Scan barcode
supernovaz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I love philosophical fiction so this was great. I did not enjoy the more survival parts of this book, found that to be boring/slow. It made me think
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
svtephreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I read this for my humanities class in high school and then we watched the movie as a class. I remember loving it because of how we picked apart the book, and also loving the movie because it brought the imagery to life. I re-read it now to see if I would feel the same, and I realized I remembered so much because of how much of an impact this book made on me. I can’t say what it’s like to read it without that connection, but I recommend it to those who like adventure and questioning the meaning and truths behind life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
jenniferbbookdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I read this for a book club, and heard a lot of hype when it came out.
The structure of the book is interesting, with it written as if the main character Pi is telling his story to a writer decades after he survived a shipwreck and was on a lifeboat in the Pacific for over 6 months. Pi is likeable and is exploring religions in India as a teen when his family decides to sell the zoo they own and move to Canada.
His story of hardship and survival is harrowing. I won't give away the big twist at the end, although I figured something was going to be revealed well before then.
Overall, it is well done but not the spectacular, mind-blowing book that some critics described, at least for me.
The structure of the book is interesting, with it written as if the main character Pi is telling his story to a writer decades after he survived a shipwreck and was on a lifeboat in the Pacific for over 6 months. Pi is likeable and is exploring religions in India as a teen when his family decides to sell the zoo they own and move to Canada.
His story of hardship and survival is harrowing. I won't give away the big twist at the end, although I figured something was going to be revealed well before then.
Overall, it is well done but not the spectacular, mind-blowing book that some critics described, at least for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cannibalism and Murder
Starvationvupperware's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The writing in this book is oftentimes quite elementary. That’s not a bad thing, but I think the story could have benefitted from more vivid prose.
The story is engaging through and through, but also somewhat in incohesive — the events do not follow a linear path, but are more of a series of highlight reels or snapshots that chronicle Pi’s journey.
Much of the contemplation of Pi, and (by proxy) the reader are surface level analyzations, and I found that the most thought provoking passages were found at the beginning of the book, before Pi’s arduous journey begins.
There does come a time in the book when new information can be retroactively applied, and I feel like this would make a second read very interesting.
I would certainly recommend this book, but not as a transformative work that challenges the reader’s perception. I’d recommend it more as a fun and relatively easy read; an adventure story with minor points of contemplation sprinkled in.
The story is engaging through and through, but also somewhat in incohesive — the events do not follow a linear path, but are more of a series of highlight reels or snapshots that chronicle Pi’s journey.
Much of the contemplation of Pi, and (by proxy) the reader are surface level analyzations, and I found that the most thought provoking passages were found at the beginning of the book, before Pi’s arduous journey begins.
There does come a time in the book when new information can be retroactively applied, and I feel like this would make a second read very interesting.
I would certainly recommend this book, but not as a transformative work that challenges the reader’s perception. I’d recommend it more as a fun and relatively easy read; an adventure story with minor points of contemplation sprinkled in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Death, Gore, and Death of parent
fkshg8465's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
5.0
I can see why this is a classic. Full of teachable moments, especially the ending. But OMG it took so long to get there! I know that’s part of the telling of the tale, but the monotony, the monotony!!! Nonetheless, I would still reread it because it is a profoundly layered book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
traciereads's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
slow-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death and Islamophobia
bexsur's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
taural41's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
I enjoyed the writing style and the reflective, slow-paced nature of this book. I love a good, slow, character-driven story thick with description and glimpses into characters’ interior lives, so I was expecting to love this book. I did really enjoy it most of the way through but for me the alternative reading of Pi’s journey at sea offered at the end essentially ruined the whole book for me. I am grateful for the reading experience because it helped me learn that I HATE an ambiguous ending, especially one that reveals an unreliable narrator. I enjoy twists in books in other respects, but this one came so late in the story that it just left me feeling like I had been lied to throughout the entire book. Sometimes the last few pages of a book are powerful enough to color my entire experience of reading it, and that was definitely the case for me with this one. I can see why some people love it, but this was very much not for me. In fact, it’s hard to think of a book that I’ve felt more betrayed by. The low star is not reflective of the objective merit of the book, just my experience of reading and really disliking, maybe even hating it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, and Cannibalism
hjb_128's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
kendal_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Blood, and Grief