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I enjoyed a number of things about the novel: 1) how he acquired his name 2) the zoo his family owns and their dinner hours 3) his interest in religion 4) his meeting a girlfriend just as he is to leave. The film adaptation of being on the boat was fabulous. I loved his (wouldn’t ya know) being the only adult awake and then diving down to see the sinking. It was a good thing initially that other animals survived, but sad that Richard Parker had them as meals. I could not imagine how the long periods at sea could possibly be translated effectively from book to movie, but the scenes were stunning. And I will admit shedding a tear when Richard Parker jumps off the boat in the film.
Both the book and film were lovely!
“Life of Pi,” to me, is what modern literature should be. Aside from the fully realized and developed protagonist, it mixes education about animals and also enlightening facts and opinions with regard to religion and spirituality. The quest is one that pulls in the reader, giving just enough foreshadowing to keep her interested, while at the same time producing nail-biting imagery that is hard to comprehend until the book has been delved in to. It is a truly turbulent experience (in a good way) to read this important book. But the most striking and important element of this book, in my opinion, is that it cleverly mixes Eastern and Western concepts of God, faith, and the nature of belief in a harmonizing, all-inclusive way so the reader feels “in on” the spiritual journey, no matter his background. Readers, wave bye-bye to Kipling’s concept of “East is East, and West is West, and ne’er the twain shall meet.” The two have finally, after all these years, met. And what a beautiful union it has produced!
Love this book and the beautiful film adaptation of it. When I talk about it with others who’ve read it, there’s not a dull moment in the conversation. Some of the scenes are ones I return in my mind over and over, particularly meerkat island. Thinking about “How did THAT happen?!” continues to provide food for thought. Because of the movie I was able to more accurately visualize scenes that had me puzzling, such as lifeboat logistics. Pi is one of my literary heroes because of his ability to survive. I love Pi!
“Life of Pi” was one of those novels I read with a pen in my hand. I was so intrigued and at times moved by the opening portion of the story. Getting to know Pi and watching him glean for his religious faith, was inspiring to me. His loss of his family, and then the courageous, amusing, enthralling story of his time at sea kept me reading and at times weeping for him. Perhaps I am a romantic, but I never saw the end coming. I was reading as fact what was in reality allegory, or so it seems. The story takes such a brutal twist, and yet remains so remarkably uplifting and inspiring. I admit to being stymied by the PG rating the film received. But I’ve also been surprised by those who called the book and film “lovely”. Remarkable, inspiring, even mesmerizing, but lovely? A wonderful story that was stunningly transferred to film with authenticity while still remaining true to the text, “Life of Pi” was a life changing read for me.
Pure magic is how I would describe Life of Pi.
Good story, but emotionally exhausting.
I understand why people like this book: relationships, struggle, persistence, triumph, more struggle, enlightenment, etc. However, for me, it required more investment of emotion than I wanted to give. I have my own life to deal with. I think I would have preferred a Doctor Doolittle meets Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. That’s just me, though. I like fun. I read to escape.
Again though, it is a well told, enthralling story.
Life of Pi was pure magic…a story of survival, spirituality, and fantastical imagination. Truly one of the rare life changing books I’ve read.
A great book! On top of being a beautiful story with a phenomenal ending, the tale is rife with great allegory and amazing description. Martel adds some interesting religious ideas to the novel, highlighting that the beauty in all religions is the desire to find God. A must-read!
The two versions of Pi’s shipwreck account represent the yin and yang of life: The evil (the natural world of Darwin’s survival of the fittest) of the true account and the good (the perfect, ideal world that Plato described) of the allegorical account; in other words, the pessimistic view of life and its optimistic counterpart. Richard Parker is a symbol of the human spirit. Pi’s taming of Richard Parker reflects the need for taming one’s spirit in order to survive in the brutal world. The unpleasant depiction of the hyena/French cook’s cannibalistic savagery, a part of the pessimistic reality, is life at its most evil. The tiger ends the cannibal’s life because that is not what the human spirit should be; it should be what is ideal, i.e. the religious nature–the religious spirit of love, holiness, and perseverance.
I loved the book! One of my teammates read it years ago and I had always meant to read it, so I jumped at the chance when this city event popped up. I think the best part is that the story can have meanings as deep as you would like them to be, or it could simply just be an interesting story. I enjoyed learning the zoo facts, Pi’s thoughts about religion, and especially how Richard Parker got his name! I also really liked how we got to experience Pi’s life through his thoughts, memories, and actions. I think it was an excellent pick for the Nashville Reads event. I still miss Richard Parker!!