Life of Pi

As I promised I would, I've finally got round to posting my review of Life of Pi. It's a beautifully crafted story, but it does require some perseverance! So, what are you waiting for? Read on...

After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors are a Pi, 16-year-old boy, a spotted hyena, a zebra with a broken leg, a female orangutan and a 450-pound Royal Bengal Tiger. As the 'crew' begin to grow restless and assert their natural place in the food chain, Pi's fear mounts and he must use his wit, knowledge and faith to survive against all odds.

Life Of Pi is a real treat for the imagination, an astonishing novel that will delight and stun readers in equal measures.

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book. Not only is it funny, clever, beautiful and thought-provoking, but it's very original. Can you name any other books about a 16-year-old boy who get's stuck in a life boat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a tiger named Richard Parker? I thought not... As I mentioned in the short intro, this book is a tiny bit slow. It took me longer than usual to read, and, even though most of the descriptive language is beautiful and luxurious, sometimes it could be a right pain! However, that wasn't very often. I still believe it is a vividly described, strangely uplifting and masterly told tale! It's brutal, dramatic, expressive, compelling, extraordinary... Need I go on?

The book is split into three parts, and although each part is quite different, they are all important. Even if learning about Pi's life and religion in the first section isn't your cup of tea, you might love the events of the second section (that was my favourite part)! What's not to love about the island? So, where was I going with this? Oh yes! The character of Pi. Personally, I loved Pi's narrative and basically his whole character – he's extremely interesting! I haven't seen the film yet, and so I wonder how they'll channel all his inner thoughts into motion picture... But, regardless of how the film does this, Yann Martel did it amazingly!

To conclude, Life of Pi is a very interesting read with beautiful descriptive passages and wonderful characters. You might need to just keep reading and reading until you really get into it, but I can assure you that this is an incredibly inventive (if not absurd) tale told by a clever and witty narrator.

Favourite Quote:   

“Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can. But life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a thing or two of no importance, and gloom is but the passing shadow of a cloud...”
 

 The Word: 

Why? 
Here we have a completely absurd idea that has been clever crafted into a somewhat plausible tale. Everything about this book is unique, and so I'd like to celebrate that by summing it up in the word 'original'. Because, I can't think of any better way to describe it!