Rating: 
Summary: Good read until...
Review: I read this book with reish. I loved the challange of this story and found the writing to be superb. The only problem for me was the sagging way the story resolved itself. It deserved better treatment as it moved to its conclusion.
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Summary: a boy on a raft with a tiger
Review: "Life of Pi" is the winner of the Booker Prize and was given a ridiculous amount of critical praise. It was given so much so that I was a little unsure about reading it, that it could not possibly live up to the hype. In one sense, I was right. The novel did not live up the hype of the critical praise. However, this is not to say that "Life of Pi" is not an excellent novel or that it was not a fine piece of literature. This is the story of Piscine Patel, or, Pi as he comes to be called. Pi is sixteen years old and lives in India. His father is a zookeeper, but because of the job situation in India the family is leaving and moving to Canada. Since their zoo is closing, they had to sell the animals to other zoos, some of which are in Canada and they are helping to transport some of the animals before settling in their new country. Somehow the ship sinks, and Pi ends up on a lifeboat...a lifeboat that he happens to share with a tiger. Can Pi survive? How does Pi survive? How can a novel be interesting when the majority of the pages take place with a 16 year old boy on a raft with a tiger? Surprisingly enough, this is an interesting novel and I actually cared to find out how it all played out. It was fascinating to see how Pi was able to survive day after day (and not get mauled by the tiger, later named Richard Parker). I don't think "Life of Pi" is going to make my list of favorite books, but Yann Martel was successful in holding my attention throughout the novel and made me want to keep turning the page to find out what happens next and how it happened. Good book.
Rating: 
Summary: A great story
Review: Every so often, you read a book that provides insights on a number of subjects while telling a great story. This is one of those books. It's a story of a 16-year-old boy, nicknamed Pi, in India who works at his father's zoo in India. In a restless search of meaning and understanding which so many of us go through at that age, he becomes a Christian, Muslim, and Hindu nearly simultaneously. The zoo moves to Canada and all the animals and his family are take a cargo ship to their new destination. When the ship sinks in the middle of the Pacific, Pi's family is lost and he's adrift in a lifeboat with a wounded zebra, orangutan, hyena, and a tiger named Richard Parker. In a few days, it's just Pi and Richard Parker drifting aimlessly in the Pacific. The story touches on spirituality, animal husbandry, survival instincts, religion, tiger training, and the logistics of staying alive in a lifeboat. It is also very compelling story of a young man struggling to co-exist with a dangerous animal in a confined space, and the unspoken relationship that develops. I think you will find this one of the most unique, memorable stories you've ever read.
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Summary: Fun quick read
Review: Great book for a long flight! Not great literature but fun to read. Many thought provoking ideas. Dialog seems forced.
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Summary: Richard Parker just jumps off the page!
Review: Until recently I'd been reluctant to read LIFE of PI. Somehow I got the idea that the zoo animals aboard the life boat were anthropomorphized. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Richard Parker, the tiger, is one of the most vivid animal characters I have ever read about. He just jumps off the page.
Life of Pi is divided into two segments, before the shipwreck and after. The first part deals with Pi's life in India with his zoo keeper father and his mother and brother. We learn a lot about zoo animals and how well they adapt to their pseudo environment, and this leads right into Pi's religion. He belongs to three of them: Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. He sees merits in all three. Martel hints at similarities between the holy men and the animals. They all mark their territory and when it is discovered that Pi belongs to three churches he is ostracized by all three, because YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE! There are humorous moments in this segment such as when we find out Pi is named after a swimming pool and that his nickname was "Pissing," short for Piscine.
If you're bored by the first half, hang in there, the second half will knock you over. It is simply riveting, and Pi is one of the smartest sixteen-year-olds I have ever encountered. His duel with Richard Parker is more entertaining than Siegfried and Roy.
As you're reading, you will encounter scenes that strain credulity, but don't get too cocky. Yann Martel has anticipated your disbelief. The ending is masterful and leaves you with something to think about after you're finished reading, as all really good books do. It's also very funny. The Japanese interviewers are a hoot.
Rating:
Summary: fun read
Review: This is a fun, quirky, exciting survival story with just enough metaphysical edge to give all you bougey/pseudo-intellectuals an excuse to read an enjoyable book for once.
Rating:
Summary: Very creative story
Review: At the beginning of this book, the reader is told that the main character, Pi Patel, has survived a terrible ordeal aboard a life boat. Pi then proceeds to tell the story in fascinating detail about how his father attempted to move the family from India to Canada. Pi, his parents, and his brother were aboard a ship which sank enroute. He ended up in a life boat with a small group of animals which his zookeeper father was delivering to various destinations. By his wits and by the grace of God, whom he worships as a Christian, a Muslim, and a Hindu, Pi does make it through an experience which would have killed a person with fewer survival skills. At tne end, Pi is questioned by two Japanese men who represent the company who owned the ship that sank. They do not believe his story, so Pi tells a different version to them. The reader is left with the dilemma as to which story is true. This is an extremely well-written, compelling book which you won't soon forget.
Rating:
Summary: Very creative story
Review: At the beginning of this book, the reader learns that the main character, Pi Patel, survived a terrible ordeal aboard a life boat when he was a young boy. He tells the story in fascinating detail of how his father attempted to move his family from India to Canada. Pi, his parents, and his brother were aboard a ship which sank. He ended up in a life boat with a small group of animals, which his zookeeper father was transporting to various places. By his wits and by the grace of God, whom he worships as a Christian, a Muslim, and a Hindu, Pi survives an experience which would have killed a person with less hope or fewer survival skills. At the end, Pi is questioned by two Japanese men who represent the company who owned the ship that sank. They do not believe his story and so Pi tells another version of what happened to him. The reader is left with the dilemma as to which story is true. This is an extremely well-told and creative story which you won't soon forget!
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Summary: Beautifully written but gross
Review: This has been very popular, and gotten great reviews not to mention winning the Mann Booker award, but to be blunt, I didn't enjoy it much. The story was interesting and the main character, Pi, a sixteen year old boy, was wonderful. But despite the fact that I read and enjoy the goriest murders and such in the thrillers that I love, this book was just too disgusting for me. I did enjoy the first half - Pi's family owns a zoo in India, and reading about the lifestyle of a child being raised in a zoo was fascinating, as was learning about all the animals, that was very interesting and informative. And Pi's search for religious enlightenment was touching and at times, laugh out loud funny. But the second half of the book is basically a survivor story, and it left me cold. I found myself skimming through pages of detailed information on one animal eating another while still alive, and various methods of staying alive while eating fish eyes and so forth. I just don't enjoy that sort of thing. Yes, the writing is beautiful and descriptive and the story is compelling. But it's just gross.
Rating:
Summary: Very creative story
Review: At the beginning of this book, the reader is informed that the main character, Pi Patel survived a terrible ordeal aboard a life boat many years ago. During the course of the book, he tells the story in great detail of how his father attempted to move his family from India to Canada. Pi, along with his parents and brother, was aboard a ship that sank. He ended up on a life boat with a small group of animals, which his zookeeper father was transporting to various zoos. By his wits and by the grace of God which he worshipped as a Christian, a Muslim, and a Hindu, Pi does survive an experience which would have killed a person with less hope or fewer survival skills. At the end, Pi is questioned by two Japanese men who represent the company who owned the ship that sank. They do not believe his story and so Pi tells the story again, in a condensed form and changes some of the details. The reader is left with the dilemma as to which story is true. This is an extremely creative book which you won't soon forget!
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