Completely different to anything I have ever read and probably one of the best books I have ever read! You will either be totally baffled by it or want to read it again to make sure you understood it!! A definite must-read. I always think the mark of a good book is if you keep thinking about it for a time after you have read it. Well, once I had finished this I couldn’t stop thinking about it, trying to sort it out in my mind. I read it ages ago and still think about it – in fact I think I will go and re-read it!!
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Life of Pi was, for me, a delight throughout. The first portion of the book seems to have garnered criticism in some corners but I found it to be a gentle and drily witty look at the way the world works. It provides the grounding for what follows, including the religious journey the book takes. Bearing in mind that I’m atheistic, I didn’t feel like I was being preached to at any point in time. What’s important here is that Yann Martel doesn’t ram anything down the reader’s throats. Pi relates all the events that occur to zoology and / or religion but the reader is always allowed to make their own judgement as well.
The story really picks up post-shipwreck and has some lovely twists and turns along the way. It’s a paean to the survival instincts of the human spirit told through a series of increasingly bizarre and imaginative anecdotes. Wonderfully, everything is thrown askew at the end with a marvellous plot twist that leaves the reader considering the book long after they have finished it.
I read through Life of Pi in a little over two days; it was both enthralling and captivating and is that rare thing in modern art and literature – a positive and hopeful comment on the nature of the human being.
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It’s not an average life to find yourself lost at sea as a vegetarian forced to cannibalise, accompanied by a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger, otherwise known as Richard Parker. Yet this is not an average book, far from it. We start with the early life of Pi; a very knowledgeable yet sensitive child, with the continual mockery and pettiness he encounters over the pronunciation of his name, as his major concern. When thrown into the deep end of the Pacific Ocean this all changes; torn apart from his family he’s forced to rise into a strong minded character. Pi’s fragility is in some ways disguised with his fight for survival and caring for Richard Parker. This is just one example of many, which display the extremities Pi faces. Yann Martels very visual style of writing allows you to entirely capture the adventure Pi leads as there are times where you envy his experience and others, you wish you’d never read. The quote “the sun was beginning to pull the curtains on the day” captures his magical and almost poetic approach. There is a great escalation from a sometimes dragging and dry start, to an ending with sheer surprise and open possibility. Also with the strong religious influence in Pi’s life, the belief of a loving, higher power is a returning trend which is imperative in spurring him on. This really is a brilliant read that’s suited for any reader’s taste due to its consistent flow. However, if you’re a reader that seeks more depth behind a story, there are plenty of messages to observe and interpret into your own way. For a story of such unlikelihood, the high level of realism within the animals, environments and emotions creates a successful blend. As Pi bluntly states, “If you stumble at mere believability, what are you living for?” With a pinch of salt, everyone can love this, well deserved, highly regarded book!
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Still think about this one!,
Completely different to anything I have ever read and probably one of the best books I have ever read! You will either be totally baffled by it or want to read it again to make sure you understood it!! A definite must-read. I always think the mark of a good book is if you keep thinking about it for a time after you have read it. Well, once I had finished this I couldn’t stop thinking about it, trying to sort it out in my mind. I read it ages ago and still think about it – in fact I think I will go and re-read it!!
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|An absolute delight,
Life of Pi was, for me, a delight throughout. The first portion of the book seems to have garnered criticism in some corners but I found it to be a gentle and drily witty look at the way the world works. It provides the grounding for what follows, including the religious journey the book takes. Bearing in mind that I’m atheistic, I didn’t feel like I was being preached to at any point in time. What’s important here is that Yann Martel doesn’t ram anything down the reader’s throats. Pi relates all the events that occur to zoology and / or religion but the reader is always allowed to make their own judgement as well.
The story really picks up post-shipwreck and has some lovely twists and turns along the way. It’s a paean to the survival instincts of the human spirit told through a series of increasingly bizarre and imaginative anecdotes. Wonderfully, everything is thrown askew at the end with a marvellous plot twist that leaves the reader considering the book long after they have finished it.
I read through Life of Pi in a little over two days; it was both enthralling and captivating and is that rare thing in modern art and literature – a positive and hopeful comment on the nature of the human being.
Was this review helpful to you?
|What a read!,
It’s not an average life to find yourself lost at sea as a vegetarian forced to cannibalise, accompanied by a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger, otherwise known as Richard Parker. Yet this is not an average book, far from it.
We start with the early life of Pi; a very knowledgeable yet sensitive child, with the continual mockery and pettiness he encounters over the pronunciation of his name, as his major concern. When thrown into the deep end of the Pacific Ocean this all changes; torn apart from his family he’s forced to rise into a strong minded character. Pi’s fragility is in some ways disguised with his fight for survival and caring for Richard Parker. This is just one example of many, which display the extremities Pi faces.
Yann Martels very visual style of writing allows you to entirely capture the adventure Pi leads as there are times where you envy his experience and others, you wish you’d never read. The quote “the sun was beginning to pull the curtains on the day” captures his magical and almost poetic approach.
There is a great escalation from a sometimes dragging and dry start, to an ending with sheer surprise and open possibility. Also with the strong religious influence in Pi’s life, the belief of a loving, higher power is a returning trend which is imperative in spurring him on.
This really is a brilliant read that’s suited for any reader’s taste due to its consistent flow. However, if you’re a reader that seeks more depth behind a story, there are plenty of messages to observe and interpret into your own way.
For a story of such unlikelihood, the high level of realism within the animals, environments and emotions creates a successful blend. As Pi bluntly states, “If you stumble at mere believability, what are you living for?” With a pinch of salt, everyone can love this, well deserved, highly regarded book!
Was this review helpful to you?
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