I am sure you have heard about this book before. I was told by friends for close to a year that I should read it. I finally broke down and bought it this past September, and am not sorry I did.
I was really not too sure what to expect from this this book. The cover does not give a lot of details on what is contained inside.
The book is the telling of the events of a ship sinking in the middle of the ocean by Pi Patel, a young boy from India travelling to Canada with his family and the animals from their zoo. Pi's adventures at sea are numerous and his survival story will amaze even the most stubborn.
The telling of life on a small boat in the middle of the ocean with a bengal tiger, a hyena, a zebra, and a orangutan draws the reader into a world of fantasy and reality all at the same time. The ending shocked me and I was impressed with Yann Martel's ability to draw eveything together into such a complete story. Your heart goes out to little Pi Patel and everything he has to endure over the course of the story.
Don't be put off by the book if you pick it up and find the first few chapters slow moving. I promise the book is worth it to continue reading.
I bought this book for religion class, it wound up to be more interesting than I thought it would be. Pi Patel is an interesting character in an unique situation. I enjoyed the easy read and the well thought out story.
This was an excellent book; well written with culturally appropriate details reminiscent of India. The author has the uncanny ability to grafically capture the mind and heart of the main character; the end is shocking, surprising and leaves one with a sense of uncertainty about what is the real story in the book (there are two plots). The book was recommended to me by a friend and I highly recommend it.
I decided to purchase this book as it was my choice for book club this year. It is a wonderful book, especially as a discussion starter. It provokes a multitude of opinions and lively debate. It can be viewed as a terrific adventure story and as a fable with much symbolism. I live in Mexico six months out of the year, so each member of the club is required to purchase enough copies for each person. Ebay is a good source for book multiple purchases of a single title.
I bought this book as a book club selection and really liked it! It took a few chapters to get into it but then I was hooked! I loved the way the author used humor to approach a serious story of human survival.
I just couldnt get into this book. I tried and read up until page 102 out of 326. So I did get a 3rd of the way. Once the tiger got dropped into the boat I was done. As others reviewed it does drag and it is hard to get into. I tried thinking it was just one of those slow books. I gave it a chance because it did win the MAN BOOKER prize. It just wasn't for me. And I'm generally not the kind to give up - If I start a book I almost always finish it, but with so many others purchased lately I'm not going to waste any more time.
A wonderful gripping and suspenseful tale of adventure ala Kon Tiki style. The first few chapters do drag just a bit, but it was necessary for the author to explain Pi's background, beliefs, family, etc. in order for us to understand the main character in his time of diress during his shipwreck voyage. After that, I literally could not put the book down. I had to find out how Pi managed to survive after many months at sea with a tiger. I really liked how the author wrote some chapters in italics, which would indicate a "flash forward" moment when Pi was a much older man. It gave us just a glimpse of how he fared years later. Pi was a very likable character. Very funny in some places and his way of thinking. The back of the book also has book club discussion questions, so would be a perfect choice. Another recommended read to your summer reading list. 5 stars*****
I really enjoyed this one. It was a page turner from start to finish. I finished the book over a week ago, and I still keep thinking of the story. I highly recommend it.
Takes a while to get moving but overall very well written. I found the concept of the book intriguing but it became a little predictable at times. Well worth the time.
It was recommended to me by a friend and it was a great book! The author writes in a manner that makes you feel as if you are there and can feel every emotion this boy is experiencing. It is a tale of the human spirit and courage.
Winner of the prestigious British Booker Prize in 2002, this book tells the story of a boy named Patel and his adventure of being lost at sea for many months. Patel is stranded in a boat along with a tiger, zebra, and hyena. This is storytelling at its best! The first few chapters are relatively slow-moving, but this is necessary for character development and the plot background. A very fun, yet intelligent book that you will enjoy!
One of my good friends suggested I read Life Of Pi. He insisted it was fabulous, had great thoughts, and that I would love it. Now, it might just be one of those books that starts off kind of slow, or maybe it's just not my cup of tea. But after completing the first book (it's separated into three books), I'm still not feeling it. I'm going to force myself to read the rest, but it's definitely not one of those books I just can't put down. I'll try to remember to write another review once I complete the novel to let you know if it improves. It's well written and does include interesting information, I just feel that it's dragging on. However, I am confident that it will improve, which is why I'm not giving up on it completely.
This book was recommended to me by a very well-read friend and critic of mine. I read few books and typically only those that interest me. I thoroughly enjoyed not only the story of "Life of Pi," but also the many beautifully descriptive analogies that brought the story to life time and time again. If you have a weak stomach, you may not enjoy "Life of Pi" since a majority of the story is about Pi's survival on the Pacific Ocean and contains several descripitive accounts of gore as the animals eat each other. The book, however, is definitely worth the read and that should not deter you.