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Life of Pi

Yann Martel

Start date: May 1, 2017

Finish date: May 31, 2017

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: The topic/theme for May is Religion/Spiritual beliefs/Practices.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel Life
[close] The topic/theme for May is Religion/Spiritual beliefs/Practices.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel Life

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What Members Thought

Feb 10, 2012 Hend rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 52, canadian-literature, favorite-novels, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, unique-novels, man-booker-prize, fantasy

"If we, citizens, do not support our artists,
then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing
and having worthless dreams."

Life of pi is the story of survival in the face of death ,and the struggle to live And the transition from modern civilization to the more primitive existence on the open ocean in a boat.

It is a madness that has the power that could make a normal human with decent and basic moral become a cannibalistic slaughterer. and how, a ...more

53 likes · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2016 Marc-Antoine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: signed-by-author

I had no idea of what to expect when I picked up this book. Honestly, I thought it was probably one of those artsy books that got a lot of hype and would bore the heck out of me, and kept putting it aside. What I got was one of the best stories I have had the pleasure of reading. It was fantastic, magical, imaginative and engrossing. I strongly recommend to everyone.

22 likes · Like · see review

Apr 25, 2017 Jeanne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-around-the-world, read-2017, religion-and-mindfulness

What can you write about being lost at sea with a tiger? From my limited imagination, I would have said not much, so it took me years – and prodding from my book club, which is reading Life of Pi in May – to do so. I'm glad I did, but I'm also looking forward to talking with them about it, as this is, I suspect, a book that can be read on many different levels.

Because our May theme is religion and spirituality, I am perhaps primed to think about Life of Pi as a book about religion. On a superfic What can you write about being lost at sea with a tiger? From my limited imagination, I would have said not much, so it took me years – and prodding from my book club, which is reading Life of Pi in May – to do so. I'm glad I did, but I'm also looking forward to talking with them about it, as this is, I suspect, a book that can be read on many different levels.

Because our May theme is religion and spirituality, I am perhaps primed to think about Life of Pi as a book about religion. On a superficial level, it makes sense to draw this conclusion. Piscine grows up Hindu – in a secular household. As a teen, Pi became also Hindu and Muslim, horrifying his spiritual leaders in each group. His view of religion was all-embracing, as when he called Richard Parker, the tiger, to his lifeboat: “Jesus, Mary, Muhammad and Vishnu, how good to see you, Richard Parker! Don’t give up, please" (p. 137).

Pi's perspectives on each religion are often characterized by a wry sense of humor that runs throughout this book. About Christianity:

The first thing that drew me in was disbelief. What? Humanity sins but it’s God’s Son who pays the price? I tried to imagine Father saying to me, “Piscine, a lion slipped into the llama pen today and killed two llamas. Yesterday another one killed a black buck. Last week two of them ate the camel. The week before it was painted storks and grey herons. And who’s to say for sure who snacked on our golden agouti? The situation has become intolerable. Something must be done. I have decided that the only way the lions can atone for their sins is if I feed you to them.” (p. 76).

Maybe another way of looking at looking at this book, though, is from the frame of the journey of the spiritual life, that Pi's religion helps him survive a very difficult time: I was alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific, hanging on to an oar, an adult tiger in front of me, sharks beneath me, a storm raging about me (p. 151). Difficult indeed, yet it seems that is a good characterization of life. When we have tigers in front of us, sharks beneath us, and a storm raging all around, what do we do? Can we hang on with the courage, grace, perceptiveness, and humor that Pi did?

Yet another way of seeing Life of Pi, perhaps, is from a from a phenomenological perspective. Do we expect and accept only one story or recognize more than one? Do we recognize ourselves as meaning-making beings? If so, what stories do we tell about our lives? Do these stories help us carry on or make doing so more difficult? Will we, as Pi asked, lack imagination and miss the better story (p. 92)?
...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Alana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: foreign-culture, books-to-film, man-booker-prize, boxall-s-1001-books

This book was fantastic! I normally don't start a review that way, but it simply was. I can't review it well without some spoilers, so don't read more than this paragraph if you haven't read the book yet, as spoilers I think especially for this book would really take away from the reading experience. It has survival, history, culture, religion, animals, food, family and just about anything else you can think of. It reads partly as an adventure, partly a science pamphlet, partly a cultural examin This book was fantastic! I normally don't start a review that way, but it simply was. I can't review it well without some spoilers, so don't read more than this paragraph if you haven't read the book yet, as spoilers I think especially for this book would really take away from the reading experience. It has survival, history, culture, religion, animals, food, family and just about anything else you can think of. It reads partly as an adventure, partly a science pamphlet, partly a cultural examination, partly a thoughtful look at some major world religions. It is witty, smart, thoughtful and very, very deep (and not just the ocean). It is well worth reading and I can't wait to see this vivid imagery on screen.

Now, **SPOILER ALERT**

Watching Pi closely exam three major religions (and probably others that he simply does not discuss) was fascinating. As a Christian myself, I thought the childlike, honest way he approached the very odd-sounding story of Christ was beautiful and refreshing. The kindness of the priest toward him was equally refreshing, as all too often these stories are full of judgmental, self-serving leaders who care more about the coffers than their parishioners. The Muslim and Hindu leaders were equally kind and accepting, something also not always portrayed. It's disheartening to see them fighting, but unfortunately often very true to life. Pi's struggle with how he views faith and religion is one of the key themes of the whole novel.

As Pi sinks further and further into animal-like behaviors as his situation becomes even more dire, it's hard not to imagine what you might be willing to do given the same situation. One can never say for certain what one is capable of until actually faced with the situation. It's a very sobering thought.

The alternate story/same ending version threw me a little, and while I found it absolutely made the story and put everything together, it also left some interesting questions. While the first story might be more pleasant, that does not make it "better." I like the truth, not just what sounds better. That does mean I don't like a good yarn, however, nor that I don't understand the need to create a story for the mind so one can have the heart to survive. There are many elements in the story that may not be believable, but are perfectly believable as a fantasy in order to survive, particularly the island.

All in all, the wit and intelligence, jokes and sadness make a wonderfully rich tale that I think may live up to the early hype of ultimately ending up a classic. It's a remarkable book I would recommend to anyone. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review