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Summary: A Leap of Faith
Review: In the first hundred pages of *Life of Pi*, Piscine Patel's religous fascination is explained to us in detail. Piscine, or Pi, finds himself simultaneously interested in Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, and he sees no conflict of interest between these. Although he is a young boy when he discovers these religions, it is implied that the adult Pi retains, at least to some degree, his multi-religous fanatacism. Pi's religous mentors cannot understand how Pi could believe in any religion but their own; to Pi, they all offer beauty, and are simply different paths to the same truth. Details of Pi's religous background may seem superfluous at first, but the ideas of believing and faith are central to the purpose of this book. Pi's survival on a lifeboat with a tiger is dependant on his faith; moreover, the reader's faith in Pi is tested, culminating with a grand trial at the end of the book. One of the comments on the book's cover, which comes from something that a character said early in the book, is that Pi's story will make you believe in god. The statement takes on a different meaning in the book than it does on the book's cover; I don't want to spoil any plot secrets, but basically it comes down to a question of why people believe. In the book, the statement means simply that Pi's story is so incredible that you will not be able to believe it unless you believe in a higher power; it is a miracle. The meaning of the statement on the book cover is something different. It has more to do with individual choice -- with everything else being equal, would you rather believe in a world with a god or without one?
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Summary: An excellent book.
Review: I'm not here to write a long, tedious review on the defects or the affects of this book. My opinion: a novel deserving of its reward. A novel to appreciate and contemplate.
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Summary: story of inner strength, survival and faith
Review: Life of Pi may not be a mainstream read,however it is a very good novel. Yann Martel has created an interesting tale about a teenage boy, Pi, who appears to be the only survivor when a ship sinks. The story truly begins as Pi finds himself in a lifeboat on the open ocean. This is a story of inner strength,survival and faith. The scenes are vivid and real. The emotions both raw and refined. The story is both amazing and graphic at times, and it pulls you along at a fast pace in order to discover what happens to Pi. Although the author attempts to spell things out, the ending may surprise you and leave you thinking.
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Summary: Excellent and thought-provoking
Review: 'Life of Pi' is a fascinating book. The story at its basic level alone is engrossing (that being the survival of a boy trapped in a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger). Pi's degradation from an unremarkable, vegetarian boy to a fierce hunter dining on the blood and flesh of the sea life he is able to capture is well mapped. One is reminded of Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' in this aspect and 'Life of Pi' does not disappoint. But this is not the only way to look at this book. Martel has imbued his novel with a multitude of layers working together to create a masterpiece of literature. It is not difficult to see how the book won the Mann Booker Prize this year -- one would be hard pressed indeed to fail to see the brilliant craftsmanship behind it. Three cheers to Yann Martel for pulling off such a mighty concept, and for writing what is quite possibly the best book of 2002.
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Summary: Wonderful
Review: This is the best book I have read in a long time. Don't read the reviews, the cover notes about religion and God... just read the book.
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Summary: The Nicest Boy In The World
Review: "The Life of Pi" may not make you "believe in God" if that is your inclination, but you most certainly will believe in Pi as one of the most exhilarating companions you have ever had. Pi is the lively son of a zoo director living in the remote province of Pondicherry India. He soaks up knowledge of animals and shares it with whoever will listen. He is enchanted with God and becomes a Hindu, Muslim, and Christian with exuberant impartiality. As his father says "he seems to be attracting religions the way a dog attracts fleas." Life becomes difficult for the Patel family, and father decides to sell the zoo and immigrate to Winnipeg, Canada. They embark on an old freighter for they are transporting some of their more exotic beasts. The ship sinks losing all hands, and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with a zebra, a spotted hyena, an orangutan (Orange Juice) and a 450 lb. Bengal tiger (Richard Parker). Given Richard Parker's natural tendencies, the population quickly dwindles to Pi and Richard. Pi is a resourceful boy, knows a great deal about animals---enough to be absolutely petrified of Richard Parker--- and decides his only chance is to convince Richard that he, Pi, is the alpha trainer. This is not an easy task on a lifeboat. But Pi has a few advantages. Richard tends to get seasick and Pi has a whistle that startles Richard terribly. They suffer horribly over the next 277 days, almost die and then revive. They finally wash up on an isolated beach in Mexico. The end of the story has a twist, and Pi leaves it up to the listener what he wants to believe. I was profoundly affected. Mr. Martel lets Pi be prosaically informative (but oh, so interesting) about animals and lets him soar with spiritual and imaginative beliefs all with an excellent sense of humor. The reader must be braced for some hair-raising events and keep in mind that Pi is a survivor, just as much as Richard Parker is. "The Life of Pi" is as magical as you make it.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer
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Summary: Pi - Where do you think the truth lies?
Review: I started this book yesterday, and stayed up until three am reading reading. In the first section, Martel sets you up for what is to come with philosophy, religion, biology, and zoo keeper mentality. Part II is the story, and an amazing one at that. I saved part three for this morning. Part 3 breaks down everything you thought you knew about this book. I never read books twice, but I wanted to sit down immediately upon finishing and read the thing in its entirety from the start. You don't see the end coming (even though now I've just told you). The book is a masterpiece, it is the art of story telling at its best. Where do you think the truth lies?
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Summary: I'm in love with this book!!!
Review: I read this book in a day! Not only was it an easy read, but a beautiful one at that. Yann Martel is truly one of our time's greatest storytellers. I felt myself getting totally immersed in this gorgeous story about a boy and his adventures at sea. I was extremely disappointed when it was over. Truly..one of the best books I've ever read! I can't wait to hand it over for some of my friends to read. Buy this book!!!!
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Summary: false advertising
Review: i don't agree that this book 'makes one believe in god'. if anything, it makes me NOT believe in god since, of the two versions of the story, the one without the animals is far more believable. on the other hand, if the author had claimed that his book would 'make one WANT TO believe in god', then i would agree wholeheartedly. we WANT to believe the animal story is the true one, not just because it's a better story, but because, unlike the other story, it doesn't shatter our illusions about human beings. martel is right: if we have a choice, it's better to believe in god since the alternative is so utterly bleak. but i'm not sure we have a choice. it's hard to ignore the evidence of your own eyes. one has to work hard to believe. as pi patel says, faith is hard work. a good book. it reminded me of how much fun i had as a child reading about animals. 'life of pi' made me realize that 'child within' hasn't completely died.
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Summary: magical and surprising
Review: What a terrific book. A quick read and a nice addition to the magical realism genre. Stick with it through the first 50 pages, which are very well written and interesting, but not as compelling as the rest of the book. The ending is unforgettable.
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