[.ca] Life of Pi--large print edition (ISBN 067697760X)

Amazon.ca:
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

Amazon.ca Canadian Essential:
Yann Martel's second novel, Life of Pi, appeared in Canada in 2001 to enthusiastic reviews and moderate sales. A year later, it came out of nowhere to win the Booker Prize and became an international publishing phenomenon (and Amazon.ca's first blockbuster). In a wonderful display of storytelling verve, Martel takes a distinctly unpromising premise--a "story that will make you believe in God" about a boy trapped on a lifeboat with an enormous tiger--and pulls it off with complete and winning confidence.

Share in the experience:
"The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel was the Man Booker Prize winner in 2002. It is a story of Piscine Molitor Patel, son of the local zookeeper, who resides in Pondicherry, India in the late 1970s. The reader wonders right off the bat how his parents could come up with such an unusual name. The narrator, Piscine reveals that he was named after a swimming pool in Paris; this name led to much ridicule in school because his name was always mistakenly mispronounced Piss Ing! It was tough on Piscine and he was relieved when a new nickname of sorts (Pi) caught on in school; yes...it has something to do with 3.14! The novel is so imaginative that it is no wonder that it has hooked readers around the world since it was published in 2002. As much as Pi is one of the major characters; a 450 pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker shares the spotlight and the honors as one of the most interesting animal characters in literature. How Pi finds himself fighting for survival at sea on a lifeboat with Richard Parker, a hyena, an orangutan and a wounded zebra is one of the most imaginative journeys of survival that I have read. Martel has written that the idea for his novel came from a book review that John Updike did of a novel titled "Max and the Cats' which was not well received. The author was intrigued with India, its animals and religion and all three are woven into the fabric of the novel. Martel purposely chose an animal local to India for the selection of Richard Parker; the Royal Bengal Tiger and the author visited India multiple times interviewing local Indian zoo keepers. There is much humor in the novel including the segments dealing with Pi's birth name, how Pi found religion (in fact three religions all at once) as well as the origin of Richard Parker's name. Some readers may find that the book seems very religious to them and in fact Pi is very religious; he joins three (3) religions at the same time (Hindu, Christian, Muslem) and there is a very funny scene at the zoo where the three (3) various heads of the local churches converge on Pi's parents to tell them how devout their boy is. The narrator, Pi, reveals much concerning his spirituality as he discusses life, death, love, fear, despair and hope. As this bright and resourceful 16 year old Indian boy digs down and finds enough grit to survive at sea for over 200+ days, the reader is rooting for him and for Richard Parker the entire time. There are many shocking elements of survival which are described for the reader which may upset some; but the horrible event of the sinking of the Japanese cargo ship carrying his family to Canada and many of the animals overshadows anything that Pi had to do to survive at sea. There are many beautiful and thought provoking lines in the novel which deal with the many facets of life, the broad spectrum and rainbow of human emotions, and death itself; but one that moved me was when Pi reflected, "Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can." The emotional power of love is what gets Pi through his ordeal.

Okay read:
While one of the excerpts read ?a novel of such rare and wondrous storytelling that it may, as one character claims, make you believe in God,? failed to deliver the other one which read ?A story so magical, so playful, so harrowing and astonishing that it will may you believe imagination might be the fist step? did. The book has left such a lingering taste in my mind that I have been unable to pick up any other fiction book because something unexplainable is still left to digest.

Great book, very clever:
I just finished reading the book Life of Pi. I had to read it for school. To tell you the truth, some parts are good but some are long and may get boring at a certain point, but the end is worth it. It's such a smart and unusual novel. Martel's words and descriptions are beautiful and may sometimes seem long but it's so well written and detailed that it makes the reader feel what the character is seeing or experiencing. It's an amazing book really. The end is was so unexpected to me.

Loved the last page:
A friend recommended this book to me and advised that the "first 50 pages" were slow. I found the first 400 pages to be slow and the only reason I finished it was because of my friend. I loved the ending.

Incredible story:
The sheer number of views posted on this title and the publicity it has generated tells a lot about what should be expected from the story. It is catching. This with THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES is one of the best works of fiction that my eyes have roved through and which my mind has appreciated. I like Martel's poetic style of writing, his plot and the vivid descriptions he gave of things , characters and events results the story, which is similar to the style in DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE. I was so caught up by the book that I was unable to put it down until the last page. In the end, I saw The Life of Pi become so popular. Any reader who knows a good story may think he/or she is starting this book at a stroll but would be surprised to end it at a compelling rush. Like THE USURPER AND OTHERS, and THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, the story is completely captivating, fast-paced, thrilling, inspiring, shocking and hilarious. I smiled, sighed, laughed and even wiped a tear while reading this book.