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Original Essays | April 29, 2013

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Chefs don't have time to write. While I was working on Smoke and Pickles, I was running a restaurant — a daily regimen of testing recipes,... Continue »
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22 Partner Warehouse Literature- A to Z

Life of Pi

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Life of Pi Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Please note that used books may not include additional media (study guides, CDs, DVDs, solutions manuals, etc.) as described in the publisher comments.

Publisher Comments:

The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with 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?

Review:

"This breezily aphoristic, unapologetically twee saga of man and cat is a convincing hands-on, how-to guide for dealing with what Pi calls, with typically understated brio, 'major lifeboat pests.'" The New Yorker

Review:

"A work of wonder....[T]he kind of twist-and-turns spellbinder that's almost impossible to forget." Paul Evans, Book Magazine

Review:

"Martel's Life of Pi might sound ridiculous, but by the time Martel throws Pi out to sea, his quirkily magical and often hilarious vision has already taken hold....Martel is so mesmerized by Pi that one can't help but be enchanted too....Pi's lost-at-sea story never drags. The slow journey is spiked with fascinating survival scenes....Pi's story is so extraordinary that when he finally makes it ashore, he offers a comparatively boring version of the tale to two researchers, acknowledging that humans don't have much of a taste for the miraculous. This played-down version makes Pi's true tale, thanks to Martel's beautifully fantastical and spirited rendering, all the more tempting to believe." Suzy Hansen, Salon.com

Synopsis:

When his ship sinks, a teen emigrating with his family from India to North America finds himself alone in a lifeboat — his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger.
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About the Author

Yann Martel, the child of diplomats, grew up in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Alaska, and Canada and as an adult has spent time in Iran, Turkey, and India. After studying philosophy at Trent University, he worked at odd jobs until he began making a living as a writer at the age of twenty-seven. He lives in Montreal.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 16 comments:
Audrey Longson, March 18, 2013 (view all comments by Audrey Longson)
Loved this book! I haven't been this moved by a novel in quite a while. I found it to be a stunning exploration of animal nature, faith, and what the human psyche is capable of in the face of extreme trauma. If you enjoyed the movie you must read the book!
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skylerhawkins95, December 5, 2011 (view all comments by skylerhawkins95)
Pi Patel is an all loving boy when it comes to God. Pi is very special when it comes to his faith, because he not only believes in one faith but three Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. The reason he believes in all 3 of these religions, because as a boy he was pressured into which one to choose. Therefore instead of choosing one, he chose all 3 religions. Not only did Pi love God, but also his mother, father, and brother. His father owned a zoo in India which his family loves and adores, but with the inhumane people that abuse the animals, they have no choice but to move to North America. The Patel family gathered each other up along with the animals, and set sail on a Japanese cargo ship headed to Canada. While on the ship, Pi falls into a deep sleep and wakes up to the ship sinking along with confusing noises. He sleepily goes about the deserted boat trying to find someone. He goes outside to find crew members, and he is instantly thrown onto a lifeboat. Soon enough Pi finds himself with companions on the lifeboat including: a zebra, an orangutan, a zebra, and a humungous Bengal tiger. When the tiger has devoured everything but Pi, he must train the beast and use the survival skills he has learned in his past. The big question is will his survival skills be enough to survive the trials to come? Pi's only chance of surviving is not only training the tiger, but also finding a way to keep the predator away from himself. He will have to learn to fish, make fresh water, and most importantly find land. There is not only a predator on the boat, but also in the unknown waters below him. This novel will keep you intrigued until the very end, and sparks a great fealing of faith in your heart. -Matthew B.
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pumer1313, December 5, 2011 (view all comments by pumer1313)
Piscine Molitor Patel otherwise known as Pi Patel is from India. He had grown up in the city of Pondicherry and had many view on religion and couldn’t make up his mind to which one he liked. His parents finally got tired of his lack of decision making and had in mind to move to Canada. In India his dad had owned a zoo and couldn’t just leave his animals. He decided to sell his animals and the only people to take them were zookeepers in America. The only way he could transport the animals was by freighter across the Pacific. While on the boat he hears strange noises and finds himself frantically searching the ship for an exit. In the meantime tries to run back down the stairs to his family but is stopped by a wall of water. The boat was sinking! He runs to some crew members and is thrown into a life boat. What he doesn’t know is that it is more than just him in that boat. The crew members try to warn him but before he can do anything he is too far away from the sinking boat. He saw a tiger whose name was Richard Parker and helped on the boat without thinking. He finds himself going into a deep sleep which he will never get again for the rest of his survival. When he wakes up he finds a zebra and a hyena on the life boat with him. He also sees an orangutan floating on a huge pile of bananas and also pulls him on board. The hyena ends up killing the zebra and the orangutan. He knew that he was next to be killed by the hyena when Richard Parker wakes up and kills the hyena. From there on they live on the life boat for 227 days. They find an island that was carnivorous, went through a time without food, and ends up living with the tiger the whole time.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780156030205
Subtitle:
Student Edition
Author:
Martel, Yann
Publisher:
Mariner Books
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Action & Adventure
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General
Subject:
Religious - General
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
General Juvenile Fiction
Subject:
Popular Fiction - Adventure
Edition Description:
Trade Paper
Publication Date:
20040503
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
from 9 to 12
Language:
English
Pages:
420
Dimensions:
6.88 x 4.19 in
Age Level:
13-17
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Related Subjects


Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » Sale Books
Fiction and Poetry » Popular Fiction » Adventure
Young Adult » General

Life of Pi Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$6.00 In Stock
Product details 420 pages Harvest Books - English 9780156030205 Reviews:
"Review" by , "This breezily aphoristic, unapologetically twee saga of man and cat is a convincing hands-on, how-to guide for dealing with what Pi calls, with typically understated brio, 'major lifeboat pests.'"
"Review" by , "A work of wonder....[T]he kind of twist-and-turns spellbinder that's almost impossible to forget."
"Review" by , "Martel's Life of Pi might sound ridiculous, but by the time Martel throws Pi out to sea, his quirkily magical and often hilarious vision has already taken hold....Martel is so mesmerized by Pi that one can't help but be enchanted too....Pi's lost-at-sea story never drags. The slow journey is spiked with fascinating survival scenes....Pi's story is so extraordinary that when he finally makes it ashore, he offers a comparatively boring version of the tale to two researchers, acknowledging that humans don't have much of a taste for the miraculous. This played-down version makes Pi's true tale, thanks to Martel's beautifully fantastical and spirited rendering, all the more tempting to believe."
"Synopsis" by , When his ship sinks, a teen emigrating with his family from India to North America finds himself alone in a lifeboat — his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger.
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