Rating: 
Summary: amazing book
Review: one of my favorite books. A fanscinating look at religion and philosophy. You wqill be riveted to the last page. Pi will stay with you for a long while after you finish reading this.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and thought provoking
Review: I purchased this book on a recommendation from a good friend. I owe them big time. This is definetely a book that will hold your interest from page one and not let go until the last word.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: I will not add anything to those hundreds of reviews. Just read the book and see by yourself. It is one of the best I ever read. The reviewer from Portland (re: Metaphorical Animals and Zoos vs the real thing) who wrote a review on May 20 2004 should read again Chapter 13 of the book, he will see that Hediger was well mentioned as a reference.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating but forgettable
Review: Yann Martel is probably very intelligent, and this book is witty and amusing and probably even insightful and I get the feeling that everything is one huge metaphor for something else, yet this feeling is accompanied by one of sheer bafflement at what it is exactly Martel is trying to say. I can tell its getting at something deep, something important, but I'll be damned if I know what it is. Damned. From a purely structural point of view, the bit before the boat sinks is highly entertaining, the floating in the boat is fascinating for a while, but it drags considerably in the middle. Is this a metaphor for something else? Draggin towards the middle? The ending is superb, probably the highlight of the book, and it really put this book in a better light for me than the rest of the amusing but vague narrative did. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, but I think a lot of people are pretending that they are gleaning pearls of wisdom from this book when they're really just as flabbergasted as I am. Still a great read though.
Rating:
Summary: Modern Masterpiece
Review: Solid, active writing from Yann Martel makes the pages of Life of Pi fly by. It is an enchanting survival story with well developed characters and interesting takes on many aspects of life. The body of the book is very good, but the ending takes Life of Pi into a realm of greatness rarely achieved.
Rating:
Summary: The Island!!!
Review: Although the ending was very original, I think the best part of it was the floating carnivorous island. One of the truly most terrifying moments in literature for a long, long time. I don't know where Yann Martel gets his imagination from, but I hope they bottle the stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: Part religion, part faith, part fantasy, part fiction, part very unique story, this riveting read is without a doubt one of the most unusual books ever written. But the most intriguing aspect of this read was the ending (s). How the author came up with this is beyone me. I loved it.The novel basically depicts the life of Pi, a youth in Pondycherry. He spends 227 days with a Bengal tiger and several other animals and the story that unfolds--while seemingly unreal--is somehow more real that the "other" life that Pi led up until that point. What happens is at once disturbing and magical. Also recommended: McCrae's Bark of the Dogwood
Rating: 
Summary: A book for our time. Unfortunately.
Review: It is disappointing how this book has become the darling of the
book clubs. Unbelievable, poorly researched (if you care about
reality), ridiculous even, it certainly isn't a realistic
novel. If it is an allegory, try reading Bunyan's Pilgrim's
Progress instead. In fact, my recommendation is to read any
classic instead. The only book that I have seen lately that
is worse is another club favorite, "Middlesex".
Rating:
Summary: Life of PI
Review: This amazing tale of adventure, survival, religion, and faith is one of the most riveting tales to come out in a long time. I was skeptical at first, having read some of the reviews and seeing some of the hype, but LIFE OF PI lived up to it all. Really, this is a very unusual book. Also enjoyed "Birth of Venus" and "Bark of the Dogwood."
Rating:
Summary: Re: Metaphorical Animals and Zoos vs. the real thing
Review: From the reviews, it seems that some readers of this book believe that they are getting objective information about how captive animals are managed in zoos. This is not the case. Mr. Martel slants his descriptions to fit his layman's understanding of the art and science involved in keeping animals in the zoo. I worked in a zoo for nearly 25 years, and I thought it might be useful to point out that for those who are interested in Mr. Martel's sources for his information on zoos and captive animals, you can see where he got his information by reading the books by H. Hediger (e. g. Wild Animals in Captivity, Man and Animal in the Zoo and The Psychology and Behavior of Animals in Zoos and Circuses). Some of his descriptions of zoo animals/behavior/management are lifted right out of Hediger's books (and, to be fair, he does mention Dr. Hediger in the text).
He did a good job of research on Hediger's work, but the animals and zoo he describes do not equal the real thing. As metaphors, his animals and his zoo are interesting reading, but please don't come away thinking that what happens in this book is close to reality in terms of the zoological parts--they are a blend of Martel's research and his fertile imagination. Life in the zoo for captive animals is one of forced adaptation and--quite unfortunately--differs little today from its 19th Century origins. Enjoy these animals and their zoo as metaphors and you won't be misled.
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