Book Review – Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Cover of Life of Pi

Book Details of the edition I read

Format: Paperback

Pages: 334

Publisher: Cannongate

ISBN: 184195392x

Book Blurb

After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, one solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific.  The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan… and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.

The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary works of fiction in recent years.

A Bengal tiger much like the one that spent 227 days with Pi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My Review

I loved this book.  An amazing novel about the true nature of survival.  The descriptions are wonderful and the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker (the Bengal tiger) is enthralling.  Written as a first person narrative (for the most part) from Pi’s point of view, it really draws the reader in to his state of mind and his emotions.  I liked the fact that Yann Martel didn’t leave the novel at the first point that he could have but carried it on with part three to a conclusion which was very satisfying.  I found part two of the book to be the most engrossing and entertaining part of the book, part one less so and part three to be a good sound ending.  If you begin this book and feel slightly less than impressed at the start, please persevere as the story of Piscine whilst travelling the Pacific Ocean in the lifeboat is wonderfully written.

If you have not yet seen the movie I suggest you read the book first, if you have seen the movie I suggest you still read the book and if you have no intention of seeing the movie I still suggest you read the book, you will not regret the time spent doing so.

4/5 stars from me as I felt it had a rather slow start.

English: Canadian Booker prize-winning author Yann Martel giving a presentation on Life of Pi (Illustrated Edition) at Amazon.com on October 25, 2007. Original uncropped file: http://www.Flickr.com/photos/shanelin/1756617972/ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles

• Book to Film: Life of Pi by Yann Martel (My Reading Life) (readmorebooks.wordpress.com)
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel – review (guardian.co.uk)
• “Life of Pi” Author Reveals to PBS.org That The Inspiration For His Best-Selling Book And Now Hit Film Came From A Little Known Book About A Shipwrecked German Boy (prweb.com)
• Life of Pi (xingu2.wordpress.com)
• Life of Pi (2012) (canadiancinephile.com)
• Life of Pi (elblogdelamancha.com)
• Life of Pi Yann Martel (thenearestdoor.wordpress.com)
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel (thesignofthecross.blogspot.com)
• Life of Pi (thetimes.co.uk)
• Life of Pi – “A story that will make you believe in God” (true2mind.wordpress.com)

~ by adelesymonds on February 11, 2013.