Book Review: Life of Pi

By: Yann Martel
Pages: 319
Published: 2001

Summary: Pi Patel is an unusual boy. The son of a zookeeper, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior, a fervent love of stories, and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.   The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional-but is it more true?

Rating: 3

Review:  I definitely enjoyed this book, but I couldn't get into quite as much as I hoped. Life of Pi will make you think about so many things. This is a fascinating story and has so many great qualities. It seems so real, nothing about this book seemed fake, it was very well written.

I enjoyed the characters and the story was originally. I thought it was well planned out, it took place over 227 days. I am glad that it didn't become one of those books that takes place over a long period time that just drags out. It was conscience and descriptive and original. Some people say the beginning was slow but I didn't really think that, it just took me a long time to read the whole book.

 I don't have a ton to say about this book but I definitely enjoyed it and I would recommend it if you are looking for something different and original. 

DFTBA
-Jane