Rating: 
Summary: As deep as the ocean itself
Review: Life of Pi is an extraordinary story with an extraordinary message. I recommend it to anyone in search of a wholesome novel. Not only is it the tale of a boy and a Bengal tiger trying to survive at sea, but it is also a story with a deeper, and very spiritual message. It is a book to make you think -- to think about life, about God, about morality. While this is indeed a story of survival on the surface, Martel instills a latent message -- one in which a boy seeks to find the ability to believe in God. To truly understand and appreciate this novel requires a deep and thought-filled insight into one's spirituality. While this may be challenging at times, it is truly a refreshing and fulfilling experience. Finishing the last chapter is a rewarding event, one which sheds new light on a subject that is, perhaps, dimly lit -- one's own faith. Life of Pi is a parable for the modern world, filled with inspirational metaphors, a yearning for understanding, and some powerful reasons to believe in God.
Rating:
Summary: All around good read
Review: This author has written some of the most amazing sentences I have ever read. I love his writing. I enjoyed reading this book, because it is about everything, and that is what the best books are about. I believe I will read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Some folks are missing the point, which is the point
Review: Its a wonderful story. Awesome read. Well writen, visceral *and* intellectual. Fun. A lot of people say they expected either a more confirming case for God or for atheism. Wouldn't they be represented by the priests touting their version of belief is the one true way? Seeing the world through a single filter. The point is, at the end you're asked to believe one story or the other. Martel makes the point, however, that your choice reflects your approach to life. Ultimately it doesn't matter which story happened, you get to the end either way, but one is far more colorful and passionate. So, I think he makes a case for religion if only that it "makes a better story".
Rating:
Summary: A Magical Journey
Review: I hesitated to read this book because I had learned that the premise was unoriginal. There is an older Brazilian book about a boy and a jaguar adrift on a lifeboat. Yann Martel coyly credits the Brazilian author in his acknowledgments without revealing that he borrowed the plot. Now, never having read the first book, I am certain that Life of Pi, wherever Martel got his idea, is a gem. There may be another out there, but this one has facets and flaws that make it unlike anything written. Piscine Molitor Patel,"Pi", is an engaging, funny and heartbreaking narrator. Richard Parker, the tiger with whom Pi is trapped on a lifeboat, is as well crafted a character as any human. Yet Martel never steps over the line into anthropomorphism; Richard Parker is every bit a tiger. Martel's sense of place, be it a zoo in India, a university in Tornonto or a charmed deserted island in the midst of the Pacific is mesmerizing. The sense of the fantastical reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the magical realism of many South American writers but the voice of Pi is completely unique. He is a masterful story teller throughly enjoying spinning a very good story.
Rating:
Summary: A Modern Classic
Review: What a wonderful well written book. It was perhaps the best book I have read this year. Pi's story makes you appreciate life in all its glory.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully Imaginative
Review: I have seen this book on the best sellers list for quite a while and I must admit I hesitated when a copy became available at the library. The entire plot, a young Indian boy trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger, just seemed ludicrous. I could not understand how the author could ever pull such a concept off. Well thankfully, I picked up the book and started to read over the Fourth of July holiday. When two days later I had finally re-read the last 10 pages for the third time, I put the book down and thought, Well Yann Martel has managed the impossible! He did make the story not only credible but has written a beautiful story about love, loss, courage, and struggle. Expertly written and plotted, I especially enjoyed the small chapters which made the story flow so much better and the interjected narrative, revealing Pi's life after he endured his hardship. But what struck me the most, was the beautiful narrative voice of the author. He made humans and animals come alive. But the last ten pages of the book! How much different would the book be perceived without those last ten pages? Hard to tell, except for me, they made the book much more than just a struggle to endure. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something a little different. Take a weekend and immerse yourself in a book that is a joy to read and then recommend it to everyone you know.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Adventure
Review: In my opinion, Life of Pi is a masterpiece. It brought me to tears, filled me with joy and petrified me. Martel's writing pulls you into the story and makes you feel as though you are Pi and you're trying desparately to survive this nightmare. The book is thought provoking and by far the best adventure I've read in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Superb!
Review: A stunning book about a boy, an orangatan, a hyena, a wounded zebra, a 450 pound pussy cat, Richard Parker, and God. I love this sentence..."This book was born as I was hungry"
because we all are hungry for something- love, success, fame, fortune, God.
Yes, mostly God. Pi is on a life-boat with all these animals, but eventually ends up with only the tiger.
"It was not a question of him Or me, but of him And me." Pi says. Yann Martel shows us the colors, smells, tastes, textures, dangers, and pleasures of the sea. He introduces us to Pi...who has come to the conclusion that the presence of God is the only lasting elevation which endures... And this, is what allows him to survive and live, and love, inspite of everything. I loved this book. Martel's writing is beautiful. His imagination is beyond anything I have ever read and I am still thinking of Pi and Richard Parker whom I have grown to love. Note- the reader will not be disappointed ... but become a better person for having read this book!
Rating:
Summary: A good story paged within a good book
Review: I'm coming to the realization that there are good stories and good books. Sometimes you get both within one publication. LIFE OF PI is a perfect example. I'll admit I was aware of this book for some time and kept passing on it. Then, for some reason last week, I had the impulse to buy it. I could not put it down. It is so much more than it appears. The descriptions of his ordeal at sea and growing companionship with the tiger are mesmerizing. The humor breaks the tension. (Who can't relate to a young boy nicknamed "Pissing" by his school chums?) It left me wondering just what it was I had read. Read it and see what you think!
Rating:
Summary: An allegory wrapped in an allegory
Review: I'm amused by the (very few) dismissive reviews posted here of this remarkable book. It is clear from their complaints the readers did not make it to the end of the book, or did not "get it" if they did. While several reviews make comparisons to The Old Man and the Sea, for me, this book summons visions of another classic survival novel: Cold Mountain. Let me give a hint to those who may read the first few pages and wonder what all the fuss is about; why this book gets such rave reviews: Enjoy the slow pace. Enjoy the people Pi meets and the lessons he learns from his family and religious mentors. Read with interest his descriptions of zoos and animal behavior. Of fast animals and slow. Of theology and understanding. It will all make sense later. And don't worry. This story has a happy ending.
| 
