What readers think of Life of Pi, plus links to write your own review.

Life of Pi was a great book that really got me thinking at the end. In the end, Pi told two different stories about his experience at sea... which story do you think is better, the one with animals or the one without animals? Personally i thought that the story with the animals was better. It was a lot more entertaining than the other "dry, yeastless factuality" story.

One thing I didn't understand from the novel was why the story would make a person believe in God. Could someone expain that to me please? Other than that, Life of Pi was an awesome book and I would recommend it to anyone.

i only read this book for my english AP class.... tina alexander is my fellow classmate.... our teacher required the book as our summer reading.... at first i dreaded reading it..... though i tend to like philosophy, i tend to not like it too.... only because it tends to conflict a lot with my own phiilosophies.... i had read Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World and i found it to be very much confusing.... however compared to that book life of pi wasa simple, though monotonous, read.... i admit, i did not quite like the book in the beginning and i find it hard to accept that one person can believe in 330 million gods and add to that mary, jesus, and the twelve saints PLUS allah.... imagine the number of rituals and prayers adn languages and conflicting teachings.... but i shall not continue because that is foreign ground to me.... i would actually like to bring up the philosophy of life that is soo apparent in the book.... from beginning to end he only talks of life and its different faces...... which brings me to the algae island...... does anyone else think that it has a deeper meaning than that of mental fascination and hallucination???? share your ideas with me, please... i'd really like to know what u think....

The book Life of Pi writen by Yann Martle was a total page turner! I read it slow at first but ended up finishing it in a couple days. It helped show me how human beings need companionship to live healthily.While Pi was at sea for 277 days, he realized what he needed to do to stay alive and he went to any length to do it. In a way it seems hard to believe the story line because a man survived that long with a tiger on a lifeboat, but he did it! Over all, this was an excellent and suspensful story. I recommended it to EVERYONE!

I too believe the novel was partially about Pi's internal spiritual journey and struggle. I aslo believe it was about the will to survive. - A few days after he was thrown onto the life boat he was about to give up. It seemed obvious he would die a painful death from Richard Parker. However, he chose to continue on. Richard Parker being on the life boat gave Pi the will to live. Without Richard Parker I doubt Pi would have survived the ordeal. If he hadn't spent time wondering how he would feed Richard and how he would train him, he would have had hours to sit and dwell on what would happen next. Richard Parker is what kept Pi alive, along with Pi's strong sense of faith. These two things are how Pi made it through.
- Although there are a few events which are questionable, (such as the island) for the most part I believe the story is believeable, because of the detail and depth Yann included.

[For those who have finished the book]

I disagree with what seems to be the consensus view on the meaning of this story. Most people have seemed to take the story as saying that you can arbitrarily choose your own reality and that those who choose the "better story" are enlightened. I don't think that Martel intended for the truth to be left open to interpretation. To ascribe equal validity to the two versions of the story told by Pi trivializes Martel's definition of faith as described in chapters 21 & 22. I think Martel sees the religious experience as an indescribably awesome experience that can only be explained through imperfect metaphors.

So I don't think the "true" story fits either of the two accounts given in the book. I think the book is actually about an internal spiritual journey and struggle. What actually happened in the physical world is not as important (though I think it is probably closer to the version without animals), but Pi is trying to convey this fantastic religious experience that is even more of a miracle than any events he could describe. I think the reader is supposed to believe that the story with animals is a better description of the true personal spiritual experience that Pi had, since it is colored by his own background and experience growing up at the zoo in Pondicherry, and better captures the incredible nature of the experience.

Some will probably read my review as just a third version of events that is equally valid, but to focus on the physical events is to miss the entire meaning of this book: A meaningful religious experience requires a leap of faith. Pi's story is much less extraordinary than believing in or experiencing God.

I recently read life of pi for my ap english summer reading assignment. At first I wasnt to happy about it, i really didnt wabt to read over the summer.But then the book turned out to be great. The only part i didnt get was the ending, which story was true:the one with the animals or the one with the humans?I was thinking the one with the humans because he thouhgt of the story really quickly, and it was detailed......well I was confused on that part....and when he started crying. I'd definitly read it again and recommend it to anyone.

A truly wonderful book...a must read. Martel's writing is beautiful and sad. I didn't want it to end.

Blue Stockings Book Club (new members of Bookbrowse Forum): Please would readers of The Life of Pi give their opinions on the following themes for discussion?
Main Themes, Characters, Setting/Context, Tone/Point of View, Opening, Author, Does the reader learn something? (if it applies), Is the story believable, Ending
Star Rating:
* Below Average
** Average
*** Good (enjoyed the reading)
**** Very Good (would definitely recommend it)
***** Excellent (would like to read again)