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vupperware'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
ann_bear's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
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
vaeryy's review against another edition
3.75
incredibly thought-provoking! not something i'd read over and over again - it took some time to process what I've read, even as I was reading through it. but I think everyone should read it at least once in their life. the exploration of someone/something bigger than yourself existing and finding yourself in that someone/something really came through in this story, and was written in such a way that I think everyone can take something away from. also absolutely fascinating plot idea?? felt like it slowed down a bit at points but in my opinion the story needed it, I just wasn't the biggest fan. still one of the most life-changing books I've ever read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, and Blood
emilyxjoyce's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
1.75
This book just was not for me. I wanted to like it, but it was a very tedious read and at times I was disturbed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Cannibalism
Moderate: Gore and Death of parent
Minor: Religious bigotry
deathmetalheron's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Never has a book that effectively describes one of the most repetitive existence in the most fascinating and engaging fashion. The vast majority of chapters are essentially "man on boat in ocean lives" but the book is shockingly easy to get through and was a certified page-turner.
Life of Pi is one of those books you wish you read in high school, you hope your English teachers assigns. This should be The Great Gatsby, the one book where everyone at school goes and actually unironically loves it. It's a bona fide classic.
What makes a book truly a classic is that it has enough depth for the scholar, but can easily be enjoyed by a pedestrian reader. There is so much metaphor and symbolism to be read into, Pi's role as a storyteller/unreliable narrator can be questioned, whether or not his animal friends represent concepts or other people--but like Pi in his interview at the one, he asks which story is better. The one with the tiger, of course. Honestly, you could hack off the third part and this book would still be incredible, maybe not as deep, but still incredible.
I think the most brilliant part of the ending is a part I didn't see touched on often enough--Richard Parker leaving Pi on the Mexican beach unceremoniously. It shows that it truly was a relationship of convenience, there is no "boy and his big cat" element here, they were two kindred spirits. It is excellent for a book that clearly loves animals and their lives to establish that wild animals are still wild. But it also plays into the concept the tiger is some sort of survival instinct/id of Pi and as soon as he finds civilization again it leaves, no longer needed.
Life of Pi is one of those books you wish you read in high school, you hope your English teachers assigns. This should be The Great Gatsby, the one book where everyone at school goes and actually unironically loves it. It's a bona fide classic.
What makes a book truly a classic is that it has enough depth for the scholar, but can easily be enjoyed by a pedestrian reader. There is so much metaphor and symbolism to be read into, Pi's role as a storyteller/unreliable narrator can be questioned, whether or not his animal friends represent concepts or other people--but like Pi in his interview at the one, he asks which story is better. The one with the tiger, of course. Honestly, you could hack off the third part and this book would still be incredible, maybe not as deep, but still incredible.
I think the most brilliant part of the ending is a part I didn't see touched on often enough--
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Excrement, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
bpsalinas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.0
This book is dark! It’s just a kid stuck on a raft with a tiger in the middle of the ocean. The prose is beautiful and the characters of the kid and the tiger and incredibly well-realized. The tiger is never anthropomorphized, which really makes the whole thing work so well. The story gets pretty wild at times, and it’ll leave you thinking deeply about its themes after you finish it. There’s a lot going on here. More than it seems at first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, and Violence
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