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Life of Pi
Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, a Tamil boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
460 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2001
26.8k people are currently reading
830k people want to read
About the author
Yann Martel
41听books5,069听followersYann Martel is a Canadian author who wrote the Man Booker Prize鈥搘inning novel Life of Pi, an international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and spent more than a year on the bestseller lists of the New York Times and The Globe and Mail, among many other best-selling lists. Life of Pi was adapted for a movie directed by Ang Lee, garnering four Oscars including Best Director and winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Martel is also the author of the novels The High Mountains of Portugal, Beatrice and Virgil, and Self, the collection of stories The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, and a collection of letters to Canada's Prime Minister 101 Letters to a Prime Minister. He has won a number of literary prizes, including the 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the 2002 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
Martel lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with writer Alice Kuipers and their four children. His first language is French, but he writes in English.
Martel is also the author of the novels The High Mountains of Portugal, Beatrice and Virgil, and Self, the collection of stories The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, and a collection of letters to Canada's Prime Minister 101 Letters to a Prime Minister. He has won a number of literary prizes, including the 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the 2002 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
Martel lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with writer Alice Kuipers and their four children. His first language is French, but he writes in English.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55,507 reviews
March 5, 2008
I found a lot of this book incredibly tedious. I tend to avoid the winners of the Man / Booker 鈥� they make me a little depressed. The only Carey I haven鈥檛 liked won the Booker (Oscar and Lucinda), I really didn鈥檛 like the little bit of Vernon God Little I read and I never finished The Sea despite really liking Banville鈥檚 writing. So, being told a book is a winner of the Booker tends to be a mark against it from the start, unfortunately.
I鈥檓 going to have to assume you have read this book, as if I don鈥檛 I won鈥檛 be able to say anything about it at all. Apparently, when Yann Martel wrote this he was feeling a bit down and this was his way of plucking himself up. Well, good on him. That鈥檚 just great. I was a little annoyed when I found out that the person the book is dedicated to had also written a story about a man in a boat with a wild cat and had considered suing for plagiarism.
The book is written by a member of that class of people who are my least favourite; a religious person who cannot conceive of someone not being religious. There is some fluff at the start in which atheism is 鈥榙iscussed鈥� (read, discarded) as something people inevitably give up on with their dying breath. But the religious are generally terribly arrogant, so it is best not to feel insulted by their endless insults 鈥� they know not what they do.
Parts of this were so badly over written that it was almost enough to make me stop reading. The bit where he is opening his first can of water is a case in point. This takes so long and is so incidental to the story and written in such a cutesy way that I started to pray the boat would sink, the tiger would get him 鈥� I would even have accepted God smiting him at this point as a valid plotting point, even if (or particularly because) it would bring the story to an abrupt end.
This is a book told as two possible stories of how a young man survives for 227 days floating across the Pacific Ocean told in 100 chapters. That was the other thing that I found annoying 鈥� much is made of the fact this story is told in 100 chapters 鈥� but I could not feel any necessity for many of the chapters. Just as I could not feel any necessity for the Italic voice that sounded like Tom Waits doing, 鈥淲hat is he building in there?鈥� Well, except to introduce us again to Pi some number of years later. You know, in Invisible Cities Calvino has necessary chapters 鈥� this book just has 100 chapters. It was something that annoyed me from early on in the book 鈥� that the chapters seemed far too arbitrary and pointing it out at the end just made me more irritated. There may well be some Hindu reason for 100 chapters 鈥� but like Jesus ticking off the ancient prophecies on his way to martyrdom, I still couldn鈥檛 see why these chapters were needed in themselves.
Pi is the central character in the book who, for some odd reason, is named after a swimming pool 鈥� I started playing with the ideas of swimming pools and oceans in my head to see where that might lead, but got bored. He is an active, practicing member of three of the world鈥檚 major religions. There is a joke in the early part of the book about him possibly becoming Jewish (ha ha 鈥� or perhaps I should draw a smiley face?). The only religion missing entirely from the book is Buddhism. Well, when I say entirely, it is interesting that it is a Japanese ship that sinks and that the people Pi tells his story to are Japanese engineers. I鈥檝e known Hindus who consider Buddhists to be little more than dirty, filthy atheists 鈥� so perhaps that is one reason why these Japanese engineers are treated with such contempt at the end of the book.
The Japanese make the connections between the two stories 鈥� but we can assume that they stuff up these connections. While it is clear the French Cook is the hyena, Pi鈥檚 mum is the orang-utang, and the Asian gentleman is the zebra, I鈥檓 not convinced Pi is meant to be the tiger. In fact, the one constant (that鈥檚 a pun, by the way, you are supposed to be laughing) in both stories in Pi.
My interpretation is that the tiger is actually God. Angry, jealous, vicious, hard to appease, arbitrary and something that takes up lots of time when you have better things to do 鈥� sounds like God to me.
The last little bit of the book has Pi asking which is the better story- the one with animals or the one he tells with people. I mean, this is an unfair competition 鈥� he has spent chapter after chapter telling the animal story and only the last couple telling the people story. The point of this, though, is Pascal鈥檚 wager said anew. If we can never really know if there is no god and it ultimately makes no difference if we tell the story with him or without him in it, but if the story is more beautiful with him in it 鈥� then why not just accept him in the story and be damned.
Well, because the story isn鈥檛 improved with the animals and life isn鈥檛 just a story and kid鈥檚 stories are great sometimes, but I often like adult stories at least as much 鈥� and sometimes even more.
This is yet another person all alone survival story, but one I don鈥檛 feel that was handled as well as it could have been 鈥� mostly because the writer had an ideological message that he felt was more important than the story 鈥� never a good sign. Worse still, in the end I really couldn鈥檛 care less about Pi 鈥� I knew he was going to survive and knew it would be 鈥榖ecause of鈥� his faith.
He does talk about Jesus鈥� most petulant moment with the fig tree 鈥� so I was quite impressed that rated a mention 鈥� but, all the same, I haven鈥檛 been converted to any or all of the world religions discussed in this book.
Compare this tale with the bit out of A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters about the painting 鈥� I know, it is not a fair comparison, Barnes is a god, but I鈥檝e made it anyway.
I didn鈥檛 really enjoy this book, I felt it tried too hard and didn鈥檛 quite make it. But Christians will love it 鈥� oh yeah 鈥� Christians will definitely love it.
I鈥檓 going to have to assume you have read this book, as if I don鈥檛 I won鈥檛 be able to say anything about it at all. Apparently, when Yann Martel wrote this he was feeling a bit down and this was his way of plucking himself up. Well, good on him. That鈥檚 just great. I was a little annoyed when I found out that the person the book is dedicated to had also written a story about a man in a boat with a wild cat and had considered suing for plagiarism.
The book is written by a member of that class of people who are my least favourite; a religious person who cannot conceive of someone not being religious. There is some fluff at the start in which atheism is 鈥榙iscussed鈥� (read, discarded) as something people inevitably give up on with their dying breath. But the religious are generally terribly arrogant, so it is best not to feel insulted by their endless insults 鈥� they know not what they do.
Parts of this were so badly over written that it was almost enough to make me stop reading. The bit where he is opening his first can of water is a case in point. This takes so long and is so incidental to the story and written in such a cutesy way that I started to pray the boat would sink, the tiger would get him 鈥� I would even have accepted God smiting him at this point as a valid plotting point, even if (or particularly because) it would bring the story to an abrupt end.
This is a book told as two possible stories of how a young man survives for 227 days floating across the Pacific Ocean told in 100 chapters. That was the other thing that I found annoying 鈥� much is made of the fact this story is told in 100 chapters 鈥� but I could not feel any necessity for many of the chapters. Just as I could not feel any necessity for the Italic voice that sounded like Tom Waits doing, 鈥淲hat is he building in there?鈥� Well, except to introduce us again to Pi some number of years later. You know, in Invisible Cities Calvino has necessary chapters 鈥� this book just has 100 chapters. It was something that annoyed me from early on in the book 鈥� that the chapters seemed far too arbitrary and pointing it out at the end just made me more irritated. There may well be some Hindu reason for 100 chapters 鈥� but like Jesus ticking off the ancient prophecies on his way to martyrdom, I still couldn鈥檛 see why these chapters were needed in themselves.
Pi is the central character in the book who, for some odd reason, is named after a swimming pool 鈥� I started playing with the ideas of swimming pools and oceans in my head to see where that might lead, but got bored. He is an active, practicing member of three of the world鈥檚 major religions. There is a joke in the early part of the book about him possibly becoming Jewish (ha ha 鈥� or perhaps I should draw a smiley face?). The only religion missing entirely from the book is Buddhism. Well, when I say entirely, it is interesting that it is a Japanese ship that sinks and that the people Pi tells his story to are Japanese engineers. I鈥檝e known Hindus who consider Buddhists to be little more than dirty, filthy atheists 鈥� so perhaps that is one reason why these Japanese engineers are treated with such contempt at the end of the book.
The Japanese make the connections between the two stories 鈥� but we can assume that they stuff up these connections. While it is clear the French Cook is the hyena, Pi鈥檚 mum is the orang-utang, and the Asian gentleman is the zebra, I鈥檓 not convinced Pi is meant to be the tiger. In fact, the one constant (that鈥檚 a pun, by the way, you are supposed to be laughing) in both stories in Pi.
My interpretation is that the tiger is actually God. Angry, jealous, vicious, hard to appease, arbitrary and something that takes up lots of time when you have better things to do 鈥� sounds like God to me.
The last little bit of the book has Pi asking which is the better story- the one with animals or the one he tells with people. I mean, this is an unfair competition 鈥� he has spent chapter after chapter telling the animal story and only the last couple telling the people story. The point of this, though, is Pascal鈥檚 wager said anew. If we can never really know if there is no god and it ultimately makes no difference if we tell the story with him or without him in it, but if the story is more beautiful with him in it 鈥� then why not just accept him in the story and be damned.
Well, because the story isn鈥檛 improved with the animals and life isn鈥檛 just a story and kid鈥檚 stories are great sometimes, but I often like adult stories at least as much 鈥� and sometimes even more.
This is yet another person all alone survival story, but one I don鈥檛 feel that was handled as well as it could have been 鈥� mostly because the writer had an ideological message that he felt was more important than the story 鈥� never a good sign. Worse still, in the end I really couldn鈥檛 care less about Pi 鈥� I knew he was going to survive and knew it would be 鈥榖ecause of鈥� his faith.
He does talk about Jesus鈥� most petulant moment with the fig tree 鈥� so I was quite impressed that rated a mention 鈥� but, all the same, I haven鈥檛 been converted to any or all of the world religions discussed in this book.
Compare this tale with the bit out of A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters about the painting 鈥� I know, it is not a fair comparison, Barnes is a god, but I鈥檝e made it anyway.
I didn鈥檛 really enjoy this book, I felt it tried too hard and didn鈥檛 quite make it. But Christians will love it 鈥� oh yeah 鈥� Christians will definitely love it.
December 4, 2013
It is not so much that The Life of Pi, is particularly moving (although it is). It isn鈥檛 even so much that it is written with language that is both delicate and sturdy all at once (which it is, as well). And it鈥檚 certainly not that Yann Martel鈥檚 vision filled passages are so precise that you begin to feel the salt water on your skin (even though they are). It is that, like Bohjalian and Byatt and all of the great Houdini鈥檚 of the literary world, in the last few moments of your journey 鈥� after you鈥檝e felt the emotions, endured the moments of heartache, yearned for the resolution of the characters鈥� struggle 鈥� that you realize the book is not what you thought it was. The story transforms, instantly, and forever.
And in those last few chapters, you suddenly realize that the moral has changed as well.
You feel Martel鈥檚 words lingering, suggesting, and you find yourself wondering whether you are his atheist who takes the deathbed leap of faith 鈥� hoping for white light and love? Or the agnostic who , in trying to stay true to his reasonable self, explains the mysteries of life and death in only scientific terms, lacking imagination to the end, and, essentially, missing the better story?
There is no use in trying to provide a brief synopsis for this ravishing tale of a young boy from India left adrift in the Pacific in a lifeboat with a tiger who used to reside in his father鈥檚 zoo in Pondicherry. There is no use because once you finish the book you might decide that this was not, indeed, what the book was about at all. There is no use because, depending on your philosophical bent, the book will mean something very different to your best friend than it will to you. There is no use because it is nearly impossible to describe what makes this book so grand.
Read this book. Not because it is an exceptional piece of literary talent. It is, of course. But there are many good authors and many good books. While uncommon, they are not endangered. Read this book because in recent memory - aside from Jose Saramago鈥檚 arresting Blindness 鈥� there have been no stories which make such grand statements with such few elements. As Pi says in his story 鈥淟ife on a lifeboat isn鈥檛 much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldn鈥檛 be more simple, nor the stakes higher.鈥� It is the same with Martel鈥檚 undulating fable of a book about a boy in a boat with a tiger. A simple story with potentially life altering consequences for it鈥檚 readers.
As Martel writes, "The world isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it, no?" Like Schroedinger's cat in the box, the way this book is understood, the way it is perceived affects what it is. There has been some talk that this book will make it鈥檚 readers believe in god. I think it鈥檚 a question of perspective. To behold this gem of a novel as an adventure of man against the elements (the 鈥渄ry, yeastless factuality鈥� of what actually happened) is certainly one way to go about it. But to understand this piece to be something indescribable, something godlike, is by far the greater leap of faith.
Oh, but worth the leap, if the reader is like that atheist, willing to see the better story.
And in those last few chapters, you suddenly realize that the moral has changed as well.
You feel Martel鈥檚 words lingering, suggesting, and you find yourself wondering whether you are his atheist who takes the deathbed leap of faith 鈥� hoping for white light and love? Or the agnostic who , in trying to stay true to his reasonable self, explains the mysteries of life and death in only scientific terms, lacking imagination to the end, and, essentially, missing the better story?
There is no use in trying to provide a brief synopsis for this ravishing tale of a young boy from India left adrift in the Pacific in a lifeboat with a tiger who used to reside in his father鈥檚 zoo in Pondicherry. There is no use because once you finish the book you might decide that this was not, indeed, what the book was about at all. There is no use because, depending on your philosophical bent, the book will mean something very different to your best friend than it will to you. There is no use because it is nearly impossible to describe what makes this book so grand.
Read this book. Not because it is an exceptional piece of literary talent. It is, of course. But there are many good authors and many good books. While uncommon, they are not endangered. Read this book because in recent memory - aside from Jose Saramago鈥檚 arresting Blindness 鈥� there have been no stories which make such grand statements with such few elements. As Pi says in his story 鈥淟ife on a lifeboat isn鈥檛 much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldn鈥檛 be more simple, nor the stakes higher.鈥� It is the same with Martel鈥檚 undulating fable of a book about a boy in a boat with a tiger. A simple story with potentially life altering consequences for it鈥檚 readers.
As Martel writes, "The world isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it, no?" Like Schroedinger's cat in the box, the way this book is understood, the way it is perceived affects what it is. There has been some talk that this book will make it鈥檚 readers believe in god. I think it鈥檚 a question of perspective. To behold this gem of a novel as an adventure of man against the elements (the 鈥渄ry, yeastless factuality鈥� of what actually happened) is certainly one way to go about it. But to understand this piece to be something indescribable, something godlike, is by far the greater leap of faith.
Oh, but worth the leap, if the reader is like that atheist, willing to see the better story.
January 24, 2008
It's not that it was bad, it's just that I wish the tiger had eaten him so the story wouldn't exist.
I read half of it, and felt really impatient the whole time, skipping whole pages, and then I realized that I didn't have to keep going, which is as spiritual a moment as I could hope to get from this book.
I read half of it, and felt really impatient the whole time, skipping whole pages, and then I realized that I didn't have to keep going, which is as spiritual a moment as I could hope to get from this book.
May 11, 2021
I was extremely surprised by this book. Let me tell you why (it's a funny story):
On the Danish cover it says "Pi's Liv" (Pi's Life), but I hadn't noticed the apostrophe, so I thought it said "Pis Liv" (Piss Life) and I thought that was an interesting title at least, so perhaps I should give it a go. So I did. And... what I read was not at all what I had expected (I thought it was a book about a boy growing up amidst poverty and homelessness). It wasn't until I looked up the book in English I realized the title wasn't "Piss Life". I was deceived for longer than I like to admit and, well, not only about this.
When I first read it I also thought it was based on a true story. I'm not sure why I thought this, I must have misread something (I vaguely recall thinking the prologue was instead an introduction). It was a sad (and ehm, slightly humiliating) day when I discovered the truth lay elsewhere. I guess your romantic beliefs must die someday, and that was the day for me.
See, it's easier to believe in the world and be optimistic about it, when you also believe that world capable of containing a boy and a tiger co-existing on a lifeboat for 7 months and surviving.
The truth is this book probably changed my life, not in any grand, extraordinary way. But with the small things, the small observations. Like how Pi was afraid to run out of paper, to document his days in the lifeboat, and instead he ran out of ink. Like how he chose to embrace three religions, not just one.
This book, and Pi especially, represent and embody a way of life that I admire. It's not about believing in God, but about what it takes to believe in something, anything really. Yourself, the world, goodness, life, God.
If it seemed real enough for me to believe it had happened, perhaps the real world is indeed a place where it could happen. And that's what I want to believe, even if real life might tell me otherwise.
On the Danish cover it says "Pi's Liv" (Pi's Life), but I hadn't noticed the apostrophe, so I thought it said "Pis Liv" (Piss Life) and I thought that was an interesting title at least, so perhaps I should give it a go. So I did. And... what I read was not at all what I had expected (I thought it was a book about a boy growing up amidst poverty and homelessness). It wasn't until I looked up the book in English I realized the title wasn't "Piss Life". I was deceived for longer than I like to admit and, well, not only about this.
When I first read it I also thought it was based on a true story. I'm not sure why I thought this, I must have misread something (I vaguely recall thinking the prologue was instead an introduction). It was a sad (and ehm, slightly humiliating) day when I discovered the truth lay elsewhere. I guess your romantic beliefs must die someday, and that was the day for me.
See, it's easier to believe in the world and be optimistic about it, when you also believe that world capable of containing a boy and a tiger co-existing on a lifeboat for 7 months and surviving.
The truth is this book probably changed my life, not in any grand, extraordinary way. But with the small things, the small observations. Like how Pi was afraid to run out of paper, to document his days in the lifeboat, and instead he ran out of ink. Like how he chose to embrace three religions, not just one.
This book, and Pi especially, represent and embody a way of life that I admire. It's not about believing in God, but about what it takes to believe in something, anything really. Yourself, the world, goodness, life, God.
If it seemed real enough for me to believe it had happened, perhaps the real world is indeed a place where it could happen. And that's what I want to believe, even if real life might tell me otherwise.
September 30, 2023
Rawr.
Piscine Molitor Patel is a young indian boy travelling with his family aboard a freighter through the Pacific seas, and carrying their precious zoo animals to America for relocation. One stormy night the ship suddenly sinks, and he ends up in a small lifeboat with several of their animals and, among them, a huge Bengal tiger. This is the tale of his extraordinary adventure, and how he managed to survive for months stranded in the middle of the seas with little to no resources, and accompanied by one of the deadliest predators in the world.
This was one lovely and painful emotional ride. Loved the origins of Pi, the zoo teachings, and specially the multi-religious Hindu-Christian-Islam approach. The shipwreck was devastating, and so too a big chunk of the time adrift. Pi an incredible little Crusoe, and Richard Parker a terrifying but necessary companionship; a beautiful yet dangerous bonding, but vital, for both. I remember most of my journey with them filled with great apprehension and distress; sure there were beautiful moments and a love and respect for nature rarely seen in other works, yet most of the time lingered a persistent sadness of uncertainty, and much despair before a sometimes cruel sea that took what little they had and didn鈥檛 leave much room for hope. Nevertheless, this was an unforgettable journey so worthy that not once regretted taking.
A fantastic story of survival, courage, spirituality, and love for life and nature. A sublime journey of impossible beauty , with loads moments to remember by. And to top it off, a soul shattering ending likely to never forget . Recommendable. Very.
*** Life of Pi (2012) is a lovely artistic adaptation, extremely faithful to the book, and an excellent complement to the reading. The scenery beyond beautiful, the acting on point, and the special effects impeccable. The film gorgeously captures the best heartfelt parts of the book, and cuts most of the sadness away from it. As usual the book won, I enjoyed it more, but I think only because I read it first and then the surprise was lost. I LOVE the book for its detail and depth, but ultimately I LOVE the movie more for its beautiful uplifting delivery; and a big part of me wishes I鈥檇 watched it first. (8/10)
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2001] [460p] [Fiction] [Highly Recommendable] [Bananas float!]
-----------------------------------------------
Miaw.
Piscine Molitor Patel es un joven muchacho indio viajando con su familia a bordo de un barco carguero a trav茅s del oc茅ano Pacifico, y llevando sus preciados animales de zool贸gico para reubicarlos en Am茅rica. Una noche tormentosa la nave repentinamente se hunde, y 茅l termina en un peque帽o bote salvavidas con varios de los animales, y entre ellos, un gigante tigre Bengala. Esta es la historia de su extraordinaria aventura, y c贸mo logr贸 sobrevivir por meses varado en el medio del oc茅ano con poco y nada de recursos, y acompa帽ado por uno de depredadores m谩s letales de la tierra.
Este fue un adorable y doloroso viaje emocional. Am茅 los or铆genes de Pi, las ense帽anzas del zool贸gico, y especialmente el enfoque multi-religioso Hind煤-Cristiano-Isl谩mico. El naufragio fue devastador, y tambi茅n una gran parte del tiempo a la deriva. Pi un incre铆ble peque帽o Crusoe, y Richard Parker una terror铆fica pero necesaria compa帽铆a; una hermosa pero peligrosa vinculaci贸n, pero vital, para ambos. Recuerdo la mayor铆a del mi viaje con ellos lleno de gran aprehensi贸n y angustia; obvio que hubo hermosos momentos y un amor y respeto por la naturaleza pocas veces visto en otras obras, pero la mayor parte del tiempo permaneci贸 conmigo una persistente tristeza incierta, y mucha desesperanza ante un a veces cruel oc茅ano que tomaba lo poco que ten铆an sin dejar mucho lugar a esperanza. Sin embargo, este fue un viaje inolvidable tan valioso que ni una vez me arrepent铆 de tomarlo.
Una fant谩stica historia de supervivencia, coraje, espiritualidad y amor por la vida y naturaleza. Un sublime viaje de imposible belleza , con muchos momentos para el recuerdo. Y para coronarlo todo, un final que parte el alma imposible de olvidar . Recomendable. Mucho.
*** Una aventura extraordinaria (2012) es una adorable y art铆stica adaptaci贸n, extremadamente fiel al libro, y un excelente complemento para la lectura. La escenograf铆a m谩s all谩 de hermosa, la actuaci贸n acorde, y los efectos especiales impecables. El filme hermosamente captura las partes m谩s sentidas del libro, y corta la mayor铆a de su tristeza. Como usualmente sucede el libro gan贸, lo disfrut茅 m谩s, pero creo que s贸lo porque lo le铆 primero y luego la sorpresa se perdi贸. AMO el libro por el detalle y su profundidad, pero en 煤ltima instancia AMO la pel铆cula m谩s por su hermoso y elevador mensaje a la hora de entregarlo; y gran parte de m铆 desear铆a haberla visto primero. (8/10)
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2001] [460p] [Ficci贸n] [Altamente Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Piscine Molitor Patel is a young indian boy travelling with his family aboard a freighter through the Pacific seas, and carrying their precious zoo animals to America for relocation. One stormy night the ship suddenly sinks, and he ends up in a small lifeboat with several of their animals and, among them, a huge Bengal tiger. This is the tale of his extraordinary adventure, and how he managed to survive for months stranded in the middle of the seas with little to no resources, and accompanied by one of the deadliest predators in the world.
This was one lovely and painful emotional ride. Loved the origins of Pi, the zoo teachings, and specially the multi-religious Hindu-Christian-Islam approach. The shipwreck was devastating, and so too a big chunk of the time adrift. Pi an incredible little Crusoe, and Richard Parker a terrifying but necessary companionship; a beautiful yet dangerous bonding, but vital, for both. I remember most of my journey with them filled with great apprehension and distress; sure there were beautiful moments and a love and respect for nature rarely seen in other works, yet most of the time lingered a persistent sadness of uncertainty, and much despair before a sometimes cruel sea that took what little they had and didn鈥檛 leave much room for hope. Nevertheless, this was an unforgettable journey so worthy that not once regretted taking.
A fantastic story of survival, courage, spirituality, and love for life and nature. A sublime journey of impossible beauty , with loads moments to remember by. And to top it off, a soul shattering ending likely to never forget . Recommendable. Very.
*** Life of Pi (2012) is a lovely artistic adaptation, extremely faithful to the book, and an excellent complement to the reading. The scenery beyond beautiful, the acting on point, and the special effects impeccable. The film gorgeously captures the best heartfelt parts of the book, and cuts most of the sadness away from it. As usual the book won, I enjoyed it more, but I think only because I read it first and then the surprise was lost. I LOVE the book for its detail and depth, but ultimately I LOVE the movie more for its beautiful uplifting delivery; and a big part of me wishes I鈥檇 watched it first. (8/10)
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2001] [460p] [Fiction] [Highly Recommendable] [Bananas float!]
-----------------------------------------------
Miaw.
Piscine Molitor Patel es un joven muchacho indio viajando con su familia a bordo de un barco carguero a trav茅s del oc茅ano Pacifico, y llevando sus preciados animales de zool贸gico para reubicarlos en Am茅rica. Una noche tormentosa la nave repentinamente se hunde, y 茅l termina en un peque帽o bote salvavidas con varios de los animales, y entre ellos, un gigante tigre Bengala. Esta es la historia de su extraordinaria aventura, y c贸mo logr贸 sobrevivir por meses varado en el medio del oc茅ano con poco y nada de recursos, y acompa帽ado por uno de depredadores m谩s letales de la tierra.
Este fue un adorable y doloroso viaje emocional. Am茅 los or铆genes de Pi, las ense帽anzas del zool贸gico, y especialmente el enfoque multi-religioso Hind煤-Cristiano-Isl谩mico. El naufragio fue devastador, y tambi茅n una gran parte del tiempo a la deriva. Pi un incre铆ble peque帽o Crusoe, y Richard Parker una terror铆fica pero necesaria compa帽铆a; una hermosa pero peligrosa vinculaci贸n, pero vital, para ambos. Recuerdo la mayor铆a del mi viaje con ellos lleno de gran aprehensi贸n y angustia; obvio que hubo hermosos momentos y un amor y respeto por la naturaleza pocas veces visto en otras obras, pero la mayor parte del tiempo permaneci贸 conmigo una persistente tristeza incierta, y mucha desesperanza ante un a veces cruel oc茅ano que tomaba lo poco que ten铆an sin dejar mucho lugar a esperanza. Sin embargo, este fue un viaje inolvidable tan valioso que ni una vez me arrepent铆 de tomarlo.
Una fant谩stica historia de supervivencia, coraje, espiritualidad y amor por la vida y naturaleza. Un sublime viaje de imposible belleza , con muchos momentos para el recuerdo. Y para coronarlo todo, un final que parte el alma imposible de olvidar . Recomendable. Mucho.
*** Una aventura extraordinaria (2012) es una adorable y art铆stica adaptaci贸n, extremadamente fiel al libro, y un excelente complemento para la lectura. La escenograf铆a m谩s all谩 de hermosa, la actuaci贸n acorde, y los efectos especiales impecables. El filme hermosamente captura las partes m谩s sentidas del libro, y corta la mayor铆a de su tristeza. Como usualmente sucede el libro gan贸, lo disfrut茅 m谩s, pero creo que s贸lo porque lo le铆 primero y luego la sorpresa se perdi贸. AMO el libro por el detalle y su profundidad, pero en 煤ltima instancia AMO la pel铆cula m谩s por su hermoso y elevador mensaje a la hora de entregarlo; y gran parte de m铆 desear铆a haberla visto primero. (8/10)
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NOTA PERSONAL :
[2001] [460p] [Ficci贸n] [Altamente Recomendable]
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March 1, 2021
鈥榣ife is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it - a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can.鈥�
and sometimes stories are so beautiful that souls have fallen in a love with them - a tender, quiet love that nurtures what it can.
this is one of those stories.
its a story that will always have a special place in my heart. its one of the only books that has ever made me re-evaluate my beliefs on faith, it helped me further realise the impact and importance of the connection between humans and animals, and it planted a seed of hope that life can be beautiful, even in the most harrowing of circumstances.
this is the kind of story that will always teach life lessons, no matter at which age you read it and regardless of the amount of re-reads. you will always walk away from this book having learnt something new about life, the world, and about yourself.
it is truly one of the most beautiful stories i have ever had the privilege of reading.
鈫� 5 stars
and sometimes stories are so beautiful that souls have fallen in a love with them - a tender, quiet love that nurtures what it can.
this is one of those stories.
its a story that will always have a special place in my heart. its one of the only books that has ever made me re-evaluate my beliefs on faith, it helped me further realise the impact and importance of the connection between humans and animals, and it planted a seed of hope that life can be beautiful, even in the most harrowing of circumstances.
this is the kind of story that will always teach life lessons, no matter at which age you read it and regardless of the amount of re-reads. you will always walk away from this book having learnt something new about life, the world, and about yourself.
it is truly one of the most beautiful stories i have ever had the privilege of reading.
鈫� 5 stars
August 12, 2024
Richard Parker Is Unforgettable
Very rarely does a character stay with you for life. But this story is one that I will carry with me.
Life of Pi starts in India with a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel, also known by his nickname Pi. His family historically has operated a zoo but decides to relocate to Canada. Things don鈥檛 go quite as expected when the ship carrying them to Canada sinks.
Pi spends 227 days searching for land with a tiger named Richard Parker.
Parallels to Real Life
Did you know that Jose Salvador Alvarenga was adrift for 438 days at sea? He went fishing off the coast of Mexico on November 17, 2012. After drifting for more than a year, he spotted Marshall Islands and swam to shore.
Deep Questions
There were some really interesting questions that are raised in the Life of Pi:
What gets you up in the morning? What wakes you up out of your bed and inspires you to put one foot in front of the other, to make this existence meaningful and worthwhile? What is your tiger?
Why are the stories that we tell ourselves important?
Book Versus Movie
As someone who has both read the book and viewed the movie, I would recommend reading the book before watching the movie. However, both are excellent, and I really enjoyed the vibrant, rich colors in the movie.
Overall, an unforgettable book that will always make me think twice before boarding a boat. Now, I just need to find a cat to adopt and name him Richard Parker鈥︹€�.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Very rarely does a character stay with you for life. But this story is one that I will carry with me.
Life of Pi starts in India with a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel, also known by his nickname Pi. His family historically has operated a zoo but decides to relocate to Canada. Things don鈥檛 go quite as expected when the ship carrying them to Canada sinks.
Pi spends 227 days searching for land with a tiger named Richard Parker.
Parallels to Real Life
Did you know that Jose Salvador Alvarenga was adrift for 438 days at sea? He went fishing off the coast of Mexico on November 17, 2012. After drifting for more than a year, he spotted Marshall Islands and swam to shore.
Deep Questions
There were some really interesting questions that are raised in the Life of Pi:
What gets you up in the morning? What wakes you up out of your bed and inspires you to put one foot in front of the other, to make this existence meaningful and worthwhile? What is your tiger?
Why are the stories that we tell ourselves important?
Book Versus Movie
As someone who has both read the book and viewed the movie, I would recommend reading the book before watching the movie. However, both are excellent, and I really enjoyed the vibrant, rich colors in the movie.
Overall, an unforgettable book that will always make me think twice before boarding a boat. Now, I just need to find a cat to adopt and name him Richard Parker鈥︹€�.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
March 24, 2008
Sift a pinch of psychology with a scant tablespoon of theology, add one part Island of the Blue Dolphin with two parts philosophy, mix with a pastry blender or the back of a fork until crumbly but not dry and there you have Pi and his lame-o, cheesed out, boat ride to enlightenment.
Actually I liked the beginning of this book- loved Pi's decleration and re-naming of himself, his adding religions like daisy's to a chain, and was really diggin on the family as a whole and then....then, then, then the tarpaulin.
I did learn some things though, I learned that:
a). cookies work wonders in assuaging heated arguments.
b). Tiger turds do NOT taste good, no mater how hungry you are and hold absolutely no nutritional value (actualy this might apply only to turds obtained from tigers that have been floating on rafts for several weeks/months? I think I'll apply it as a general rule).
I wanted to like this book more - I loved the cover and then there's that little golden seal that keeps going psst, psst, you don't get it - it's waaaay deep, you missed the whole point. But I think no, I got the point, like a 2 by 4 to the forehead I got the dang point!
What I lack in spelling, this author lacks in subtlty. I felt like the ending was a study guide/cliff notes pamphlet/wikepedia entry all in one.
I love Pi in the first 3rd, I understand the merits of Pi in the raft (just not my thing), but pi in the last bit - ugh, ugh,ugh! I'm chocking on the authors shoving of moral down my throat - help! help! I can't breath.......
2 stars for the beginning, negative 3 stars for the ending, add something (or subtract to make it equal a positive - ????) and there you have my 2 starred LIfe of Pi review.
Actually I liked the beginning of this book- loved Pi's decleration and re-naming of himself, his adding religions like daisy's to a chain, and was really diggin on the family as a whole and then....then, then, then the tarpaulin.
I did learn some things though, I learned that:
a). cookies work wonders in assuaging heated arguments.
b). Tiger turds do NOT taste good, no mater how hungry you are and hold absolutely no nutritional value (actualy this might apply only to turds obtained from tigers that have been floating on rafts for several weeks/months? I think I'll apply it as a general rule).
I wanted to like this book more - I loved the cover and then there's that little golden seal that keeps going psst, psst, you don't get it - it's waaaay deep, you missed the whole point. But I think no, I got the point, like a 2 by 4 to the forehead I got the dang point!
What I lack in spelling, this author lacks in subtlty. I felt like the ending was a study guide/cliff notes pamphlet/wikepedia entry all in one.
I love Pi in the first 3rd, I understand the merits of Pi in the raft (just not my thing), but pi in the last bit - ugh, ugh,ugh! I'm chocking on the authors shoving of moral down my throat - help! help! I can't breath.......
2 stars for the beginning, negative 3 stars for the ending, add something (or subtract to make it equal a positive - ????) and there you have my 2 starred LIfe of Pi review.
December 10, 2020
The Written Review:
Big Bois.
Everyone's heard of them. The Libraries are full of them. But are they worth it?
for my video review of the big bois in my life.
The beginning is rough.
It's all like - Why do we keep going on and on about religion? Where's the boat? Where's the tiger?
Stop and enjoy the roses.
The book will get to the tiger part when it wants to.
Young Pi ( Piscine "Pi" Patel ) spends the first part of the book joining the Christian, Muslim and Hindu faiths.
It's not a matter of he can't choose a religion - it's that he is able simultaneously believe in all of them.
The philosophical musings and religious prose provide an extremely interesting insight on how these religions intersect:
If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if He burst out from the Cross, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' then surely we are also permitted doubt. But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.And then...you get to the tiger part!
Pi Patel's life quickly shifts from one of religious philosophy and animal care (at his family's zoo) to one of great uncertainty.
His family is closing their Indian zoo and they need to travel by boat to a new county. Whatever animals they couldn't sell or trade are on the ship.
Only, something goes wrong.
Very. Wrong.
The ship is capsizing and it looks like neither human nor animal will make it out alive.
Soon, Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with a menagerie of animals and within an adventure he will surely never forget.
Dare I say I miss him? I do. I miss him. I still see him in my dreams. They are nightmares mostly, but nightmares tinged with love. Such is the strangeness of the human heart.Note:
Four stars because I have a selective memory and overall enjoyed the book.
| | | | | Snapchat @miranda_reads
March 25, 2013
Life of Pi was a fairly engaging story in terms of plot and character, but what made it such a memorable book, for me at least, was its thematic concerns. Is it a "story that will make you believe in God," as Pi claims? I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I would recommend it to people who enjoy thinking about the nature of reality and the role of faith in our lives.
To me, the entire thrust of the book is the idea that reality is a story, and therefore we can choose our own story (as the author himself puts it). So if life is a story, we have two basic choices: we can limit ourselves only to what we can know for sure - that is, to "dry, yeastless factuality" - or we can choose "the better story." I suppose in Pi's world the "better story" includes God, but he doesn't say this is the only meaningful possibility. In fact, Pi calls atheists his "brothers and sisters of a different faith," because, like Pi, atheists "go as far as the legs of reason will carry them - and then they leap."
Pi's point, in my opinion, is that human experience always involves interpretation, that our knowledge is necessarily limited, that both religious belief and atheism require a leap of faith of one kind or another - after all, there's so little we can know for sure. For Pi, then, we shouldn't limit ourselves only to beliefs that can be proven empirically. Instead, we should make choices that bring meaning and richness to our lives; we should exercise faith and strive for ideals (whatever the object of our faith and whatever those ideals might be). Or, as Pi says in taking a shot at agnosticism: "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."
In the end, however, I didn't necessarily read this book as an invitation to believe in God. Instead, I saw it as a mirror held up to the reader, a test to see what kind of worldview the reader holds. That is, as Pi himself says, since "it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with the animals or the story without the animals?" Or, as I took it: Is it my nature to reach for and believe the better but less likely story? Or do I tend to believe the more likely but less lovely story? What view of reality do I generally hold?
Another equally important question is this: How did I come by my view of reality? Do I view the world primarily through the lens of reason? Or do I view it through the lens of emotion? For Pi, I think it's safe to say his belief comes by way of emotion. He has, as one reviewer noted, a certain skepticism about reason (in fact, Pi calls it "fool's gold for the bright"). Pi also has what I would call a subtle but real basis for his belief in God, namely, "an intellect confounded yet a trusting sense of presence and ultimate purpose." But belief still isn't easy for him. Despite his trusting sense of purpose, Pi acknowledges that "Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer." So it's not that a life of faith is easier, in Pi's opinion, it's that for him belief is ultimately more worthwhile.
This is not to say, however, that Pi holds a thoroughly postmodern view of God or that he believes as a matter of art rather than in a sincere way. True, Pi suggests that whether you believe his story had a tiger in it is also a reflection of your ability to believe in something higher. And of course it's easy to read Pi's entire story as an attempt to put an acceptable gloss on a horrific experience. Still, there are a number of clues throughout the book that give the reader at least some reason to believe Pi's story did have a tiger in it (for instance, the floating banana and the meerkat bones).
As such, Pi's two stories could be seen as an acknowledgement that both atheism and belief in God require some faith, and therefore it's up to each of us to choose the way of life that makes us the happiest. He's not necessarily saying that the truth is what you make it, he's saying we don't have unadulterated access to the truth: our imagination, personalities, and experiences unavoidably influence the way we interact with the world. But that's not the same as saying whatever we imagine is true. I think Pi, for instance, knows which of his stories is true. It's not Pi but the reader who is left with uncertainty and who therefore has to throw her hands up and say "I don't know," or else choose one story or the other. And to me, this isn't too far off from the predicament we all find ourselves in.
And that's what makes Life of Pi such a challenge to the reader: Pi's first story is fantastic, wonderful, but hard to believe. Yet there's some evidence that it happened just the way he said it did. And Pi's second story is brutal, terrible, but much easier to accept as true. Yet it's not entirely plausible either, and it leaves no room for the meerkat bones or Pi's "trusting sense of presence and ultimate purpose." If the reader personally dismisses the tiger story out of hand, I suppose that's another way of saying the reader, by nature, tends to believe the more likely but less lovely story. In the same way, if the reader gets to the story's payoff and still believes there was a tiger in the boat, the reader is probably inclined to believe the more emotionally satisfying story. But it should be born in mind that Pi doesn't definitively state which story was true, something which only he can know for sure. All we can really be sure of, in Pi's universe, is that he was stuck on a lifeboat for a while before making it to shore. So which story do I believe? I struggled with that question for a long time. But after thinking about it for a couple of days, I'll end this review with the final lines from the book: "Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal Tiger."
To me, the entire thrust of the book is the idea that reality is a story, and therefore we can choose our own story (as the author himself puts it). So if life is a story, we have two basic choices: we can limit ourselves only to what we can know for sure - that is, to "dry, yeastless factuality" - or we can choose "the better story." I suppose in Pi's world the "better story" includes God, but he doesn't say this is the only meaningful possibility. In fact, Pi calls atheists his "brothers and sisters of a different faith," because, like Pi, atheists "go as far as the legs of reason will carry them - and then they leap."
Pi's point, in my opinion, is that human experience always involves interpretation, that our knowledge is necessarily limited, that both religious belief and atheism require a leap of faith of one kind or another - after all, there's so little we can know for sure. For Pi, then, we shouldn't limit ourselves only to beliefs that can be proven empirically. Instead, we should make choices that bring meaning and richness to our lives; we should exercise faith and strive for ideals (whatever the object of our faith and whatever those ideals might be). Or, as Pi says in taking a shot at agnosticism: "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."
In the end, however, I didn't necessarily read this book as an invitation to believe in God. Instead, I saw it as a mirror held up to the reader, a test to see what kind of worldview the reader holds. That is, as Pi himself says, since "it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with the animals or the story without the animals?" Or, as I took it: Is it my nature to reach for and believe the better but less likely story? Or do I tend to believe the more likely but less lovely story? What view of reality do I generally hold?
Another equally important question is this: How did I come by my view of reality? Do I view the world primarily through the lens of reason? Or do I view it through the lens of emotion? For Pi, I think it's safe to say his belief comes by way of emotion. He has, as one reviewer noted, a certain skepticism about reason (in fact, Pi calls it "fool's gold for the bright"). Pi also has what I would call a subtle but real basis for his belief in God, namely, "an intellect confounded yet a trusting sense of presence and ultimate purpose." But belief still isn't easy for him. Despite his trusting sense of purpose, Pi acknowledges that "Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer." So it's not that a life of faith is easier, in Pi's opinion, it's that for him belief is ultimately more worthwhile.
This is not to say, however, that Pi holds a thoroughly postmodern view of God or that he believes as a matter of art rather than in a sincere way. True, Pi suggests that whether you believe his story had a tiger in it is also a reflection of your ability to believe in something higher. And of course it's easy to read Pi's entire story as an attempt to put an acceptable gloss on a horrific experience. Still, there are a number of clues throughout the book that give the reader at least some reason to believe Pi's story did have a tiger in it (for instance, the floating banana and the meerkat bones).
As such, Pi's two stories could be seen as an acknowledgement that both atheism and belief in God require some faith, and therefore it's up to each of us to choose the way of life that makes us the happiest. He's not necessarily saying that the truth is what you make it, he's saying we don't have unadulterated access to the truth: our imagination, personalities, and experiences unavoidably influence the way we interact with the world. But that's not the same as saying whatever we imagine is true. I think Pi, for instance, knows which of his stories is true. It's not Pi but the reader who is left with uncertainty and who therefore has to throw her hands up and say "I don't know," or else choose one story or the other. And to me, this isn't too far off from the predicament we all find ourselves in.
And that's what makes Life of Pi such a challenge to the reader: Pi's first story is fantastic, wonderful, but hard to believe. Yet there's some evidence that it happened just the way he said it did. And Pi's second story is brutal, terrible, but much easier to accept as true. Yet it's not entirely plausible either, and it leaves no room for the meerkat bones or Pi's "trusting sense of presence and ultimate purpose." If the reader personally dismisses the tiger story out of hand, I suppose that's another way of saying the reader, by nature, tends to believe the more likely but less lovely story. In the same way, if the reader gets to the story's payoff and still believes there was a tiger in the boat, the reader is probably inclined to believe the more emotionally satisfying story. But it should be born in mind that Pi doesn't definitively state which story was true, something which only he can know for sure. All we can really be sure of, in Pi's universe, is that he was stuck on a lifeboat for a while before making it to shore. So which story do I believe? I struggled with that question for a long time. But after thinking about it for a couple of days, I'll end this review with the final lines from the book: "Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal Tiger."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 29, 2016
I read this book two years ago, but when we discussed it this month for book club, I remembered how much I liked it. A good discussion always ups my appreciation of a novel as does an ending that makes me requestion my givens in the story. I find myself reading contradictory interpretations and agreeing with both sides. That's the beauty of symbolism: as long as you back up your cause, it's plausible.
Initially it took me several weeks to get into the book. The beginning reads more like a textbook with inserted clips of the main character's future self. While the knowledge I gained about zoology and theology was interesting, it wasn't intriguing enough to keep me awake for more than a few pages at a time and often I found the tidbits a confusing distraction. But with distance I enjoyed the backdrop information it offered. If you're struggling through the initial background, jump ahead to the second section. Yeah it's important, but it's not vital. And maybe once you've read the story you'll want to come back and appreciate his analysis.
I highly enjoyed this strange journey at sea and found it almost believable--until the castaways encounter the island at which point I wondered how much of his sanity wavered. Being shipwreck is one of a plethora of phobias I have. Throw on top my even stronger fear of tigers and this was a story straight out of a nightmare, one that kept me intrigued for a resolution. How could a boy keep the upper hand shipwrecked with a tiger? I had a picture in my head of Pi clinging to the side of the boat to avoid both the salty water infested with sharks and a foodless boat housing a hungry carnivore.
I found myself stuck in the unusual place where as a reader I find a story plausible with full knowledge that had this story been presented in real life I would have doubted its authenticity. I wanted to believe the story and all its fantasy. The end initially annoyed me, but if you look at the rich metaphors in the story, it becomes delectable for a story analyst like me. There is nothing I enjoy more than tearing apart a story and pulling out the intentions and symbols buried inside. Instead of just a fantastical story, you find a fable with a moral.
Spoilers here.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can."
"It was my luck to have a few good teachers in my youth, men and women who came into my dark head and lit a match."
"Doubt is useful for a while...But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."
"All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways."
"Memory is an ocean and he bobs on the surface."
"First wonder goes deepest; wonder after that fits in the impression made by the first."
"The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart."
Initially it took me several weeks to get into the book. The beginning reads more like a textbook with inserted clips of the main character's future self. While the knowledge I gained about zoology and theology was interesting, it wasn't intriguing enough to keep me awake for more than a few pages at a time and often I found the tidbits a confusing distraction. But with distance I enjoyed the backdrop information it offered. If you're struggling through the initial background, jump ahead to the second section. Yeah it's important, but it's not vital. And maybe once you've read the story you'll want to come back and appreciate his analysis.
I highly enjoyed this strange journey at sea and found it almost believable--until the castaways encounter the island at which point I wondered how much of his sanity wavered. Being shipwreck is one of a plethora of phobias I have. Throw on top my even stronger fear of tigers and this was a story straight out of a nightmare, one that kept me intrigued for a resolution. How could a boy keep the upper hand shipwrecked with a tiger? I had a picture in my head of Pi clinging to the side of the boat to avoid both the salty water infested with sharks and a foodless boat housing a hungry carnivore.
I found myself stuck in the unusual place where as a reader I find a story plausible with full knowledge that had this story been presented in real life I would have doubted its authenticity. I wanted to believe the story and all its fantasy. The end initially annoyed me, but if you look at the rich metaphors in the story, it becomes delectable for a story analyst like me. There is nothing I enjoy more than tearing apart a story and pulling out the intentions and symbols buried inside. Instead of just a fantastical story, you find a fable with a moral.
Spoilers here.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can."
"It was my luck to have a few good teachers in my youth, men and women who came into my dark head and lit a match."
"Doubt is useful for a while...But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."
"All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways."
"Memory is an ocean and he bobs on the surface."
"First wonder goes deepest; wonder after that fits in the impression made by the first."
"The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart."
June 6, 2008
No need to reinvent the wheel. Here's my Amazon.com review:
It doesn't matter whether what you tell people is truth or fiction, because there's no such thing as truth, no real difference between fantasy and reality, so you might as well go with the more interesting story. That's "Life of Pi" in a nutshell. Sorry to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet.
Remember that season of the TV series "Dallas" that turned out to be just a dream? That's kind of how you feel after you've invested hours of your time reading page after page of a quite engrossing survival narrative, only to find out that it was all something the survivor made up.
Or was it? Ah, there's the twist that we're supposed to find so clever. But the officials from the ship company who tell Pi they don't believe his story are such hopelessly weak strawmen that the author pretty much forces you to accept the "better story." Pi, and, by extension, Martel, have no patience for the "dry, yeastless factuality" that the ship officials want, you see. Never mind whether it's closer to the truth -- it's just too boring, and we need colorful stories to make our lives richer. Besides, Pi and Martel say, as soon as something leaves your mouth, it's no longer reality -- it's only your interpretation of reality. So why bother grasping for the truth? You prefer the Creation story to the Big Bang? Then go with the Creation story, even if it defies logic and scientific discovery.
That's all well and good. Everyone likes a good story. But there's a time and a place for them, and the ship officials didn't need a story -- they needed to know what happened to their ship. To that end, Pi's entire tale is irrelevant anyway. And that, in turn, makes you wonder what the whole point of the book was. Other than, maybe, to laud the power of storytelling in a really hamfisted manner. Or to advocate for taking refuge in fantastical fiction when reality is too harsh. Or to champion shallow religious beliefs ("Why, Islam is nothing but an easy sort of exercise, I thought. Hot-weather yoga for the Bedouins. Asanas without sweat, heaven without strain."). Or to bash agnostics. Or something.
Be advised that this is not a book for children or the squeamish. Pi's transformation from vegetarian to unflinching killer, and Richard Parker's dietary habits, are rife with gratuituously gory details about the manner in which animals suffer and are killed and eaten.
The story promises to make you believe in God. Yet with Martel's insistence that a well-crafted story is just as good as or even preferable to reality, he leaves us not believing in a god of any kind, but rather suggesting that we embrace the stories that religions have made up about their gods, regardless of those stories' relation to scientific knowledge, since the stories are so darn nice, comfy, warm, and fuzzy in comparison with real life. Whether the God in the stories actually exists, meanwhile, becomes totally irrelevant. So ultimately, Martel makes a case for why he thinks people SHOULD believe in God -- it's a respite from harsh reality, we're told, a way to hide from life rather than meet it head-on with all of its pains and struggles -- and that's quite different from what he ostensibly set out to do. He trivializes God into a "nice story," a trite characterization sure to offend many readers.
Pi sums up this postmodern worldview by telling the ship investigators, "The world isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no?" Well, no, the world IS just the way it is, in all of its highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies, happiness and sadness. But Pi and Martel's solution is to avoid the whole messy thing altogether, pretend that the way things are don't really exist, and pull a security blanket of fiction over your head. Create your own reality as you see fit. That's called escapism. It's fine when you want to curl up with a good book on a rainy day and get lost in the story for a few hours, but it's a lousy way to try to deal with real life.
Pi would tell me that I lack imagination, just as he told the investigators they lacked imagination when Pi claimed he couldn't "imagine" a bonsai tree since he's never seen one, as a way of mocking the investigators' reluctance to believe in Pi's carnivorous island. (Nice cultural stereotyping with the bonsai, by the way -- the investigators are Japanese.) But you see the problem, right? It's not a matter of lacking imagination. It's a matter of conflating things that are obviously imaginary with things that are obviously real. They're not one and the same. It's ludicrous to suggest otherwise. You might as well say that the story of Frodo and the Ring is every bit as real as the American Revolution.
Pi also tells us, quite pointedly, that choosing agnosticism is immobilizing, while atheists and religious folks make a courageous leap of faith. Yet immobility is precisely where Pi places us, so that by the time the book ends, you're stuck not knowing what to think about what you've just read. Do you accept the original shipwreck story just because it's more engrossing, even if it's less believable? Or do you accept the plausible but boring story Pi gives to the officials after he's rescued? Fanciful religious allegories or cold, scientific recitation of facts that might come from the mouth of an atheist -- we're expected to pick one or the other.
But it's a false dichotomy. We needn't make a choice between embracing religious tales merely because they're more interesting or settling for the sobering realities of science and reason. We can go as far as our reason will take us and then leave ourselves open to further possibilities -- just as Pi himself suggests. That's not immobility. That's intellectual honesty -- an admission that I don't know all the answers but am willing to keep an open mind about whatever else is presented to me.
Seems better than saying you might as well just accept the better story since it really makes no difference. That's laziness. And it doesn't make for a very good story.
It doesn't matter whether what you tell people is truth or fiction, because there's no such thing as truth, no real difference between fantasy and reality, so you might as well go with the more interesting story. That's "Life of Pi" in a nutshell. Sorry to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet.
Remember that season of the TV series "Dallas" that turned out to be just a dream? That's kind of how you feel after you've invested hours of your time reading page after page of a quite engrossing survival narrative, only to find out that it was all something the survivor made up.
Or was it? Ah, there's the twist that we're supposed to find so clever. But the officials from the ship company who tell Pi they don't believe his story are such hopelessly weak strawmen that the author pretty much forces you to accept the "better story." Pi, and, by extension, Martel, have no patience for the "dry, yeastless factuality" that the ship officials want, you see. Never mind whether it's closer to the truth -- it's just too boring, and we need colorful stories to make our lives richer. Besides, Pi and Martel say, as soon as something leaves your mouth, it's no longer reality -- it's only your interpretation of reality. So why bother grasping for the truth? You prefer the Creation story to the Big Bang? Then go with the Creation story, even if it defies logic and scientific discovery.
That's all well and good. Everyone likes a good story. But there's a time and a place for them, and the ship officials didn't need a story -- they needed to know what happened to their ship. To that end, Pi's entire tale is irrelevant anyway. And that, in turn, makes you wonder what the whole point of the book was. Other than, maybe, to laud the power of storytelling in a really hamfisted manner. Or to advocate for taking refuge in fantastical fiction when reality is too harsh. Or to champion shallow religious beliefs ("Why, Islam is nothing but an easy sort of exercise, I thought. Hot-weather yoga for the Bedouins. Asanas without sweat, heaven without strain."). Or to bash agnostics. Or something.
Be advised that this is not a book for children or the squeamish. Pi's transformation from vegetarian to unflinching killer, and Richard Parker's dietary habits, are rife with gratuituously gory details about the manner in which animals suffer and are killed and eaten.
The story promises to make you believe in God. Yet with Martel's insistence that a well-crafted story is just as good as or even preferable to reality, he leaves us not believing in a god of any kind, but rather suggesting that we embrace the stories that religions have made up about their gods, regardless of those stories' relation to scientific knowledge, since the stories are so darn nice, comfy, warm, and fuzzy in comparison with real life. Whether the God in the stories actually exists, meanwhile, becomes totally irrelevant. So ultimately, Martel makes a case for why he thinks people SHOULD believe in God -- it's a respite from harsh reality, we're told, a way to hide from life rather than meet it head-on with all of its pains and struggles -- and that's quite different from what he ostensibly set out to do. He trivializes God into a "nice story," a trite characterization sure to offend many readers.
Pi sums up this postmodern worldview by telling the ship investigators, "The world isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no?" Well, no, the world IS just the way it is, in all of its highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies, happiness and sadness. But Pi and Martel's solution is to avoid the whole messy thing altogether, pretend that the way things are don't really exist, and pull a security blanket of fiction over your head. Create your own reality as you see fit. That's called escapism. It's fine when you want to curl up with a good book on a rainy day and get lost in the story for a few hours, but it's a lousy way to try to deal with real life.
Pi would tell me that I lack imagination, just as he told the investigators they lacked imagination when Pi claimed he couldn't "imagine" a bonsai tree since he's never seen one, as a way of mocking the investigators' reluctance to believe in Pi's carnivorous island. (Nice cultural stereotyping with the bonsai, by the way -- the investigators are Japanese.) But you see the problem, right? It's not a matter of lacking imagination. It's a matter of conflating things that are obviously imaginary with things that are obviously real. They're not one and the same. It's ludicrous to suggest otherwise. You might as well say that the story of Frodo and the Ring is every bit as real as the American Revolution.
Pi also tells us, quite pointedly, that choosing agnosticism is immobilizing, while atheists and religious folks make a courageous leap of faith. Yet immobility is precisely where Pi places us, so that by the time the book ends, you're stuck not knowing what to think about what you've just read. Do you accept the original shipwreck story just because it's more engrossing, even if it's less believable? Or do you accept the plausible but boring story Pi gives to the officials after he's rescued? Fanciful religious allegories or cold, scientific recitation of facts that might come from the mouth of an atheist -- we're expected to pick one or the other.
But it's a false dichotomy. We needn't make a choice between embracing religious tales merely because they're more interesting or settling for the sobering realities of science and reason. We can go as far as our reason will take us and then leave ourselves open to further possibilities -- just as Pi himself suggests. That's not immobility. That's intellectual honesty -- an admission that I don't know all the answers but am willing to keep an open mind about whatever else is presented to me.
Seems better than saying you might as well just accept the better story since it really makes no difference. That's laziness. And it doesn't make for a very good story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2020
On the surface Life of Pi is a funny little book, heart-warming and audacious, but dig a little deeper and you鈥檒l see how complex the story actually is.
The magically real elements make the story doubt itself; they call into question the probability of these events actually happening because they are so ridiculously unrealistic. As Pi says to those that disbelieve him:
"I know what you want. You want a story that won't surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won't make you see higher or further or differently. You want a flat story. An immobile story. You want dry, yeastless factuality.鈥�
Such an assertion questions the truth of fiction. The details aren鈥檛 important. Change but a few of them and the journey Pi goes on remains the same. It does not matter if he was trapped on the boat with a bunch of zoo animals or people that reflected the animals in his life, the story remains the same: the truth is not changed. Belief is stretched to absolute breaking point and sometimes it needs to be with a story like this.
And such a thing harkens to the religious ideas Pi holds. He practices several religions believing they all serve the same purpose. This never wavers despite the violent and desperate times he eventually faces. And I really did appreciate this idea; it demonstrates unity in a world divided over matters of faith when it should not be. Again, are the details really that important? To a religious zealot such a thing boarders on blasphemy, though the harmony of such an idea speaks for itself in this book.
鈥淚f you stumble about believability, what are you living for? Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?鈥�
Although I disagree with many of the sentiments in this book, sentiments that may belong to Pi as our narrator and perhaps even to the author himself, I appreciated the degree of time taken to clarify them. The stance on religion was an interesting one with disbelief being compared to a lack of movement in one鈥檚 life (not something that I see as truth.)
Zoos are also described as places of wonderment for animals rich in safety and easy living, which can be true in some cases, though the horrors of bad commercial zoos and the cruelty and exploitation that go with them are completely ignored. For me, this is not a point that can be overlooked in such fiction or in life. To do so is somewhat na茂ve no matter the good intentions of Pi.
I did not love Life of Pi, I never could, though it is a book that made me think about the purposes of fiction and the power of stories, true or untrue.
The magically real elements make the story doubt itself; they call into question the probability of these events actually happening because they are so ridiculously unrealistic. As Pi says to those that disbelieve him:
"I know what you want. You want a story that won't surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won't make you see higher or further or differently. You want a flat story. An immobile story. You want dry, yeastless factuality.鈥�
Such an assertion questions the truth of fiction. The details aren鈥檛 important. Change but a few of them and the journey Pi goes on remains the same. It does not matter if he was trapped on the boat with a bunch of zoo animals or people that reflected the animals in his life, the story remains the same: the truth is not changed. Belief is stretched to absolute breaking point and sometimes it needs to be with a story like this.
And such a thing harkens to the religious ideas Pi holds. He practices several religions believing they all serve the same purpose. This never wavers despite the violent and desperate times he eventually faces. And I really did appreciate this idea; it demonstrates unity in a world divided over matters of faith when it should not be. Again, are the details really that important? To a religious zealot such a thing boarders on blasphemy, though the harmony of such an idea speaks for itself in this book.
鈥淚f you stumble about believability, what are you living for? Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?鈥�
Although I disagree with many of the sentiments in this book, sentiments that may belong to Pi as our narrator and perhaps even to the author himself, I appreciated the degree of time taken to clarify them. The stance on religion was an interesting one with disbelief being compared to a lack of movement in one鈥檚 life (not something that I see as truth.)
Zoos are also described as places of wonderment for animals rich in safety and easy living, which can be true in some cases, though the horrors of bad commercial zoos and the cruelty and exploitation that go with them are completely ignored. For me, this is not a point that can be overlooked in such fiction or in life. To do so is somewhat na茂ve no matter the good intentions of Pi.
I did not love Life of Pi, I never could, though it is a book that made me think about the purposes of fiction and the power of stories, true or untrue.
September 15, 2021
Life of Pi, Yann Martel
Life of Pi is a Canadian fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry who explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Life of Pi, according to Yann Martel, can be summarized in three statements: "Life is a story... You can choose your story... A story with God is the better story."
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 賴卮鬲賲 賲丕賴 爻倬鬲丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱 2005賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 夭賳丿诏蹖 倬蹖貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 蹖丕賳 賲丕乇鬲賱貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 诏蹖鬲丕 诏乇讴丕賳蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 毓賱賲貙 1383貨 丿乇 530氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9643053559貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 讴丕賳丕丿丕 - 爻丿賴 21賲
賳賯賱 丕夭 丌睾丕夭: (倬蹖貙 倬爻乇讴蹖 爻鬲 讴賴 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱 丨賯蹖賯鬲 賲蹖诏乇丿丿貨 蹖毓賳蹖 賴賲丕賳 讴丕乇蹖 讴賴 賴夭丕乇丕賳 賴夭丕乇 丕賳爻丕賳 丿乇 爻乇丕爻乇 噩賴丕賳 亘賴 丌賳 丿賱賲卮睾賵賱 賴爻鬲賳丿貨 亘毓囟蹖賴丕 倬蹖乇賵夭 賲蹖卮賵賳丿 賵 禺蹖賱蹖賴丕 卮讴爻鬲 賲蹖禺賵乇賳丿貨 丿乇 丕蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳 讴爻丕賳蹖 賳蹖夭 诏賲丕賳 賲蹖讴賳賳丿 倬蹖乇賵夭 卮丿賴 丕賳丿貨 丿乇 氐賵乇鬲蹖 讴賴 賴賳賵夭 爻乇 爻賵夭賳蹖 賴賲 亘賴 丨賯 賵 丨賯蹖賯鬲 賳夭丿蹖讴 賴賲 賳卮丿賴 丕賳丿貨 丕賲丕 蹖讴 賳讴鬲賴 丿乇 賴賲賴 蹖 丕蹖賳 丌丿賲賴丕 賲卮鬲乇讴 丕爻鬲貨 賴乇 讴爻 乇丕賴 禺賵丿卮 乇丕 賲蹖乇賵丿貨 賴乇 讴爻 亘賴 卮蹖賵賴 蹖 禺賵丿 讴賵卮卮 賲蹖讴賳丿貨 鬲丕 亘賴 匕丕鬲 噩賴丕賳 賳夭丿蹖讴 卮賵丿貨 亘賴 鬲毓丿丕丿 丕賳爻丕賳賴丕蹖 乇賵蹖 讴乇賴 蹖 夭賲蹖賳 乇丕賴 賵噩賵丿 丿丕乇丿貨 賴乇趩賳丿 賴蹖趩讴爻 賳賲蹖鬲賵丕賳丿 亘賴 爻乇丕賳噩丕賲 乇爻蹖丿賳 乇丕賴蹖 乇丕 鬲囟賲蹖賳 讴賳丿)貨 倬丕蹖丕賳 賳賯賱貨
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘丕 倬丕乇丕诏乇丕賮 亘丕賱丕 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖卮賵丿貙 賵 芦倬蹖禄 亘乇丕蹖 倬丕爻禺 亘賴 爻乇诏卮鬲诏蹖 丕賳爻丕賳蹖貨 乇丕賴 鬲丕夭賴 丕蹖 賲蹖蹖丕亘丿貨 賵 ...貨
夭賳丿诏蹖 芦倬蹖禄 丿乇亘丕乇賴 蹖 倬爻乇 噩賵丕賳蹖 亘賳丕賲 芦倬蹖 倬丕鬲賱禄貙 賮乇夭賳丿 蹖讴 氐丕丨亘 亘丕睾 賵丨卮 丿乇 芦賴賳丿賵爻鬲丕賳禄 丕爻鬲貨 芦倬蹖 倬丕鬲賱禄 丿乇 卮丕賳夭丿賴 爻丕賱诏蹖 賴賲乇丕賴 禺丕賳賵丕丿賴鈥� 丕卮 丕夭 芦賴賳丿禄 亘賴 芦讴丕賳丕丿丕禄 讴賵趩 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀� 禺丕賳賵丕丿賴 芦倬蹖禄 丿乇 賯爻賲鬲 亘丕乇 蹖讴 讴卮鬲蹖 芦跇丕倬賳蹖禄貙 丿乇 讴賳丕乇 噩丕賳賵乇丕賳 芦亘丕睾鈥� 賵丨卮禄貙 亘賴 爻賵蹖 禺丕賳賴 蹖 鬲丕夭賴 蹖 禺賵丿 爻賮乇 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀� 丿乇 賲蹖丕賳賴 蹖 乇丕賴貙 讴卮鬲蹖 睾乇賯 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賵 芦倬蹖禄 禺賵丿卮 乇丕 丿乇 賯丕蹖賯 賳噩丕鬲蹖 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 蹖讴 芦讴賮鬲丕乇禄貙 蹖讴 芦丕賵乇丕賳诏賵鬲丕賳禄貙 蹖讴 芦诏賵乇禺乇禄 夭禺賲蹖貙 賵 蹖讴 芦亘亘乇 亘賳诏丕賱禄 丿賵蹖爻鬲 讴蹖賱賵诏乇賲蹖 鬲賳賴丕 賲蹖鈥屫ㄛ屬嗀� 丿乇 賴賮鬲賴 蹖 賳禺爻鬲 爻賮乇賽 芦倬蹖禄貙 亘丕 賯丕蹖賯 賳噩丕鬲貙 鬲賳賴丕 趩蹖夭蹖 讴賴 亘乇 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 趩蹖乇賴 丕爻鬲貨 讴卮賲讴卮 亘乇丕蹖 夭賳丿诏蹖 丕爻鬲貨 丕丿丕賲賴 蹖 讴鬲丕亘 蹖丕丿賲丕賳 丿賵蹖爻鬲 賵 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 賴賮鬲 乇賵夭 诏賲卮丿诏蹖 芦倬蹖禄貙 丿乇 丿乇蹖丕爻鬲
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 19/08/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 23/06/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
Life of Pi is a Canadian fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry who explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Life of Pi, according to Yann Martel, can be summarized in three statements: "Life is a story... You can choose your story... A story with God is the better story."
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 賴卮鬲賲 賲丕賴 爻倬鬲丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱 2005賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 夭賳丿诏蹖 倬蹖貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 蹖丕賳 賲丕乇鬲賱貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 诏蹖鬲丕 诏乇讴丕賳蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 毓賱賲貙 1383貨 丿乇 530氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9643053559貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 讴丕賳丕丿丕 - 爻丿賴 21賲
賳賯賱 丕夭 丌睾丕夭: (倬蹖貙 倬爻乇讴蹖 爻鬲 讴賴 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱 丨賯蹖賯鬲 賲蹖诏乇丿丿貨 蹖毓賳蹖 賴賲丕賳 讴丕乇蹖 讴賴 賴夭丕乇丕賳 賴夭丕乇 丕賳爻丕賳 丿乇 爻乇丕爻乇 噩賴丕賳 亘賴 丌賳 丿賱賲卮睾賵賱 賴爻鬲賳丿貨 亘毓囟蹖賴丕 倬蹖乇賵夭 賲蹖卮賵賳丿 賵 禺蹖賱蹖賴丕 卮讴爻鬲 賲蹖禺賵乇賳丿貨 丿乇 丕蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳 讴爻丕賳蹖 賳蹖夭 诏賲丕賳 賲蹖讴賳賳丿 倬蹖乇賵夭 卮丿賴 丕賳丿貨 丿乇 氐賵乇鬲蹖 讴賴 賴賳賵夭 爻乇 爻賵夭賳蹖 賴賲 亘賴 丨賯 賵 丨賯蹖賯鬲 賳夭丿蹖讴 賴賲 賳卮丿賴 丕賳丿貨 丕賲丕 蹖讴 賳讴鬲賴 丿乇 賴賲賴 蹖 丕蹖賳 丌丿賲賴丕 賲卮鬲乇讴 丕爻鬲貨 賴乇 讴爻 乇丕賴 禺賵丿卮 乇丕 賲蹖乇賵丿貨 賴乇 讴爻 亘賴 卮蹖賵賴 蹖 禺賵丿 讴賵卮卮 賲蹖讴賳丿貨 鬲丕 亘賴 匕丕鬲 噩賴丕賳 賳夭丿蹖讴 卮賵丿貨 亘賴 鬲毓丿丕丿 丕賳爻丕賳賴丕蹖 乇賵蹖 讴乇賴 蹖 夭賲蹖賳 乇丕賴 賵噩賵丿 丿丕乇丿貨 賴乇趩賳丿 賴蹖趩讴爻 賳賲蹖鬲賵丕賳丿 亘賴 爻乇丕賳噩丕賲 乇爻蹖丿賳 乇丕賴蹖 乇丕 鬲囟賲蹖賳 讴賳丿)貨 倬丕蹖丕賳 賳賯賱貨
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘丕 倬丕乇丕诏乇丕賮 亘丕賱丕 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖卮賵丿貙 賵 芦倬蹖禄 亘乇丕蹖 倬丕爻禺 亘賴 爻乇诏卮鬲诏蹖 丕賳爻丕賳蹖貨 乇丕賴 鬲丕夭賴 丕蹖 賲蹖蹖丕亘丿貨 賵 ...貨
夭賳丿诏蹖 芦倬蹖禄 丿乇亘丕乇賴 蹖 倬爻乇 噩賵丕賳蹖 亘賳丕賲 芦倬蹖 倬丕鬲賱禄貙 賮乇夭賳丿 蹖讴 氐丕丨亘 亘丕睾 賵丨卮 丿乇 芦賴賳丿賵爻鬲丕賳禄 丕爻鬲貨 芦倬蹖 倬丕鬲賱禄 丿乇 卮丕賳夭丿賴 爻丕賱诏蹖 賴賲乇丕賴 禺丕賳賵丕丿賴鈥� 丕卮 丕夭 芦賴賳丿禄 亘賴 芦讴丕賳丕丿丕禄 讴賵趩 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀� 禺丕賳賵丕丿賴 芦倬蹖禄 丿乇 賯爻賲鬲 亘丕乇 蹖讴 讴卮鬲蹖 芦跇丕倬賳蹖禄貙 丿乇 讴賳丕乇 噩丕賳賵乇丕賳 芦亘丕睾鈥� 賵丨卮禄貙 亘賴 爻賵蹖 禺丕賳賴 蹖 鬲丕夭賴 蹖 禺賵丿 爻賮乇 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀� 丿乇 賲蹖丕賳賴 蹖 乇丕賴貙 讴卮鬲蹖 睾乇賯 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賵 芦倬蹖禄 禺賵丿卮 乇丕 丿乇 賯丕蹖賯 賳噩丕鬲蹖 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 蹖讴 芦讴賮鬲丕乇禄貙 蹖讴 芦丕賵乇丕賳诏賵鬲丕賳禄貙 蹖讴 芦诏賵乇禺乇禄 夭禺賲蹖貙 賵 蹖讴 芦亘亘乇 亘賳诏丕賱禄 丿賵蹖爻鬲 讴蹖賱賵诏乇賲蹖 鬲賳賴丕 賲蹖鈥屫ㄛ屬嗀� 丿乇 賴賮鬲賴 蹖 賳禺爻鬲 爻賮乇賽 芦倬蹖禄貙 亘丕 賯丕蹖賯 賳噩丕鬲貙 鬲賳賴丕 趩蹖夭蹖 讴賴 亘乇 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 趩蹖乇賴 丕爻鬲貨 讴卮賲讴卮 亘乇丕蹖 夭賳丿诏蹖 丕爻鬲貨 丕丿丕賲賴 蹖 讴鬲丕亘 蹖丕丿賲丕賳 丿賵蹖爻鬲 賵 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 賴賮鬲 乇賵夭 诏賲卮丿诏蹖 芦倬蹖禄貙 丿乇 丿乇蹖丕爻鬲
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 19/08/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 23/06/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
July 3, 2018
I loved this book! I watched the film before reading the book and I loved both of them.
I enjoy short chapters so this was good for me. Best scene was the 3 religious men arguing about Pi's religion. Found it really smartly done and funny.
I enjoy short chapters so this was good for me. Best scene was the 3 religious men arguing about Pi's religion. Found it really smartly done and funny.
February 28, 2023
[Revised, pictures and shelves added 2/28/23]
For years I noticed this book on display, particularly its cartoonish paperback cover. Was it a children's book? This Pi stuff -- was it something about math? (Was it plagiarized? See story at end.)
It's a castaway story and like all castaway and shipwreck stories it's about human endurance, indomitable spirit and man vs. nature. The things that distinguish this story from Robinson Crusoe or Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away, is that the main character (Pi, short for Piscine) is trapped in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger.
Pi is Indian and he's multi-religious - a true believer in Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. He comes from a family of zookeepers who were transporting their animals by freighter. This is how he wound up with a tiger in his lifeboat.
It's an inspiring book, but drags in spots -- more than 200 days at sea is a lot of fish and storm stories. I kept waiting for the multi-religious theme to play a real role in the story but it did so only peripherally, so the plot seems a bit disconnected from that theme.
In the end, we are offered two stories: one of murder and cannibalism and one of a journey in the lifeboat with animals. A key line comes at the end of the book as a throwaway: 'Which story do you prefer? So it is with God.' It's a decent read and an interesting plot but as I revise this review, with hindsight, I'm downgrading my rating from 4 to 3.
Life of Pi won the 2002 Booker prize and was a huge seller worldwide 鈥� 12 million copies and 1.5 million ratings on GR. But here鈥檚 a story I came across when I reviewed another book, The Strange Nation of Rafael Mendes, by Brazilian Jewish author Moacyr Scliar. Here鈥檚 the (paraphrased) story from the NY Times obituary for Scliar in 2011 and from Wikipedia:
Scliar wrote a novel, Max and the Cats, about a Jewish youth who flees Nazi Germany on a ship carrying wild animals to a Brazilian zoo. After a shipwreck the boy ends up sharing a lifeboat with a jaguar. The book achieved fame twice over. Critically praised on its publication in 1981, it touched off a literary storm in 2002 when the Canadian writer Yann Martel (b. 1963) won the Man Booker Prize for Life of Pi, about an Indian youth trapped on a boat with a tiger. Mr. Martel鈥檚 admission that he borrowed the idea led to an impassioned debate among writers and critics on the nature of literary invention and the ownership of words and images. Martel admitted he got the idea by reading a review of Scliar鈥檚 book but said he never read the book itself. 鈥淚n a certain way I feel flattered that another writer considered my idea to be so good, but on the other hand, he used that idea without consulting me or even informing me,鈥� Mr. Scliar told The NY Times. 鈥淎n idea is intellectual property.鈥�
Top image is a still from the movie on npr.org
The author from theguardian.co.uk
For years I noticed this book on display, particularly its cartoonish paperback cover. Was it a children's book? This Pi stuff -- was it something about math? (Was it plagiarized? See story at end.)
It's a castaway story and like all castaway and shipwreck stories it's about human endurance, indomitable spirit and man vs. nature. The things that distinguish this story from Robinson Crusoe or Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away, is that the main character (Pi, short for Piscine) is trapped in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger.
Pi is Indian and he's multi-religious - a true believer in Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. He comes from a family of zookeepers who were transporting their animals by freighter. This is how he wound up with a tiger in his lifeboat.
It's an inspiring book, but drags in spots -- more than 200 days at sea is a lot of fish and storm stories. I kept waiting for the multi-religious theme to play a real role in the story but it did so only peripherally, so the plot seems a bit disconnected from that theme.
In the end, we are offered two stories: one of murder and cannibalism and one of a journey in the lifeboat with animals. A key line comes at the end of the book as a throwaway: 'Which story do you prefer? So it is with God.' It's a decent read and an interesting plot but as I revise this review, with hindsight, I'm downgrading my rating from 4 to 3.
Life of Pi won the 2002 Booker prize and was a huge seller worldwide 鈥� 12 million copies and 1.5 million ratings on GR. But here鈥檚 a story I came across when I reviewed another book, The Strange Nation of Rafael Mendes, by Brazilian Jewish author Moacyr Scliar. Here鈥檚 the (paraphrased) story from the NY Times obituary for Scliar in 2011 and from Wikipedia:
Scliar wrote a novel, Max and the Cats, about a Jewish youth who flees Nazi Germany on a ship carrying wild animals to a Brazilian zoo. After a shipwreck the boy ends up sharing a lifeboat with a jaguar. The book achieved fame twice over. Critically praised on its publication in 1981, it touched off a literary storm in 2002 when the Canadian writer Yann Martel (b. 1963) won the Man Booker Prize for Life of Pi, about an Indian youth trapped on a boat with a tiger. Mr. Martel鈥檚 admission that he borrowed the idea led to an impassioned debate among writers and critics on the nature of literary invention and the ownership of words and images. Martel admitted he got the idea by reading a review of Scliar鈥檚 book but said he never read the book itself. 鈥淚n a certain way I feel flattered that another writer considered my idea to be so good, but on the other hand, he used that idea without consulting me or even informing me,鈥� Mr. Scliar told The NY Times. 鈥淎n idea is intellectual property.鈥�
Top image is a still from the movie on npr.org
The author from theguardian.co.uk
June 4, 2022
Life full of dangers鈥� The heroic and exotic adventures鈥� Are those adventures truly heroic?
Life of Pi is about the origin and nature of lying 鈥� in a hypocritical society heroic lies are preferable to the bitter truth.
A romantic and cloudless childhood鈥�
Then one day a hero must embark on the fateful voyage鈥�
One may lie beautifully for hours while it takes just few brief moments to tell the sorrowful truth.
Life of Pi is about the origin and nature of lying 鈥� in a hypocritical society heroic lies are preferable to the bitter truth.
A romantic and cloudless childhood鈥�
To me, it was paradise on earth. I have nothing but the fondest memories of growing up in a zoo. I lived the life of a prince. What maharaja鈥檚 son had such vast, luxuriant grounds to play about? What palace had such a menagerie? My alarm clock during my childhood was a pride of lions.
Then one day a hero must embark on the fateful voyage鈥�
In the near distance I saw trees. I did not react. I was certain it was an illusion that a few blinks would make disappear.
The trees remained. In fact, they grew to be a forest. They were part of a low-lying island. I pushed myself up. I continued to disbelieve my eyes. But it was a thrill to be deluded in such a high-quality way. The trees were beautiful. They were like none I had ever seen before. They had a pale bark, and equally distributed branches that carried an amazing profusion of leaves. These leaves were brilliantly green, a green so bright and emerald that, next to it, vegetation during the monsoons was drab olive.
One may lie beautifully for hours while it takes just few brief moments to tell the sorrowful truth.
May 14, 2019
賰賷 兀賰賵賳 氐乇賷丨丞
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 噩賷丿丞 賵賱賰賳賴丕 鬲丨賲賱 賯丿乇丕 賱丕 賷購爻鬲賴丕賳 亘賴 賲賳 丕賱夭賷賮
賴賱 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 毓賱賶 賲爻鬲賵賶 賮賰乇鬲賴丕责
賴賱 丕爻鬲胤丕毓鬲 賳賯賱 丕賱毓匕賵亘丞 丕賱賰賵賳賷丞 賵丕賱鬲賳丕睾賲 丕賱胤亘賷毓賷
賵賴賱 兀賵賮鬲 賵毓丿賴丕 亘賰賵賳賴丕 爻胤賵乇 鬲噩毓賱賰 鬲丐賲賳 亘丕賱賱賴责
鬲毓丕賱 賱賳毓乇賮 爻賵賷丕賸
賮賷 丕賱亘丿丕賷丞 賷亘丿賵 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賲鬲賰賱賮丕 賯賱賷賱丕 亘丨賷賱丞 賴夭賷賱丞 爻亘賯賴 廿賱賷賴丕 丕賱亘毓囟
賮賷賵賴賲賰 亘兀賳 丕賱丨賰丕賷丞 丨賯賷賯賷丞
賵鬲賱丕賴丕 毓賱賷賴 丕賱賴賳丿賷 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷 亘丕賷
賵兀賳賴 賲噩乇丿 爻丕乇丿 賱賱兀丨丿丕孬
賸賮噩丕亍鬲 丕賱丨賷賱丞 睾賷乇 賳丕囟噩丞 丿乇丕賲賷丕
賵亘乇睾賲 賲丨丕賰丕鬲賴 賱賯氐丞 爻亘賯 賵兀賳 賰鬲亘賴丕 丕賱乇賵丕卅賷 賲賵丕賰賷乇
賵丕賱鬲賷 賯丿賲 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 廿賱賷賴 廿賴丿丕亍 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞
馗丕賳丕賸 乇亘賲丕 兀賳賴 亘賴匕丕 賷亘乇夭 匕賰丕亍賴
賮賷賯賵賱 賮賷 賵賯鬲 賵丕丨丿 兀賳丕 兀禺丿毓賰
貙貙賱丕丕丕
賱丕 兀賮毓賱
氐丿賯賳賷 賲賳 賮囟賱賰
兀乇噩賵賰! 賲丕匕丕 鬲馗賳 賯丕乇亍賰责
胤賮賱 兀賲 亘丕賱睾 爻丕匕噩责责
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賲賮鬲鬲丨 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘噩夭卅賴丕 丕賱兀賵賱 賷氐賵乇 賱賰 -兀賵 賲賳 丕賱賲賮鬲乇囟 兀賳賴 賷氐賵乇- 胤亘賷毓丞 卮禺氐賷丞 亘丕賷
賵丕賱鬲賷 賲賳 丕賱賲賮鬲乇囟 丕賳 鬲賰賵賳 爻丕賲賷丞 貙 賲丨亘丞 貙 亘丕丨孬丞 毓賳 丕賱賱賴
噩賲賷賱丞 丕賱乇賵丨 賵丕賱胤亘丕毓
賵賱兀賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘賱丕 毓丕胤賮丞 丨賯賷賯賷丞 賮賷 乇兀賷賷
賵賱丕 賷賲賱賰 爻賲賵丕 乇賵丨丕賳賷丕 賲賳 兀賷 賳賵毓賺 賰丕賳
賮賯丿 噩丕亍鬲 丕賱賳鬲賷噩丞 卮丿賷丿丞 丕賱爻賵亍
賱賯丿 兀購賯丨賲鬲 丕賱兀丿賷丕賳 貙賵丨亘 丕賱賱賴 賮賷 丕賱賯氐丞 亘賱丕 賲睾夭賶
賵噩丕亍鬲 賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱兀賮賰丕乇 爻丕匕噩丞 貙 賵胤賮賱賷丞貙 賵賲囟丨賰丞
賵丕賱兀賰孬乇 廿囟丕丨賰丕 賴賵 兀賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘
賷卮毓乇賰 胤賵丕賱 丕賱賵賯鬲 亘兀賳賴 賷鬲丨賮賰 亘丕賱噩賲賱 丕賱匕賰賷丞
賵賴匕丕 睾丕賱亘丕 賱丕 賷丨丿孬-
賮賴賵 賱丕 賷禺賱賾賮 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 兀賮賰丕乇 丿乇丕賲賷丞 噩賷丿丞
氐賷睾鬲 亘兀賮賰丕乇 噩丿賱賷丞 爻丕匕噩丞 賮賷 噩購賲賱鬲賴丕
賲孬賱丕賸
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*
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兀毓噩亘鬲賳賷 賮賰乇丞 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘賱賯丕亍 丕賱賲賱丨丿 賵丕賱賲爻賱賲 賮賷 丨丿賷賯丞 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳
賵 廿鬲禺丕匕賴賲丕 賳賮爻 丕賱廿爻賲
噩賲賷賱 鈥�
爻:賲丕 丕賱匕賷 禺乇噩鬲 亘賴 賲賳 丕賱丨賵丕乇 丕賱賲亘鬲賵乇责
噩:賱丕 卮賷亍 鈥�
爻:兀賷 兀賮賰丕乇 丨丕賵賱 丕賱賲丐賱賮 鬲乇賵賷噩賴丕 兀賵 賲賳丕賯卮鬲賴丕
噩:賱丕 卮賷亍
賵鬲丨賵賱 丕賱賲卮賴丿 亘爻匕丕噩丞 賲鬲賳丕賴賷丞
廿賱賶 賮丕乇爻-farce
兀噩賵賮 賱丕 賷購囟丨賰 丨鬲賶
亘丿丕禺賱 乇賵丕賷丞 賯丿 賵囟毓鬲 賮賷 賯丕賱亘 賷孬賷乇 兀丨賷丕賳丕賸丕賱睾賷馗 賮丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賷乇賷丿 丨賯丕 賵氐丿賯丕 廿卮毓丕乇賰 亘匕賰丕卅賴 丕賱賮匕賾
兀賳丕 賰丕鬲亘 毓亘賯乇賷 兀鬲賱丕毓亘 亘賰賱 丕賱兀賷丿賷賵賱賵噩賷丕鬲 賵兀亘爻賾胤賴丕
兀賳丕 兀毓丕乇囟 亘胤乇賷賯丞 睾賷乇 賲賳胤賯賷丞
賵兀胤賷丨 亘丕賱賲賯丿賲丕鬲 賵丕賱賳鬲丕卅噩
兀賳丕 匕賰賷
兀賳丕 賷丕賳 賲丕乇鬲賱
兀賳丕
兀賳丕
兀賳丕
兀賱丕 鬲乇賵賳责
鈥�!鈥�
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丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賱丕 鬲爻丕毓丿 兀丨丿丕賸 毓賱賶 丕賱廿賷賲丕賳 亘丕賱賱賴
賵賱丕 鬲卮噩賾毓 毓賱賶 丕賱廿賱丨丕丿
賵賱丕 毓賱丕賯丞 賱賱賱兀丿賷丕賳 亘賯氐丞 亘丕賷 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷丞 兀賵 鈥徹з勝呚地焚嗀关�
丕賱賰丕鬲亘 兀乇丕丿 兀賳 賷賰賵賳 賮賷賱爻賵賮丕賸 馗丕賳丕賸 賮賷 賳賮爻賴 丕賱賯丿乇丞 毓賱賶 匕賱賰
兀乇丕丿 兀賳 賷氐賵乇 丕賱乇賵丨丕賳賷丕鬲
賮噩丕亍鬲 胤乇賷賯鬲賴 賲氐胤賳毓丞 貙 賲亘鬲匕賱丞 賮賷 兀睾賱亘賴丕
賮賰乇丞 丕賱噩賲毓 亘賷賳 丕賱兀丿賷丕賳
丕賱賲爻賷丨賷丞 賵丕賱賴賳丿賵爻賷丞 賵丕賱廿爻賱丕賲
賮賰乇丞 乇丕卅毓丞 賮賷賴丕 賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱鬲爻丕賲丨 丕賱丿賷賳賷
賵賱賰賳 賲噩丿丿丕賸 鬲賲鬲 賲毓丕賱噩鬲賴丕 賴賳丕 亘兀賮賰丕乇 賲亘鬲賵乇丞
賵亘賱丕 乇賵丨 賲丐賲賳丞 丨賯賷賯賷丞
賲賳 賷鬲爻賲 亘兀賷 氐賮丞 廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 賵賷賯賵賱
兀爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 兀鬲禺賷賱 丌禺乇 賰賱賲丞 賷乇丿丿賴丕 丕賱賲賱丨丿鈥�
廿賳賴 兀亘賷囟 .. 兀亘賷囟..廿賳賴 丕賱.. 丕賱 丨亘 ...賷丕廿賱賴賷
鬲賱賰 丕賱賯賮夭丞 廿賱賶 丕賱廿賷賲丕賳 毓賱賶 爻乇賷乇 丕賱賲賵鬲
亘賷賳賲丕 丕賱賱丕兀丿乇賷 貙賮賷 丨丕賱 亘賯丕亍賴 賲禺賱氐丕賸 賱匕丕鬲賴 丕賱毓賯賱丕賳賷丞
賮賷 丨丕賱 鬲賲爻賰賴 亘丕賱賵丕賯毓賷丞 丕賱噩丕賮丞
賮賷賲賰賳 丕賳 賷丨丕賵賱 鬲賮爻賷乇 丕賱囟賵亍 丕賱丨丕乇 丕賱匕賷 賷睾賲乇賴 毓賱賶 丕賱賳丨賵 丕賱鬲丕賱賷鈥�
廿賳賴 毓賱賶 丕賱兀乇噩丨 噩賮丕賮 丕賱兀賵賰爻賷噩賷賳 賮賷 丕賱 .... 丿...賲丕睾貙
賵丨鬲賶 丕賱乇賲賯 丕賱兀禺賷乇 賷馗賱 賲賮鬲賯乇丕賸 廿賱賶 丕賱禺賷丕賱
賵鬲賵丕賯丕賸 廿賱賶 丕賱賯氐丞 丕賱賯丕亘賱丞 賱賱鬲氐丿賷賯
賱丕丨馗 兀賳賴 賷氐賵乇 賱賰 廿賳爻丕賳丕賸 賷賲賵鬲
賵賴匕丕 丕賱鬲氐賵賷乇 賷亘乇夭 賲賳 卮禺氐 賷夭毓賲 丕賱乇賵丨丕賳賷丞 賵兀賳賴 賷丨亘 丕賱賱賴
兀賷賳 賴賵 丕賱丨亘 责责责
賲丕 賴匕賴 丕賱爻禺乇賷丞 丕賱賱丕廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 賵丕賱爻丕匕噩丞责
賵賷爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賱賲賱丨丿 賵丕賱賱丕 兀丿乇賷 丕賱乇丿 毓賱賷賴丕 亘兀爻賵兀 賲賳賴丕
廿賳賲丕 丕賱賲賮鬲乇囟 兀賳賴丕 乇賵丕賷丞 毓賳 丕賱鬲爻丕賲丨 賵丕賱賲丨亘丞责责
丕賱賲賱丨丿賵賳 賮賷 毓賲賵賲賴賲 賱賷爻賵丕 亘兀卮禺丕氐 兀噩賱丕賮 爻匕噩
賱丕 賷丿乇賰賵賳 賱賱丨賷丕丞 胤毓賲丕
賵賱丕 賴賲 亘賲丕丿賷賷賳 亘卮賰賱 賰丕賲賱
賵賱丕 賴賲 賲賯賵賱亘賵賳 賮賷 賯賵丕賱亘 鬲噩毓賱賴賲 賷鬲賰賱賲賵賳 亘賱爻丕賳 賵丕丨丿
賵賱丕 丕賱賲丐賲賳賷賳 賲賱丕卅賰丞 亘兀噩賳丨丞 賵乇丿賷丞
賷丨賱賯賵賳 亘丕賱賯乇亘 賲賳 丕賱乇亘 賮賷 爻賲賵 賵丨亘賵乇
賵賯賱賵亘賴賲 鬲乇賮乇賮 鈥徹ㄘз勜焚囏� 賵丕賱賳賯丕亍
賵賱丕 賰賱 丕賱賲爻賱賲賷賳 賲鬲氐賵賮丞 毓丕卅卮賷賳 賮賷 夭賴丿
賵賴賲 賱丕 賷亘賰賵賳 賮賷 賰賱 乇賰毓丞 爻噩賵丿
賲爻鬲卮毓乇賵賳 丕賱賱賴 賮賷 鈥徹池必жω辟囐� 賵 毓賱丕賳賷鬲賴賲
賵丕賱賱丕兀丿乇賷賵賳 賱賷爻賵丕 亘爻匕賾噩 亘丿賵賳 胤乇賷賯
賵 賱丕 賷鬲卮賰賰賵賳 胤賵丕賱 丕賱賵賯鬲 亘賱丕 乇兀賷 賵亘賱丕 賴賵賷丞
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賲賳 爻賲丨 賱賰 賷丕 賲丕乇鬲賱 亘賯賵賱亘丞 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賴賰匕丕责
賵賲賳 鬲賰賵賳 兀賳鬲 賲丐賲賳丕 兀賵 賲賱丨丿丕 賱鬲丨賰賲 毓賱賶 睾賷乇賰 賵鬲氐賵乇賴 亘賴匕賴 丕賱爻匕丕噩丞责
毓賱丕賯丞 丕賱廿賷賲丕賳 亘賷賳賰 賵亘賷賳 乇亘賰
賵睾丕賱亘丕賸 賱丕 鬲卮賰賱 賮賷 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 氐賮丕鬲 噩丿賷丿丞
賮丕賱兀禺賱丕賯 賲賵噩賵丿丞 賯亘賱 賳卮賵亍 丕賱兀丿賷丕賳
亘賱 賵鬲鬲胤賵乇 賲毓 鬲睾賷乇丕鬲 丕賱毓氐乇 賵賳爻亘丞 丕賱賵毓賷 賱丿賶 丕賱賳丕爻
廿賱丕 賮賷 亘毓囟 丕賱孬賵丕亘鬲
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賳兀鬲賷 賱賱丨丿賷孬 毓賳 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱匕賷 兀毓卮賯賴
賵兀丨亘 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 毓賳賴 賵丕賱爻亘丕丨丞 賮賷 丿賵丕禺賱賴
毓丕賱賲 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳 丕賱賲賴賷亘 丕賱賲賲鬲毓
丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱毓亘賯乇賷 賷禺亘乇賰 賲賳 亘丿丕賷丕鬲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘爻禺乇賷丞 賵丕囟丨丞
兀賳 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳丕鬲 賲賰丕賳賴賲 丕賱兀賮囟賱 賴賵 丨丿賷賯丞 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳丕鬲
丨賷孬 賷鬲毓賱賱 亘毓賱丞 賲囟丨賰丞 賵賲亘賰賷丞
賷賯賵賱 賱賰 兀賱丕 鬲乇賶 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賱丕 賷卮毓乇 亘丕賱乇丕丨丞 賮賷 亘賷鬲賴责
賴賱 鬲爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 鬲鬲氐賵乇 丨賷丕鬲賰 賮賷 丕賱卮賵丕乇毓 亘賱丕 胤毓丕賲 賵賱丕 丿賮亍责
兀賱賷爻 賲賳 丕賱兀賮囟賱 兀賳 鬲毓賷卮 賮賷 賮賳丿賯 禺賲爻 賳噩賵賲 賷禺丿賲賰 賵賷賯賵賲 毓賱賶 乇丕丨鬲賰责
兀賲 兀賳賰 賱丕 爻賲丨 丕賱賱賴 鬲賮囟賱 丕賱亘賯丕亍 賮賷 丕賱卮丕乇毓 賲毓乇囟丕賸 賱賱禺胤乇责责
亘賴匕賴 丕賱兀賮賰丕乇 賷亘乇乇 賱賰 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賲丿賶 兀賴賲賷丞 丨丿丕卅賯 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳 丕賱鬲賷 鬲鬲賳丕爻亘 賲毓 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳
賵鬲賯賷賴 卮乇 丕賱亘乇賷丞 丨賷孬 丕賱睾匕丕亍 賷賳丿乇 兀丨賷丕賳丕賸 賵丕賱禺胤乇 賷鬲乇亘氐 亘賴 丿丕卅賲丕賸
賵兀鬲賲賳賶 兀賳 兀毓乇賮 乇兀賷 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賮賷 丨賷丕鬲賴
廿賳 鬲丨賵賱 賲賳夭賱賴 賱賯賮氐 賮賷 丨丿賷賯丞
丨賷孬 賷卮丕賴丿 丕賱鬲賱賮丕夭 貙 賵賷賯乇兀 鈥徹з勜辟娯�
賵賷匕賴亘 廿賱賶 丕賱鬲賵丕賱賷鬲 兀賲丕賲 兀毓賷賳 噩賲賴賵乇
賷賯匕賮 賱賴 兀丨賷丕賳丕 孬賲乇丞 賮丕賰賴丞 兀賵 卮胤賷乇丞 亘乇噩乇 賲賳 鈥徺囏ж必娯�
賵乇亘賲丕 賷兀鬲賷 胤賮賱 亘毓氐丕 胤賵賷賱丞
賱賷囟乇亘賰 毓賱賶 賲丐禺乇鬲賰 囟乇亘鬲賷賳 賱丕 亘兀爻 賲賳賴賲丕
賱兀賳 丕賱毓氐丕 賱賲 鬲賰爻乇 鈥徹关肛з呝�
賮賱鬲丨賲丿 丕賱賱賴
赖賱賱賵賱賷丕
丕賱丨賷賵丕賳丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 鬲囟毓賵賳賴丕 賮賷 兀賯賮丕氐
孬賲 鬲爻禺乇賵賳 賲賲賳 賷乇賷丿 賲賳丨賴丕 丨乇賷鬲賴丕
賴賷 丕賱鬲賷 鬲鬲賰爻亘 賲賳 賵乇丕亍賴丕 鈥�
賵鬲丨賵賱賴丕 賲卮乇賵毓丕賸 鬲噩丕乇賷丕賸 賷丿乇 丕賱乇亘丨 毓賱賷賰 賵毓賱賶 毓丕卅賱鬲賰
兀鬲賮賴賾賲購 兀賳 鬲賰賵賳賻 賲丨亘丕 賱丨賷賵丕賳丕鬲 丨丿賷賯鬲賰
賵兀賳 鬲卮毓乇 賲毓賴賲 亘兀賱賮丞
賵兀賳 鬲丨亘 亘毓囟 毓丕丿丕鬲賴賲
賵鬲賮乇丨 亘丕賱賵賱賷丿 鈥徹з勜娯� 賲賳賴賲
兀賲丕 兀賳 鬲爻禺乇 賲賲賳 賷鬲賲賳賵賳 毓賵丿鬲賴賲 廿賱賶 丕賱亘乇賷丞
丨賷孬 賷毓賷卮賵賳 丨賷丕鬲賴賲 賰賲丕 兀乇丕丿賴丕 丕賱賱賴 賱賴賲
賵亘丨賷孬 鬲賳亘孬賯 鈥徹贺必жω操囐� 丕賱賮胤乇賷丞
丕賱鬲賷 賵賱丿賵丕 亘賴丕 賵胤賵乇賵賴丕 毓賱賶 賲丿丕乇 賲賱丕賷賷賳 丕賱爻賳賷賳
賮兀賳鬲 賱丕 鬲爻鬲丨賯 廿賱丕 丕賱廿丨鬲賯丕乇
賵賴賳丕賰 丕賴鬲賲丕賲 賲賳 亘毓囟 丕賱賲賳馗賲丕鬲 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞
亘丨賷丕丞 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳丕鬲 賵丕賱鬲賷 鬲賵卮賰 毓賱賶 丕賱廿賳賯乇丕囟 賲賳賴丕
亘丨賷孬 賷賵賮乇賵賳 賱賴賲 賲爻丕毓丿丕鬲 賲賴賲丞
亘丿賵賳 廿禺乇丕噩賴賲 賲賳 亘賷卅鬲賴賲 兀賵 丕賱鬲丿禺賱 賮賷賴丕
亘賱 賷爻噩賱賵賳 亘爻賰賵賳 賵氐賲鬲
賵丕賴鬲賲丕賲 卮睾賵賮 亘鬲賱賰 丕賱賲禺賱賵賯丕鬲 丕賱乇丕卅毓丞
賮賲孬賱丕 丨賷賵丕賳丕鬲 丕賱賲毓丕賲賱 賰丕賱睾賵乇賷賱丕
賵丕賱鬲賷 兀乇賮囟 丕賳爻丕賳賷丕 丕噩乇丕亍 丕賱鬲噩丕乇亘 毓賱賷賴丕
賷爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賱毓賱賲丕亍 丕賱乇丿 毓賱賶 鬲賱賰 丕賱廿毓鬲乇丕囟丕鬲
亘兀賳 匕賱賰 賱賱禺賷乇 丕賱兀爻賲賶 賵賱鬲賯丿賾賲 氐賳丕毓丞 丕賱胤亘 賵丕賱兀丿賵賷丞
乇睾賲 兀賳 丕賱丨丕賱 賱賷爻 賰匕賱賰 丿丕卅賲丕
賵賱賰賳賴賲 賱丿賷賴賲 丨噩丞
賮賲丕 丨噩鬲賰 兀賳鬲 賮賷 賵囟毓賰 廿賷丕賴賲 賮賷 兀賯賮丕氐
賱賷鬲賮乇噩 毓賱賷賴賲 丕賱毓丕賲丞 賵賷丿賮毓賵賳 賱賰 丕賱兀賲賵丕賱
賮賷賰爻乇 兀丨丿賴賲 匕乇丕毓 賯乇丿賺 賲乇賾丞
賵賷爻丨賯 丕賱丌禺乇 賲賳賯丕乇 胤丕卅乇 賲乇丞 兀禺乇賶
賵賷購胤毓賳 賲賳賴賲 賲賳 賷購胤毓賳
賵賷鬲賲 鈥徺傌坟� 兀賵 丕賱毓亘孬 亘丕賱兀毓囟丕亍 丕賱鬲賳丕爻賱賷丞 賱丌禺乇 賱丕 賲卮賰賱丞
賮賴匕賴 兀賮毓丕賱 爻丕丿賷丞 賯賱賷賱丞
賵賰丕賳鬲 賱鬲丨丿孬 賲孬賱賴丕 賮賷 丕賱亘乇賷丞
丨賷孬 兀賳 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳丕鬲 鬲賴丿乇 賰乇丕賲丞 賲孬賷賱丕鬲賴丕 亘賴匕丕 丕賱卮賰賱 丕賱賲禺夭賷
兀賱賷爻 賰匕賱賰 责责
兀禺亘乇賳賷 賷丕 賲丨亘 丕賱賱賴 賷丕 賲丐賲賳 责责责
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丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賰賰賱 賲卮賵賯丞 賵亘乇睾賲 廿毓鬲乇丕囟丕鬲賷 毓賱賶 亘毓囟 兀賮賰丕乇賴丕
賵毓賱賶 兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱賲丐賱賮 匕丕鬲賴
廿賱丕 兀賳賳賷 賵賱噩賲丕賱 毓丕賱賲 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳
賵賲睾丕賲乇丞 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 亘丕乇賰乇 丕賱乇丕卅毓丞 賲毓 亘丕賷
賯丿 賯乇乇鬲購 兀賳 兀鬲禺胤賶 丕賱爻匕丕噩丞 鈥徺勜呚з� 亘毓囟 丕賱兀賮賰丕乇 賵丕賱賲賵丕賯賮
賵兀爻鬲賯乇 毓賱賶 3 賳噩賵賲鈥�
賵賲賲丕 賷毓夭夭 廿毓噩丕亘賷 亘丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賴賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱氐丕毓賯丞
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賵丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賱孬 賲賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賷丿賵乇 賮賷 卮亘賴 廿胤丕乇 賲爻乇丨賷 亘丨賵丕乇賴
賵廿賳 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲賰鬲賵亘丞 賮賷 丕賱禺賲爻賷賳丕鬲 賲孬賱丕賸 賱丕毓鬲亘乇鬲購 丕賱丨賵丕乇 匕賰賷丕 賲賲鬲毓丕
兀賲丕 兀賳 賷氐亘丨 丕賱丨賵丕乇 鬲賯賱賷丿丕 兀毓賲賶
賱賲爻乇丨賷丕鬲 賲卮賴賵乇丞 賰鬲亘鬲 賮賷 賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賯乇賳 丕賱賲丕囟賷
丨賷賳 亘丿兀鬲 丕賱賳賴囟丞 丕賱毓賲賱賷丞
賮鬲乇賶 丕賱賰鬲賾丕亘 賮賷 丨賷乇丞 賲賳 丕賳鬲卮丕乇 丕賱毓賱賲 丕賱丨丿賷孬 貙 賵鬲兀孬賷乇丕鬲 賳馗乇賷丞 丕賱鬲胤賵乇
賵丨丿賷孬賴賲 毓賳 毓賳鬲 丕賱毓賱賲丕亍 兀锟斤拷賷丕賳丕賸
賵孬睾丕卅賴賲 亘兀賳賴賲 賱丕 賷氐丿賯賵賳 廿賱丕 賲丕 賷乇賵賳賴 亘兀賲賾 兀毓賷賳賴賲
賵兀賳賴賲 賷丐賲賳賵賳 賮賯胤 亘丕賱丨賯丕卅賯
氐丿賯丕賸 兀賳 鬲購賰鬲亘 乇賵丕賷丞 丨丿賷孬丞 丨丕賲賱丞 賳賮爻 丕賱賲賮丕賴賷賲
賵亘賳賮爻 胤乇賷賯丞 丕賱丨賵丕乇 丕賱爻丕禺乇丞
賱賴賵 卮賷亍 爻禺賷賮
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賴賳丕賰 毓丕胤賮丞 睾賷乇 丨賯賷賯賷丞 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞
鈥� 鬲毓亘賷乇 毓賳 丕賱丨亘
賵丕賱丨亘 兀亘丨孬 毓賳賴 賮賱丕 兀噩丿賴 亘乇賵丨 丕賱賰丕鬲亘
卮乇丕爻丞 賵丿賲賵賷丞 睾賷乇 賲亘乇乇丞 賮賷 丕賱賵氐賮
兀夭毓噩鬲賳賷 賵噩毓賱鬲賳賷 兀氐乇禺 兀丨賷丕賳丕賸
賵賰孬賷賷賷賷賷乇 賲賳 丕賱爻乇丿 丕賱禺丕賱賷 賲賳 丕賱毓丕胤賮丞
賷賰賮賷賴 賮禺乇丕賸 兀賳賳賷
賱賲 兀鬲毓丕胤賮 賲毓 氐亘賷 氐睾賷乇 賮賷 毓乇囟 丕賱亘丨乇
禺丕卅賮 賵噩丕卅毓
賵卮毓乇鬲購 亘丕賱丨賷丕丿 丕賱賲胤賱賯 鈥徺嗀堎�
噩丕卅夭丞 鬲賯丿賲 賱賰 賷丕 賲丕乇鬲賱 丨賯丕
!
兀賲丕 廿賳 賰丕賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賮賷 乇賵丕賷鬲賴 賷賯氐丿 丕賱爻禺乇賷丞 賲賳 丕賱賲丐賲賳賷賷賳 亘胤乇賷賯丞 賲亘鬲賰乇丞
廿賳 賰丕賳鬲 賴匕賴 賴賷 鬲賵乇賷鬲賴 丕賱毓亘賯乇賷丞
賮爻賷賰賵賳 亘丕賱賮毓賱 賰丕鬲亘丕賸 兀丨賲賯
賵爻鬲氐亘丨 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 卮丿賷丿丞 丕賱賴夭丕賱 丿乇丕賲賷丕賸
賵賲乇丞 兀禺乇賶 賷爻禺乇 賲賳 毓賯丕卅丿 賱丕 丨賯 賱賴 賮賷 丕賱爻禺乇賷丞 賲賳賴丕
賲賳 兀賳鬲 賷丕 賲丕乇鬲賱
责
毓賱賶 丕賱賴丕賲卮
亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱賱胤亘毓丞 丕賱毓乇亘賷丞
賮丨賯丕賸 賱丕 鬲毓賱賷賯
丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 卮丿賷丿丞 丕賱爻賵亍
賵胤亘毓丞 賲賳卮賵乇丕鬲 丕賱噩賲賱 賲賱賷卅丞 亘丕賱兀禺胤丕亍 丕賱廿賲賱丕卅賷丞 賵丕賱賲胤亘毓賷丞
賱賲 兀爻鬲胤毓 鬲丨賲賱賴丕 賵兀賰賲賱鬲賴丕 亘丕賱丕賳噩賱賷夭賷丞
July 9, 2017
賱賷爻鬲 乇賵丕賷丞 賯丿乇 賲丕賴賷 乇丨賱丞 乇賵丨賷丞..乇丨賱丞 丕賱亘丨孬 毓賳 丕賱匕丕鬲..賵 丕賱賱賴
賵丕賱賮賷賱賲 丕賱賲賯鬲亘爻 毓賳賴丕 賱賷爻 賲噩乇丿 賲丐孬乇丕鬲 賵鬲賲孬賷賱..亘賱 賱賵丨丞 賮賳賷丞 賯丿賲鬲 噩夭亍 賲賳 乇賵丨丕賳賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘卮賰賱 賮賳賷 亘丿賷毓
賱匕丕 賱丕 鬲賰鬲賮賷 亘賵丕丨丿丞 賵鬲鬲乇賰 丕賱兀禺乇賷
It's One big journey into the Pacific Ocean.
Just you ,an Indian small boy and a royal Bengal Tiger.
But before you're thrown to that small life boat into the wide ocean...you learn so much about your companion Indian boy.. his curiosity about Life, the Creator, Ultimate Reality, Brahman, God ,Allah..
Little Pi picked the best and the greatest manners of every religion ; Hinduism,Christianity, and Islam..
His life in the quite Indian small city 'Pondicherry' which was -for me- the best part of the book with its spiritual events, the zoo beautifully,amazingly colorful illustrated by words described in the first Part of the novel.
But That was calm before the storm and the events of the Part 2 where you stick at that boat with them as I've said before..
So hard those 227,boring sometimes, bit disgusting but most of the time thrilling and exciting..
Into a wondrous ocean.. amazing life, tense with a wild tiger..fear and love...and searching for the Mercy of God..
Then the final part...and the Hardest ever....and it make u think ....and believe if you think by your heart and soul..
A Twist like no other...and a very great raw conclusion for this very spiritual journey.
----------------------
The Movie Vs The Novel..
Well it may be the first time that I can't say which was better the movie or the novel..
The thing is the movie was stronger in some points "of course the visual effect and cinematography was BRILLIANT , a true piece of art" but otherwise it missed some important spirit of the novel..
**some points of the story itself, some switches in the characters -like the father role as the unbeliever was better in the movie than in the book-
**The journey at the ocean was less boring as the book and successful removed the very brutal and disgusting parts that filled that part at the book.
**BUT the novel was stronger at the spiritual points as I call some of the chapters :"A Journey through 3 Religions " "A Clash of 3 Religions" ,
but otherwise it's almost the same.
So Still I prefer the movie a little bit..the adaption was almost honest ,make more depth to the beauty of the journey.. manifest the beautiful spirit despite all the hardness of the journey ...
Mohammed Arabey
20 March to 2 April 2013
my first review before reading it
11-1-2013 "The Movie is amazing... so deep and visually amazing. Can't wait to read the book"
Just for fun
June 1, 2019
People often see me walking down the street, casually, minding my own business, and they always stop and ask me, "Yo, Justin, what are you reading these days?"
And I'm always happy to stop and engage in conversation about what I'm reading, and I share a few thoughts about the book.
"Yeah, it's not bad. Pretty good so far."
"Really enjoying it! Better than I expected!"
"Oh man, it's alright I guess. Kinda slow."
I like to keep my comments pretty general in nature.
Also, that never actually happens to me.
Or does it?
Anyway, I did tell a few people I was reading Life of Pi and every single one of them said, "Oh yeah, isn't that the book about the guy and a tiger on a raft?" Because that's what everyone thinks of when they think of Life of Pi. The book about some guy on a boat with a tiger. And they are absolutely right. I mean, if you needed a one sentence synopsis of Life of Pi you would say it's about some dude floating around on a raft or a boat or something with a tiger, and that would be it. You nailed it.
Except Pi isn't on a lifeboat with Richard Parker (the tiger) until about halfway through the book. So that synopsis isn't enough because there is so much more going on in Life of Pi. So much more.
So let's start with the biggest reason this book gets a coveted five star rating from me: I got to learn all about zoos and the animals that inhabit them. I'm kidding, a little, kind of, but the beginning of the book is just fascinating to read. Pi weaves in stories of his childhood with facts about India, religion, animals, zoos, family, and all kinds of other stuff. One scene in particular that I loved was when Pi was trying to determine his religion and the choice that follows. Just humorous, insightful stuff all around, and I forgot all about what the book is really about. I won't remind you.
The story moves from all of that stuff, like a memoir I guess, to an adventure story. Now, I'm not a huge adventure story kind of guy, but the writing was so engaging and the audiobook narration was so intoxicating that I kept plugging along with all the craziness Pi finds himself in. It gets pretty violent and a little disgusting at times, but you're reading about wild animals and about a guy who is caught in a horrible tale of survival. It's not too bad.
Then, the end of the book comes along, and oh my god I can't even tell you about the end of the book. It's awesome though. Just trust me on this one if you haven't read it already. You've probably read it already. You've probably seen the movie, too, you awesome person you. Look at you go, all awesome and stuff.
I'm gonna watch the movie as soon as possible. Looking forward to it. This was a fantastic audiobook that I spent almost a month listening to during my morning commute. Whatever I pop in next has a tough act to follow.
January has been a pretty solid month of reading for me. Definitely ended it on a high note. I don't rate books five stars very often because I'm am overly critical book critic, but this is a five star read that deserves a little bit of your time.
And I'm always happy to stop and engage in conversation about what I'm reading, and I share a few thoughts about the book.
"Yeah, it's not bad. Pretty good so far."
"Really enjoying it! Better than I expected!"
"Oh man, it's alright I guess. Kinda slow."
I like to keep my comments pretty general in nature.
Also, that never actually happens to me.
Or does it?
Anyway, I did tell a few people I was reading Life of Pi and every single one of them said, "Oh yeah, isn't that the book about the guy and a tiger on a raft?" Because that's what everyone thinks of when they think of Life of Pi. The book about some guy on a boat with a tiger. And they are absolutely right. I mean, if you needed a one sentence synopsis of Life of Pi you would say it's about some dude floating around on a raft or a boat or something with a tiger, and that would be it. You nailed it.
Except Pi isn't on a lifeboat with Richard Parker (the tiger) until about halfway through the book. So that synopsis isn't enough because there is so much more going on in Life of Pi. So much more.
So let's start with the biggest reason this book gets a coveted five star rating from me: I got to learn all about zoos and the animals that inhabit them. I'm kidding, a little, kind of, but the beginning of the book is just fascinating to read. Pi weaves in stories of his childhood with facts about India, religion, animals, zoos, family, and all kinds of other stuff. One scene in particular that I loved was when Pi was trying to determine his religion and the choice that follows. Just humorous, insightful stuff all around, and I forgot all about what the book is really about. I won't remind you.
The story moves from all of that stuff, like a memoir I guess, to an adventure story. Now, I'm not a huge adventure story kind of guy, but the writing was so engaging and the audiobook narration was so intoxicating that I kept plugging along with all the craziness Pi finds himself in. It gets pretty violent and a little disgusting at times, but you're reading about wild animals and about a guy who is caught in a horrible tale of survival. It's not too bad.
Then, the end of the book comes along, and oh my god I can't even tell you about the end of the book. It's awesome though. Just trust me on this one if you haven't read it already. You've probably read it already. You've probably seen the movie, too, you awesome person you. Look at you go, all awesome and stuff.
I'm gonna watch the movie as soon as possible. Looking forward to it. This was a fantastic audiobook that I spent almost a month listening to during my morning commute. Whatever I pop in next has a tough act to follow.
January has been a pretty solid month of reading for me. Definitely ended it on a high note. I don't rate books five stars very often because I'm am overly critical book critic, but this is a five star read that deserves a little bit of your time.
August 29, 2012
鈥� Life is a peephole, a single tiny entry onto a vastness.鈥�
We have all heard the phrase 鈥榶ou can鈥檛 judge a book by it鈥檚 cover.鈥� While this is a good life lesson, especially when taken as a metaphor that extends beyond books and into people, places, foods, etc., sometimes the cover of a novel is very telling of what lies within. Yann Martel鈥檚 Life of Pi wears it鈥檚 heart on it鈥檚 sleeve. A quick glance at the cover shows the overzealous stamp of 鈥榃inner of the Man Booker Prize鈥�, INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER, the indication that, yes, this is 鈥楢 Novel鈥�, and an image that both depicts the major plot point of the novel, thus spoiling the surprise of who Richard Parker really is. All this praise lauded upon the cover is instantly telling that this is a novel that has reached a wide audience, and is most likely aimed towards wide critical acclaim. That is all fine, and bravo to Mr. Martel for being able to leave his mark on the bestseller list, something I can only imagine in my wildest of wildest dreams, but sometimes when reaching for a large audience you have to elbow out a small percentage of readers. I am that small percentage that was elbowed out by Martel鈥檚 attempt to make an accessible novel that will touch the reader on a spiritual level. This is a difficult novel to review as, firstly, I did enjoy reading the book. I gave in to reading this book that I have been purposely avoiding after reading the excellent from mi Hermana. I had a lot of fun discussing this book with her, texting her my shocks and suprises in the plot, and discussing the book in several threads with fellow Goodreaders. As anyone can see with a quick glance at the overall ratings, this book seems to really strike a chord in many readers, yet also brings a large crowd of dissenters. While I did extract a good deal of pleasure from the novel, it just didn鈥檛 sit well with me at the same time. In all fairness to the novel, and to my usual reading list, I have to dissect this book with the same views of novels that I would any other. This begs the question as to 鈥榳hy do we read?鈥�, and this reason differs from person to person much like each persons meaning of life 鈥� a theme explored in Pi. Life of Pi was a pleasurable read that suffered from a heavy-handed serving of morality. While Martel delivers one charming phrase after the next with a graceful flow, he would have greatly benefited from a touch of subtlety.
All to often, Martel would draw conclusions for the reader. A prime example occurs in the first few pages when Pi鈥檚 science teacher visits the Zoo (a zoo that he does not hold back from explaining how it serves as a metaphor for humanity), and calls out the name of well-known scientists whose studies pertain to the activities of the animals he is currently viewing. Martel spoils the moment by explaining that Mr. Kumar liked to prove to himself 鈥�that everything was order鈥�. It felt as if Martel didn鈥檛 believe his readers could connect the dot. Even more obscure ideas are spoiled in such a manner. When a rain of flying fish saves Pi and Richard Parker from certain hunger, he thanks Vishnu saying 鈥�once you saved the world by taking the form of a fish. Now you have saved me by taking the form of a fish鈥�. While I would not have made this connection, it ruins that 鈥榓h-ha!鈥� moment for those that do. It is that special moment of understanding an allusion in literature that keeps me reading a wide variety of texts, and it seems insulting to have someone to make connections without giving you an opportunity. Even at the very end, in his shocking twist of an ending (I must profess this novel has an incredible conclusion), the two Chinese men literally draw the connections for you saying something to the effect of 鈥榦h, this is this and that means that鈥︹€�. This all seems to be Martel鈥檚 way of making sure his message gets heard, and is able to reach everyone. It is a noble goal, and it gets people who do not typically read to like and enjoy a book, so I cannot necessarily knock him for it as that was his goal, but this is all to my chagrin.
鈥業t's important in life to conclude things properly,鈥� Pi explains, 鈥�only then can you let go. Otherwise you are left with words you should have said but never did, and your heart is heavy with remorse鈥�. The question now is, does Martel conclude things properly? I personally loved the conclusion to this book. He successfully pulls the rug out from under the reader and exposes the real message behind the book. Without spoiling anything, this novel makes a good statement on the powers of storytelling with both a fun plot device and well crafted statements such as 鈥�that's what fiction is about, isn't it, the selective transforming of reality? The twisting of it to bring out its essence?鈥� Had he left it at that, it would have been wonderful and allowed for mass interpretability and the reader could have easily connected it to spirituality. However, Martel forces the connection to religion down the reader鈥檚 throat. The whole beginning section of the novel, which details Pi鈥檚 exploration of various religions, seems irrelevant for the majority the novel. Occasionally he will pray or include some stunning statements on the beauty of life and the grace of God/gods, but it seems to have been only there to make sure you were looking for the religious metaphors in the plot and comes across as Martel with a death grip on the readers head, jerking it back and forth shouting 鈥榣ook here! Notice that! Remember what we talked about!?鈥� While much of the focus on spirituality was well done, it was far too heavy-handed and led to a rather narrow interpretation on the ending.
My major concern is that Martel only gave us what he thought the reader would want, making quotes such as 鈥� I know what you want. You want a story that won鈥檛 surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won鈥檛 make you see higher or further or differently,鈥� seem like he wasn鈥檛 being as ironic with the ending as he hoped it would be. While the conclusion comes out as 鈥榖et you didn鈥檛 see that coming鈥�, it really doesn鈥檛 say anything that hasn鈥檛 been said before. The novel is heralded as being an affirmation of faith, and that鈥檚 exactly what it is, an affirmation. It isn鈥檛 going to challenge your beliefs, although he does an excellent job allowing different religious figures to challenge the differences in belief of one another even if it is the same concepts anyone would learn in a 100 level humanities course; it isn鈥檛 going to convert any readers to a life of devotion; it only provides a blanket and a comfort to those that already believe. Which, once again, is not a bad thing, if that is what you are looking for. It reminded me of something a professor once told me in a World Religions course. He described church as something that, and this is his opinion, is a crutch for those who needed it. He compared the obligation to attend to telling a girlfriend you only hang out with them because you feel you have to and are obligated to. While his opinion is a bit harsh and easily offensive, what he was really trying to say is you should believe because you want to, not because you have to. Martel makes it seem like you have to believe in these things, and I see why that makes this book hard to swallow for someone who doesn鈥檛. Once again, in hopes to reassure and reach a large audience, Martel rudely elbows out the remainder. However, I really feel uncomfortable discussing beliefs on the open seas of the internet, and I really hope nothing said here offends you as that is not my intention. Please understand I am only speaking in relevance to my thoughts on a book, not on religion. The insistence of Martel to wrap a cool concept with spirituality is a major reason why it is so difficult to talk about this book. It is hard to separate the two ideas, but I鈥檓 doing my best to keep this focused on the literary aspects. I鈥檓 getting too self-conscious! The whole point here is that a lot of what Martel says has been said before, better, and with more willingness to evoke a change in the reader.
All that said, there is a lot that I truly enjoyed about this book. If you push all the aforementioned details aside, this was a wild ride. This made me want to visit zoos and hug a tiger. Look how cute this tiger is:
Tell me you don鈥檛 want to hug that! I really enjoyed the wealth of zoological knowledge Martel bestows upon the reader, and his insistence on seeming 鈥榬ealistic鈥� with his animals. After reading this book, you will know why you should never, ever try to hug a tiger or take a wild animal for granted. He makes an interesting point how we force cute cuddly animal toys on children and make them think they are some domestic pet. While this is used as an excellent point that humans are the villain, which is easily slotted into the religious issues as an explanation that it isn鈥檛 religion that causes violence but the people abusing the rhetoric, it does seem ironically opposed to his final statement of how religion glosses over the grimy, difficult to handle details of life and makes it easier to handle. Are cute cuddly animal toys then religion? This novel is a very positive message to the world, and anything promoting peace and harmony can鈥檛 be all that bad. I enjoyed statements such as 鈥� If there's only one nation in the sky, shouldn't all passports be valid for it?鈥�, which is an important idea considering the violence that takes place around the world. I also enjoyed how the animal story is also chock full of scientific facts and details, which fuses the idea of religion and science together instead of showing them as opposites. Thre were some symbolism, the ones he left untainted by a forced explanation, that really struck me. The tiger itself is open for many views, either as God, Pi, or life itself - something we must face and tame lest it destroy us. However, could it be the killer inside us all, an urge and animalistic force we must keep in check in order to exist in a civilized society? In a way, I felt that the ending could almost be an attack on religion, showing it as nothing more than a pretty way of viewing a world as ugly as our own. I felt that the tarpauline served as a similar symbol. It was a feeling of security, something to stand on, but underneath was the violent truth of a deadly tiger. Perhaps it was our personal sense of security which is actually just thin and flimsy. When Martel doesn't slap us with his meaning, it is quite good.
I was simply not the intended audience for this novel. However, Martel has a positive message that he wanted to reach a wide audience in hopes to spread peace to a world badly in need of it, so I cannot be too harsh on him. He achieved his goals for the novel, but his novel did not reach my goals for literature. Still, this was a fun read and I would recommend it. Just ask yourself, 鈥榳hy read?鈥� and if the cons of this review outweigh the pros, then this novel is not for you. But if you desire something that will entertain, broaden your horizons of spirituality if you don鈥檛 know much about various religions, or reaffirm your faith, well look no further.
3.5/5
鈥� Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous possessive love that grabs at what it can.鈥�
Here's more tigers. Because you deserve them:
We have all heard the phrase 鈥榶ou can鈥檛 judge a book by it鈥檚 cover.鈥� While this is a good life lesson, especially when taken as a metaphor that extends beyond books and into people, places, foods, etc., sometimes the cover of a novel is very telling of what lies within. Yann Martel鈥檚 Life of Pi wears it鈥檚 heart on it鈥檚 sleeve. A quick glance at the cover shows the overzealous stamp of 鈥榃inner of the Man Booker Prize鈥�, INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER, the indication that, yes, this is 鈥楢 Novel鈥�, and an image that both depicts the major plot point of the novel, thus spoiling the surprise of who Richard Parker really is. All this praise lauded upon the cover is instantly telling that this is a novel that has reached a wide audience, and is most likely aimed towards wide critical acclaim. That is all fine, and bravo to Mr. Martel for being able to leave his mark on the bestseller list, something I can only imagine in my wildest of wildest dreams, but sometimes when reaching for a large audience you have to elbow out a small percentage of readers. I am that small percentage that was elbowed out by Martel鈥檚 attempt to make an accessible novel that will touch the reader on a spiritual level. This is a difficult novel to review as, firstly, I did enjoy reading the book. I gave in to reading this book that I have been purposely avoiding after reading the excellent from mi Hermana. I had a lot of fun discussing this book with her, texting her my shocks and suprises in the plot, and discussing the book in several threads with fellow Goodreaders. As anyone can see with a quick glance at the overall ratings, this book seems to really strike a chord in many readers, yet also brings a large crowd of dissenters. While I did extract a good deal of pleasure from the novel, it just didn鈥檛 sit well with me at the same time. In all fairness to the novel, and to my usual reading list, I have to dissect this book with the same views of novels that I would any other. This begs the question as to 鈥榳hy do we read?鈥�, and this reason differs from person to person much like each persons meaning of life 鈥� a theme explored in Pi. Life of Pi was a pleasurable read that suffered from a heavy-handed serving of morality. While Martel delivers one charming phrase after the next with a graceful flow, he would have greatly benefited from a touch of subtlety.
All to often, Martel would draw conclusions for the reader. A prime example occurs in the first few pages when Pi鈥檚 science teacher visits the Zoo (a zoo that he does not hold back from explaining how it serves as a metaphor for humanity), and calls out the name of well-known scientists whose studies pertain to the activities of the animals he is currently viewing. Martel spoils the moment by explaining that Mr. Kumar liked to prove to himself 鈥�that everything was order鈥�. It felt as if Martel didn鈥檛 believe his readers could connect the dot. Even more obscure ideas are spoiled in such a manner. When a rain of flying fish saves Pi and Richard Parker from certain hunger, he thanks Vishnu saying 鈥�once you saved the world by taking the form of a fish. Now you have saved me by taking the form of a fish鈥�. While I would not have made this connection, it ruins that 鈥榓h-ha!鈥� moment for those that do. It is that special moment of understanding an allusion in literature that keeps me reading a wide variety of texts, and it seems insulting to have someone to make connections without giving you an opportunity. Even at the very end, in his shocking twist of an ending (I must profess this novel has an incredible conclusion), the two Chinese men literally draw the connections for you saying something to the effect of 鈥榦h, this is this and that means that鈥︹€�. This all seems to be Martel鈥檚 way of making sure his message gets heard, and is able to reach everyone. It is a noble goal, and it gets people who do not typically read to like and enjoy a book, so I cannot necessarily knock him for it as that was his goal, but this is all to my chagrin.
鈥業t's important in life to conclude things properly,鈥� Pi explains, 鈥�only then can you let go. Otherwise you are left with words you should have said but never did, and your heart is heavy with remorse鈥�. The question now is, does Martel conclude things properly? I personally loved the conclusion to this book. He successfully pulls the rug out from under the reader and exposes the real message behind the book. Without spoiling anything, this novel makes a good statement on the powers of storytelling with both a fun plot device and well crafted statements such as 鈥�that's what fiction is about, isn't it, the selective transforming of reality? The twisting of it to bring out its essence?鈥� Had he left it at that, it would have been wonderful and allowed for mass interpretability and the reader could have easily connected it to spirituality. However, Martel forces the connection to religion down the reader鈥檚 throat. The whole beginning section of the novel, which details Pi鈥檚 exploration of various religions, seems irrelevant for the majority the novel. Occasionally he will pray or include some stunning statements on the beauty of life and the grace of God/gods, but it seems to have been only there to make sure you were looking for the religious metaphors in the plot and comes across as Martel with a death grip on the readers head, jerking it back and forth shouting 鈥榣ook here! Notice that! Remember what we talked about!?鈥� While much of the focus on spirituality was well done, it was far too heavy-handed and led to a rather narrow interpretation on the ending.
My major concern is that Martel only gave us what he thought the reader would want, making quotes such as 鈥� I know what you want. You want a story that won鈥檛 surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won鈥檛 make you see higher or further or differently,鈥� seem like he wasn鈥檛 being as ironic with the ending as he hoped it would be. While the conclusion comes out as 鈥榖et you didn鈥檛 see that coming鈥�, it really doesn鈥檛 say anything that hasn鈥檛 been said before. The novel is heralded as being an affirmation of faith, and that鈥檚 exactly what it is, an affirmation. It isn鈥檛 going to challenge your beliefs, although he does an excellent job allowing different religious figures to challenge the differences in belief of one another even if it is the same concepts anyone would learn in a 100 level humanities course; it isn鈥檛 going to convert any readers to a life of devotion; it only provides a blanket and a comfort to those that already believe. Which, once again, is not a bad thing, if that is what you are looking for. It reminded me of something a professor once told me in a World Religions course. He described church as something that, and this is his opinion, is a crutch for those who needed it. He compared the obligation to attend to telling a girlfriend you only hang out with them because you feel you have to and are obligated to. While his opinion is a bit harsh and easily offensive, what he was really trying to say is you should believe because you want to, not because you have to. Martel makes it seem like you have to believe in these things, and I see why that makes this book hard to swallow for someone who doesn鈥檛. Once again, in hopes to reassure and reach a large audience, Martel rudely elbows out the remainder. However, I really feel uncomfortable discussing beliefs on the open seas of the internet, and I really hope nothing said here offends you as that is not my intention. Please understand I am only speaking in relevance to my thoughts on a book, not on religion. The insistence of Martel to wrap a cool concept with spirituality is a major reason why it is so difficult to talk about this book. It is hard to separate the two ideas, but I鈥檓 doing my best to keep this focused on the literary aspects. I鈥檓 getting too self-conscious! The whole point here is that a lot of what Martel says has been said before, better, and with more willingness to evoke a change in the reader.
All that said, there is a lot that I truly enjoyed about this book. If you push all the aforementioned details aside, this was a wild ride. This made me want to visit zoos and hug a tiger. Look how cute this tiger is:
Tell me you don鈥檛 want to hug that! I really enjoyed the wealth of zoological knowledge Martel bestows upon the reader, and his insistence on seeming 鈥榬ealistic鈥� with his animals. After reading this book, you will know why you should never, ever try to hug a tiger or take a wild animal for granted. He makes an interesting point how we force cute cuddly animal toys on children and make them think they are some domestic pet. While this is used as an excellent point that humans are the villain, which is easily slotted into the religious issues as an explanation that it isn鈥檛 religion that causes violence but the people abusing the rhetoric, it does seem ironically opposed to his final statement of how religion glosses over the grimy, difficult to handle details of life and makes it easier to handle. Are cute cuddly animal toys then religion? This novel is a very positive message to the world, and anything promoting peace and harmony can鈥檛 be all that bad. I enjoyed statements such as 鈥� If there's only one nation in the sky, shouldn't all passports be valid for it?鈥�, which is an important idea considering the violence that takes place around the world. I also enjoyed how the animal story is also chock full of scientific facts and details, which fuses the idea of religion and science together instead of showing them as opposites. Thre were some symbolism, the ones he left untainted by a forced explanation, that really struck me. The tiger itself is open for many views, either as God, Pi, or life itself - something we must face and tame lest it destroy us. However, could it be the killer inside us all, an urge and animalistic force we must keep in check in order to exist in a civilized society? In a way, I felt that the ending could almost be an attack on religion, showing it as nothing more than a pretty way of viewing a world as ugly as our own. I felt that the tarpauline served as a similar symbol. It was a feeling of security, something to stand on, but underneath was the violent truth of a deadly tiger. Perhaps it was our personal sense of security which is actually just thin and flimsy. When Martel doesn't slap us with his meaning, it is quite good.I was simply not the intended audience for this novel. However, Martel has a positive message that he wanted to reach a wide audience in hopes to spread peace to a world badly in need of it, so I cannot be too harsh on him. He achieved his goals for the novel, but his novel did not reach my goals for literature. Still, this was a fun read and I would recommend it. Just ask yourself, 鈥榳hy read?鈥� and if the cons of this review outweigh the pros, then this novel is not for you. But if you desire something that will entertain, broaden your horizons of spirituality if you don鈥檛 know much about various religions, or reaffirm your faith, well look no further.
3.5/5
鈥� Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous possessive love that grabs at what it can.鈥�
Here's more tigers. Because you deserve them:
June 8, 2022
鈥淚t is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.鈥�
As a sort of parable on the value of storytelling, Yann Martel's fantastical adventure, Life of Pi, is astonishing. In the most desperate of circumstances, while Pi is on his lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, imagination and storytelling are the keys to Pi's incredible story of survival. Issues about believability, what really happened on the boat, take a backseat to wonder, love, creativity and to a certain extent, madness. The novel is heavy on spirituality, but it is compelling and Pi's evolving relationship with Richard Parker keeps their 227 days at sea interesting.
As a sort of parable on the value of storytelling, Yann Martel's fantastical adventure, Life of Pi, is astonishing. In the most desperate of circumstances, while Pi is on his lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, imagination and storytelling are the keys to Pi's incredible story of survival. Issues about believability, what really happened on the boat, take a backseat to wonder, love, creativity and to a certain extent, madness. The novel is heavy on spirituality, but it is compelling and Pi's evolving relationship with Richard Parker keeps their 227 days at sea interesting.
October 31, 2021
2004 review: I've always remembered this book leaving a deep lasting impact on me; appearing from the start to be one thing, and being by the end something completely different! My na茂ve younger self labelled this as a horror read, which I understand - but this a lot more than that.
's expert and peerless mix of fact and fiction, and of adventure and magical realism, is a joy to behold. Ultimately this book has one of those ideas, that some readers may struggle with - that only you can decide what really happened on Pi's journey, but it works really well for me. One of my must-read top 100 books. My stuck-up younger self only gave this an 8 out 12, but I'm sure a re-read will right this wrong one day.
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's expert and peerless mix of fact and fiction, and of adventure and magical realism, is a joy to behold. Ultimately this book has one of those ideas, that some readers may struggle with - that only you can decide what really happened on Pi's journey, but it works really well for me. One of my must-read top 100 books. My stuck-up younger self only gave this an 8 out 12, but I'm sure a re-read will right this wrong one day.
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November 30, 2007
Once, while riding the bus, I told a friend I hated this book. A guy I'd never met turned around to tell me that he was shocked and this was a beautiful book. I can sum up my hatred of this book by saying this: At the end of the book a character asks "Do you prefer the story with animals or without?" I can say with conviction I prefer the story without the animals--the stupid, boring, symbolic animals.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2024
After finishing Life of Pi, I've finally cleared up a lot of the confusion I had after watching the movie, and I have an even greater admiration for Yann Martel. Not only did he tell a fantastic story, but his writing is also exceptional. I found it hard to put the book down.
I've noticed that many readers spend a lot of time debating the truth or falsehood of the first and second stories. However, I think the first third of the book is worth savoring more. I feel like almost every detail in the beginning is significant and directly relates to Pi's thoughts, feelings, and experiences during his time adrift at sea.
Pi has a unique and fascinating background: the son of a zookeeper, he is a devout believer in Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. His father ran a colorful zoo in Pondicherry, a former French colony in India. Pi spent most of his after - school hours learning about animals, and this experience not only shaped his childhood memories but also influenced his worldview.
What had the greatest impact on Pi's worldview, however, was religion - not just 1, but 3. This is why he pursued dual degrees in zoology and theology at the University of Toronto. And through his studies of the three - toed sloth and the 16th - century Kabbalists, a branch of Judaism, he developed a deeper understanding of the boundaries between science and religion.
As Pi reminisced about his childhood in India, he often drew parallels between the plight of animals in zoos and people's prejudices against religion. Pi believed that prejudices against zoos and religion stem from the same root: the human - centric view that humans are the center of the universe. I found this comparison particularly insightful.
Pi mentioned that he'd heard just as many misconceptions about zoos as about religious beliefs. Well - meaning but ignorant people often assume that animals can only be truly happy living in the wild because the wild represents freedom. Similarly, those who oppose religion argue that if there's a God, humans must live by God's rules, just like animals in zoos, losing their freedom.
But is freedom really what people imagine it to be? At least in Pi's view, we have a misconception about zoos. A comfortable house meets our basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter, and a well-equipped zoo does the same for animals. In the past, people didn't live in apartments; they were nomads. They herded large flocks of sheep and had to travel far and wide to gather food.
Today, with advanced civilization, a 100 - square - meter apartment can meet all our basic needs. So, what about animals? Take a lion, for example. It needs a large territory, but this territory isn't for the lion's "freedom"; it's for "survival." In the wild, food is scarce, and water is hard to come by, which is why animals need seemingly vast expanses of land. So, if humans can live comfortably in houses, why can't animals live comfortably in well - equipped zoos?
You might wonder why animals escape from zoos if they're truly happy there. Pi explained that it's not about seeking freedom but about escaping something that makes them uneasy. The novel's description is so convincing that I won't spoil it for you. In short, the descriptions of zoos in the book lay the groundwork for Pi's eventual peaceful coexistence with Richard Parker.
Do science and religion contradict each other, or do they each have their own domains? Science is undoubtedly useful. The experience of Pi's zoology teacher, the staunch atheist Mr. Satisg Kumar, is a case in point. Originally a devout Muslim, Kumar lost his faith in God after contracting polio and failing to recover despite his prayers. It was Western medicine that ultimately saved him. From then on, he abandoned his belief in God and turned to science.
Coincidentally, Pi's Muslim teacher also shared the same name: Satisg Kumar. This coincidence might have further confused Pi about the relationship between science and religion. On the surface, Mr. Kumar's polio was cured by Western medicine, not religion, suggesting that science is the truth and religion is mere superstition. Perhaps Pi had similar doubts. However, he later came to understand the relationship between religion and science. A prime example is his choice of the name "Pi" for himself. Pi is an irrational number, 3.141592653..., and the sequence of digits after the decimal point goes on infinitely. This drives many mathematicians crazy, but it became a "refuge" for Pi. It made him realize that science cannot explain everything; otherwise, there would be no irrational numbers like Pi.
Later in the novel, when confronted by Japanese officials, Pi made a profound statement comparing the love of science and faith: 鈥滻 applied my reason at every moment. Reason is excellent for getting food, clothing, and shelter. Reason is the very best tool kit. Nothing beats reason for keeping tiger away. But be excessive reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater."
Pi survived 227 days on the Pacific Ocean. He certainly wouldn't have lasted that long relying solely on faith. Science taught him how to calculate the proper ratio of food and water, how to fish and catch turtles, and the survival guide's scientific knowledge prevented him from making many mistakes. His knowledge of animal taming also allowed him to eventually coexist peacefully with the tiger, Richard Parker.
Therefore, religion and science do not contradict each other; rather, they have their own domains. Pi's name exemplifies this: some numbers, like Pi, transcend the boundaries of human understanding, proving that science cannot explain everything. In life, there are even more things that science cannot account for. This is where the power of religious faith comes into play.
After the Tsimtsum sank, Pi found himself clinging to a lifeboat, suspended over the vast Pacific Ocean, alone and insignificant. A tiger was in front of him, a storm raged behind, and sharks lurked below. If Pi had sought answers from reason at that moment, he would have given up and jumped into the sea. He would have drowned before being devoured by sharks or tiger. Reason cannot conquer fear or doubt.
At that moment, religion, God, and faith were the only things that could give Pi strength. The 3 religions he believed in played a significant role in his survival. The first few chapters of the book lay a detailed foundation for this, which the author Martel himself described as the core of the entire book.
What is the meaning of religion? Pi himself gradually discovered this. It was because he recognized both the unity and diversity among the religions that he stubbornly adhered to all 3.
Hinduism was the first religion Pi encountered. From Hinduism, he discovered the first function of religion: it's a filter for reality, a benchmark for interpreting the world. In Pi's own words, The universe makes sense to me through Hindu eyes." Hinduism allowed Pi to understand the world rather than merely seeing it. Therefore, in later chapters, he could find beauty in the endless ocean and sky, he could tell countless fishing stories, he could write unique insights in his diary, and he could perceive and describe the floating island he saw.
Pi contrasted his feelings when he was on the Tsimtsum and when he was on the lifeboat. He said that the Tsimtsum was moving so fast that he mistakenly thought there was nothing else in the sea besides whales and dolphins. But when he drifted slowly on the lifeboat, he discovered oysters, seaweed, crabs, and other wonders. If Pi hadn't been a Hindu, perhaps the world he saw would have been as colorless as the sea he saw on the Tsimtsum. (Perhaps this is why Ang Lee's film went to great lengths to capture the beauty of the ocean.)
Later, during a chance encounter, Pi met Father Martin and was introduced to Christianity. Jesus Christ completely overturned Pi's understanding of God. How could God be like a human, not only preaching and teaching but also being brutally killed? Pi had countless questions about Jesus, but ultimately, all the questions were answered by one word: Love, that was Father Martin's answer. The priest's patience and kindness taught Pi the greatness of love, the power of love, and gave him inner peace.
So, when Pi was struggling to survive at sea, he remembered Jesus' teachings: Love your enemies. If he is hungry, give him something to eat. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. That's how Pi treated Richard Parker. Not only did he feed him fish, but he also shared his fresh water. At the same time, he also felt Jesus' love for him at sea. The most obvious examples were the swordfish that accidentally jumped onto the boat at the beginning, the school of flying fish that seemed to "fall from the sky" later, and the constant presence of turtles.
The last religion Pi encountered was Islam, which is perhaps the most misunderstood religion. After meeting his Islamic teacher, Kumar, Pi said, 鈥滻 challenge anyone to understand Islam, its spirit, and not to love it. It is a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion."For Pi, Islam taught him how to relate to God, how to draw closer to God, and how to struggle against the evil within himself. 听
In chapters 23 to 25, there's a highlight: a scene where the elders of the 3 religions accidentally meet Pi at the same time. This part is written very beautifully and should not be missed.
In conclusion, the 3 seemingly contradictory religions gradually became more harmonious in Pi's eyes. They all helped Pi to better understand the world and himself. From then on, Pi no longer viewed different religions as separate entities but as a unified whole. Once, after listening to Kumar's explanation, Pi returned home. The roads, the sea, the trees, the air, and the sun, which had previously been unrelated to Pi, suddenly began to speak to him in the same language. He felt calm and peaceful.
Without science and without religion, Pi would not have survived.
The Japanese officials traveled a long way to meet Pi, only to hear an incredible story. Even so, after repeated questioning and doubt, they eventually chose to believe the first story. When they said they believed the first story, Pi responded, So it goes with God."
Why did Pi say that? Because the first story incorporated the teachings of Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, while the second story did not. More importantly, in the first story, although Pi didn't know where he was going, he firmly believed he would be saved. He didn't want to die on a floating island rich in material possessions but spiritually impoverished. However, in the second story, it was said, 鈥滻f you don't know where you want to go, it doesn't matter where you turn."
Admittedly, this sounds hard to believe, but Pi challenged us by asking:
鈥滾ove is hard to believe, ask any lover."
"Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist."
"God is hard to believe, ask any believer."
So, after finishing the story, it's time for you to start thinking. Religion or science, believe it or not?
Your choice.
4.6 / 5 stars
I've noticed that many readers spend a lot of time debating the truth or falsehood of the first and second stories. However, I think the first third of the book is worth savoring more. I feel like almost every detail in the beginning is significant and directly relates to Pi's thoughts, feelings, and experiences during his time adrift at sea.
Pi has a unique and fascinating background: the son of a zookeeper, he is a devout believer in Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. His father ran a colorful zoo in Pondicherry, a former French colony in India. Pi spent most of his after - school hours learning about animals, and this experience not only shaped his childhood memories but also influenced his worldview.
What had the greatest impact on Pi's worldview, however, was religion - not just 1, but 3. This is why he pursued dual degrees in zoology and theology at the University of Toronto. And through his studies of the three - toed sloth and the 16th - century Kabbalists, a branch of Judaism, he developed a deeper understanding of the boundaries between science and religion.
As Pi reminisced about his childhood in India, he often drew parallels between the plight of animals in zoos and people's prejudices against religion. Pi believed that prejudices against zoos and religion stem from the same root: the human - centric view that humans are the center of the universe. I found this comparison particularly insightful.
Pi mentioned that he'd heard just as many misconceptions about zoos as about religious beliefs. Well - meaning but ignorant people often assume that animals can only be truly happy living in the wild because the wild represents freedom. Similarly, those who oppose religion argue that if there's a God, humans must live by God's rules, just like animals in zoos, losing their freedom.
But is freedom really what people imagine it to be? At least in Pi's view, we have a misconception about zoos. A comfortable house meets our basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter, and a well-equipped zoo does the same for animals. In the past, people didn't live in apartments; they were nomads. They herded large flocks of sheep and had to travel far and wide to gather food.
Today, with advanced civilization, a 100 - square - meter apartment can meet all our basic needs. So, what about animals? Take a lion, for example. It needs a large territory, but this territory isn't for the lion's "freedom"; it's for "survival." In the wild, food is scarce, and water is hard to come by, which is why animals need seemingly vast expanses of land. So, if humans can live comfortably in houses, why can't animals live comfortably in well - equipped zoos?
You might wonder why animals escape from zoos if they're truly happy there. Pi explained that it's not about seeking freedom but about escaping something that makes them uneasy. The novel's description is so convincing that I won't spoil it for you. In short, the descriptions of zoos in the book lay the groundwork for Pi's eventual peaceful coexistence with Richard Parker.
Do science and religion contradict each other, or do they each have their own domains? Science is undoubtedly useful. The experience of Pi's zoology teacher, the staunch atheist Mr. Satisg Kumar, is a case in point. Originally a devout Muslim, Kumar lost his faith in God after contracting polio and failing to recover despite his prayers. It was Western medicine that ultimately saved him. From then on, he abandoned his belief in God and turned to science.
Coincidentally, Pi's Muslim teacher also shared the same name: Satisg Kumar. This coincidence might have further confused Pi about the relationship between science and religion. On the surface, Mr. Kumar's polio was cured by Western medicine, not religion, suggesting that science is the truth and religion is mere superstition. Perhaps Pi had similar doubts. However, he later came to understand the relationship between religion and science. A prime example is his choice of the name "Pi" for himself. Pi is an irrational number, 3.141592653..., and the sequence of digits after the decimal point goes on infinitely. This drives many mathematicians crazy, but it became a "refuge" for Pi. It made him realize that science cannot explain everything; otherwise, there would be no irrational numbers like Pi.
Later in the novel, when confronted by Japanese officials, Pi made a profound statement comparing the love of science and faith: 鈥滻 applied my reason at every moment. Reason is excellent for getting food, clothing, and shelter. Reason is the very best tool kit. Nothing beats reason for keeping tiger away. But be excessive reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater."
Pi survived 227 days on the Pacific Ocean. He certainly wouldn't have lasted that long relying solely on faith. Science taught him how to calculate the proper ratio of food and water, how to fish and catch turtles, and the survival guide's scientific knowledge prevented him from making many mistakes. His knowledge of animal taming also allowed him to eventually coexist peacefully with the tiger, Richard Parker.
Therefore, religion and science do not contradict each other; rather, they have their own domains. Pi's name exemplifies this: some numbers, like Pi, transcend the boundaries of human understanding, proving that science cannot explain everything. In life, there are even more things that science cannot account for. This is where the power of religious faith comes into play.
After the Tsimtsum sank, Pi found himself clinging to a lifeboat, suspended over the vast Pacific Ocean, alone and insignificant. A tiger was in front of him, a storm raged behind, and sharks lurked below. If Pi had sought answers from reason at that moment, he would have given up and jumped into the sea. He would have drowned before being devoured by sharks or tiger. Reason cannot conquer fear or doubt.
At that moment, religion, God, and faith were the only things that could give Pi strength. The 3 religions he believed in played a significant role in his survival. The first few chapters of the book lay a detailed foundation for this, which the author Martel himself described as the core of the entire book.
What is the meaning of religion? Pi himself gradually discovered this. It was because he recognized both the unity and diversity among the religions that he stubbornly adhered to all 3.
Hinduism was the first religion Pi encountered. From Hinduism, he discovered the first function of religion: it's a filter for reality, a benchmark for interpreting the world. In Pi's own words, The universe makes sense to me through Hindu eyes." Hinduism allowed Pi to understand the world rather than merely seeing it. Therefore, in later chapters, he could find beauty in the endless ocean and sky, he could tell countless fishing stories, he could write unique insights in his diary, and he could perceive and describe the floating island he saw.
Pi contrasted his feelings when he was on the Tsimtsum and when he was on the lifeboat. He said that the Tsimtsum was moving so fast that he mistakenly thought there was nothing else in the sea besides whales and dolphins. But when he drifted slowly on the lifeboat, he discovered oysters, seaweed, crabs, and other wonders. If Pi hadn't been a Hindu, perhaps the world he saw would have been as colorless as the sea he saw on the Tsimtsum. (Perhaps this is why Ang Lee's film went to great lengths to capture the beauty of the ocean.)
Later, during a chance encounter, Pi met Father Martin and was introduced to Christianity. Jesus Christ completely overturned Pi's understanding of God. How could God be like a human, not only preaching and teaching but also being brutally killed? Pi had countless questions about Jesus, but ultimately, all the questions were answered by one word: Love, that was Father Martin's answer. The priest's patience and kindness taught Pi the greatness of love, the power of love, and gave him inner peace.
So, when Pi was struggling to survive at sea, he remembered Jesus' teachings: Love your enemies. If he is hungry, give him something to eat. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. That's how Pi treated Richard Parker. Not only did he feed him fish, but he also shared his fresh water. At the same time, he also felt Jesus' love for him at sea. The most obvious examples were the swordfish that accidentally jumped onto the boat at the beginning, the school of flying fish that seemed to "fall from the sky" later, and the constant presence of turtles.
The last religion Pi encountered was Islam, which is perhaps the most misunderstood religion. After meeting his Islamic teacher, Kumar, Pi said, 鈥滻 challenge anyone to understand Islam, its spirit, and not to love it. It is a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion."For Pi, Islam taught him how to relate to God, how to draw closer to God, and how to struggle against the evil within himself. 听
In chapters 23 to 25, there's a highlight: a scene where the elders of the 3 religions accidentally meet Pi at the same time. This part is written very beautifully and should not be missed.
In conclusion, the 3 seemingly contradictory religions gradually became more harmonious in Pi's eyes. They all helped Pi to better understand the world and himself. From then on, Pi no longer viewed different religions as separate entities but as a unified whole. Once, after listening to Kumar's explanation, Pi returned home. The roads, the sea, the trees, the air, and the sun, which had previously been unrelated to Pi, suddenly began to speak to him in the same language. He felt calm and peaceful.
Without science and without religion, Pi would not have survived.
The Japanese officials traveled a long way to meet Pi, only to hear an incredible story. Even so, after repeated questioning and doubt, they eventually chose to believe the first story. When they said they believed the first story, Pi responded, So it goes with God."
Why did Pi say that? Because the first story incorporated the teachings of Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, while the second story did not. More importantly, in the first story, although Pi didn't know where he was going, he firmly believed he would be saved. He didn't want to die on a floating island rich in material possessions but spiritually impoverished. However, in the second story, it was said, 鈥滻f you don't know where you want to go, it doesn't matter where you turn."
Admittedly, this sounds hard to believe, but Pi challenged us by asking:
鈥滾ove is hard to believe, ask any lover."
"Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist."
"God is hard to believe, ask any believer."
So, after finishing the story, it's time for you to start thinking. Religion or science, believe it or not?
Your choice.
4.6 / 5 stars
January 22, 2025
I like tigers.
July 9, 2019
I'm a huge fan of Yann Martel's allegorical story.
I read Life of Pi shortly after it had won the Booker, heavily intrigued by the story's improbable premise (boy in lifeboat with Bengal tiger). I was keen to see how the author could pull this off.
But pull it off he did, taking me back to a wondrous childhood of adventure tales and fables.
And you are welcome to whack me over the head with a leather-bound copy of War and Peace, but I am such a sucker for exotic book covers!
Please read the book, don't see the film: Ditto, Captain Corelli.
I read Life of Pi shortly after it had won the Booker, heavily intrigued by the story's improbable premise (boy in lifeboat with Bengal tiger). I was keen to see how the author could pull this off.
But pull it off he did, taking me back to a wondrous childhood of adventure tales and fables.
And you are welcome to whack me over the head with a leather-bound copy of War and Peace, but I am such a sucker for exotic book covers!
Please read the book, don't see the film: Ditto, Captain Corelli.
November 13, 2019
UPDATE: Some will see this as good news...there is a movie based on this piffling 21st-century Kahlil Gibran ripoff, directed by Ang Lee, coming out.... As one can readily see, no smarm or treacle has been spared.
The whole world has a copy of this book, including me...but not for long. Over 100,000 copies of this on GR, so how many trees died just for our copies alone? Don't go into the forest, ladies and gents, the trees will be lookin' for revenge after they read this book.
There is no question that Martel can write lovely sentences: "Those first hours were associated in my memory with one sound, not one you'd guess, not the yipping of the hyena or the hissing of the sea: it was the buzzing of flies. There were flies aboard the lifeboat. They emerged and flew about in the way of flies, in great, lazy orbits except when they came close to each other, when they spiralled together with dizzying speed and a burst of buzzing." (p118, paper ed.) Good, good stuff, nicely observed and handsomely rendered, and not enough to lift this dreary pseudo-philosophical rehash of Jonathan Livingston Seagull into greatness.
Piscine Molitor (Pi) Patel does not wring my heartstrings on his spiritual quest across the vasty deep, accompanied by a tiger named Richard Parker, to a carnivorous island, thence to Mexico to answer to a pair of noxious Japanese stereotypes and, ultimately, to Canada...sort of an anodyne for all the adventure he's been through, the way the author presents it. If I were Canadian or Torontoid (or whatever they call themselves), I'd be livid with fury over this crapulous insult to my homeland.
But hey, I'm Texan and Murrikin, if they don't care enough to run this yahoo outta town, why should I? The yodeling of joyous awakening that fogged this book on its debut..."a story to make you believe in the soul-sustaining power of fiction" ugh!; "could renew your faith in the ability of novelists to invest even the most outrageous scenario with plausible life" oh really?; "a fabulous romp through an imagination by turns ecstatic, cunning, despairing and resilient" *retch*...made my "oh yeah?" follicle erect its sturdy little hair, so I avoided it. But, in all fairness, people I love and respect lived it, so it's a mitzvah to read it, right?
Public notice: My spiritual debt to the opinions of others is, with the reading of this ghastly book, herewith Paid In Full For Good. Most strongly and heartily NOT RECOMMENDED.
This work is licensed under a .
The whole world has a copy of this book, including me...but not for long. Over 100,000 copies of this on GR, so how many trees died just for our copies alone? Don't go into the forest, ladies and gents, the trees will be lookin' for revenge after they read this book.
There is no question that Martel can write lovely sentences: "Those first hours were associated in my memory with one sound, not one you'd guess, not the yipping of the hyena or the hissing of the sea: it was the buzzing of flies. There were flies aboard the lifeboat. They emerged and flew about in the way of flies, in great, lazy orbits except when they came close to each other, when they spiralled together with dizzying speed and a burst of buzzing." (p118, paper ed.) Good, good stuff, nicely observed and handsomely rendered, and not enough to lift this dreary pseudo-philosophical rehash of Jonathan Livingston Seagull into greatness.
Piscine Molitor (Pi) Patel does not wring my heartstrings on his spiritual quest across the vasty deep, accompanied by a tiger named Richard Parker, to a carnivorous island, thence to Mexico to answer to a pair of noxious Japanese stereotypes and, ultimately, to Canada...sort of an anodyne for all the adventure he's been through, the way the author presents it. If I were Canadian or Torontoid (or whatever they call themselves), I'd be livid with fury over this crapulous insult to my homeland.
But hey, I'm Texan and Murrikin, if they don't care enough to run this yahoo outta town, why should I? The yodeling of joyous awakening that fogged this book on its debut..."a story to make you believe in the soul-sustaining power of fiction" ugh!; "could renew your faith in the ability of novelists to invest even the most outrageous scenario with plausible life" oh really?; "a fabulous romp through an imagination by turns ecstatic, cunning, despairing and resilient" *retch*...made my "oh yeah?" follicle erect its sturdy little hair, so I avoided it. But, in all fairness, people I love and respect lived it, so it's a mitzvah to read it, right?
Public notice: My spiritual debt to the opinions of others is, with the reading of this ghastly book, herewith Paid In Full For Good. Most strongly and heartily NOT RECOMMENDED.
This work is licensed under a .
March 24, 2013
On the surface, it's the story of a 16 year old Indian boy named "Pi" who, when he and his zookeeping family decide to transplant themselves and some animals to Canada, ends up stranded on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a 450-lb Bengal tiger named "Richard Parker."
Don't let the Rudyard Kipling-ness of the plot fool you! In reality, this book is an examination of faith in all its forms. Young Pi loves God, and to prove it he becomes Christian and Muslim in addition to his native Hinduism. He also loves animals, and much of the book examines animal psychology and its relationship to human psychology in a vibrant, interesting way.
This book had me asking questions about my life, my beliefs, and my society on just about every page....and when the reader gets to the end (which I won't spoil here), the reader is forced to ask themself the kind of person they really are. If ever there was a novel that could be called a litmus test, it's this one. "The Life of Pi" will, at the very least, entertain through its sharp storytelling, but it can also help a reader examine how they see the world - and isn't that the point of great literature?
Favorite quotes:
"I felt a kinship with him. It was my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith. LIke me, they go as far as the legs of reason will carry them - and then they leap."
"But I don't insist. I don't mean to defend zoos. Close them all down if you want (and let us hope that what wildlife remains can survive in what is left of the natural world). I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both."
"And so, when she first heard of Hare Krishnas, she didn't hear right. She heard 'hairless Christians', and that is what they were to her for many years. When I corrected her, I told her that in fact she was not so wrong; that Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims."
"Christianity is a religion in a rush. Look at the world created in seven days. Even on a symbolic level, that's creation in a frenzy. To one born in a religion where the battle for a single soul can be a relay race run over many centuries, with innumerable generations passing along the baton, the quick resolution of Christianity has a dizzying effect. If Hinduism flows placidly like the Ganges, then Christianity bustles like Toronto at rush hour. It is a religion as swift as a swallow, as urgent as an ambulance. It turns on a dime, expresses itself in the instant. In a moment, you are lost or saved. Christianity stretches back through the ages, but in essence it exists only at one time: right now."
Don't let the Rudyard Kipling-ness of the plot fool you! In reality, this book is an examination of faith in all its forms. Young Pi loves God, and to prove it he becomes Christian and Muslim in addition to his native Hinduism. He also loves animals, and much of the book examines animal psychology and its relationship to human psychology in a vibrant, interesting way.
This book had me asking questions about my life, my beliefs, and my society on just about every page....and when the reader gets to the end (which I won't spoil here), the reader is forced to ask themself the kind of person they really are. If ever there was a novel that could be called a litmus test, it's this one. "The Life of Pi" will, at the very least, entertain through its sharp storytelling, but it can also help a reader examine how they see the world - and isn't that the point of great literature?
Favorite quotes:
"I felt a kinship with him. It was my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith. LIke me, they go as far as the legs of reason will carry them - and then they leap."
"But I don't insist. I don't mean to defend zoos. Close them all down if you want (and let us hope that what wildlife remains can survive in what is left of the natural world). I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both."
"And so, when she first heard of Hare Krishnas, she didn't hear right. She heard 'hairless Christians', and that is what they were to her for many years. When I corrected her, I told her that in fact she was not so wrong; that Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims."
"Christianity is a religion in a rush. Look at the world created in seven days. Even on a symbolic level, that's creation in a frenzy. To one born in a religion where the battle for a single soul can be a relay race run over many centuries, with innumerable generations passing along the baton, the quick resolution of Christianity has a dizzying effect. If Hinduism flows placidly like the Ganges, then Christianity bustles like Toronto at rush hour. It is a religion as swift as a swallow, as urgent as an ambulance. It turns on a dime, expresses itself in the instant. In a moment, you are lost or saved. Christianity stretches back through the ages, but in essence it exists only at one time: right now."
August 28, 2022
"It's important in life to conclude things properly. Only then can you let go. Otherwise, you are left with words you should have said but never did, and your heart is heavy with remorse."
鈥� Yann Martel, Life of Pi
I have struggled to write this review. Not because I didn鈥檛 love Life of Pi, because I absolutely did, but because it is difficult to put into words where this incredible tale has taken me.
Throughout the reading, I have found myself utterly horrified and fascinated in equal measure. I can honestly say I鈥檝e never pondered life, religion, survival - and how far a human can be pushed - as deeply as I have since I began my journey with Piscine Molitor Patel. I questioned faith and contemplated how far it could carry someone who's hanging on by a thread. I asked myself if I could have survived even half of what Pi had endured? Probably not, but who knows how strong the will to live is until it's put to the test? This is undoubtedly a book that gave me pause for thought.
Nature is as volatile as it is beautiful and, as an animal lover, I must warn those who might be disturbed by scenes of savagery (i.e. the natural order of life and death as it exists in the animal kingdom).
This story is dazzling, funny, gruesome, allegorical and altogether unforgettable.
Life of Pi is a powerful read.
鈥� Yann Martel, Life of Pi
I have struggled to write this review. Not because I didn鈥檛 love Life of Pi, because I absolutely did, but because it is difficult to put into words where this incredible tale has taken me.
Throughout the reading, I have found myself utterly horrified and fascinated in equal measure. I can honestly say I鈥檝e never pondered life, religion, survival - and how far a human can be pushed - as deeply as I have since I began my journey with Piscine Molitor Patel. I questioned faith and contemplated how far it could carry someone who's hanging on by a thread. I asked myself if I could have survived even half of what Pi had endured? Probably not, but who knows how strong the will to live is until it's put to the test? This is undoubtedly a book that gave me pause for thought.
Nature is as volatile as it is beautiful and, as an animal lover, I must warn those who might be disturbed by scenes of savagery (i.e. the natural order of life and death as it exists in the animal kingdom).
This story is dazzling, funny, gruesome, allegorical and altogether unforgettable.
Life of Pi is a powerful read.
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