Beatrice and Virgil

Compulsive listening: narrators voice is mesmerising, the story is very thought provoking.
Couldn't leave it until it had finished.

Just as in Yann Martell's other book, the life of Pi, you find yourself drawn into an off-beat story which pushes you along in front of it like you are surfing a wave then suddenly pulls you underwater and back out leaving you feeling a little strange.

I loved Beatrice and Virgil, their dialogue was sweetly innocent and hypnotic.

Full marks for this book, I am looking forward very much to the next one.

I bought this a while ago and had been saving it as I really enjoyed Life of Pi.

This book is tedious. I listen when commuting and could easily have fallen asleep at the wheel listening to it. Not only is the story tedious, but the narrator really gets on your nerves particularly when he is reading a book or play within the play.

So far I don't care about the characters at all and if there was an earthquake and they all perished then that would be too soon.



I got halfway through and decided there were better things to listen to that this!

I tried to give this no stars, bur website insisted on one.

Having really enjoyed 'Life of Pi', so was really excited when this came out after such a long wait. Sadly though, I was a bit disappointed. It wasn't bad exactly, just not as good as I'd expected. Very different from Pi, and an interesting idea, being centred around stuffed animals (the kind that used to be alive, rather than children's toy that is!) Probably still worth a listen, just don't expect anything like Pi...

The writing is powerful and masterful, but the juxtaposing of Holocaust and taxidermy did not work for me. Graphic details of taxidermic craft though definitely enlightening were not inspiring. Detailed descriptions of torturing an intelligent donkey and other horrific scenes were neither revealing nor surprising . The aftertaste of this book for me is depression for the sake of depression. If you never felt depressed and wonder how it feels, this book may be a perfect read for you.
The reader did a good job, he is not to blame for the general impression from the book.

Having read Life of Pi I was expecting great things of this book. After a few bleak days of depressed listening as I sunk into a black mood I gradually realised that there would be no redemption. Disliked characters, plot and style.

Some beautifully written passages don't even come close to compensating for this self-indulgent nonsense. Yann Martel, you owe me 6hrs 1min and an Audible credit.

I was very disappointed with this as I loved Yann Martel's Life of Pi. It is a story within a story which goes into a fair amount of detail of taxidermy, which really didn't do it for me -in fact I have given up on it.

I didn't dislike this book, but given that Life of Pi was exceptional, my expectations were high and this fell short of my expectations.

I wasn't mad about the narrator either, which may have had something to do with my feelings. I felt that he was very bland and I found it difficult to engage with his words.

If this donkey had been cast in Shrek it would be a very different film.