Rating: 
Summary: A gutwretching story that you'll never forget
Review: This novel really does make one feel that the power of the written word has not yet died. Yann Martel, with a keen eye for witticism and criticism, has created a powerful piece of literature that takes the reader on an emotional, intellectual, and adventurous tale.Intrigued is the only way one can truly describe the whole premise behind "Life of Pi", for how is it that a young boy is able to survive a tiger's hunger in a lifeboat after he has devoured a zebra, a chimpanzee, and a hyena. At first, it appears that this novel is taking on too much for anyone to handle, but Martel, with his extreme knowledge of theology and zoology, is able to keep the reader gripped until its shocking finale. It is precisely this mixture of religious thought and animal studies that makes "Life of Pi" a treasure - for not only will you come out reading a splendedly told novel, you will also feel as if you learned many a thing. And as he states in his Author's Note, "fiction is about...the selective transforming of reality" (viii). Not only can he write a good story, he knows how. And that is what many modern authors lack, knowledge. This is definitely worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal
Review: This book is truly enchanting. The subtleties of the language really bring you into the author's world. I have recommended this book to several of my friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Clever story and intelligently written
Review: Life of Pi moves slowly at first, but hang in there. The unfolding story is fascinating but in my opinion did not prove it's point ,that there is a God. Yann Martel's writings on fear, indecision and religion are spectacular but the story was too vague, perhaps intentionally, to prove it's point. Great selection for a book club to debate the veracity of each version/ending. Would highly recommend readers to read an original tale, Max and the Cats by Moacyr Sciliar written in 1981, for a highly entertaining, insightful and focused story in the same vein. I would have given Life of Pi 4 stars until I read that story.
Rating:
Summary: Religion, Tale and Science Fiction
Review: This novel has a little bit of everything: three major religions, Science Fiction in the island (I could just see that island as I read it), a tall tale or was it a dream - what is real and what is not, a story that seems unbelieveable when you hear the subject matter (living with a hungry Bengal tiger on a boat - Come On!) but then it is so believeable when you read it. All and all a good read. The religious aspect went over my head in parts but their is plenty online discussing this bits to explain it further if you don't understand like me.
Rating: 
Summary: A descriptive yet powerful story
Review: Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, is an extraordinarily profound book that will definitely have you rolling on the floor in laughter or tear-spilling sympathy. Piscine Patel lives in India and is the son of a zookeeper. His family owns the local zoo where Piscine, preferably Pi, spends countless afternoons observing and caring for the animals. He adopts three religions, Hinduism, Christianity, and Muslim and is an active participant in each. An example of the humor Martel uses throughout the story is when Pi's older brother is ridiculing Pi's many religions, saying "...At the rate you're going, if you go to temple on Thursday, mosque on Friday, synagogue on Saturday and church on Sunday, you only need to convert to three more religions to be on holiday for the rest of your life (70)." When his father breaks the news to their little humble family that they will be residing in Canada, a country totally alien to them, Pi doesn't know what to feel. His father promises them that things will be better there, but little did they know of the irony that was in store for them as the ship they're on when traveling to Canada, sinks. Just when you think it couldn't get any more complicated, it does, however, the author does a superb job keeping everything organized so the only complication is the distinction between your own thoughts and that of Pi's. This "simple" story then turns into a tale of survival in which every minute counts and human faith and will are the only remaining things keeping someone going as Pi's spends 277 days stranded on a lifeboat with a 450-pound Bengal tiger. A strange twist in the end leads the reader wondering what really happened, and what story they want to believe. I enjoyed this book from the title to the ending punctuation mark. In a world where cliché takes the best of us in all forms of entertainment, Martel has managed to steer away from that and keep surprising you with the same amount of spontaneity and energy from the first chapter to the last paragraph. I loved how Martel makes you think in ways you've never thought of before and how he opens new doors to views and perspectives, you've never even think you'd ever come across. All in all, I highly recommend this book especially when you're extremely bogged down with the fast-paced technological world because it gives you a chance to step away from all the hustle and bustle and spend a quiet afternoon with a 15-year-old boy named Pi, a 450-pound majestic tiger, a 26 feet long lifeboat and a whole lot of water.
Rating:
Summary: Freshest, most original story I've read in a long time
Review: Pi, an engaging little character, a solution without end, embarks first on a spiritual journey of knowing and ends in a literal odyssey across the merciless blue seas. Pi, ship wrecked and stranded on a raft, must accomodate Richard Parker, a majestic Bengal tiger. Together they defeat hyenas, marauders, flesh consuming islands of vegetation, and unforgiving nature. When at last they reach land, civilization, Richard Parker disappears into a jungle without a backward glance and little Pi is left to finish the tale. Confronted with unbelievers regarding his tale of survival, Pi offers them another version, a distinctly unsentimental tale of human baseness, courage, and the will to live. It seems both stories are equally true. That is Pi's message. Hindu or Christian, Pi or Richard Parker, the version you choose matters little. The only question that remains; do you prefer a story with animals or without?
Rating: 
Summary: Life of Pi
Review: I read this book for a book discussion club and I didn't like it even a little bit. Every time I stopped reading this book and closed the covers, I felt like I had to wash my hands. It could have been a great book, but in my opinion it wasn't. The ending made no sense and I always feel cheated if the ending is stupid after all the time I spent reading the damn thing!
Rating:
Summary: A boy and a tiger
Review: Our bookclub read this book a while back and we did enjoy it. At first the members were skeptical that a book with such a plot would go anywhere, but it does. I can recommend this story because the setting, the ocean, the character-driven plot is all the more why it's good. Highly recommend The Life of Pi. Reviewed by: Franchesca Dashmond of B.E.B. Bookclub
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Summary: It's been awhile since I've read a GREAT book
Review: Please take note, I am a simple reader of horror books and adventure books. King, Slade, Cussler, Rollins, and Preston and Child are my favorite authors. I do not read much literature with a meaning. With that, here's my review: To say that this is my favorite book of all time would be an understatement. After picking the book up, I was trying to figure out how the author would be able to fill up over 300 pages with a story of a tiger and a boy on the ocean. Amazingly, he did it. The book is hard to put down. With so much humor, action, and fun story telling it kept my attention to the very end. Surprisingly, the author even had a few twists at the end. And you are left asking yourself a question, to find the question, you have to read the book.
Rating:
Summary: Great characters.
Review: With "Life of Pi," Martel does a nice job of creating characters that drive the story, rather than vice-versa. If you're tired of plot-driven novels with thin, and often cliché, characters, then you're likely to dig this one. If you're into writers like Yann Martel, Sue Monk Kidd, Dan Brown, etc., then there's a new writer you should check out: GREG IPPOLITO. His most recent novel, "Zero Station," is a politically charged page-turner that pits its main Gen X character (John Saylor) against his Baby Boomer parents, teachers, etc., during the winter of 1991 -- during the heart of the Persian Gulf War. Right now, Ippolito is still a relative unknown (a friend turned me onto his work)...but this is a must-read. You can check him out and read an excerpt at: http://www.zero-station.net Don't miss it.
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