Life of Pi: A Novel

· Sold by HarperCollins
4.2
446 reviews
Ebook
352
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

NOW ON BROADWAY

The international bestseller and modern classic of adventure, survival, and the power of storytelling is now an award-winning play. 

After the sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan—and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.

Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi Patel, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with the tiger, Richard Parker, for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. 

The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional—but is it more true?

Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of survival that explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character puts it, to make you believe in God.

Ratings and reviews

4.2
446 reviews
Jay D (Megabyte2k4)
June 14, 2014
LOVED both mediums...though the book was better add they left out a lot in the movie. And though I'll admit that I mainly decided to read it causer it had a tiger in it (I do LOVE tigers) it was a really, REALLY great book. Had it not been for the religious aspect of this tale, I would suggest that this book be required ready for middle/high schools today! While I have no problem with the religious angle of this book, I know that it would mean a no-go in public schools, so...yeah. A HIGHLY suggested read!
12 people found this review helpful
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Branden LeQue
December 30, 2013
I started reading this book after hearing about all the talk about the movie and what not. I read some reviews and some went along the lines of "this is the best book I've ever read" to "just terrible". I can see by calling the book terrible it just wasn't the book for them and they are being quite ignorant. After completing the book you'll stand back with a different mindset and understand of spiritual survival. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a spiritual and religious journey.
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zill bot
February 22, 2013
This book is one of the only books I couldent bring myself to finish. I started reading it upon recommendation of a friend. It is slow, and almost all of it is religious. Somehow the author has even found a way to make getting traped on a lifeboat with a tiger zebra and monkey boreing
4 people found this review helpful
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About the author

YANN MARTEL was born in Spain in 1963 of Canadian parents. Life of Pi won the 2002 Man Booker Prize (among other honors) and was adapted to the screen in the Oscar-winning film by Ang Lee. Martel is also the author of the novels The High Mountains of Portugal, Beatrice and Virgil, and Self, the collection of stories The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, and a collection of letters to the prime minister of Canada, What Is Stephen Harper Reading?. He lives in Saskatchewan, Canada.

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