Life of Pi by Yann Martel

[Kell]

Anyone who would like to get hold of a copy of this book and join in the circle - there are quite a few copies available at Green Metropolis (http://www.greenmetropolis.com/search.asp?book_title=life+of+pi&author_name=&author_first_name=&ISBN=&categories=&Format=All&scope=InStock&Results=1&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=search)

The Reading Circle choice for January is Life of Pi by Yann Martel:
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.

Some questions to consider:
1- Who was your favourite character and why?
2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

(You do not have to answer all, or indeed, any, of these questions, they are meant only as points for you to perhaps mull over as you read, and provoke more discussion. Please feel free to ask and answer any questions that come up as you read.)

[The Library Nook]

I will be really interested in hearing people's thoughts on this, I read it a while ok and didn't enjoy it but I know so many people loved it!

[Liz]

I am afraid I was very disappointed with Life of Pi. I was really looking forward to reading this after all of the praise and prizes it has been given over the past few years, but on finishing the final page I realised that this was not the book for me.

Part One seemed to be a bit of a slow start, but I stuck with it with the assumption that it would pick up pace and interest along the way. Sadly, or rather, annoyingly, it never really picked up at all.

I did not like any of the characters, especially Pi. I did not feel any sympathy for him, nor did I even care about him in the situation he was in or.... whether he would survive at all (even though I knew he did from the beginning, although I wish he hadn't as it would have saved time). I found the whole story to be rather tedious, especially...... the numerous descriptions of him catching fish and page after page of repeated examples of the limited number of things that Pi could do or see whilst on the boat/raft. The ending was not too bad when compared to the 300 pages I had just read. Even so, it did not turn the book into an enjoyable read, nor did those last few pages make all of the lifeless story I had spent time reading particularly worthwhile.

In a way, I am glad I have read it, as I probably would have gone along with all the hype it has received and assumed it to be a terrific piece of writing, and not have known that (in my opinion) it was a load of tripe. As I said in another thread, it may be one of those book that I will appreciate and enjoy more on a second read of it, but I will not be in a hurry to do that, nor will I be rushing to read another book by Martel.

I am looking forward to hearing the thoughts from those who enjoyed the book, though, as I know lots of people have.

[Freewheeling Andy]

Life of Pi really, really annoyed me.

- Don't highlight this unless you've read the book, and unless you want to read a whinge about the whole thing -


I have no real understanding why it's so popular, unless people are obsessed by blathering on about faith, and the focus on why believing is so important.

The opening section was unutterably tedious. The middle section was kind of interesting and fun, to be honest. But it was then ruined by the idiotic ending that told you it was all basically a lie but that it was good lie because believing the better story is better than having a dour, unspiritual life which has no colour or vibrancy. It's just a pile of :censored:. The ending had me wanting to rip the book to shreds.

The opening section is necessary, of course, to lay the groundwork for all the nonsense about faith at the end.

The play with colours is important - the green for Islam on the island, the orange for Hindism in the lifejackets and things, the white of the boat for Christianity, the idea that he needs all three colours, all three thing to keep him alive. But it's just clever-clever nonsense in the middle of a stupid book.

God, it annoyed me.

[amthysteyes2]

How can you read this book and not love Pi?
I read this book originally because it meant I could use the super Contemporary Novel coursework title I cooked up: Compare how the authors of 'Life of Pi' and 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' convey the concept and perception of reality. AND as an added bonus, I could slip in the phrase 'time as a linear concept', so I sounded smart.

Pi had me in with the first sentence 'My suffering made me sad and gloomy' . Look it over again and just realize how confiding and revealing the phrase is. Sad and gloomy are synonyms, so you have the effect of repetition. Suffering is a very harsh and emotional word, where as gloomy is only a word you would use when speaking to a friend. Thus, I loved Pi at the first sentence.

I Love how sarcastic and witty Pi can be whilst at the same time I think you really understand the suffering Pi is going through.

Did you notice that in the first section of the book Pi appears to be speaking as an older man and slowly lapses back into the little boy he was, and how in the second section you get the impression of real time?

I don't know about you, but it really didn't occur to me until the very end of the book that Pi might be telling porkers. The passion behind the narrative voice drives the suspicion away. [[Realising I sound like a pompous git showing off]]

Anyway, reading the book was an enjoyable experience, I found all the characters relevant and intriguing and the only bit that really confused me was the carnivorous island, which I can't make heads or tails of.

[amthysteyes2]

Hmm, maybe I should have read the other comments first. I mean no disrespect, I can understand why a lot of people wouldn't like the book. I like marmite, too. This is why I like other peoples opinions though-- even though Freewheeling Andy doesn't actually like the book, the colour comment he put was actually very useful to me. (Thanks)

[Kell]

I found a lot of humour in Life of Pi. I actually particularly liked the twist at the end too. I thin kI was particularly surprised, though, as my sister, who doesn't read at all (or didn't prior to this book!) recommended it to me as she had enjoyed it so much!

[angerball]

I enjoyed The Life of Pi too, though it's been a while since I read it. I too loved the twist at the end. :mrgreen:

[Michelle]

It's always intriguing when you get such disagreements about a book.. I guess I really should look out for it, see which camp I end up in!

[Maureen]

I enjoyed this book - but not to the extent where I'd recommend it to everyone I know! It's a different kind of story - so it tends to leave some sort of impression, I guess. Would have preferred a different ending though.....

[Kell]

1- Who was your favourite character and why?
Richard Parker! I didn't click right away who Richard Parker was (when Pi is first speaking to him), so when it finally dawned on me (at the point where Pi really changes his mind about wanting him on the boat!), I was in histerics! As a character, there's not really much you can say about Richard Parker - it's more his constant presence and the dangerous possibilities he poses that are integral to the plot.

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
I wasn't fond of the part on the island - at that point, the story really veered off into total fantasy for a while and I started glossing over it a bit in order to get back to the rest of the story.

3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
I'd never even heard of Yann Martel before I was loaned Life of Pi by my non-reading sister. yup - I'd managed to miss all the hype connected to it and so had no real expectations (which is always nice). I've not yet read anything more by Martel, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at trying anything else he writes.

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
Not really - just the weirdness of the island a little, but mostly I just took it at face value and enjoyed the humour behind it all. It started out a little slow with the introduction of Pi and his family, but once I got into it, I was glad it had been written that way.

5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes. I found it very humourous and loved the final twist. It was also a nice surprise to be recommended something by my sister who hadn't picked up a book since school before this one! Since then whe's been reading more and more often and we've loaned each other more books as a result of it... :D

[Freewheeling Andy]

By the way, and I really don't know if this is relevent to the book and the name, there was a famous Richard Parker who was leader of the Nore Rebellion. The sailors of the Royal Navy finally had enough of the shocking conditions they were kept in, and mutinied, leading to the creation of a minor floating republic, slightly sympathetic to the French. There may be a metaphor in there for the tiger on the boat.

But it's a fairly obscure reference, and Yann Martel may not have known about him and it could be coincidence.

[~V~]

1- Who was your favourite character and why?
Richard Parker! I didn't click right away who Richard Parker was (when Pi is first speaking to him), so when it finally dawned on me (at the point where Pi really changes his mind about wanting him on the boat!), I was in histerics! As a character, there's not really much you can say about Richard Parker - it's more his constant presence and the dangerous possibilities he poses that are integral to the plot.

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
I wasn't fond of the part on the island - at that point, the story really veered off into total fantasy for a while and I started glossing over it a bit in order to get back to the rest of the story.

3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
I'd never even heard of Yann Martel before I was loaned Life of Pi by my non-reading sister. yup - I'd managed to miss all the hype connected to it and so had no real expectations (which is always nice). I've not yet read anything more by Martel, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at trying anything else he writes.

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
Not really - just the weirdness of the island a little, but mostly I just took it at face value and enjoyed the humour behind it all. It started out a little slow with the introduction of Pi and his family, but once I got into it, I was glad it had been written that way.

5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes. I found it very humourous and loved the final twist. It was also a nice surprise to be recommended something by my sister who hadn't picked up a book since school before this one! Since then whe's been reading more and more often and we've loaned each other more books as a result of it... :D


That's almost exactly the same way I feel about it. Apart from not knowing your sister of course :lol:

[FishAndChips]

Well I have just started this, about 5 or 6 chapters in and so far so good. I haven't decided whether I have warmed to Pi or not yet but so far the book is very readable and engaging. Looking forward to continuing this particularly because it has proved so divisive.

[amthysteyes2]

By the way, and I really don't know if this is relevent to the book and the name, there was a famous Richard Parker who was leader of the Nore Rebellion. The sailors of the Royal Navy finally had enough of the shocking conditions they were kept in, and mutinied, leading to the creation of a minor floating republic, slightly sympathetic to the French. There may be a metaphor in there for the tiger on the boat.

But it's a fairly obscure reference, and Yann Martel may not have known about him and it could be coincidence.

I dont know if you've already mentioned this, but he got the name from 2 separate cases of cannabilism at sea. One was real, the other was a story by Eadgar Allen Poe- written 40 years BEFORE. The poor sod's name was Richard Parker on both occasions.

[Spooncat]

So glad we are discussing this book. I read it a while ago and loved it. It was one of those books I couldnt put down and didnt want it to end. I enjoyed it for the original story it is I didnt get too hung up on the faith issues or any other "message"it might have had - I read it like a "true " account of a fasinating set of circumstances which might have happened.

It did inspire me to read more of Yann Martel - I bought "The facts behind the Helsinki Roccamatios" - a set of short stories and I wasnt disappointed -some of that writing is just beautiful in its descriptions.

Dont take Life of Pi too seriously - you might enjoy it more that way!
:readingtwo:

[Maureen]

1- Who was your favourite character and why?
Richard Parker! I was really rooting for him - and hoping that Pi does not kill him!

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
One bit when - pi tried to eat his body waste is a scene which I cannot get out of my head.

3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
Yes it is - I'd never heard of him before this - and I was not aware of the publicity this was was generating!

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
No - not really - although I would have changed the ending!

5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes, I enjoyed it. The type of story is different - so that's probably why it caused a stir. I had not picked up on the colours thing before Andy (I think) mentioned it here, and I enjoyed reading how Richard got his name!

[Freewheeling Andy]

I dont know if you've already mentioned this, but he got the name from 2 separate cases of cannabilism at sea. One was real, the other was a story by Eadgar Allen Poe- written 40 years BEFORE. The poor sod's name was Richard Parker on both occasions.

I'd forgotten that Richard Parker was named after Edgar Allen Poe's Richard Parker - it then, I guess, leads me to ask whether Poe's Parker was named after the sailor-mutineer.

As that - just checking - was written in 1838, it could well have not been coincidence and the mutiny might been an event Poe was familiar with.

Anyway, it would be nice to think that is another rail of meaning to the name.

[princessponti]

hhmmmm... canabalism? I've just read the prologue... not sure I want to continue now!!

[Spooncat]

hhmmmm... canabalism? I've just read the prologue... not sure I want to continue now!!

dont let that put you off its a great book!:mrgreen:

[FishAndChips]

Well I have to say I enjoyed this although I think that given other people's comments I may have missed some of the deeper meaning that annoyed some people so much.

Taking it at face value I enjoyed it very much. I thought it was colourful, unusual and humourous. I loved the bits on the lifeboat. I loved the descriptions and Pis rambling thoughts.

The religious musings didn't really bother me, in fact I quite liked them I think. I didn't pick up on the symbolism of the colours (as Andy mentioned above) and am not sure if I see them there anyway.

I don't quite understand what comment the ending is making about faith, to me the ending was just an alternative view of events which the reader is left to beleive or not. To me it is ambiguous and I like ambiguity.

I am confused about the term magic realism. I am still not sure what it is and why this book is an example of it (if indeed it is). Can anyone shed any light?

One bit I didn't like much was the conversation at the end with the Japanese investigators. I found the dialog quite irritating.

Anyway to answer the questions

1- Who was your favourite character and why?
Pi and Richard Parker
2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
All the bits on the boat
3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
Yes it was. I would probably read something else by the same author
4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
I don't think so but I may be missing something. I would have perhaps enjoyed it more without the ending, but then again I did find the ending interesting.
5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes

I can understand why people may have been disappointed with this book, while the prose was good I didn't find it outstanding. For a book so acclaimed I don't think it was that fantastic, very good but not brilliant. It's probably a good thing that I had reservations given other peoples misgivings. My expectations were not raised too high.

[Freewheeling Andy]

I saw the "faith" thing as Pi saying "Here's what actually happened. It was a fairly tedious story of someone surviving. But if you have faith, and believe, then life is more full, more miraculous, you see miracles and wonder and escape the dreariness, and the main part of the story, with the tiger, is the kind of glorious view of the world you have when you believe". Otherwise, the opening of the book where he talks repeatedly about religion, really has no place; and the false ending also has no real place, and you'd be left with the tale of Pi on his boat with the tiger.

Which, to be honest, is exactly what I would have preferred, as it was the part of the book I enjoyed.

[FishAndChips]

Ah I see what you mean. I guess a "message" like that could annoy me too, particularly if I didn't have any faith.

The story on the boat was my favourite part too. I read the book simply as a fantastic adventure, without perhaps taking on the full significance of the ending. I may have to mull it over some more.

Thanks Andy.

[Michelle]

I am struggling with the beginning of the book, and starting to skim a little.. I think I need to get to the bit on the boat!

The illustrated version is very nice though. :D

[Kylie]

1. Who was your favourite character and why?
Didn't really have one (hardly a wide selection to choose from!). Pi didn't make much of any impression on me. I quite liked Richard Parker.
2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
I enjoyed seeing Pi helping (and then trying to get rid of) Richard Parker after the boat sank - it was quite funny when you then found out who Richard Parker was!
3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
Yes, first book read by this author. I would perhaps read more of his work, but it would probably depend on the story.
4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
(Spoiler refers to end of book) The island part was a bit weird and didn't fit well with the rest of the story, I thought. And what was with the Frenchman in the other boat? That was a completely random incident!
5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes, I'm glad I read it.

[Kylie]

Please excuse the double posting. I thought these points would be important enought to warrant their own post. :mrgreen: I hope I don't prattle too much here :roll:

There were a couple of issues that were brought up in the first part of the book that got me thinking a bit. One was Pi's thoughts on the freedom of animals. He thinks keeping animals in zoos is a type of freedom for them, whereas others think it's cruel. I can see where Pi is coming from but I don't think I necessarily agree.

The other interesting part was Pi's thoughts on people who harbour religious doubts (agnostics and the like):

To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.

I don't agree with this at all (not just in terms of religion, but everyday life). I've always been someone who is unable to side with one philosophy or opinion over another because I can't see things in such a black-and-white way. I always look at both (or all) points of view and when I think I'm close to making a decision I start to lean the other way. It's often frustrating for me, but at the time I think I'm just being open-minded (not 'immobile', as Pi would say).

I don't think the human race could advance unless people were continually examining their motives and beliefs and adjusting their views accordingly. If everyone was so sure of themselves and their beliefs all the time surely we, as a race, would become stagnant and thus immobile? I think it's doubt that keeps us moving forward (and sometime backward - but it at least keeps us moving!)

I was wondering what everyone else thought about these two issues? Probably someone else can it put it more succinctly than I can :lol:

[Kell]

I quite agree with you, Kylie. Life isn't black and white - everything comes in various shades of grey. I constantly have to re-evaluate my thoughts and beliefs, even if it only makes me realise that my beliefs are the same as they were previously - it forces me to look at everything with fresh eyes. I really do think that if we just accept things blidly and don't ask questions, then the things in which we believe lose meaning, because you end up just going through the motions - stagnation indeed!

On a completely different note, I thought these little tidbits from Wikipedia might interest you guys:

Pi's name is a shortening of his given name Piscine (which is French (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language) for "swimming pool"), but is also referenced as the number π (pi) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi). Pi floated in the ocean for 227 days. This is also another play on the number Pi, as one of the earliest approximations of Pi was 22/7 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22_over_7_exceeds_%CF%80). Martel may have chosen the name Pi to reference the unknowability and unreliabilty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreliable_narrator) of the narrator Pi. Pi is also a number with an infinite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite) decimal representation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_representation).I have to admit, when I found this out I thought it remarkably clever. I'd never even thought about the ramifications of the value of pi as a number corresponding to the amount of days in the sea, although I had considered that Piscine, (meaning swimming pool in French) may have referred to his time spent on the water...

The tiger Richard Parker was named after an Edgar Allan Poe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe) character from The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Narrative_of_Arthur_Gordon_Pym_of_Nantucket) (1838). The book tells of four shipwrecked men who, after many days' privation, drew lots to decide who should be killed and eaten. The cabin boy, named Richard Parker, draws the short straw and is eaten. Tales of cannibalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism) by shipwrecked sailors were not uncommon in the 19th century, but oddly enough, 46 years after Poe's story was published, the very events Poe wrote about would happen in reality. Captain Dudley and three sailors were stranded in a skiff in the Pacific after the sinking of their yacht Mignonette(see R. v. Dudley and Stephens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._v._Dudley_and_Stephens) ) on the way to Australia. They are forced to eat one of the party to survive, and feast on his body for 4 days – a sailor boy named Richard Parker.[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_pi#_note-9) Yet another Richard Parker died when his ship, named the Francis Spaight, sank in January 1846. Ten years earlier, in December 1835, an earlier Francis Spaight was wrecked in the north Atlantic: some of the survivors of that wreck too were involved in cannibalism. As Yann Martel said "So many Richard Parkers had to mean something." [11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_pi#_note-10)How clever that Richard Parker should go from being someone who had a grisly fate at the hands of lost sailors, to being the one who could so easily make a meal of the narrator of this story!

[Maureen]

Oh, the play on numbers is fascinating! I did not see that! And as I was reading his name I was saying - great,:) to have a name which amounts to 3.142...!

[Kylie]

I was browsing through book-related podcasts in iTunes and what should I stumble across but an interview with Yann Martel about Life of Pi! It was produced by the Guardian Unlimited Book Club and the podcast and related articles can be found at this website (http://books.guardian.co.uk/bookclub/0,,1549565,00.html), if anyone's interested. (The link is directly to the book club podcasts, but the entire site looks very interesting - there are interviews with other authors such as Philip Pullman).

[Maureen]

Well, I must say this has been quite a controvesial book, judging by the number of posts, and considering the fact that the month is not yet over!

[~V~]

Well, I must say this has been quite a controvesial book, judging by the number of posts, and considering the fact that the month is not yet over!

It's one of those books that stays with you isn't it?

[Kylie]

Controversial books certainly make for more interesting discussions, don't they?

[Spooncat]

Kylie -I agree -its that sort of book where as soon as I finished it I wanted to discuss it with others to see what they thought.

" In 1980 the Brazilian writer Moacyr Scliar - who is acknowledged at the end of Martel's author's note - wrote a novella called Max and the Cats whose cat-obsessed protagonist is, at one stage, shipwrecked in the company of a jaguar. Martel read a review of the tale just before he set out on his own. "

I wonder if anyone on here has read it? I am tempted! I seem to recall that author threated to sue Yann Martel for stealing his idea.:readingtwo:

[FishAndChips]

" In 1980 the Brazilian writer Moacyr Scliar - who is acknowledged at the end of Martel's author's note - wrote a novella called Max and the Cats whose cat-obsessed protagonist is, at one stage, shipwrecked in the company of a jaguar. Martel read a review of the tale just before he set out on his own. "

I wonder if anyone on here has read it? I am tempted! I seem to recall that author threated to sue Yann Martel for stealing his idea.:readingtwo:

Wow that's interesting. I might like to read that myself. If you do read it tell us what it's like.

[lovesreading06]

Its must be awful for an animal to be caged up and vistors coming just to seen them

I felt sorry for him getting called pissing that is so easy for kids to bully.

[Michelle]

Well, after finding this hard to get into, I sat up last night to finish it. It turned out to be a very interesting book, and I couldn't wait to come and read this thread again. :)

I'm going to put my thoughts in spoilers, as I've now finished:

General: I'm with FishAndChips with this one.. I wasn't interested in any deep meaning, or even the religious ramblings.. for me it was a fun story, and I really did like the twist at the end. (I think I take a rather simple view of my books. ;))

The beginning: Although there were some interesting ideas at the beginning of the book, to me they almost put me off continuing. I appreciate what Andy was saying about laying down the ideas of faith etc, but for the way I read the story, it just wasn't needed.

The boat: I know this could be a little monotonous, but I liked the way it was written. I found the descriptions of eating turtle blood etc a bit gruesome, but considering what we find out later, I guess it's not really! lol

The bit I found really disjointed was the other person in the other boat. I suppose it's meant to symbolise Pi killing the cook, but it just kinda appeared out of nowhere, and confused me.

The island: A bit different to everyone else here, but I actually liked this bit. Maybe it's because I've read lots of odd horror stories in the past, but the idea of an island turning acid and carnivorous at night was actually quite funny. And I loved the idea of the meerkats living there, being fed dead fish during the day, and living in the trees at night.

The ending: Again, someone found the conversation with the Japanese men irritating.. I found it amusing. To me, I saw a dual 'message'.. a) here are two stories, one interesting, one rather nasty.. which would you rather hear? b) if it's about humans killing humans, it's horrifying.. if it's about animals killing animals, it's all rather acceptable.

[kitty_kitty]

Life of Pi really, really annoyed me.

- Don't highlight this unless you've read the book, and unless you want to read a whinge about the whole thing -


I have no real understanding why it's so popular, unless people are obsessed by blathering on about faith, and the focus on why believing is so important.

The opening section was unutterably tedious. The middle section was kind of interesting and fun, to be honest. But it was then ruined by the idiotic ending that told you it was all basically a lie but that it was good lie because believing the better story is better than having a dour, unspiritual life which has no colour or vibrancy. It's just a pile of :censored:. The ending had me wanting to rip the book to shreds.

The opening section is necessary, of course, to lay the groundwork for all the nonsense about faith at the end.

The play with colours is important - the green for Islam on the island, the orange for Hindism in the lifejackets and things, the white of the boat for Christianity, the idea that he needs all three colours, all three thing to keep him alive. But it's just clever-clever nonsense in the middle of a stupid book.

God, it annoyed me.


I agree it was the sort of the book that i find very pretentious and i felt like the author was trying to make a look how intelligent i am sort of point.

I read it very quickly as i wanted it to be good

[princessponti]

Wow! There really is a lot of mixed feelings on this one, I'm with the people that liked it, and I like it more and more the more I think about it! .. I finished it a few weeks ago now but have been absent from the forum (stressy head again! when will it end!!). But I've been desperate to talk to someone about it!

All spoileried up cos you never know!


I found the book very slow to get into, the beginning was quite tedious in places; but saying that, I found it educational too! I enjoyed learning about zoology, about the different distances animals can tolerate people, about the animals that escape from zoos and how they often return to their enclosures. It put a different slant on zoo keeping for me, one which I have never considered. I've always thought that it is mean to keep an animal locked up, but now I appreciate that they would be happy in a well suited enclosure. Sorry, veering off the track!

I also enjoyed Pi's thoughts on religion, and the fact that he has chosen to adhere to three different ones and sees no difference, as they are all worshipping God. We need less religious division in the world so Pi's thoughts here were refreshing to me.

The book picked up pace for me with the ship wreck, and really drove home just how awful it would be to be in that situation. Nothing around you but water, trying to make the best of a bad situation by catching your own food, and eating in raw. It made me wonder about survival instinct and how I would cope if in a similar situation (I just cannot comprehend being in that situation!). I too liked the island, but didn't really get how it fit in.

For me though, the best part of the book happens when you finish it. Thinking about how it all crosses over, I was really blown away. I look at it that Pi created the story with the animals to protect himself from what was really happening, surviving. His mum was the orangutan, the sailor with the injured leg was the zebra, the cook was the hyena, and Pi was Richard Parker. It makes sense that Pi thought the tiger wasn't really around for the first while on the life raft, he'd helped him aboard (in real life, while Pi was fighting for his life), but then he'd disappeared, Pi figured he was dead under the tarpaulin. We only learn about Richard Parker still being around when (in reality) Pi's life was threatened by the cook (hyena) and Richard Parker killed the hyena (Pi's way of distancing himself from what really happened).

The more I think of the cross overs between the real life (horrible) story and the animal story, the more I love it. I don't understand who the random stranger was that floated up in a different boat, but I liked that both Richard Parker and Pi were blind at this stage (being the same person), and that Richard Parker killed the stranger (Pi, again protecting himself as the stranger was about to strangle him).

Where Pi tried to eat Richard Parkers excrement, again, reflects him distancing himself from the reality that he was starving and tried to eat his own.

I guess the training of Richard Parker, was Pi coming to terms with this side of his character, when he had killed the hyena, it was uncontrollable and necessary and scared him. He needed to master this side of himself that he didn't know existed.

(back to the island: why was it carnivorous, why did have a human tooth sealed within its leaves? All I can think of that it maybe the seaweed/algae near the boat and the bones of the unfortunate within it).


What do others think of my ramblings? Does this fit with how you see the story too?

I kind of want to read it again so that I can find more things that cross over!!!

[Nazgul]

I read this a couple of months ago but I didn't realise there was a thread here about it.

1- Who was your favourite character and why?
Richard Parker was my favourite character, the main reason being that there are only two main characters and Pi was annoying I found.

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
I enjoyed the parts where Pi was learning to adapt to his new surroundings on the boat as he leaned about wildlife/put his existing knowledge to good use. I disliked the parts where he was explaining about how he chose his religions/philosophies on life. That part of the book just seemed too stupid to be taken seriously IMO.

3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
Yes, no.

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
The part about the island that he came across. I couldn;' figure out if it was just a big metaphor or if it really happened because it just seemed so surreal.

5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes, however it did get tedious at times.



I also enjoyed Pi's thoughts on religion, and the fact that he has chosen to adhere to three different ones and sees no difference, as they are all worshipping God. We need less religious division in the world so Pi's thoughts here were refreshing to me.



I disagree with you on your point about the world needing "less religious division" and how Pi's views reflect a healthy religious attitude. I just thought that he was an indecisive and immature person in his choice making and understanding of religion.

[princessponti]

Maybe I didn't make it clear when I said religious division, what I meant was there needs to be more tolerance.

[lovesreading06]

I'm am finding this book very confusing.

I gave up om this book i kept reading pages and taking nothing from them.

Some of it i found was quite stupid like why was there only one lifeboat And I think it more for you if you in to relgion

[literarisch]

I read Life Of Pi back in.. November or December, can't remember exactly which month it was. I really enjoyed it.


1- Who was your favourite character and why?
I liked Richard Parker the most. I think he pretty much carried the entire novel.

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
I loved the relationship between Richard arker and Pi.. how they were completely dependant on each other. I thought it was very unique and just made them both that much more likable. I also liked reading about Pi's daily struggles, how he dealt with things, how he managed to get through every day life..

3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
Yes, and no I haven't read anymore of this particular genre. I wouldn't say it has encouraged me but it certainly didn't put me off it..

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
I thought the part with the Frenchman was kind of odd.. like does he actually appear? Is it a figment of Pi's imagination? I actually reread that part several times to make sure, and it seems like it really did happen.. but what are the chances of meeting another castaway on the ocean?
The algae island threw me for a loop.. I did enjoy it though, it was something different, a "milestone" in the novel as opposed to just "today I caught another turtle and fed the inards to Richard Parker.. repeat, repeat"
The first quarter of the book was pretty difficult to get through, all the talk of religion and god.. I thought the idea was cool but very tedious nonetheless.

5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes, without a doubt.

[Kylie]

I thought the part with the Frenchman was kind of odd.. like does he actually appear? Is it a figment of Pi's imagination? I actually reread that part several times to make sure, and it seems like it really did happen.. but what are the chances of meeting another castaway on the ocean?
The algae island threw me for a loop.


I agree with you about the Frenchman and the island. Both seemed a bit odd and out of place.

[bev]

I resisted reading this book because everyone told me I should read it, and I HATE being told what to do. Every time I read the back cover I thought.. ugh.. what a drag! Stuck in a boat with a tiger? yawn :sleeping-smiley-009
Ummm, it turns out I should have read it a long time ago because it was quite a good read. ;) I don't feel I wasted 2 days of my life reading it !! ;)

An excellent read for anyone who's interested in philosophy, spirituality or surviving a devastating loss. You could debate storylines in this book for a long time. This book stays with you, and some lines haunt you forever.
7.5/10