Life of Pi by Yann Martel

MartelAfter 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.

Blurb taken from the 2003 edition published by Cannongate

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22 thoughts on “Life of Pi by Yann Martel

  1. Life of Pi is a book about a man telling an author about his childhood and how he came to believe in God. He says that he once went on a ship with his family in a strong storm but they all drowned and he was the only one left on a small boat with a tiger. After days and months he finally gets found but no one would believe his story.
    My favourite part of this book is when Pi has to train the tiger called Richard Parker on the boat because there is a zebra on board but eventually, the tiger eats it which is really funny. This part is my favourite because even though Pi and Richard Parker don’t get along then, the tiger later learns to trust him and so does Pi which sort of shows how some animals that seem very ferocious, can actually be quite nice.
    My favourite character inn this book is actually Richard Parker the tiger because he always causes mayhem but also kept Pi from being lonely, while he was stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He is also my favourite character because he also helps Pi to survive by catching food like seagulls and fish.
    The most boring part of the book is when Pi finds an island where he finds out that there was once a human there who died. It is the most boring part of the book because he doesn’t spend at least a day on the island so I think that part would be more interesting if he spent more time on the island to gather food and explore all the nature on the island.
    In conclusion this book is very interesting and I could tell that the author has put so much effort into writing it so I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes reading books.

  2. To immerse oneself in Life of Pi is to commit to suspending disbelief. Yann Martel enchants the reader with the novel’s magic realism, and the open Pacific is soon marked with man-eating beasts, carnivorous floating islands and, as the focus of the novel, a 16-year-old boy drifting through the currents. Piscine Molitor Patel is born an Indian and a Hindu, the son of the owner of Pondicherry Zoo. Pi’s childhood, and indeed his whole story, is narrated by his older self, now living in Canada, having studied the unusual combination of zoology and philosophy. When his family decide to sell the zoo and try their fortune in Canada the tragedy of Pi’s life, and the second half on the novel, begins. Their ship inexplicably sinks, and Pi is left braving the swell of the storm on a lifeboat, alone. Well, apart from the adult Bengal tiger.
    Martel uses the first half of the novel to establish the strength of character which carries Pi through his ordeal as a castaway. It is undeniable that the majority of his strength comes from his faith, by the time he sets sail for Canada he is a practising Hindu, Muslim, and Christian. Martel uses Pi’s pure love of God to initiate some of the most moving points in the novel. The times of great despair on Pi’s 227 day voyage are curbed by his yelling to the sky, the “ear of God”, and thus he affirms himself of “creation and [his] place in it”. This is often at cost to his own physical wellbeing, starving and fragile as he is, yet this sacrifice is what sustains Pi, and what makes us, the readers, reflect on the goodness of faith (something that pertains greatly to society, especially today). As Martel said in an interview; “secularism has nothing to say in the face of death.” We are also provoked into thinking how we judge beauty, through a meeting of Mr. Kumar and Mr. Kumar. One a Muslim baker and the other an atheist teacher at Pi’s school. Upon meeting, both for the first time, a Grant’s zebra Mr. Kumar gives it the Latin name, and Mr. Kumar says “Allahu Akbar.” Pi merely states “it’s very pretty”.
    Perhaps the most incredulous plot device that Martel utilises is Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger that stays with Pi the duration of his voyage. Thoughtlessly saved moments after the sinking of the Tsimtsum, Richard Parker initially becomes Pi’s biggest hindrance. In the beginning, Pi is denied time for grievance through his necessity to assert his dominance. Territory is marked, whistles screeched, and valuable food given as treats. Yet Richard Parker evokes in Pi something other than fear; courage to survive. A very human relationship begins between “God’s cat” and Pi, and the majority of the dialogue on board is addressed to Richard Parker. Pi turns away from the idea of leaving Richard Parker to starve, perhaps through his obligation as a zookeeper, yet more likely because Martel makes the lines between human and animal appear arbitrary. Pi, a long standing vegetarian, has been forced to kill and eat fish to survive, and Richard Parker seems to suffer in the same ways as Pi; “we were two emaciated mammals, parched and starving”. When Pi’s “extreme suffering” begins and his grip on sanity begins to loosen a dialogue begins between the pair. The personality impressed upon Richard Parker through Pi’s mind has a deep religious redolence. Richard Parker has killed two people; “a man first, the woman second”. Upon being met with Pi’s horror, he replies simply; “so you would cast the first stone, would you?” Martel’s manipulation of the reader to question what humanity is is truly skilled, and the book becomes all the better for it. Richard Parker becomes the physical embodiment of the hardships taken and bared through Pi’s suffering. That is why their unceremonious departure is so saddening; Pi is not only losing a companion, but part of himself.
    Overall, the greatest credit to Life of Pi is Martel’s skill at making us suspend our belief, but not our questions. Whilst reading, I found myself readily accepting a drifting island that was also a nocturnal hunter, yet thought upon its significance for days. Yann Martel has created a novel which is a great testament to human nature and its resilience, and has left me hoping that one day I might read an article describing the finding of a tiger in some great Mexican forest.

  3. LOP review: In my opinion, life of Pi is a great book. The imagery is good right from the start in his descriptions of the zoo , and when he describes life as a castaway.The plot is very good and Yann Martel writes in a very realistic way that helps make it more emotional and interesting to the reader. Pi’s character is very well outlined at the beginning and develops well throughout the book as we follow his transformation from a boy who is a vegetarian following a few different faiths to a desperate man alone at sea with a bengal tiger. Also, we can feel Pi’s loss, terror and joy from the way Martel describes it which is my favourite thing about the book. It is incredibly detailed and well researched which means it is easier to relate to (in terms of emotion) and a more fast paced read; however all the description can get boring after a while. Overall, I have found Life of pi a really gripping book , and my favourite section of it is Pi discovering the carnivorous island alongside Richard Parker. I would definitely recommend this book to other people like me who don’t always particularly enjoy reading as it is fun to read and an interesting story.

  4. I am currently reading Life Of Pi.
    I think it is a great book so far and I have read 80 pages. It starts off with Pi or Piscine telling the reader his story and about his childhood. He tells us how his full name; Piscine was named after a french swimming pool which Mamaji swam at. Lots of the boys from his school made fun of his name. He then tells us a story of how his cargo boat sank with his family on it but he escapes. He explains how he ended up on a boat with a hyena, an orang-Utan, a zebra, and a tiger called Richard Parker. So far I am loving this book because after each sentence i just want to read on. I am excited to see what happens next in the story.

  5. Life Of Pi is a fantastic, gripping story with a plot line that keeps you hooked on and continuously turning the pages. A story of an amazing journey across the sea with a companion of a life time. Not only a physical journey but a mental journey of overcoming the grief of losing your family to survive. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a book that not only has an amazing story but a book that is written extremely well. Life of Pi is a book I would be glad to read again.

  6. I am currently reading the book Life of Pi. It is nice book that i have already watched the movie and i really liked it as the book. It is very interesting how that guy is surviving on a boat with a animal like that. The book is exciting and keeps you on your toes because you never know when that animal is going to attack. I would hardly recommend it to kids from the age 12-15 because they will find the book enjoyable. I would also highly recommend to watch the movie because it is as exciting as the book.

  7. Life of pi is a story about learning how to trust, when the patels decide to leave their zoo in India they move to Canada and tragedy strikes when their boat sinks their so pi is stuck on a life boat with a large Bengal tiger and have to learn how to survive together.

  8. This book has interested me because I saw the movie and wanted to experience the story in more depth. My favourite part of the story is when he come across the island in search of food and he come across a fruit and on the inside he discovers a tooth and realises it is a carnivorous island and he flees the island. I think people should read this as it is quite in depth and is an original idea and I have never seen something like this before.

  9. I liked the book life of Pi as it explored a new genre of book. It is very original and it really attaches me as a reader. However although i find this book very emotionally attaching i don’t generally enjoy reading fictional books. i was however attached to this book for many reasons, one being the relationship Pi and the tiger. The further into the book you get the more sympathy you feel for Pi and the Bengal tiger. i would recommend this book to many people purely because i enjoyed reading it overall.

  10. I’ve been reading life of pi by Yann Martel from the trinity schools book awards and have found it to be really interesting. I haven’t finished the book yet, but so far it has been really descriptive and I’m enjoyed reading it. There is nice description of Pondicherry , Pi and the animals which is very good for readers to imagine with. I would recommend this book and film to others.

  11. I have enjoyed what I read so far in the book. It’s very captivating and every page oozes out with description. The story is about a boy called Pi (his actually name is Piscine). He gets bullied at school because of his name. In the story, the cargo ship has sinned and he explains how he left with a orangutan, a zebra and 450 pound Bengal Tiger. He had to train this tiger so he doesn’t die.
    I would rate this book 10/10. I will highly recommend this book to a friend or family member because it will literally take your breath away.

  12. Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a fantasy adventure story, but with an orginial theme that I never expected. This is the story of Piscine Patel, nicknamed Pi, and his adventures. He is a young teenage Indian boy, son of a zoo owner. Importantly, he is a practicing Hindu, Christian and Muslim. He grows up with animals, his family and his faiths. The second part of the book is about his misadventures at sea. His family decides to immigrate to Canada, bringing most of their zoo animals with them to sell in North America. They board a cargo ship, but the ship sinks and Pi spends a total of 227 days floating in the Pacific Ocean, with a hyena, zebra, orangutan and a Bengal tiger for company. The final part of the book is an interview between Pi and a couple of Japanese maritime officials.
    I honestly love this book as it takes you through his journey in great detail even though the book can be a bit boring at the start. It has an amazing story line and a breath-taking plot, and I would recommend this book to all ages above 10.

  13. Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a fantasy adventure story, but with an original theme that I never expected. This is the story of Piscine Patel, nicknamed Pi, and his adventures. He is a young teenage Indian boy, son of a zoo owner. Importantly, he is a practicing Hindu, Christian, and Muslim. He grows up with animals, his family and his faiths. The second part of the book is about his misadventures at sea. His family decides to immigrate to Canada, bringing most of their zoo animals with them to sell in North America. They board a cargo ship, but the ship sinks and Pi spends a total of 227 days floating in the Pacific Ocean, with a hyena, zebra, orangutan and a Bengal tiger for company. The final part of the book is an interview between Pi and a couple of Japanese officials.
    I honestly love this book as it takes you through his journey in great detail even though the book can be a bit boring at the start. It has an amazing story line and a breath-taking plot, and I would recommend this book to all ages above 10.

  14. I am reading the life of Pi written by Yann Martel.

    This story is about a boy from India called Piscine (who is also the narrator for most of the story).His family owns a zoo, they then decided to move and use to cargo ship as a use of transport. The animals are all in the basement.The ship begins to sink due to a storm and pi clings to a lifeboat, this encourages a tiger ;’Richard Parker’ to join him. Crew-members throw him into a lifeboat and then soon pi realised he in a boat with a zebra, hyena and a organutan.After killing each other on the boat the tiger reveals himself to Pi leaving just the tiger and Pi.Pi is finding is extremely diffucult at this point because his family is gone and he has no one expect a tiger.Pi survies by canned water and filters sea water and pi starts to train Richard Parker (the tiger)- he also provides food for the tiger. in the first couple of chapters of the book, Pi talks about his life which i find extremely interesting as it helps engage the reader more and make the reader understand more about the narrator as you know his background.We also learn that his comfort and happiness is in zoology, this means he enjoys animals-which helps us understand the book more.Throughout the novel, Pi expresses his emotions- this helps to amaze and inspire the readers.

  15. Indio from Royal Russell School writes:
    I am reading life of pi
    Written by yann Martel piscine molitor Patel re tells the spellbinding story of 16 year piscine.
    By starting the book telling you about his child hood and the origin of his name he goes on tell you the consequences of the sinking of a cargo ship.
    Pi explains how he survived his trajic story of him living with a hyena, a zebra, an orang-Utan and a 450 pound tiger called Richard Parker. I love this story because you are interested to see what happens next after every word the book is crammed with excitement at for every age group This book is an unfailing blend of breath taking magic I would rate this book a 10 out of 10

  16. Luis, Royal Russell School, writes:
    I am reading the life of Pi written by Yann Martel.

    this story is about a boy from India whose family owns a zoo and they are moving and go by cargo ship with all the animals in the basement. Then the ship starts to sink but he gets on a safety boat. Some of the animals make it on the boat as well. the animal are a hyena, a zebra, an orang-Utan and a tiger called Richard Parker. the hyena, the zebra and the orang-Utan die and he is stuck with the tiger. In the middle of the book he has to teach the tiger and train it so he can live with it without the 450 pound tiger eating him.

  17. Joe N. Royal Russell School writes:
    I’m reading Life of Pi
    The book is about a 16 year old boy called Pi who has to survive a boat with an orangutan, zebra, hyena and a tiger called Richard Parker after a ship sinks. The book starts off with him explaining about things like his name and family. My overall thoughts are that it starts off a bit boring but get a lot better as it goes along. The only negative is that it’s a bit confusing, even my dad said he did’nt understand it. I would give a 8 out of 10.

  18. Joe H, 9Q, Royal Russell School writes:

    I am currently reading Life Of Pi.
    I think it is a great book so far and I have read 40 pages. It starts of on Pi (his actual name is piscine) telling the reader his story and about his childhood. He states how his full name; piscine, is actually named after a french swimming. Lots of the boys from his school made fun of his name. He then tells the reader a story of how his cargo boat sank with himself on it. He explains how he ended up on a boat with a hyena, an orang-Utan, a zebra, and a tiger called Richard Parker. So far i am loving because after each sentence i just want to read on. I am excited to see what happens next in the story.

  19. Life of Pi is, in my opinion, an extremely thought-provoking book. It is one of the few books that leaves me trying to understand the characters and know them better after I’ve finished reading. The first part of the book, which explored Pi’s home life and religious discoveries, I thought, was the foundation upon which the story grew. Without his spiritual journey to become a Hindu, Christian and a Muslim, I don’t think Pi would have survived his time at sea. His religions are all a part of who he is, an extraordinarily complex character at that, and his relationship with God provoked thoughts of my own. For this, I would like to thank Yann Martel for both an exciting, enjoyable read and an interesting one.

  20. I thought Life of Pi was not all it was said to be. It was slow to start, and and continues slowly, and seemingly endlessly for most of the book. While the whole book had an undercurrent of surrealism, by far the most surreal part was the man-eating island near the end.. That was very odd, like the entire book, and I didn’t feel it added to the story. Life of Pi was not all bad however, there was humor scattered throughout it, which did make it far more enjoyable. One final note, watch out for the gory parts that can be found periodically throughout the book.

  21. A wonderful book which reads like a fable. Although the story involves a lot of suffering, much of which is graphic and hard to read, somehow the voice of Pi remains optimistic. It helps that there are moments of wonder and a lot of humour, such as Pi’s amended version of the survival guide he finds, covering what to do if you find yourself stranded in a life raft with a Bengal tiger. We had an interesting debate in our group about the two alternative endings, and I believe that the real story is the one with the tiger. There are parts of the book I wasn’t sure about, namely the island scenes, but I found the end of the tale – with Richard Parker disappearing without a backward glance – painfully honest.

  22. I really enjoyed Life of Pi. I thought that the way Yann Martel blurred the lines between fantasy and reality made the book very easy to read and kept me interested. I must say that the images that the author created of the animals dying and suffering was very striking and horrific. I’m not sure how I feel about those scenes…

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