible and send it to the next person... 

Journal Entry 11 by K9stylist at Summerville, South Carolina USA on Thursday, June 24, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (6/24/2010 UTC) at Summerville, South Carolina USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Very disturbing, there were parts of it I couldn't read.I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. 

Journal Entry 12 by valpete at Walnut Creek, California USA on Wednesday, June 30, 2010

I received this in the mail today. I do have a few before this one and will read it ASAP. 

Journal Entry 13 by valpete at Walnut Creek, California USA on Monday, August 09, 2010

Oh dear, the title was so beguiling. However, the story was horrific! There were parts I couldn't even read. I'll be returning it to you, Suzie, very shortly. 

Journal Entry 14 by k00kaburra at San Jose, California USA on Thursday, August 26, 2010

Thank you, thank you!
The book is home once more :)

Now to decide what to do with it... 

Journal Entry 15 by k00kaburra at BookMooch.com, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (9/8/2010 UTC) at BookMooch.com, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

sent to Christina Smith of Colorado Springs, CO to fulfill a request on Bookmooch.com!