Rating: 
Summary: Great fun and insightful too
Review: Parts of this book were actually laugh-out-loud funny, reminding me of McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD or other expertly crafted novels that are not only funny but also have something to offer spiritually, intellectually, or emotionally. Pi, the son of a zookeeper, is saved only by his wonderful imagination, a bit of luck, and some oblique forays into religion. Like a cross between THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA and a Fontaine fable, this highly unusual book is guaranteed to be like nothing you've come across before.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow start but picked up...
Review: When I first started reading this book, I have to admit that I was somewhat bored, so I stopped reading it for a month or two and continued later. Probably 1/3 into the book, it started to pick up and finally, I felt better about purchasing this book. Very imaginative and well thought out. I couldn't believe how a book describing a situation of a boy at sea with a tiger could actually be interesting! Might be slow paced for some, but I think it's a good read.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST-READ!
Review: 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. Another Amazon pick I loved is THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: Ultimately Depressing...
Review: I read 95% of this with a healthy bit of sceptism. The author started out describing his problems, in the first person. Then jumped to Pi's problems, in the first person. This began to play like so many "my so-called life" stories.
I couldn't quite figure out where he was going with Pi's "religion of the day" thing. I thought I was getting somewhere when I came upon the "castaway on a lifeboat" story line with the bengalese tiger twist. The strange co-relationship between Richard Parker and Pi seemed to echo the theme of disparate religions residing in one person, a metaphor for societies struggles to accomodate rampant differentiation I guess. But the real moral of the story came out in not so subtle fashion when Pi said " As it is with God". It rang of Karl Marx and "Religion is the opiate of the masses ".
Can it be that God, in all its manifestations, is just a coping mechanism for a world to grim to contemplate??? How ultimately depressing...
Rating:
Summary: The best . . . the best
Review: With its themes involving survival, life's choices, and religion, LIFE OF PI is nothing if not food for thought. Brilliantly couched in a writing style that appears to be part fable, part truth, part fiction, this wonderfully different little book is pure enjoyment and insight. Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: Charming Tale of Survival
Review: This novel was an excellent read, a unique tale, and a masterfully crafted piece of prose. The introduction was compelling and ignited the reader's interest. The challenge, that it is a story that will make you believe in God, was intriguing but ultimately did not succeed. Judging the book from this criterion, it is a failure. As a tale, though, it is an overwhelming success. The main character, Pi, and his various friends and family members are filled with innocence and majesty and cut so sharp that they stand out in sharp contrast to their background. As a lover of survival stories, I was sure to like this one, fanciful though it is. Martel writes well about endurance and survival in an impossible situation. Pi's intelligence and perseverance in the face of such challenges causes one's heart to leap with joy and hope. As for the book's introductory challenge, I found the story a poor metaphor for the human condition, which it is, I suppose, meant to be. Furthermore, the plotshift towards the end, though thought-provoking, was much less interesting than the tale. If that is why it is supposed to lead one to a belief in God, I find it lacking and pessimistic. If belief in God is ultimately a pleasant illusion over and against a ghastly reality, then first of all, it is not a choice but a delusion that the unconscious foists upon the conscious mind and second, a failure of the individual's creativity to draw meaning and hope from the real, unadulterated human condition. It is, truly, a psychopathic break from reality into fantasy. For instance, if Pi wants to believe his story versus what may have 'really happened,' then he may do so but I seriously doubt that he will ever truly believe the story. His mind will always know what genuinely occurred and this will fill him with horror. He can tell others the pleasant story but he himself cannot suppress the truth of what happened. While this strategy is the basis for constructing good stories, life itself should not be fictionalized. In the end, Life of Pi did not cause me to believe in God or to respect those who believe in Him/Her out of a disgust with the reality of this world.
Rating:
Summary: True Classic
Review: What a wonderful book! The non-existent scenery of the ocean is well balanced by the actions and thoughts of the creatures on the raft. Thought-provoking, and required reading for all. A bit of a surprise ending!
Rating: 
Summary: appaled
Review: I'm totally confused as to how so many people could think that this book was worth while reading. I read this book in a book club. I was warned before I started reading that it starts out slow but seems to pick up. Well that certainly wasn't evident. The book started out slow, picked up slightly, and then just slowed right back down again. I found that I was not alone with my opinion when others that read the book said that they found it horrid and hard to finish. Even the leader of the book club did not finish it, I still don't know if he has, and this was 4 months ago! The philisophical aspects of this book are not nearly as powerful as the power to put the reader to sleep.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing allegory
Review: While Life of Pi is a tad slow going at first and a trifle abrupt at the ending, the uniquely engrossing tale in the middle more than makes up for these aforementioned deficiencies. While I had my doubts going in and it did take me a good 75 pages to truly get into the book, I must say that once I did it made for a most inimitable ride -- one you'll not soon forget -- whether you love it or hate it. While the story of a boy and a tiger sailing across the Pacific in a lifeboat may seem implausible, if not downright silly, to many from the outset (myself included), the whole premise of this unbelievable scenario is expressly central to the theme of the book. In a society where religion is increasingly derided and looked down upon by many, it takes a 16 year-old Indian boy and the incredibly original bengal tiger Richard Parker to teach us the power of faith and reaffirm the existence of God - as well as the wonder of animals and zoos. If in doubt, give it a shot - Richard Parker and co. will not disappoint. "The presence of God is the finest of rewards." - Pi
Rating:
Summary: Recent picks
Review: Our book club is nothing if not an eclectic bunch, reading everything from self-help books to little known fiction. That's why I was so surprised when the last three books we read were all not only bestsellers, but well-written (the two do not necessarily go hand-in-hand). Of these three, LIFE OF PI was our favorite. The other two, BIRTH OF VENUS and McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD were also excellent, though totally different from "PI," and we loved all of them, but Martel's book took us all by surprise. Fascinating in its conception and form, this seemingly simple tale is rather complex underneath. With views on religion and survival, this novel will provide more than enough food for thought. Also recommended: Bark of the Dogwood and Birth of Venus
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