Life of Pi by Yann Martel Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Life of Pi
Book Review: A Fantastic Book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is truly one of the best books I have read in a very long time. Though the subject matter may lead people to think that it is a children's book, this simply is not so. It's an excellent story for anyone, and though it is written from the viewpoint of a child, the narrator has wisdom far beyond his years. The character voice is excellent, and Yann Martel's voice as a writer is so likeable that his observations on most everything can bring a smile.
People claiming that the book is 'boring' or 'pointless' need to wrap their head around something called extended metaphor. The book makes interesting and understated observations on survival and religion. Just because it doesn't beat you over the head with its message at the end, doesn't mean it lacks one. A well conceived and spiritual book disguised a fairy tale. Highly recommended.
Book Review: A Fantastic, Realistic, Strange, Yet Amazing Journey
Summary: 5 Stars
First, I would like to say that I understand the opinions of many, but not all of the reviewers who gave this book a very low rating. Some of what they say is true. The imagery in this novel could become very disturbing, yet I support its inclusion. It adds to the books overall feeling of honesty, which remains, despite an odd ending.Life of Pi is about a young Indian boy who attempts to travel on a cargo ship with most of his family's zoo to North America. On the way, the ship crashes for a reason that is not revealed. Pi and three others escape on a lifeboat. After some vile deaths, a journey to rival many others takes place across the vast span of the Pacific Ocean. The landing in Mexico is hardly the end of the story.
I do recommend this book, because of its unpredictable story and the amazing perspectives it gives the reader. I have given as few details of the story as I could, while being completely honest, as to not spoil the book. However, I recommend that you read no reviews before the book and make your own decision. Don't even read this one. :)
Book Review: A GAME OF MAKE-BELIEVE
Summary: 5 Stars
The shape of the narrative in this highly entertaining and readable novel is basically determined by a pair of Japanese insurance adjusters. These gentlemen do not believe the narrator's account of how he survived after his ship sank, so to get rid of them he tells another, totally different and much more prosaic, version. It seems to me that a very good joke is being played on anyone who worries about which is the `true' narrative. This is fiction for goodness sake - none of it ever happened. The main account is remarkable for being made to sound as convincing as the author manages to do. Purely as a story, it is perhaps a little more likely than The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and I was very conscious, in a thoroughly enjoyable way, of being manipulated and played with by the author. I know a certain amount about animal behaviour just through being interested in the subject. However my knowledge is strictly that of a dilettante and amateur, and the author's grasp of the matter is either greater than mine (which I can easily believe) or he is able to pass it off as greater than it is to someone possessed of my level of knowledge. In terms of credibility, the origin of the tiger's name is perfectly believable but if a reader can accept how the narrator came to be named as he was then that reader ought to be able to swallow more or less anything that follows. It is all just a tale - a very clever, original and absorbing tale - as far as I can discern, not an allegory like Gulliver's Travels nor carrying a moral like the Ancient Mariner.
The other main thread is the narrator's interest in religions - plural. He is something more than ecumenical in his tastes, and he values the world's various faiths for the level of edification they bring him. He seems not to be interested in what factual truth, if any, there may be in their legends and doctrines, but I was heartened, as well as being slightly taken aback, by his placid assertion of what has long seemed obvious to me, namely that atheism is a more honest and reputable viewpoint than agnosticism. When I was inclined at times to wonder what the connexion might be between the religious thread and the principal narrative, it seemed to me that it was perhaps to be sought in an imaginative disregard for anything so prosaic as fact.
All thoroughly enjoyable and recommendable so far as I'm concerned. If you have not so far read the book, my recommendation is not to take the slightest notice of anything you may have seen about the relative truth of the two alternative stories. The truth is neither here nor there.
Book Review: A GREAT EXPERIENCE
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a 10 year old child, and I read this book for a 'choose your book' book report. Some thought that i wouldn't be able to finish the book in the time givin, but the suspence pushed me to continue, and never put down the book. This book is the mix of sadness, action, suspence, and realizing fantasy, will never be reality. The book did have some dull moments, but that may just be from a 10 year olds point of view. And as you can see, I still gave the book a 5 star rating, because after every dull moment, an AMAZING moment came along. A boy, A tiger and the vast ocean, is the best way to describe the book. This book was quite a cliff hanger at the end. All i can tell you is that he says somthing, that makes you think the past pages, were Pi (the boy) simply fantasizing the grass was greener, although it was not. I'm not quit sure which to believe, happy or sad. And as i said, this book teaches you that fantasy, will never become reality, no matter how many times you say it is.Book Review: A Good Summer Read
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this book and rank it one of the best fiction books I've read in a long time. After reading lots of non-fiction, newspapers, textbooks, and study guides, it's nice to sit under a large tree in a college campus or park and just read fiction. This book is wonderful for that. Its character is fun and the plot is fun, though unrealistic, but that's what makes it enjoyable. It makes me just want to stop going about my hectic life and take a step back and relax and calm down. Overall, a great book for those who want to take a breather from non-fiction.