Rating: 
Summary: Deeply Moving
Review: This is one of my favorite books. It is a deeply moving story with a surprise ending that made me weep. It is a psychological portrait of how the mind deals with horror.
Rating: 
Summary: A journey of the body and soul
Review: In his newest novel Life of Pi, Yann Martel weaves an exciting and passionate tale that
transcends reality. Martel's simple yet meaningful diction allows the reader to ride along
with young Pi as he faces danger, despair, and life-changing adventure. Pi's is a journey of
love, family, self discovery, and survival. However, most importantly, it is a journey of
faith: faith in God, faith in others, and faith in oneself.
When young Pi's family is tragically killed in a shipwreck, he finds himself thrown
overboard onto a lifeboat. Pi is anything but alone, as he is stranded with a hyena, an
orangutan, a wounded zebra, and an enormous Bengal tiger from his father's zoo. As the
animals discover one another, each wrestles for control in a hierarchy that is to be
ultimately led by the Bengal tiger. As if surviving a shipwreck at sea with rapidly depleting
rations is not enough, Pi is now required to share a boat with a 450-pound tiger. "I was
alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific, hanging onto an oar, an adult tiger in
front of me, sharks beneath me, a storm raging about me," explains Pi as he is preparing
for the worst.
Writing such critically acclaimed books as Self, a novel, and The Facts Behind the
Helsinki Roccamatios, a collection of short stories, Martel is no stranger to success. His
fresh and imaginative writing style has charmed readers for years. Life of Pi only adds to
the achievement of Martel's writing career that is sure to be long and flourishing.
Martel's novel is structured in three parts, including notes from the author and an
interview held shortly after Pi's rescue. The interview and author's note help add to the
realism of the book, and sometimes make it hard to distinguish it between fiction and
nonfiction. I found myself so connected to the characters and plot that the addition of
outrageous events, such as carnivorous islands, did not phase me in the least. I simply
wanted to believe Pi's story, no matter what. At the end of the novel, the reader does not
want to believe that it was a fictional tale because the characters and events are so
realistic, so human. Martel should be commended on his ability to bring such realism to a
world that has been magically invented.
Pi's childlike innocence immediately draws the reader into the novel, and is a
source of much comic relief. As a young boy, Pi is so excited by the idea of faith and
religion that he chooses to practice not only one religion, but three. Pi resembles the child
in all of us when he is confronted by his three spiritual leaders, all of whom are angry that
he has not been loyal to any of them. In a moment of childlike wisdom, Pi simply looks up
and says, "I just want to love God." It is in Pi's innocence that truth can be found. He is a
character full of enthusiasm and love for the world. He is wise beyond his years, and tells
his tale with the hope of reaching out to the doubters of the world. Martel writes in the
voice of Pi using language that is easily understood, yet always contains a deeper meaning.
There is much more to Martel's novel than the survival of a young boy and a tiger. It is a
coming of age story; a story of self discovery and determination.
Although most of the novel was extremely realistic, There were moments in the
novel that I found myself jolted out of my blind trust of Pi's storytelling. I began to
wonder if he was telling the complete truth, or elaborating on his story a bit. However,
Martel's expert writing always seemed to catch me right before I had lost faith, and was
able to renew my trust in the narrator. Martel seems to enjoy pushing the envelope and
seeing how far he can go before the reader will write him off as just another fantasy writer.
He does this well, but will perhaps lose a few readers due to this technique.
Pi's story is not exclusively excitement and adventure. It is also full of death,
despair, and failure. There are moments of severe depression, and at one point, Pi resigns
himself to death. The novel is a rollercoaster ride, where each high point is coupled with a
low. However, Pi would not be the same person without undergoing such amazing and
traumatic events. This is very evident in Martel's writing, and causes the reader to be
tossed along the sea on the same soul-searching journey Pi endures. Even though Pi's
journey is dismal at times, the reader is reminded of the author's statement that "This story
has a happy ending." It does, indeed.
Pi ultimately experiences the rewards of self determination and never loses the faith
he has come to prize. Martel's seamless storytelling makes one believe in the impossible,
trust the inconceivable, and root for the success of both the Indian boy and his dangerous
tiger. There is never a question of truth, because Martel's words hold a captivating
honesty that is admirable among authors. His connection to human emotion is genuine,
and though the book may not make the reader believe in God, it will prompt the reader to
believe in something. As Pi explains at the beginning of the novel, "Doubt is useful for a
while... but we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing
immobility as a means of transportation." To those who have lost faith or are just looking
for an inspirational journey of survival, Life of Pi is sure to fit the bill.
Rating: 
Summary: The Little Prince meets Paulo Coelho
Review: Well written, gripping yarn, but an awful lot of work for just one punchline.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best I've read
Review:
Yann Martel has, as far as I'm concerned, written a fine story in Life of Pi. So much of it rings true: the way it is presented (an author stumbles on a story while in India), the details, the conversations, the factual zoological elements, the humanness of the characters.
I was intrigued by the life of the teenaged Pi Patel in India and his fascination with religion. While no particularly deep or new theological epiphanies came out of it for the reader, from the view of a boy of sixteen or less, it seemed quite normal. My aunt spent 35 years as a missionary in India, and the story's background rings true, from what she told me about the land. The family life was interesting, and all members were well-developed human beings so that there was nothing to detract from the reader's gullibility (or should we say,"acceptance?"): this might be non-fiction--a REAL story of a REAL human-being. It is my belief that humans are naturally gullible creatures: if someone races into a cafe and shouts, "There's been a terrible accident down the street!" everyone believes them with no other evidence than their word , and wants to know more. Only incongruous details destroy our gullibility. And we test our gullibility regularly through our troubadors--our storytellers--laughing with relief only when we see through their deception. We are mental creatures, and like other carnivores sharpening their claws and establishing their territorial claims on trees, we sharpen our skills by relating to stories. I was enthralled with the adventure on the high seas--all very believable. Ships DO vanish. I've been there, and the ocean is indeed vast and has many moods, all of which seem to be captured here. The plight with the zoo animals aboard the lifeboat seemed to me to be perfectly plausible and well-described. The animal reactions between Richard Parker and Pi Patel even seemed extremely plausible. In short, Yann Martel had me in the palm of his hand. The universe loves a story, and a storyteller is God's gift. The implausiblility that finally led me to the inescapable conclusion that this was fiction, and not non-fiction posing as fiction, was the carnivorous floating island! Such a phenomenon would certainly have been discovered--probably centuries ago-- and would by now be overrun by zoologists, anthropologists, botanists, and others. It would be better known than the Seychelles. But it was this very implausibility that demonstrated the author's imagination, and proved beyond doubt his rank as a troubador. Without the island sequence, the book might well have been accepted widely as non-fiction--simply an extraordinary tale recounted to the author as it was described in the beginning, which would have been a sad thing. A great talent would have been short-changed. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom--their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: An Absolute Classic!
Review: It is a rare thing nowadays for a book to grasp me so thoroughly and relentlessly that I find myself physically unable to pry the thing from my hands. I read Life of Pi almost cover to cover one lazy Sunday afternoon and revelled all the while at it's gentle mystery and constant wit. There is much to be learned and gained from such a read and this novel's wondrous quality never ceased to amaze me.
This book begins with Pi's pursuits into not one, not two, but three religions. We also learn much about the art of zoo keeping and both these elements, faith and zoo keeping propel the story later on. Unfortunately for Pi, after fleeing a sinking ship he finds himself stranded on a much smaller lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Through his own cleverness and will to survive he provides himself with food and water and adapts completely to life on this little boat. His battle for survival is one he fights valiantly and often brings him to some shameful ends. (He'll eat everything and anything.) But for Pi this fight is not one he fights alone. He is sharing the boat with a hyena, a chimpanzee, a zebra and a full grown, 450 pound Royal Bengal Tiger. As the story progresses and through the boats own strange "eco system" Pi finds himself alone with the tiger. In a setting with the starkest of qualities a multi dimensioned story emerges and the result is powerful; utterly intoxicating. This book pulls at your emotions as delicately as hands on harp strings. There is a whole myriad of things to be felt and each emotion is as rich and poignant as the last. Disgust, anxiousness, intense despair, humour, and even joy; you name it and it's there. Never has a story woven in these elements as subtly or powerfully as this book. The story is straightforward but rising from a place in between the lines comes it's magic and wisdom in great doses, enough for you to question your very existence. While you read the book you are truly on that raft and the emotions conjured are as turbulent and changeable as the ocean buffeting Pi's life boat sides. There is great pleasure to be drawn from the way Martel describes Pi's tactics at survival and the thoughts going through his troubled head. His attention to detail brings astonishing realism to the story and surprisingly you never question the far fetched plot. I mean honestly; a full grown tiger and a boy on a lifeboat survive an already trying ordeal... together? Yann Martel's power as a story teller throws at us one ridiculous plot then through the story has us truly believing; almost convinced that it happened. At one desolate point in the book our young hero is contemplating plan 1 through 6 on how to kill a full grown tiger in the confines of a life boat. When Pi decides to tame Richard Parker the story truly comes alive and gathers lots of force. There is something beautiful about the notion of a boy drawing comfort from, and loving such a dangerous beast. For a human to gain mastery over such a powerful animal brings us wonder and complete amazement. Martel also makes it completely believable. It's through their delicate relationship that Pi survives and essentially what makes this such a captivating story. Richard Parker is wonderfully crafted and there is amazing depth to his character. The tiger is Pi's ying to his yang and the boy wisely discovers that survival would be impossible without him. There is much to learn from Martel's careful study into animal and human behaviour. These animals come to life and bring different elements to the story. Each one is believable and comparable to humans, and Pi does just that in relating his second story. Cast into the direst of situations survival and its simplistic need demolish the line between animal and human. Soon Pi comes to the realization that his ravenous eating habits have paralleled that of the tiger. To survive the elements he himself has become an animal and surprisingly the boy feels little shame and accepts this fate. At the end of the book we are being tested when Pi relates a second story altogether more believable but dry and factual. By now we are such believers to Pi's incredible story that we still accept it even in the face of the far more sensible one. His adventure is so wondrous, so full of fantasy we do not want to accept cold hard facts. This book is a study into what it is to be human and the motions it goes through are natural and effortless. With storytelling at this high a quality one can not help but be completely drawn in and surrender themselves to the story. This book is wise as it is original and I can honestly say that reading it will change you. I congratulate Martel on such a wonderful read and the thoughts it provoked in my mind. A good book makes us look at life in a new perspective and I can say with complete confidence that Life of Pi exceeds in this respect and then some. Once it has drawn you in there is honestly no returning. There are such fresh insights and wisdom to be found in this book and a universal quality that has it destined to become a classic. It's a strange and wonderful read deserving of the booker prize and I'm sure anybody can and will enjoy it. An amazing novel! Buy it! I also agree with the other Amazon reviewer who recommended The Loser's Club by Richard Perez -- a radically different novel (about an unlucky writer addicted to the personals). More lighthearted literature perhaps, but also great deal of fun.
Rating:
Summary: High Recommended Must Read Book
Review: The Life of Pi is a book that you can't help consider to be A Must Read. It is on that certain level that is almost hypnotic to read, that kind of extraordinary experience that makes certain books not just enjoyable but somehow special read. It is on the same level as The Secret Life of Bees, The Time Traveler's Wife, My Fractured Life, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, The Lovely Bones, and Middlesex.
Rating:
Summary: Water Against a Cliff
Review: Piscine, pronounced "pee-seen," means "pool" in French. It bears devastating similarity to the English word "pissing," devastating, that is, for the main character of Yann Martel's Life of Pi, Piscine Patel. The resulting jeers from classmates during Piscine's early schooling are the first tests of his identity in this fictional autobiographical account. Upon entrance into a new school environment, Piscine firmly declares himself "Pi" and assumes the improved identity that goes with his new name.
Another test of identity comes in the form of choosing which religion to follow. Pi, whose family is not very religious, gradually accepts not only his parents' traditional religion, Hindu, but also Christianity and Islam as his own. Though his family is uncomfortable and the religious leaders are concerned with his choice, Pi stays fast. Both his declarations of name and religion paint his portrait - a cliff, solid against the ocean's surf.
The ocean itself soon would test Pi's resolve. His father decides to move the family from their native India to Canada. A year later, Pi awakes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in a cargo ship with most of the animals in the family zoo. The animals are headed for American zoos. Pi and his brother, Ravi, counting themselves in that number, believe, in addition, that "two animals [are] being shipped to the Canada Zoo," (88). This metaphor broadly outlines the story with two grand questions: What is a zoo? And what is an animal?
Two animals dominate the main body of Pi's story, himself and a Bengal tiger. The ship is gone, its space shrunken to the dimensions of a lifeboat. The sea, however, has not become smaller. Instead of beating against Pi the impenetrable cliff, it now rocks his tiny boat. At the mercy of these waves, he learns how to survive with a tiger.
Martel's prose dances like light on water. He infuses Pi's reflections with humor, and his scenes with life. One such scene occurs when leaders of the three religions Pi adopts converge on him and his family on the shore of the Bay of Bengal:
My parents looked puzzled to have their way gently blocked by three broadly smiling religious strangers...The priest... said, with pride in his voice, "Piscine is a good Christian boy."... "You must be mistaken. He's a good Muslim boy..." said the imam... The pandit spoke. "You're both wrong. He's a good Hindu boy."... The three wise men stared at each other, breathless and disbelieving. Lord, avert their eyes from me, I whispered in my soul. All eyes fell upon me. (65-66)
This heartwarmingly embarrassing scene is a novel way for Martel to introduce Pi's religious pluralism to his parents. Although the conflicts between the men hold deep meaning for the rest of the story, they are not cast in the heavy, ponderous shadow in which more traditional books reveal symbols.
The contrast between how heavy the story could be and how lightly it is portrayed is one of the most innovative characteristics of this novel. At times, it fosters a healthy sense of hope and well-being. But sometimes it is the source of a sickening load of situational irony. For example, Martel's colorful imagery makes more terrible the grisly sight of a tiger eating its prey. The thirst and hunger of days without food and water made themselves felt inside my own mouth and stomach, yet I could also see thousands of glimmering fish swimming in cities below the lifeboat.
The duality of the tiger and the boy (never mind the countless marine life) creates an austere dialogue. This is a book, rather, for people who enjoy introspection. It is akin to Hemmingway's The Old Man and the Sea but with less single-minded intent and more wondering, soul-searching moments. Like the old man, however, Pi always returns to the stark reality of living on the ocean with a dangerous animal.
Like the unexpected swipe of a tiger, an unsettling plot twist near the end multiplies the impact of the story. Again, the two grand questions are asked (What is a zoo? And what is an animal), but the ending adds this: And does it matter? In this way, Martel successfully ties the bow on his gift to the reader of survival, self-discovery, and faith. I highly recommend Life of Pi for the number of issues addressed by and enveloped within its plot.
After I finished the book, I stared out the window to my room and thought. I was wrapped in the heat of the unbridled sun, woozy with vertigo from the depths of water below my small craft. Martel created those sensations for me through the eyes of Pi, and I dove through them, into the ocean I had not yet taken time to contemplate - my own life.
Rating:
Summary: Grab the tiger by the tail and hang on...
Review: This is a great book with a great central character. It starts with a teenage boy's quest for a connection to the divine. He is considered an oddity as he is a practicing Christian, Muslim and Hindu (all at once). The story gets interesting when this zoo director's son escapes a sinking ship and finds himself in a lifeboat shared by an orangutan, a hyena and a tiger. Pi and the tiger co-habitate in the small lifeboat for seven and a half months. When finally landing on the coast of Mexico, Pi gives two explanations for his amazing survival. You, the reader, must decide which is truth. A great tapistry of thought, insight, adaptability in adversity, and story telling.
Rating:
Summary: A rare accomplishment
Review: This book has been praised for a lot of reasons. However, there is something unique about the authors understanding of various religions. I just read a review by a Muslim reader commending the authors understanding of that religion. I,myself, was amazed at Martel's one page summary of Hinduism. It could not have been better. I was truly amazed at the description because such an understanding was not a result of a cursory effort. The author's view could only have emerged after making a serious attempt to understand the religion. I would even say that most Hindus would never have viewed the truth of their religion as Martel has done. His understanding of the Hindu Divinity in its two forms; with and without attributes is the very core of understanding the religion and explains the co-mingling of religious symbols and deep spiritual philosophies. To end on a bitter note, I was amazed that inspite of such a profound understanding of India, the author made a huge blunder. How could he name his Muslim mentor Satish Kumar. It would be akin to calling a Christian, Mohammed!!. I thought the name was an error, but then the author goes on to insist on the similarity of the name with that of his Zoology teacher!...adding insult to injury!!... Nevertheless, one of the best books ever.
Rating:
Summary: The truth of Life of Pi
Review: A wonderful story of adventure and truth, Yann Martel's Life of Pi brings credit to the imaginative style of writing. In this easy to read novel, Martel puts the reader on a lifeboat with Pi Patel, and his father's Bengal Tiger. What follows is a survival story that will test a reader's viewpoint of the real and non-real-if it matters at all.
It isn't necessary to read up on religion or animal behaviors to understand the logic of Pi and his efforts to survive. Being the son of a zookeeper and member of three religions, Pi puts readers' doubts away through explanations that sometimes seem counterintuitive. In a unique perspective, Pi views all religions as different vehicles of getting closer to the one God that matters. "Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims." The story is presented through the eyes of Pi today, looking back in first person at the younger Pi in crisis. Though this style spoils the question of whether or not Pi lives to see land again, it let's the reader in on Pi's later life-a relief to anyone who becomes attached to Pi while reading.
Yann Martel's question of truth is fully developed throughout the story, and concluded wonderfully in the end. The correlations between Pi's two tales can be seen without a keen eye. But if you're lucky enough to have good insight, you'll make observations that will give you a large respect for Martel's in-depth work. Does it matter if an entertaining story conveys the same meaning as the real one, but the former is given? Martel quells pessimistic views that would scream "Yes!" to this in a unique fashion. After reading this story, you may look upon the Bible in a new light (and maybe you should read Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code right after if you'd like to continue your religion escapades).
Pi goes through great extremes and emotional bouts while during his time on the ocean. His relationship with Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger, changes over time-but disappoints in the end. Pi's obsession with meaning and conclusions are left to dry with Richard's departure. Goodbye's and conclusions are a large part of Pi's belief, which explain why the novel is presented in exactly 100 chapters. Though the book itself is a piece of fiction, readers will want to believe in the story. This "want" of ours to believe in what we know is false is directly related to the Bible. Though Yann Martel doesn't elaborate on the Bible itself, his point gets across. The clever correlations between Pi's two stories will have the reader thinking for days. This is a book you might want to read twice after working your mind around the first time through. Accordingly, Yann Martel's page turner was awarded the Man Booker Prize, a prestigious award given to the best Novel in the commonwealth annually.
The desperate measures brought upon Pi will force the reader to understand how human's can learn to do anything. Once a vegetarian, Pi eventually eats raw fish, turtle, and shark. Delicacies come in the form of algae, meerkats, seaweed, and uncooked crabs. Pi shows that everyday objects we take for granted will take a new light when your life is being challenged. Pi's clever nature makes use of the lifeboat's materials to keep himself safe from both Richard and the elements. With rations to last 90 days, Pi lives at sea for 227 days before being rescued. He goes from optimism to blind desperation. Life of Pi effectively captures the reader.
A calm and somewhat eerie confidence is shown in Pi's concluding voice. By this time he's grappled his concept of truth, and ventures out to challenge two investigators who question his story and knowledge of the ships sinking. The interview brings out the final point of whether or not truth matters if the meaning is the same. The type of reader who isn't fearful of having their beliefs challenged will love Life of Pi. After a heart wrenching interpretation of this adventure under a new light, Pi has just one question to ask. "So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?"
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