Rating: 
Summary: This is a very good book
Review: Life of Pi is a great novel about a zookeeper's son named Pi Patel. He survives the sinking of a ship and floats for 227 days in a lifeboat. Aboard the lifeboat with him is a 450 pound tiger named Richard Parker, a mischievious hyena, and a docile zebra. I enjoyed reading about ther personalities of these animals and how they physically clashed together. What is interesting is how Pi's attitude towards the tiger changes through the book. He is initially afraid of the tiger in the beginning. As he begins to care for and feed the tiger, his fear disappears though. Richard Parker becomes Pi's companion as caring for the tiger and ensuring his survival becomes his main purpose in life. He develops an attitude of toughness and bravery that I liked. There are many interesting facts about animals in this book. I learned that tigers emit a friendly roar called prusten. I also learned that a turtle has many different uses. A turtle can be an excellent source of food. In addition, the turtle shell can be an effective shield for protection against tigers and used as a bowl for eating. Pi Patel experiences absolute joy in the smallest of things when he finally discovers fresh drinking water. Pi entertains himself by fishing and survives by fish, turtle, and even shark. There is such a great transformation in Pi Patel's personality about his situation from fear and loneliness in the beginning to a sense of courage and resliency at the end. I enjoyed it very much.
Rating:
Summary: Why I Love this Book but Don't Hate Its Author
Review: A great read that's both relaxing and thrilling, and the guy's an old man.
Rating: 
Summary: nice, easy read
Review: Read this over the holidays and it makes for a nice, easy read that flows well though simple yet sophisticated passages. It's a nice bit of storytelling and the author does a good job reinforcing the overall theme through the use of smaller episodes in the novel. The book loses a few stars for a ending that doesn't have as much impact as it could and also for what I see as pandering to an audience by handing them the theme at the conclusion. I have a little bit of distain for authors/directors/artists who feel their audience is too ignorant to make the connections on their own without having it explicitly spelled out for them. However, is still an interesting read that I can see picking up again. **** Small Spoiler ****
Would like to comment on the story A vs. story B theme that was present in one of the past reviews.... The novel presents 2 versions of what may or may not have happened; version A and version B. It makes no difference whether you believe in version A or B of the story (as the narrator states, they have the same result) just whether or not you believe in the story itself. Those who choose A over B (or vice versa) and call others idiots and judge their character for not doing the same are the same priests and holy men arguing over who is right and who is wrong in the beach scene in the novel.
There is so much in common, why argue the details?
Just my take...
Rating:
Summary: Storytelling at it's best
Review: A wonderful book by Yann Martel. Winner of the Man Booker prize and finalist for The Governor General's Award and The Commonwealth Writers Prize. An easy to read, compelling work of fiction that is almost impossible to put down. Martel's character, Pi, is from India and has typical English based, down to earth sense of humor, that lends itself perfectly to the telling of this tale. It is realistic to the point that you begin to think " mmm, maybe this is based on a true event! ". You exult in his highs and despair during his low moments: but you never doubt his instincts for survival. All in all a most enjoyable work: Highly recommended !
Rating: 
Summary: FANTASY ACCOUNT OF SURVIVOR OF SHIPWRECK
Review: To be honest, I was more taken in by the life of Pi prior to the shipwreck: how he was treated in school, how his Father educated him about animals and his own observations and conclusions about animals. Pi has a wonderful, child-like and optimistic manner of looking at animals. The metaphors that he drew were nothing short of brilliance. As for the shipwreck episode and his 227 days onboard a lifeboat (or should I also say a raft) were a bit too detailed for me but nonetheless funnily portrayed. It is amazing how entrapped with a Bengal tiger, Pi managed to maintain his sense of innocence but good judgement about the temperaments of animals. The days that Pi spent in the vast oceans tell us a lot about life: how people will fight to survive no matter how slim the chance appears; how a vegetarian, out of sheer survival need, took well to killing and eating meat; how Pi ate the excrement of the Bengal tiger (disgusting, I know, but Pi had to eat if he were to go on living); how proper planning is important is everything one does including surviving a shipwreck; how a human who supposedly should not hope to survive in the company of an equally hungry tiger, managed to improvise and carve out his territory et al.. Much of these lessons have real relevance in our daily lives. This is especially so in these grim times where the threat of terrorism, economic uncertainty and war loom. The message of having a will to survive all odds is a timely one. I thoroughly enjoyed Yann Martel's writing. This guy uses an interesting way to describe the behaviour of animals and many a times, I could not help but think: isn't he describing us- the human race? Yann personifies animals and in the process, allows the reader a second look at the much seeminly-fathomless properties of animals. I esecially like the way he depicted that Man is the most dangerous animal of all. In reading this book, I learnt quite a fair bit about the parts of a lifeboat, some shipwreck survival skills, a good amount of knowledge about animals and in the process, had a good chuckle whenever I reached the funny parts/ words that he used generously throughout the book. I would give it a "5" if the author had eloborated a bit on how Pi survived after the shipwreck. Guess that that is not the main point of the story but it would make the book more complete. Go on, read this book and share it with others.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating read
Review: This is a truly fascinating novel--one of the best I've read in a long time. If you're not a religious person, don't be turned off by the claims that the novel "will make you believe in God." This is not, as I initially feared, a book about religion. If anything, it suggests a rather unusual and unorthodox reason to believe in God (it's the "better story"). The adventures of the protagonist occupy most of the book. In fact, half-way through you'll wonder if this is just a very well-written book of adventures. It's not. Keep reading to see how much farther than the obvious the novel goes. You'll find yourself grinning with delight. The book really has it all--a great story, fascinating characters, much food for thought, and superb writing. If you love fiction and literature, you must read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Magical story-telling
Review: I bought this book to read on a business trip. Within 20 pages, I put the book down, knowing that I didn't want to read it amidst aircraft noise, jostling passengers, and irritated children. This is a book to be read in a quiet room alone, where every word can be absorbed and enjoyed. The author brings the story alive with vivid colors and rich, almost-musical, command of the English language. Martel has the gift of a superb story-teller. This is one of those books you read slowly because you don't want it to end and, when it's done, can't wait to find someone else to talk it over with.
Rating: 
Summary: Suprisingly Weak
Review: I was very suprised by how underwhelmed I was by this novel. I like books with religious or spiritual themes/motifs, and the first 20 percent of the novel was compelling. However, once the "action" starts, it goes downhill. The novel is more of an exercise based on the situation (not even the author's own creation). Skip this one and real something with power, like Saramango's Blindness.
Rating:
Summary: The "Gods" Had Nothing To Do With It.
Review: I really liked this book, but I am afraid that it didn't change any of my views on faith or religion and for the bulk of the book reigion seemed to have very little to do with it. Of course you could come to some conclusion that Pi was spared from both the tiger and the ocean by God, but I think this is a weak assertion at best. Once the survival situation begins Pi survives by his own wits and knowledge, religion appears to have little or nothing to do with it. His pratical knowledge of animal behaviour and also his ability to overcome his religious aversion to eating meat are the keys to his survival. I did enjoy this book immensely though as it reminded me of a modern day Rudyard Kipling story.
Rating:
Summary: My Reading Left Me Happy and Content
Review: In May of 2001, I chaperoned an overnight science field trip for my eighth grade students. The majority voted for a nighttime activity that I anticapted: watching the final, and climatic, episode of "Survivor." Had Yann Martel's "Life of Pi" been published then, the television would have remained off and I would have spent the night reading aloud this excellent story of survival that I hope will find its way into schools and homes across America. Piscine Molitor Patel, popularly known as "Pi," is the younger of two sons born to an Indian zookeeper and his wife in the former French colonial outpost of Pondicherry, India. For 16 year-old Pi, life in the zoo, "was a paradise on earth." But, he says, "People move . . . in hope of a better life." Thus begins a perilous journey across the Pacific lasting 227 days. Orphaned by a shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in a lifeboat with some supplies and among other animals, a 450-pound Bengal tiger laughably named Richard Parker. Pi understands that death is never far away; he could die from hunger, thirst, or be eaten by the tiger. Pi's struggle to stay afloat, assuage his hunger and keep the tiger at bay mean that though his activities of daily living are quite regimented, he must rely heavily on his knowledge of animals and his own resourcefulness to survive. It is a challenge with dire consequences. The beauty "Life of Pi" is that anyone might assume a story about being stranded in a life boat to be one-dimensional drudgery: fear not for it has many layers and always remains, above all else, a great story. Pi's narrative voice is as soft and light as Martel's prose. As a character, Pi never changes. He remains delightfully polite, amazingly industrious, genuinely honest, and affectionately vulnerable throughout the story; rather it is the circumstances that develop and change. Equal parts bildungsroman and rite of passage, there are some hysterical scenes describing the multiplicity of Pi's faith as well some heartbreaking scenes describing the onset of hallucinations related to dehydration and blindness. Martel stands out as a writer for several reasons. He resists the very strong temptation to anthropomorphize (or Disney-ize) the animals in this story. He doesn't rely on sex to propel the story. Most importantly, there is no gratuitous violence in this book. Nothing more graphic than what any reader might have seen "Wild Kingdom" or the "Discovery Channel" takes place. Alas, the book ends on an odd but very interesting note. In fact, I found the ending so thought compelling that I picked up the book several times to reread it. "Life of Pi" is a wonderful story that doesn't rely on sentimentality to warm your heart. I highly recommend this excellent and unpredictable story full of deep faith, wild animals, and delightful surprises.
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