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Summary: LIFE of Pi, LIFE of Pi, LIFE of Pi!!
Review: The life of Pi was what his name represents in math. That is, a significate character in determining a complete circle or 360 degrees. What a wonderful read it was. I listen to this story on cassett tapes. I believe that the reader, who spoke in the Hindu religion accent made this book all the more refreshing. Ergo, that sense of hearing the story read with the right tone completes the circle of enjoyment.Now for the story. Poor Pi suffered early childhood taunts from the neighborhood "hoods" because of his name which was not a typical Indian name. I believe he sorted and found relief in establishing his nickname as Pi not because of the meaning I attributed to his name but because it was shorthand for Pistingh. In deed, this could easily have been a true story for I enjoyed it as if it were true. Pi's struggle with religion, surviving the sea, the animals, the Japanese Men and his limited exposure to life contributed heavily to the enjoyment of this book. He did what I would have done had I found myself in a similar situation. There were some parts of this book which did exceed my imagination, however. But, I won't spoil it for you by telling everything that is in this wonderful epic. Read it for youself. But, be prepared to laugh, shout for joy, whistle for happiness, hum a song, praise, encourage, commiserate and disbelieve as Pi unravels his quest for religion, faith and survival.---LET THOSE TV STATIONS TAKE NOTE OF WHAT A REAL SURVIVAL STORY LOOKS LIKE.---Beverly C. Sanders
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Summary: horrible, simple minded, blather throughout
Review: Martel constructs a fantastic (but not so wonderful) journey rife with the intellectual conundrums most often posed at the freshman philosophy student in the seediest course of her academic career. Nearly any established student of philosophy will find this novel to be a tedious reminder of those first moments of idealistic deconstruction, albeit without the first time thrill of doubting what was initially thought as solid reality. Those readers without an established history of philosophical enquiry may find these dilemmas entertaining, if not illuminating, and might be able to use them for conversation during a cocktail party, or any other sphere of conversation where the cerebral capacity of her peers is somewhat muted though the desire for verbal communication remains. Indeed, Martelian chatter is well suited for dim corners in German absinthe bars or perhaps an inebriated audience in certain European coffee shops.
The story might be intriguing to sophomoric minds; it might be worth reading if magazines are your usual fare, but borrow it from a library. Save your money.
If you are flying to Amsterdam anytime soon, I suggest you read this book on your way over and then as soon as possible immerse yourself, and maybe a few of your friends, within luxury the city's "liberties." The ensuing idiotic discourse with whomever you care to talk to might heighten, for good or bad, the complexity of the oncoming muddle that is partying in Amsterdam. If such is the case, you might want to look for Richard Parker in a park or assume the lifestyle of the novel's author and write a sequel. Be warned: You will not find God with this book. His hallucinatory accounts are not anything new. The concepts underlying the passages are not original even if their delivery is novel. And please do not traipse about sputtering blather regarding the metaphysical possibility of acid-spewing, water-filtering, carnivorous-seaweed-tree-islands populated by semi-arboreal, amphibious, fish-eating merecats.
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Summary: A slow start, but a remarkable finish
Review: I found The Life of Pi to be actually rather slow in the beginning. For the first 100 pages of the novel, I found myself wondering what the fuss was about. It was the latter 230 pages or so that opened my eyes to the greatness of this book. It's clearly one of the best, most intelligently-written, thoughtful books I've read this year. Pi's struggle for survival in the open sea is a story that I thought would be a struggle to make interesting for an extended period of time, but Martel really makes the story work. Every hardship endured by Pi is felt profoundly by the reader. Every struggle Pi goes through so thoroughly enraptures the reader that the ending is a complete, although logical and pleasant, surprise. Martel does a wonderful job of giving the reader their choice of alternative endings. The remarkable thing about this is how effortless he makes it appear. This is a powerful story of the strength of the human spirit and what a person can do to survive.
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Summary: What a story
Review: This book is wonderful. It is a beautifully written story so satisfying and wonderous, that you are immediately taken in by Pi Patel and his monumentally heroic, heartbreaking, uplifting, and amazing struggle for survival with and against Richard Parker, (a full grown bengal tiger).
The most wonderful bonus to this already fantasic novel, is the ending, which I will not give away.
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Summary: And a child shall lead them...
Review: A refreshingly original look at the age-old question of religion, this book is an easy read and thought-provoking at the same time. Wonderfully descriptive prose defines "Life of Pi"; I found it very difficult to put down. The "twist" at the end reminded me of the movie "Usual Suspects" and had me wanting to re-read the entire book from a new perspective. My copy has been passed around to four different readers so far and we all agree -- "Life of Pi" is one of the best reads of the year!
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Summary: Very Original!
Review: The first half of the book up until the "shipwreck" is a bit boring, however once that part has ended the story is very exciting and graphic. You very much feel as though you are there. The ending will baffle you and have you thinking about it for days. I loved it! I did not give it 4 stars only because the first half of the story was so dull.
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Summary: Faith and choosing the better story.
Review: When first hearing about the story, I thought it just a fantasy, a fairy tale with some kind of moral, and of course, it is. However, as I read Pi's tale, I was drawn in. I liked Pi and Richard Parker and I gave the story the benefit of the doubt. Using animal psychology and a few well-timed storms and swarms of flying fish, it could happen. As I was coming to the end of the novel, I was feeling satisfied and content. Consequently, I was shocked when Pi, faced with skeptical interviewers, offers a different story of what happened, one of unspeakable cruelty, selfishness, murder and terror. I felt silly for having been drawn into this fantasy, and a bit disappointed to have it shattered. But hey, that's life right? I felt compelled to dismiss the "story", for what appears to be the more likely "truth". But must I? Pi asks the now satisfied interviewers to question their "choice" of what to believe. The endings are the same, he survived months at sea, everyone is dead, there is no evidence supporting either story. Does it matter which really happened? And how do you know which is true? Which is the better story? And with that Pi allows the reader to return to believing the, perhaps unlikely, better story. Ultimately, it may be the truth, but if its not it doesn't matter. In life, we can be skeptical and tend to accept ugliness as the more likely reality. But when it really doesn't matter and you will never really know, why not choose your story, choose what to believe. Pi shows us that we will never know so why not have faith. One can have faith in people, the universe or God. The tragedy would be reaching the end of your life and realizing that the truth was the fantasy and you missed the better story.
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Summary: One of the best books of recent years
Review: Life of Pi is truly a unique story. It is the story of an Indian boy who is the child of a zookeeper. When his parents make the decision to leave their country for Canada, Pi's life is on the verge of changing forever. Through a series of events, Pi ends up in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger for several months. The book is primarily written in Pi's voice, although it is framed by the situation of Martel interviewing an extraordinary man. Not only is this book extremely well-written, it is purely unique in its plot and characters. The book is masterfully constructed, especially when one considers that most of the book takes place with only one human character in the middle of the ocean. Passages where Martel delves into discussing animals are most enjoyable and palpable. There are countless memorable scenes and characters, ones that will stay with me forever. The descriptions are so vivid, you can almost sense what the characters sense. For being extraordinary, the plot is believable - I wouldn't even categorize it as magical realism (not that magical realism isn't believable, it is just fantastical at times). Besides introducing you to a multitude of experiences and characters, Martel also runs the reader through the entire gamut of emotions, everything from hilarity to despair to religious ecstasy to love. It is admirable that Martel resisted the trap of anthropomorphizing the animal characters. Instead, they stayed beautiful, real, and fascinating. Definitely pick this book up and experience Pi's India, ocean, and survival!
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Summary: This is the book I'm reviewing!
Review: Heloo, I'm here now to review to you the book titled "Life of Pi" I read this book when I was painting my mothers house in Oregon America. I thought it was good. It tells a good story. The reason why I only gave it four stars is because of the ending was like the author was giving up a little, which is something common in books, so it's okay. Otherwise it is a good book to read. Also, the book on the back, which you can read here, says it will make me believe in god. I don't understand that, because it is just a book and at the end you don't know if it is true or not. But I guess that is like what happens every time someone thinks they can make you believe in god. Thank you!
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Summary: Life of Pi - quick read, disappointing ending
Review: Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, kept me enthralled for almost the whole duration of the novel, but in the end left me feeling dissatisfied and uncertain. From the beginning, I was fascinated and at times humored by Pi's whole ordeal. The combining of his diverse ideas and practices, which stemmed from his observance of Hinduism, Christianity, AND Islam, allowed for some interesting ideas and events to occur while Pi fought to survive in the Pacific. "I practised religious rituals that I adapted to the circumstances --- solitary Masses without priests or consecrated Communion hosts, darshans without murtis, and pujas with turtle meat for prasad, acts of devotion to Allah not knowing where Mecca was and getting my Arabic wrong. They brought me comfort, that is certain." (Pg. 208) Although there was not much physical action during Pi and Richard Parker's ordeal, for understood reasons, the measures that they took in order to survive I found engrossing.
At the end of reading Life of Pi, I concluded that the theme of the novel is that faith and resolve can get you through even the most unbelievable circumstances. I would personally agree with this theme and the way Pi viewed his life's events and what he believed in. However others may feel differently depending on what they believe and how strongly they feel about their beliefs. This novel showed me that as long as you have an ultimate goal and have faith in that goal, you will somehow in some unexpected way be provided with what you need to succeed.
I would recommend Life of Pi, to readers who don't mind a choose-your-own-ending type of book. I personally did not like the way the book ended and wanted a concrete explanation of what really happened to Pi. The book provided two possible endings of what really happened to Pi, one that did not include Richard Parker and all the other animals Pi claimed to have shared his lifeboat with temporarily. When I finished reading I was left wondering if the story even happened at all. If you are one that likes to leave things to your imagination then you would enjoy this book, otherwise I might suggest picking another book to read.
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