Life of Pi by Yann Martel Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Life of Pi
Book Review: A fabulous tale of animals, tragedy and most of all faith
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not a fairy story of gore and tragedy or an imaginative tale combining religion and animals but rather a story that trancends these issues. It is an expression of ultimate faith, of life beyond reason, of our ability as human beings to create our own story of life that goes beyond reasonable explanations if we make that leap of faith. The reader is slowly delivered from the reasonable beginnings set in India into the fantastical journey across the Pacific of Pi and his bengal tiger companion, Mr Richard Parker, setting the scene for a pragmatic tale of survival and courage which includes a wonderfully imaginative visit to an murderous island of good by day, evil by night, inhabited by a population of meerkats. The book is delightful in every aspect; hugely imaginative, hugely informed and full of humour and tragedy which combines to give a story that you can delight in. The more cynical of readers may choose to accept the alternative story of reason offered by Pi at the end of the book to the Japanese investigators but for those willing to take a leap of faith - this book is for you! Truly wonderful in every sense.Book Review: A truly wonderful book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a brilliant book about a boys' fortitude and his undying spirit. As unlikely as the plot my sound, the author succeeds in making the reader believe the whole story of a hyena, orang-utan, zebra a 450 pound Royal Bengal tiger and a religious 16 year old boy in a little lifeboat bobbing about in the pacific ocean for 7 months . I found myself laughing out loud on so many occasions, even though I really shouldn't have been laughing, considering the predicament this boy was in, but the author managed to inject humour into an otherwise completely humourless situation. Its a lovely book and an extremely compelling read, totally deserving of the Man Booker Prize. Read it, you won't regret it, I certainly don't.Book Review: Chasing the tail of the Tiger
Summary: 5 Stars
This book won The Man Booker Prize in 2002.I enjoyed reading it, but at the end of it, it felt quirky, leaving almost an oily aftertaste in the mind. The story is good. The writing is good. The concepts and the pace and the description and everything about this book, viewed independently, was excellent. Bits were great.
If you haven't read this, an emotive and contemplative review like this can't do you much good. If you haven't read this but intend to, look away...
Ever have a kid in class at school who wrote stories that were mad, crazy, unjustifiable, plotless and surreal? With five minutes to go in the English lesson he/she would write '..and then I woke up', or '...and when it died, the screen said I had got a High Score', or in some cases'...and my hangover the next day was terrible'. (Maybe that was just me).
I felt like I had read one of those stories - credible, bizarre, but believeable, realistic but staggeringly improbable, and then I was offered a pat, empty, "Well, maybe it wasn't true, but hey. Another round then, eh?"...kind of ending. A shaggy dog story...campfire fare-style ending.
Unusual.
Thought-provoking.
Leaving you not knowing where you stand, or even if you ought to be standing for this bit at all.
For this, I liked it, and I liked it a lot. Definitely in the top 1% of books I have read.
The blurb on the back cover claimed that the story would make the reader believe in God. I haven't noticed any symptoms, but keep posted.
Book Review: Tyger, Tyger...
Summary: 5 Stars
Yann Martell: The Life of PiThis book won The Man Booker Prize in 2002.
I enjoyed reading it, but at the end of it, it felt quirky, leaving almost an oily aftertaste in the mind. The story is good. The writing is good. The concepts and the pace and the description and everything about this book, viewed independently, was good. Bits - great.
If you haven't read this, an emotive and contemplative review like this can't do you much good. If you haven't read this but intend to, look away...
Ever have a kid in class at school who wrote stories that were mad, crazy, unjustifiable, plotless and surreal? With five minutes to go in the English lesson he would write '..and then I woke up', or '...and when it died, the screen said I had got a High Score', or in some cases'...and my hangover the next day was terrible'. (Maybe that was just me).
I felt like I had read one of those stories - credible, bizarre, but believeable, realistic but staggeringly improbable, and then I was offered a pat, empty well, maybe it wasn't true, but hey. Another round then, eh?...kind of ending. A shaggy dog story...campfire fare-style ending.
Unusual.
Thought-provoking.
Leaving you not knowing where you stand, or even if you ought to be standing for this bit at all.
For this, I liked it, and I liked it a lot.
The blurb on the back cover claimed that the story would make the reader believe in God. I haven't noticed any symptoms, but I can beleive that I might.
Book Review: Big cats, big love, big impression
Summary: 5 Stars
Life of Pi stands with Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude as the most surprising and inventive book I have ever read. The description I read of the book said simply that it was the tale of a boy marooned on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific with only a zebra, orangutan, hyena and tiger for company. I was prepared for a fantasy with talking animals who help Pi throughout an adventure until they inevitably wash up on the shore. What I didn't expect it to be was a savagely brutal tale of survival teeming with blood, viscera, fear, despair and the very real teeth and claws of a 450 pound Bengal tiger. What I also didn't expect it to be was a beautiful, moving, heartfelt, loving exploration of loss, determination, belief and spirituality. That it can be both these descriptions at the same time tells you something of the power of this work of art. Life of Pi will be to some people a cracking adventure story, to some a philosophical treatise on the nature of belief and religion and to some a dizzying and confusing mix of the real, the assumed and the fantasy. To me it was quite simply astounding. The realisation of the point the narrator makes to the Japanese investigators at the end made me laugh and cry at the same time and for the first time in ages I felt a tug at my soul towards a higher power. Everyone in the world should read this book and after the last word, close it, take a deep breath and come out changed.