Description
Book SynopsisThis is the story of a donkey named Beatrice and a monkey named Virgil.
It is also the story of an extraordinary journey undertaken by a man named Henry.
It begins with a mysterious parcel, and it ends in a place that will make you think again about one of the most significant events of the twentieth century.
Once you have finished reading it, it is impossible to forget.
Trade ReviewA provocative and fiercely brave novel. It grips the reader with teeth as sharp as a Bengal tiger's -- John Boyne * * author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas * *
A sophisticated fable...
Beatrice and Virgil is so imbued with passionate moral and intellectual ardor that even the cynical should find it engaging. * * Wall Street Journal * *
It's a masterpiece, no question. -- A N Wilson * * Reader’s Digest * *
An explosion of ideas that keep the pages turning...a wild, provocative novel * * Independent on Sunday * *
Audaciously original, never less than engrossing, often disturbing, and in its denouement truly horrifying. -- Mick Brown * * The Telegraph Magazine * *
A slim but potent exploration of the nature of survival in the face of evil. -- Nina Sankovitch * * The Huffington Post * *
It is awe-inspiring when a writer hits a high note; goes dancing along the edge of something; hurls himself against enormous questions again and again...Writers such as Martel are a kind of human sacrifice. It cannot be easy to imagine a way into suffering, come out, lead others into it and through it. * * Los Angeles Times * *
For page after page it held my attention, and the atmosphere of foreboding is impressively done. * * Irish Sunday Independent * *
Imaginative and innovative novel about the Holocaust, including taxidermists, talking donkeys and the best ever description of a pear. It's weird, wonderful and impressively short. * * Financial Times * *
Strikingly impressive . . . It is the kind of book that you can read only in short bursts, while telling yourself that you will re-read it immediately . . . It has the wit, charm and hectic strangeness of a painting by Chagall. * * Times * *
Sings with rich and bleak poetry. * * Guardian * *
