| Life of Pi | 
 enlarge | Author: Yann Martel
Publisher: Harvest Books
Category: Book
List Price: £9.77
Buy Used: £0.01
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Avg. Customer Rating:  287 reviews
Sales Rank: 537005
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 1
ISBN: 0156027321
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780156027328
ASIN: 0156027321
Publication Date: May 2003
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Some books defy categorisation: Life of Pi, the second novel from Canadian writer Yann Martel, is a case in point: just about the only thing you can say for certain about it is that it is fiercely and admirably unique. The plot, if that's the right word, concerns the oceanic wanderings of a lost boy, the young and eager Piscine Patel of the title (Pi). After a colourful and loving upbringing in gorgeously-hued India, the Muslim-Christian-animistic Pi sets off for a fresh start in Canada. His blissful voyage is rudely interrupted when his boat is scuppered halfway across the Pacific, and he is forced to rough it in a lifeboat with a hyena, a monkey, a whingeing zebra and a tiger called Richard. That would be bad enough, but from here on things get weirder: the animals start slaughtering each other in a veritable frenzy of allegorical bloodlust, until Richard the tiger and Pi are left alone to wander the wastes of ocean, with plenty of time to ponder their fate, the cruelty of the gods, the best way to handle storms and the various different recipes for oothappam, scrapple and coconut yam kootu. The denouement is pleasantly neat. According to the blurb, thirtysomething Yann Martel spent long years in Alaska, India, Mexico, France, Costa Rica, Turkey and Iran, before settling in Canada. All those cultures and more have been poured into this spicy, vivacious, kinetic and very entertaining fiction. --Sean Thomas
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| Customer Reviews: Read 282 more reviews...
 MangoChesney November 26, 2008
Pi is a skinny little ethnically confused boy who obscurely finds himself trapped on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with no food and only a random collection of wild animals for company. This book tells of his amazing bid for sanity and survival. I absolutely adore the unbelievably true story that is told in this book. I have no idea if this really happened but desperately want to believe so! If you love solitude, escapism and enjoy a colourful tale that will stretch your imagination you will enjoy the Life of Pi.
Love it or Hate it?? -- Loved it!! November 22, 2008
Life of Pi appears to be of those books that you either love or hate. I fancied trying something different ... I normally read thrillers and crime novels and after reading some of the reviews on here I thought I would give this one a go. Sooo glad I did. I absolutely loved it. It was the first book I have read in quite some time that I just couldn't put down. I just had to know what happened to Richard Parker! It didn't make me believe in God or even think about religion, but I did think differently about animals and particularly animals in captivity. I have always been one of those that think animals are better off in the wild. Lovely, quirky little book that has you believing in ridiculous things. Liked the little twist at the end too!
 enjoyable November 20, 2008
I bought this book for my daughter and she loved it and highly recommended it. the first part of the book was okay but the part i really loved was pi's story of his life on the boat with Peter Parker, give the book a go and judge for yourself, you won't be disapointed.
Thought provoking November 18, 2008
This book is an excellent read. Witty, intelligent but so easily readable. I would recommend this book to anyone. This is one of the few books which provokes thought even after you have finished it.
Some Good Lines, but too preachy October 15, 2008
Having a teenage boy shipwrecked with a group of zoo animals is certainly an original idea, but whether the premise for the book was to write something improbable or whether the improbability came with the territory is harder to decide.
The descriptions of Pi, his family members and the behaviour and traits of the animals in the story is well written and often amusing.
Pi seems to have a touching understanding and love for all humans and animals except agnostics, who seem to be beyond his comprehension. This comes across as a prejudice of Martell's which he has tried, not entirely successfully, to fit into his story.
The second part of the book when he is drifting in the pacific with Richard Parker is excellent and for this alone it deserves the praise and recognition it has received.
The third part of the book initially seems to be a worthless tail on the substantial body of the story until the final sentence which is beautiful and makes it all worth while.
Overall this is a good read with alot to recommend it. Definite opinions are expressed on Zoos, God and agnosticism but sometimes these detract from the book. It is well worth reading, but the occasional preachy tone makes it 4 star and not 5, at least for me.
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