Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Once again, fellow readers, I have scoured my local library to bring your attention to another great author. This time I set out to look for something quite different from my normal reading matter. I was not disappointed; this time I have discovered a book that I really want to buy. So imagine my surprise to find it was already reviewed on Ciao, but having read the book I thought “What the hell, I’ll do it anyway”. Author Background. Yann Martel was born the son of Canadian parents in 1963, at that time they were living in Spain. They seem to have travelled a lot, although I could not find out ... more

Introduction If there's one thing that retains an enduring popularity it's an allegory. There have been many stories over the years that have called on the notion of a fable to weave a way into a reader's heart and "Life of Pi" is a book that belongs in this very genre. I guess I was drawn to the story by the careful positioning of the aforementioned in the prize-winners section in Tesco. Blinded by the acclaim of being the winner of the Man Booker prize, I made the potentially naïve assumption that "Life of Pi" would be good. Yann Martel is a new author to me. Born in Spain and now living in ... more

When I came across THE LIFE of Pi by YANN MARTELL in the resident's lounge of an hotel in Spain, something stirred and I immediately grabbed it with both hands, furtively slinking off with it. Naturally, I left the book I'd just finished reading in its place (what do you think I am, some sort of filcher?) So I swapped books...and I'm so very glad I did. The basic premise of the book is the story of a young, 16-year-old Indian boy, Piscine Molitor Patel, who survives a shipwreck only to find himself sharing a lifeboat with a badly-injured zebra, a hyena, an orang-utan and a 450-pound Bengal ... more

Writing about religion can be a tricky business. If you're too controversial, you're pretty much guaranteed to upset an awful lot of people (although it never did Dan Brown any harm). Go too far the other way, and it can all seem a bit dogmatic, alienating a large proportion of your potential readership. However, strike the right balance, and you could just end up with a story that challenges and provokes its readers as much as it entertains them - this is almost certainly what Yann Martel has achieved here. Of course, Life of Pi isn't necessarily a religious story at all; the subject is ... more

For those who don't know then I will start by pointing out that "The Life of Pi" by Canadian author Yann Martel won the Man Booker Prize this year. However for those of you that might feel intimidated by the thought of reading a Booker Prize winning novel, don't be put off! This book is a very easy read but at the same time is stunning in it's imagery, use of language and sheer damn good storytelling. This is the tale of Piscine Molitor Patel (or 'Pi' for short), a 16 year old Indian boy who is shipwrecked and finds himself on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger called Richard Parker, a Hyena, an ... more