This title is winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2002. After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, one solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific. The crew of the surviving vessel consists of a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan, a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger and Pi - a 16-year-old Indian boy. The scene is set for a most extraordinary piece of literary fiction. This recording is unabridged. Typically abridged audiobooks are not more than 60 per cent of the author's work and as low as 30 per cent with characters and plotlines removed.
Life of Pi
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Serious novels about young boys being drawn closer to God while trapped on lifeboats with dangerous wild animals ought to be impossible. Life of Pi, Yann Martel's second novel, proves they're not. Its plot stretches the limits of credibility into new and exciting shapes, and the fact that Martel has made his materials into an enchanting story is almost unbelievable. Martel's Pi is Piscine Molitor Patel, a boy from Pondicherry, one of the few Indian towns to be colonized by France. Pi is an intelligent, unusual child: he has a scientific turn of mind but is also a practising Hindu, Moslem, and Christian. Pi's family runs a large zoo, but they decide to sell their animals to zoos in the United States and emigrate to Canada. Crossing the Pacific (with their animals), they're shipwrecked halfway between China and Midway. Pi survives, only to find himself sharing a lifeboat with an injured zebra, a spotted hyena, an orangutan, and Richard Parker--an immense Bengal tiger.
Most of these animals are doomed, but Pi and Richard Parker cling to life, establishing a tacit order on the lifeboat. Martel handles this part of the story perfectly: one would expect Life of Pi to become cute, or perhaps preachy, but it is neither. Life on the boat proceeds in strict accordance with the rules of ecology and territorialism, and the interdependence of the passengers is both believable and absorbing. Life of Pi is a superb novel, both for its story and for its rich examinations of religion, isolation, and love. If this is an indication of what is to come, we can expect great things from Yann Martel. --Jack Illingworth --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
A fabulous romp through an imagination by turns ecstatic, cunning, despairing and resilient, this novel is an impressive achievement "a story that will make you believe in God," as one character says. The peripatetic Pi (ne the much-taunted Piscine) Patel spends a beguiling boyhood in Pondicherry, India, as the son of a zookeeper. Growing up beside the wild beasts, Pi gathers an encyclopedic knowledge of the animal world. His curious mind also makes the leap from his native Hinduism to Christianity and Islam, all three of which he practices with joyous abandon. In his 16th year, Pi sets sail with his family and some of their menagerie to start a new life in Canada. Halfway to Midway Island, the ship sinks into the Pacific, leaving Pi stranded on a life raft with a hyena, an orangutan, an injured zebra and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. After the beast dispatches the others, Pi is left to survive for 227 days with his large feline companion on the 26-foot-long raft, using all his knowledge, wits and faith to keep himself alive. The scenes flow together effortlessly, and the sharp observations of the young narrator keep the tale brisk and engaging. Martel's potentially unbelievable plot line soon demolishes the reader's defenses, cleverly set up by events of young Pi's life that almost naturally lead to his biggest ordeal. This richly patterned work, Martel's second novel, won Canada's 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. In it, Martel displays the clever voice and tremendous storytelling skills of an emerging master.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Michael Cox
Format:Paperback
Yann Martel's novel takes us from a small community in India to the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where a boy and a tiger share a lifeboat and develop, if not a friendship, a unique understanding of one another. The novel begins slowly and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I also couldn't put it down, especially once on the high seas. Like any seafaring tale, it may be "tall" in parts, and you can, if you wish, choose to believe an alternate story provided for you near the end, but I prefer the taller of the two tales, and was bleary-eyed but well rewarded for reading it in one long sitting.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Dan Goddard
Format:Paperback
This is one of the most powerful novels I have ever read. It begins with a section that builds up the main character flawlessly. Then it shifts to wonderfully written story of survival, exploring almost every angle of human nature in the face of adversity. It delves into relationships in the most interesting of ways, and makes one think twice about their own. The third and final section of the book brings a bit of a twist in the plot; it left me enjoying the book in it's entirity even more. It is one of those feel good books, which I could not put down.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Booknut
Format:Hardcover
I read between 50 and 80 books a year and it is the rare novel that does not disappoint me on some level. This book never let me down, I was never bored and I never felt the author cheated or left loose ends. The language was simple and lyrical but full of symbolism and symmetry. I loved the main character's honesty and optimism and his simple will to survive. Above all I loved the choice of an alternate ending, neither story is a perfect fit leaving the reader the choice to make up their own mind. I laughed, I cried and I'm recommending it to everyone I know.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding book!
Actually got this after watching the movie to read through it. Enjoyed every minute. Excellent read - before or after the movie!
Published 18 days ago by John Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Painting a picture
What I enjoyed about this book was that Pi was very descriptive about everything. It was a thorough read and it always painted a picture in your mind.
Published 21 days ago by Clio Bailey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book!
I found the book "Life of Pi " to be very good. It was written with very dry humour considering the topic of being a castaway. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Susan Carmichael
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, Timely Edition!
This was bought as a gift which was well received. It was especially appreciated that it was the "Movie Tie-in Edition". Read more
Published 27 days ago by D'Arcy Wright
4.0 out of 5 stars
Life of Pi: A review
The work was beautifully written, well-researched and an unusual story that would appeal to many tastes. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Paula Charbonneau-Gowdy
3.0 out of 5 stars
It is a unique and enjoyable story ...
Do not read the praises and awards given to the book before you read it. Your expectations may be too high. I read the book and the Bookclub-in-a-Box review. Read more
Published 1 month ago by SKS
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Read
It was a good read. It took longer than I expected to arrive in the mail, but otherwise I was very happy with it, The book was in brandnew condition, very well packed. Read more
Published 1 month ago by mrs. margaret d galera
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
Really enjoyed the book. Wonderful ending. Made you think. Wasn't really sure about the book at first but am happy that I finished it.
Published 1 month ago by Judy Keith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life of Pi
Was an awesome read, was in my thoughts for days to follow, hoping to see the movie soon! Will read this book over again!
Published 1 month ago by Lois Greenwood
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a story!
This book is a page turner with an unbelievable twist. A must read. Beautifully written with aacurate and spartan prose.
Published 1 month ago by Tivoli713
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