Life of Pi is part adventure story, part zoology lesson, and part philosophical musing. It is the winner of the Man Booker Prize, and when this is announced with a big gold circle on the cover, a reader has high expectations. During the first part of the book we are introduced to Piscine Molitor Patel (shortened to Pi for obvious reasons), a young boy from India, the son of a zookeeper, who embraces three major religions: Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. I loved this part of the book--it's quirkiness, humor, and the different religious perspectives that are explored. Since I have started rating books on Shelfari and my blog, I find myself thinking throughout the book how many stars it will get, and it often changes throughout the book. In the beginning I was thinking, "This is such a cool book! Five stars all the way!!" And then his family and some of their zoo animals needed to emigrate to Canada by ship, the ship sank, and Pi and a few animals, including a Bengal tiger are the only survivors. And I was bored. (Uh-oh! Down to three stars!) For me there were too many details about how he survived on the boat for 227 days. And the account of this is the bulk of the book. Then the very end entertained me a bit more--a humorous interview of Pi by members of the Japanese Ministry of Transport in trying to determine the fate of the ship that sank (sunk?). This is were the message of the book comes full circle, although it is open-ended and makes you think rather than come to any firm conclusions.This book was exactly 100 chapters. That thrills me, but I couldn't say why!
The final verdict (drum roll, please . . . ):
I read this book earlier this year, and I think it could be one of the best things I have ever read. Funny how different books can mean so many things to different people.
ReplyDeleteAnd I finally finished Crime & Punishment the other day, thanks for telling me how much you liked it, that was what kept me reading!
I wasn't a huge fan of this one either. I think the end is what bothered me the most though...Do you think he was with the tiger the whole time? or really with the chef (or whoever)?
ReplyDeleteI think I liked the survival better, although I could have done without maybe like the hundredth account of catching food. I knew you would like the part about the religion. I thought it was funny when he met all three of his spiritual advisors at the same time. Also Liked the ending and the island...something about a carnivorous island....weird.
ReplyDeleteMini,
ReplyDeleteMost reviews I read described this as a page-turner and an excellent read, so I think I'm in the minority! It is interesting (and good) the different tastes people have in books. There are so many others factors than the words on the page.
KT,
I could probably find arguments for both. I think the question the author most wanted to put out there is "Which story do we want to believe?" The tiger story was definitely more pleasant.
Christina,
Thanks for lending me this! A very bizarre story, and it sounds like we liked different parts of it. That island part was sort like a drug trip! (Not that I would know!)
I loved this book! I didn't see the ending so much as WHICH story do we want to believe, as KT mentioned above; clearly, you WANT to believe that the kid was stuck on a raft with a bunch of wild animals and survived. The other option is just too grim. What was so powerful about this ending for me was KNOWING, no matter how badly you wanted not to, that the "other" story was the reality. At that point it becomes heartbreaking, and realizing what Pi had to go through both physically and psychologically to survive is overwhelming. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut as the realization of what Pi's "other" story implied began to creep into my brain. This book made me sob, (not cry, sob!) like nothing has since I was in the fourth grade and had to read Where the Red Fern grows.
ReplyDeleteOops, I guess my reference to KT's comment is actually more applicable to Chain Reader's response to KT's comment. Sorry!
ReplyDeleteDreamybee,
ReplyDeleteWell put! I was wondering what your take was on the religious aspect--in the beginning it is mentioned that Pi's story would "make you believe in God." In the end, I felt like he was trying to say that even if there is no God, we will be happier believing that there is, and that all of the stories surrounding that belief are true, and will make life richer, rather than the harshness of a life without God and religious tradition, and what that means for our existence. (Which idea makes me feel like I've been kicked in the gut.) Just like the difference between the two stories. What did you think?
(And anyone else who reads this?)
I loved this book. I enjoyed both parts of the book and the end just blew me away. I think your take on it, Chain Reader, is right on the mark. As I thought about it after I finished reading, I was wondering if the author was trying to say that there is no God and that if we believe in God we are just believing some fantastical story that sounds crazy. But I think (or I'm hoping, at least) that he was pointing out that faith in God really requires "faith". We can't "know" because we can't see God and, really, according to our own earthly, everyday experience, He can seem like some crazy story. We do however get "glimpses" that keep our faith going and believing in the "better story". Honestly, there are times in my life that it feels like the other story is more real but I keep going with my religious traditions and keep wanting to believe until I catch another glimpse and my faith is again strengthened.
ReplyDeleteWow, I never really understood that whole, "it wil make you believe in God" comment before, but it makes more sense now, thanks to Chain Reader's and Kim's interpretations. I do think that for a lot of people religion and its promise of something better is the only thing that they have to cling to, the only thing that will get them through another day. Sometimes just having the stories available is enough to provide the needed inspiration, even if you don't believe them in a literal sense.
ReplyDeleteI heard this descibed as "eating the best chocolate brownie ever until the last five pages when you find out that it was made out of dog poop." I get the whole choosing to believe the better story/God correlation, but the cannibalism that is implied was kind of icky.
ReplyDeleteI heard this descibed as "eating the best chocolate brownie ever until the last five pages when you find out that it was made out of dog poop." I get the whole choosing to believe the better story/God correlation, but the cannibalism that is implied was kind of icky.
ReplyDeleteI think I liked the survival better, although I could have done without maybe like the hundredth account of catching food. I knew you would like the part about the religion. I thought it was funny when he met all three of his spiritual advisors at the same time. Also Liked the ending and the island...something about a carnivorous island....weird.
ReplyDelete