Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Published On: June 4, 2002
Genres: Adult Fiction
Source: Library
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The Short, Sweet, and Spoiler-Free Blurb:
Life of Pi is a masterful and utterly original novel that is at once the story of a young castaway who faces immeasurable hardships on the high seas, and a meditation on religion, faith, art and life that is as witty as it is profound. Using the threads of all of our best stories, Yann Martel has woven a glorious spiritual adventure that makes us question what it means to be alive, and to believe.
The Life of Pi is like The Old Man and the Sea kicked up a notch with wild animals that certainly don’t belong in the ocean and a 16 year old boy. Part 1 of the story is full of amusing honesty, entertaining writing, and fascinating educational passages about religion and animals. One of the most interesting themes in the book was how similar zoology and religion are. I didn’t know they were similar either, but the stuff that the author points out kind of blew my mind. Part 2 is an incredible tale of survival. Why are tales of survival so enduring and riveting? He fishes, he eats, he drinks and I’m glued to the pages. The way the plot is told is very interesting. You know a lot of facts upfront. It’s not one of those stories that makes you wonder if or when he gets rescued. The thing that moves the plot along is the awesome journey that Pi takes physically and mentally.
I couldn’t stop thinking about this book. I have pages and pages of notes, questions, and thoughts while I was reading it. I had no idea going into this book that it would fill my mind with so many deep thoughts and questions. And yet this was not a difficult book to read. The writing is stunning and flows very well. The only reason it took me so long to read the book is because I kept pondering the meaning of life. The ending, quite simply, took me completely by surprise. It was so twisty…that I can’t even put it into words. Read this book – you won’t be the same again.
Content Rating: Medium, for some violence and gore mostly involving surviving and eating nasty things.
About Yann Martel
Winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Yann Martel, the son of diplomats, was born in Spain in 1963. He grew up in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Alaska, and Canada and as an adult has spent time in Iran, Turkey, and India. After studying philosophy in college, he worked at various odd jobs until he began earning his living as a writer at the age of twenty-seven. He lives in Montreal.
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