lilyemmaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, Death, and Excrement
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Cannibalism, War, Blood, and Vomit
abbruzzese's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I was giving up. I would have given up - if a voice hadn't made itself heard in my heart. The voice said "I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare."
i get it. i understand it now, the hype around this book, the reason it's touched the shelves of white women in book clubs everywhere, why it's shown up on every list of "100 books to read before you die" i've ever looked at.
the writing was high-quality. the plot was enthralling. the philosophical and religious bits were so beautifully communicated that, not only did i not mind reading them, i actually enjoyed them. before i started reading, i was worried i'd grow bored of reading about a monotonous struggle, but this wasn't the case at all; the story is structured in such a way that the events of pi's journey are, yes, told in regards to particular days, but also largely in chapters that focus on types of events or certain themes, rather than repetitive day-by-day recaps. this book has my most favourite element of any kind of story: a character facing the most bleak and unlikely odds of survival, yet doing so with grit and determination and an unrelenting refusal to die. call me old fashioned, but a human hellbent on surviving is my favourite kind of human.
i have nothing but praise of the highest order for this book. i can't even express in words how moved i am by it, how grateful i am that i decided to read it.
i get it. i understand it now, the hype around this book, the reason it's touched the shelves of white women in book clubs everywhere, why it's shown up on every list of "100 books to read before you die" i've ever looked at.
the writing was high-quality. the plot was enthralling. the philosophical and religious bits were so beautifully communicated that, not only did i not mind reading them, i actually enjoyed them. before i started reading, i was worried i'd grow bored of reading about a monotonous struggle, but this wasn't the case at all; the story is structured in such a way that the events of pi's journey are, yes, told in regards to particular days, but also largely in chapters that focus on types of events or certain themes, rather than repetitive day-by-day recaps. this book has my most favourite element of any kind of story: a character facing the most bleak and unlikely odds of survival, yet doing so with grit and determination and an unrelenting refusal to die. call me old fashioned, but a human hellbent on surviving is my favourite kind of human.
i have nothing but praise of the highest order for this book. i can't even express in words how moved i am by it, how grateful i am that i decided to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Excrement, Cannibalism, Child death, Violence, and Death of parent
the middle of chapter 99 has graphic descriptions of death, violence, blood, cannibalism, murder, and death. skipping that part does not (in my opinion) affect your experience or understanding of the story.gabrielleclarke05's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Very good, I just wish it didn’t take half of the book to actually get into the plot but after that it was great. I enjoyed the characters and the twist was fun the pacing was just off
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Body horror, Confinement, Mental illness, Vomit, Death, Religious bigotry, Dysphoria, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Excrement, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, and Self harm
kirstinbuchan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Animal death, Body horror, Torture, Vomit, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Excrement, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
frankieclc's review against another edition
5.0
chapter 99!!!!????????
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Violence, Gore, and Cannibalism
jennifer_vars's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: ‘White, white! L-L-Love! My God!‘—and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, ‘Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,’ and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story."
"These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart."
I listened to the audio version of this book (haven't seen the movie yet) and I really enjoyed it. It was incredibly long (100 chapters) but a great story to follow.
Because of the philosophical slant, it's pretty hard to say there is just one interpretation here. Depending on each individual reader, I can see a variety of themes readers may take away.
Personally, I've lived most of my life with a bad taste in my mouth for organized religions.In my experience, it's been a show of a lot of hypocrisy and judgement from people with the effect of dividing rather than uniting people.
However, as I've read more and reflected on the various allegories found in different religious teachings I've come to appreciate the value and beauty of some of the stories.
And that's what I took away here. It's not necessarily about believing in God. Pi believed in three different religions. It's about what it takes to believe in something. Whether that's God, yourself, the world, goodness or some other way to strive towards ideal. Reality in itself is a story, we in some ways can choose our own story. Pi's faith, connections and his creativity saved him.
"These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart."
I listened to the audio version of this book (haven't seen the movie yet) and I really enjoyed it. It was incredibly long (100 chapters) but a great story to follow.
Because of the philosophical slant, it's pretty hard to say there is just one interpretation here. Depending on each individual reader, I can see a variety of themes readers may take away.
Personally, I've lived most of my life with a bad taste in my mouth for organized religions.In my experience, it's been a show of a lot of hypocrisy and judgement from people with the effect of dividing rather than uniting people.
However, as I've read more and reflected on the various allegories found in different religious teachings I've come to appreciate the value and beauty of some of the stories.
And that's what I took away here. It's not necessarily about believing in God. Pi believed in three different religions. It's about what it takes to believe in something. Whether that's God, yourself, the world, goodness or some other way to strive towards ideal. Reality in itself is a story, we in some ways can choose our own story. Pi's faith, connections and his creativity saved him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cannibalism, Gore, and Violence
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
[originally read in high school] another life-changing read. totally altered how i view religion, karma, and the power of the universe. will definitely re-read now that i'm an adult, but i truly loved this book (and it's way better than the movie)!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Medical trauma, and Religious bigotry
jennm's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, and Violence
sonlight21's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This book was very interesting. I enjoyed the beginning but the farther I got the darker and more gruesome it went. I can understand how this reflects the descent of the mind as a survivor stranded on the ocean will do anything just to live but it was very hard to read. The end is very disturbing and I skimmed over most of the second story Pi tells.
It is truly an interesting book but please be aware of the content warnings and go in expecting some weird, challenging and dark things.
Another note is I did not enjoy or appreciate how this book portrayed religion or Christianity. It seems to be written by someone who has studied religion form the outside but never been apart of it and does not understand it nor believe in God.
It is truly an interesting book but please be aware of the content warnings and go in expecting some weird, challenging and dark things.
Another note is I did not enjoy or appreciate how this book portrayed religion or Christianity. It seems to be written by someone who has studied religion form the outside but never been apart of it and does not understand it nor believe in God.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Dysphoria, Excrement, Medical trauma, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Violence, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
ethanbungay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Violence and Injury/injury detail