Rating: 
Summary: No one premise
Review: The book was an entertaining read; however, I thought the author failed to select one theme and follow it through. For example, prior to his shipwreck experience, Pi becomes intimately involved with a variety of religions. The shipwreck, lost at sea journey, could have been a journey into each such religion resulting with the young man finding himself and truth, or not. Instead, the religion theme is left on the shore, and the shipwreck experience becomes a story of man versus animal, taming venture. Also, I thought the book, although fictional, was believable, until the carnivorous island scene. The author had many good thoughts, just too many for one book.
Rating: 
Summary: A multi-layered journey
Review: THE LIFE OF PI is, on the surface, a simple story: Piscine Molitar Patel, the son of an Indian zookeeper, clings to a lifeboat after a cataclysmic shipwreck as his family and part of its zoo emigrate to Canada. Unfortunately (and also fortunately, as the reader comes to understand), Pi finds that, although he is the only human aboard the lifeboat, he shares his craft with several animals from the zoo, both prey and predator. Whether he survives this ordeal depends highly on his wits, the meager supplies on board, and his ability to understand the innate behavior of the animals.This is not merely a story of survival at sea; it is an allegory not easily defined. Martel devotes the first part of his book (roughly 100 pages) to the childhood of Pi as he seeks to understand animal behavior and the world's major religions. Pi is drawn hungrily to faith and God, worshipping devoutly in the traditions of Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. When confronted by his three spiritual advisors and told he must choose one religion, he refuses because he finds comfort in them all. He tells them he just wants to love God, and he quotes Gandhi: "All religions are true." This is the most important key to understanding the significance of Part 2, Pi's story at sea, which comprises the bulk of the book and which is rich in symbolism derived from many religions. Most of this section is surprisingly riveting despite the mundane facts of survival. When occasionally the narrative lags, Martel quickly rights it with a new insight or adventure. The third part of the book is brief and humorous as two Japanese men interview Pi about his ordeal. Through their skepticism, they force an alternate story from Pi. While some people have criticized this final section as being tacked onto the book, the pivotal moment is contained here, with the stunning revelation that it doesn't matter which story one believes, as long as the beginning and the end are true. This book can be enjoyed on two levels, the literal and the philosophic. Martel's writing is engaging and detailed, containing a wealth of knowledge about a variety of topics. The spirituality here is not heavy-handed but instead gentle and gauzy, brushing up against the narrative without showing its seams. I highly recommend this for a general readership. Book clubs will find much to discuss and decipher. Avid and casual readers alike will delight in the unusual mix of simplicity and depth contained in this award-winning novel.
Rating: 
Summary: The Book on Tape brings Pi to Life
Review: I listened to this book on tape. The narrator's voice of Pi brought him to life. The character, Pi was endearing, inquisitive and intelligent. I wanted to go searching for him in the ocean and adopt him. I wouldn't say that "it made me believe in God."..but it did make me believe in the human spirit and the choices we make it life. It made me believe in the resilence of people.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful novel to be enjoyed by readers of all ages
Review: The selection of Yann Martel's "Life Of Pi (LOP)" as 2002's Booker Prize is an unusual choice but it comes like a breath of fresh air. It's hard to say what it is. At the most basic level, it is an epic adventure story about an incredible shipwreck and the struggle for survival on the high seas by a motley crew consisting of one human being - our hero Pi - and the most unlikely assortment of animals (from his family's zoo in Pondicherry) you can possibly imagine. Yet it has all the elements of a fable. The simplicity and directness of Martel's language masks the duality and complexity of his insights into the human condition. Are human beings so very different from animals, he seems to ask ? Probably not, as you will conclude watching Pi's relentless bid to outwit and establish supremacy over Richard Parker, the Bengali tiger he's left alone with on the life boat in the Pacific Oceans. Even Pi discovers a few surprises about himself. His courage in the face of adversity is simply awesome and gives faith to us all. Conversely and in a beautifully lyrical passage, Martel tells us that the underwater world of sea creatures - big and small - too has its own traffic system that rivals ours. How's that ! LOP also says something about the place of faith and religion in human society. Did it help Pi survive his ordeal ? Ecumenical to a fault - he bows to the gods of Christianity, Islam and Hinduism in random order - he buys insurance from across all religions to cover the risks and by and large succeeds and reaps his rewards. However, Martel's take on religion is perhaps the weakest and least convincing aspect of his novel. He plants the seeds but doesn't water them, so they don't flower. His ideas on religion remain tentative and undeveloped. As if conscious of this lack of closure, Martel engineers a twist at the end of the story that should leave readers scratching their heads in wonder. Have they been taken for a ride ? Should they cry cheat after it is revealed that Pi's account of his adventure on the high seas may be less than reliable ? I don't really know. But read the ending carefully. Herein lies Martel's message. I hear him asking "Is anything less than true only because it falls outside the realms of belief ?" "Does something become more true only because it is witnessed and corroborated ?" But let's not get too intellectual pondering these questions. Read "Life Of Pi" any way you like. Just remember to enjoy it. "Life Of Pi" is a treasure that will appeal to readers young and old. An absolutely delightful novel. Unique.
Rating:
Summary: Life of Pi
Review: A real page-turner! A gripping and haunting story that forces the reader to rush to the end and leave wanting more. Wade through the first 20-30 pages. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Honest Prose
Review: In its first step from the UK to the Commonwealth, the Booker Prize continues to identify books that do not disappoint. In Life of Pi, Yann Martel has written a book of incredible beauty. Unlike many highly praised books which rely on cleverness and complexity, the bulk of the story is a simple one. A zookeeper's son and a handful of animals are the only survivors when their ship goes down in the Pacific. In a matter of days, only the boy and a tiger are left. We then get to see how the boy and tiger survive the better part of a year together on a lifeboat before they finally come aground in Mexico. And yet, within this simple story is great depth of character and feeling. To be honest, I found Part One of this novel to be the most interesting. The world of the zoo in India, Pi's growth and participation in all three of the "religions of Abraham," as well as the quirks of his family and friends makes for wonderful reading. Once the shipwreck happens and the story turns to the survival of boy and tiger in Part Two, I thought the book lost a little. The story continues to be a very honest and believable one with many interesting tidbits, but this kind of survival is ground that's been tread before though, admittedly, not often as well. And despite the fact that Part Three brings the novel to a nice close, it doesn't have the fire of the beginning of the novel. Ultimately, however, this book stands head and shoulders over most of what's published today. Martel writes absolutely beautiful prose. There are some wonderful, quotable turns of phrase in this novel which is a rare occurrence in most modern writers. Pi is a deeply developed and sympathetic character. And the story comes across as perfectly believable despite the strangeness of some of the events. Martel's tone is one of incredible honesty. This is a book not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Loving Pi (mostly)
Review: The book jacket of Yann Martel's novel, Life of Pi, declares that it is a novel "that may, as one character claims, make you believe in God." Life of Pi tells the story of Piscine Molitor Patel, a young Indian boy who finds himself stranded in a lifeboat on the Pacific Ocean with an odd crew of companions, one of which is a tiger. Martel's vivid and imaginative storytelling makes it so the reader experiences Pi's adventure with him: the feelings of isolation being adrift on the Pacific Ocean, the overwhelming loss of being orphaned, the fierce competition for survival, and the overwhelming fear of what each new day may bring.
Although the way Martel ends the book leaves something to be desired(dredging up some minor characters to figure out the real life of pi), the book is a worthy read if just for Martel's vivid descriptions of life at sea and the book's spirit of adventure and survival.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the read
Review: I'm a little surprised at the extremely negative comments from some of the reviewers here. Martel's parable on "truth" is told from the viewpoint of one of the more engaging characters of recent fiction. Pi's discourses on his growing up in Pondicherry are good reading if for no other reason than that Pi "tells" his story so well and his "adventures" on the life boat are a great tale. I'm not sure I agree with Martel's apparent premise, that we can't tell what the truth is so why not go with the most comforting or whatever but nevertheless, he has put his idea forward in an engaging and witty way that I enjoyed from beginning to end.
Rating:
Summary: Okay
Review: A decent story, but not terribly innovative or original. Certainly not deserving of any major prizes or all the hype and adulation it has received, but worth reading for entertainment. And no, it will not change your life or make you find God. Like it was that easy.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful tale, beautifully told
Review: Judging by the many reviews I've read of this book, it's an almost irresistable temptation to plumb the metaphoric significance of its every passage. Although I enjoy reading books on multiple levels, my recommendation to prospective readers is to get this book and simply let it take you along for the ride. I found it at turns surprising, captivating, poignant and moving. I found Martel's writing here to be spare and graceful, so much so that the story flows practically seamlessly. The central story is sandwiched between a slowly developing prologue and a mercifully brief epilogue, and though I'm tempted to describe it as a cross between "Calvin & Hobbes" and "Castaway," I'd be doing it a disservice. For maximum reading pleasure I found I had to suspend my disbelief in the same way I did for books like "The Swiss Family Robinson" and "Lord of the Flies," but this book is so hugely entertaining and satisfying, I did so naturally and willingly. This is one of the most memorable books I've ever read. Don't miss it.
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