Life of Pi by Yann Martel is an exciting, mouth dropping, gruesome, adventurous, hard to put down novel. It is about a 16-year-old Indian boy named Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel who lives in Pondicherry, India. Since his father was a zookeeper, Pi learned a great deal about animal behavior and habits. Much to the dismay of his parents, when Pi became older he was very open to different religions. Already a Hindu, he also became a Christian and a Muslim, saying he just wanted to be able to pray to God.

Eventually Pi's father decides to sell their home and move the family to Canada, and sells most of the animals to zoos in America. So on June 21, 1977, with only a small amount of animals, Pi and his family rode on a Japanese cargo ship, called the Tsimtsum, which partway through their trip the ship sinks. The only survivors were Pi, a female orangutan, a hungry hyena, a zebra with a broken leg, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, all in a 26-foot lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. While the tiger was kept out of sight under a tarp, the relentless hyena continued to inflict pain upon the zebra, and then mercilessly killed the orangutan. The tiger ended up devouring the hyena, which left Pi alone with this carnivore.

Now Pi had to put forth all the energy he had into surviving. He had to figure out what to do with Richard Parker, the source of his fear. He decides to try and tame the tiger. Is that really possible? Can someone tame a full-grown Bengal tiger? Pi was up for the challenge. His life depended on it.

Finally they reached land--an edible algae-covered island. The home of hundreds of meerkats, this island was actually "carnivorous". After spending a few days on the island, Pi realized that at night this island became highly acidic, and quickly left.

So did Pi survive? After 227 days at sea, did he reach land inhabited with people? Or did he die at the claws of Richard Parker? To find out you must read this book. If you read between the lines you will be able to see that the author was portraying the fear that Pi felt through the tiger. Martel did a great job with so much detail that I felt I was there in the lifeboat with Pi. Grotesque in places, I do not recommend this book to children, but if you're longing for something that will take you out of the real world and into a world where you don't know what's real and what's imagination, then this is the book for you.

Yan Martell's destined-to-be-a-classic Life of Pi is a wonderful read by itself. But coupled with the excellent illustrations in this volume, the story is enhanced by images from the perspective of the protagonist. If you've already read the book and liked it, get *this* version for your personal library. If you haven't read it and want to do so someday, then don't wait and get this version now.

I don't know what to add about this book.
It is based on a true story,the central character is now a Canadian citizen, one fact I can add to anyone who bothers to read my reveiw.
If you love pictorial allegories,and appreciate the wizard of Oz, or Alice through the looking glass,then this is your next book to read.
I love amy tan, margaret atwood,and arthur c. clark, and rawling's harry potter series.
This is an extroardinary book.It is not like anything I read before,including the abovementioned.
One of the best of the best books written.It's Darwin,Jung,Freud,Kahil Gibran,with a touch of Ekhart Tolle.

This is a truly beautifully written book and an amazing story. I love animals and this story provides such a wealth of fascinating insight into animal behaviour. I know it is not a new publication, but this made no difference to the tale, plus the illustrations are wonderful. What a great value also - I know I will be re-reading this time after time.

This is a really classic book.
This is an allegory within an allegory and therefore is a doubly deceptive book. If you try to read reality into it, you have missed the point. Remember this is a novel; it is not real life and and I do not refer only to the seeming confusion on the end.
This is the story of the difficulties of a young man forsaking one culture to live in another, when he is given no choice. Think of this boy moving from India to Canada and the difficulties that he faces particularly the pull of India that, if he does not conquer, will destroy him: the 450 pound tiger he has to control. Think of the alien character of the sea: Canada is as alien as the sea.
This is a truly exciting book that I recommend people re-read from the double allegory perspective.

How exciting and memorable! But, in stating that, parts were unrealistic, even for fiction. But, in stating that, it was most enjoyable reading, from the zebra, the hyena, the orangutan, the bengal tiger, to all the outstanding illustrations...it was a delightful reading experience. Peggy Inez, Author [[ISBN 978-159858-400-4 The Gully.

I don't understand what "Life of Pi" has to do with God. The references to various religions in the first part of the book don't amount to anything more than name-dropping of some significant figures in the religions and minimal descriptions of some basic religious beliefs. It's not an exploration in the vein of, for example, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." It's just a catalog that's not even as interesting as the catalog of animals under Pi's father's care.

Contrast the lack of depth to the religious discussion with the book's author's claim that Pi's story made him believe in God. Where's this coming from?

This is just one of the ways in which the book doesn't quite meet its potential. Although "Life of Pi" is highly imaginative and entertaining, it's burdened by a number of weaknesses. For example, the framing mechanism of the author who hears the story and then finds Pi doesn't seem essential. What does the author add to the picture? Or, Pi's slip into immediate anonymity in Canada isn't believable in our media-saturated world. And what did he conclude about religious belief in the 20-plus years since he was rescued? We don't find out.

The best part of the book, from my perspective, comes when Pi finds the island of seaweed. It's an eerie existence with an astounding ending, and it's a series of images that will remain in my mind for years and years.

So read the book and enjoy it. But don't expect too much.

This is an absolutely gorgeous edition of Yann Martel's 'Life of Pi'. The pictures are vivid and beautifully drawn. The pages themselves are heavy and quality. I'd recommend this as a gift for yourself or any reader. A young reader, especially, could get lost in the fable told between the pages of this special edition, both in word and drawing.

Life of Pi is a massive mess. It's been a critical darling since it was first published, but believe me, this emperor has NO clothes. The literati have pulled a huge joke on the rest of us, and people are scared to admit how bad it really is.

This is a beautifully illustrated, Booker Prize winning, modern classic in hardback for four bucks and change. Just buy it.

Modern fable that seems absolutely true, written in saffron-colored words and paired, here, with illustrations in the same mood. Unforgettable.

Very nice edition of a great book. The illustrations are nicely done. Highly recommended.

I wanted this HC illustrated version for Christmas, but the local dealer sold out. I was soooo excited to see it discounted on Amazon.
I bought several copies for friends too!

This was a very original book. I really loved the ending, it made me want to read the book over again. I recommend this book to my friends often.

Life of Pi was a fairly engaging story in terms of plot and character, but what made it such a memorable book, for me at least, was its thematic concerns. Basically, this is one of the most thematically interesting and thought-provoking books I've read in a while. Is it a "story that will make you believe in God," as Pi claims? I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I would say that most people who enjoy thinking about the nature of reality and the possibility of God would find this a compelling read.

To me, the entire thrust of the book [SPOILER ALERT] is aimed at the idea that reality is a story, and therefore we can choose our own story (as the author himself put it). So if life is a story, that leaves us with two basic choices: we can limit ourselves only to what we can know for sure - that is, to "dry, yeastless factuality" - or we can choose "the better story."

I suppose in Pi's world the "better story" includes God, but he doesn't suggest that this is the only meaningful possibility. In fact, Pi calls atheists his "brothers and sisters of a different faith," because, like Pi, atheists "go as far as the legs of reason will carry them - and then they leap." Pi's point, in my opinion, isn't that you must believe in God to be happy (even though Pi clearly finds peace in his beliefs); rather, the important thing is that you make a choice to bring meaning and richness to your life, that you look beyond the brutal realities of pure fact and find a better reality, that you exercise faith and strive for ideals (whatever the object of your faith and whatever those ideals might be ). Or as Pi himself puts it: "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."

In the end, I didn't necessarily read this book as an invitation to believe in God, but rather as a mirror held up to the reader, a test to see what kind of world view the reader holds. [SPOILER ALERT] That is, as Pi himself says, since "it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with the animals or the story without the animals?" Or, as I took it: Is it my nature to reach for and believe the better but less likely story? Or do I tend to believe the more likely but less lovely story? What view of reality do I adhere to? Is it the best reality for me, the kind of reality that makes life worthwhile? Interesting questions.

Another equally important question is this: How did I come by my view of reality? Do I view the world through the lens of reason? Or do I view it through the lens of emotion? For Pi, I think it's safe to say his belief comes by way of emotion. He has, as one reviewer noted, a certain scepticism about reason (in fact, Pi calls it "fool's gold for the bright"). Pi also has what I would call a subtle but real basis for his belief in God, namely, "an intellect confounded yet a trusting sense of presence and ultimate purpose." But belief still isn't easy for him. Despite his trusting sense of purpose, Pi emphatically states as follows: "Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer." So it's not that a life of faith is easier, in Pi's opinion - it's that for him belief is ultimately more worthwhile.

This is not to say, however, that Pi holds a completely postmodern view of God or that he believes in God as a matter of art rather than in a sincere way. [SPOILER ALERT] True, Pi suggests that whether you believe his story has a tiger in it is also a reflection of your ability to believe in something higher. And of course it's easy to read Pi's entire story as an attempt to put an acceptable gloss on a horrific experience. Still...there are a number of clues throughout the book that, in my opinion, give the reader at least some reason to believe that Pi's story DID have a tiger in it (for instance, the floating banana and the meerkat bones). And that's why the Life of Pi is such a challenge to the reader: Pi's first story is fantastic, wonderful, but hard to believe. Yet there's some evidence that it happened just the way he said it did. And Pi's second story is brutal, terrible, but much easier to accept as true. Yet it's not entirely plausible either, and it leaves no room either for the meerkat bones or for Pi's "trusting sense of presence and ultimate purpose."

[SPOILER ALERT] So which story do I believe? I struggled with that question for a while. But after thinking about it for a couple of days, I'll end this review with the final lines from the book: "Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal Tiger."

It goes without saying that Life of Pi is my favorite book. Pi and Richard Parker won my heart years ago and I give this book away to everyone I know.

When I saw the illustrated version had been released, of course I immediately ordered it and was enthralled at the beautiful paintings and sketches that highlight certain elements of the story. It made re-reading it even more of a joy.

It was exactly as my mind had pictured it.

Beautiful edition and highly recommended.

GREAT read- and this edition has amazing illustrations. Life of Pi is a fantastic story about a boy stranded at sea in the company of a Hyena, Orangutan, a Zebra, and a Bengal Tiger. Pi must learn to face these animals as well as himself. **awesomeness**

A rather outre plot but one beautifully rendered. A boy (Pi) grows up in a zoo (which his father owns)which makes him familiar with wild beasts. It is a familiarity he will need as, on the family's way to Canada, together with many zoo animals, their ship sinks and Pi (alone) finds himself on a lifeboat staring out onto a great expanse of blue sky and green sea. Others find their way to the same lifeboat, all animals, one of which is a great Tiger. Surely death must come to Pi.

The illustrations do enhance the wonderful writing and I would suggest buying the illustrated version.

This is a wonderful story. I decided to buy this edition because of the illustrations. The colors are brilliant and beautiful.

Have you ever been watching a drama on TV and half-way through the season it switches to a comedy, complete with laugh track? Or reading a scientific text on the lifestyle of gorillas that suddenly morphed into British Chick Lit? Did you enjoy that? If so, you'll enjoy this book.

Life of Pi is wonderfully written. Martel elegantly captures the twists and turns of his character's mind, and exquisitely describes his world, particularly as it relates to the animals. It feels as if Martel's spent thousands of hours sitting and observing various animals, just as his character did. I had no doubt that I was there in the zoo with Pi, watching the animals. His intricate details on marine life were both accurate and enthralling. Truly Martel knows how to create. I also appreciate how Martel plays with the line between fiction and nonfiction in the beginning of the book, to bring us into a netherworld of reality. And the illustrations- Oh! So beautiful they could be paintings in the middle of the book.

And yet. And yet. I was profoundly disappointed with this work. For I was gripped in the middle of a fascinating story- fiction to be sure, but believable- that suddenly changed into magical realism. Don't misunderstand- I enjoy magical realism, much as I enjoy good comedies on TV. I just don't like my genres mixed. The change was abrupt enough to be jarring, but hidden enough that the reader is at a loss to understand what has happened until many pages later. Thus at one point I am thinking that Pi is suffering from dementia, and I begin skimming the pages, only to discover later that the dementia- as fantastic as the events seem- is meant to be reality. Or are they? Later Martel plays with an idea little better than the Dallas dream retcon, in which a wonderful realistic story of a boy lost at sea with animals becomes something horrific worthy of Stephen King.

The descriptions were wonderful but Martel has great difficulty in describing settings. I still don't understand the layout of the lifeboat and lifebuoy, because no matter how many times I went over it, it didn't make sense. The illustrations were wonderful but they too often telegraphed events. We have a chapter of an individual being rescued, mentioned by name, and it is clear that the author intends us to think this individual is human. But the picture on the very same page shows a tiger being rescued in the middle of the ocean. The religious subtext was interesting, but ultimately a red herring that didn't illuminate the finale, and was frankly insulting to numerous religions with the caricatures and stereotypes of the worst of them.

There was so much in this book that I enjoyed. Had it not been for the twist gotcha ending I would have rated it higher. As it is, it felt like this was a failed writing exercise by an excellent writer. Or in Yann Martel's words, "Your theme is good, as are your sentences. Your characters are so ruddy with life they practically need birth certificates. The plot you've mapped out for them is grand, simple and gripping. You've done your research, gathering the facts - historical, social, climatic, culinary - that will give your story its feel of authenticity. The dialogue zips along, crackling with tension. The descriptions burst with colour, contrast and telling detail. Really, your story can only be great. But it all adds up to nothing." In this case, it was not a missing spark of emotional death- it was a cruel cancer spreading throughout the work, only revealed in the last few pages.

There are so many good books to read in the world, I rarely read one twice. I have read my paperback edition of Life of Pi three times now and I can't wait to get my hands on the illustrated version! I will have to make it a fourth read as soon as I receive it. Each time I read it, I find something new...a new idea, a new hint, a new question... If you are headed on a vacation for spring or summer break, make sure this book is in your carry-on!

This is the most beautiful copy of Life Of Pi!
I read it with no illustrations and although it was still fantastic, I would have loved to see pictures! BUY THIS COPY!

Wow...this book is beautiful inside and out! My 13-year old son is only halfway through it but insists that I need to read "Life of Pi" when he's done. This is only the second time my easily bored, picky reader has enjoyed a book that much (the other book was "Dove" by Robin Lee Graham). This appears to be a book that can be handed down to my future grandchildren to read, and I can't wait to read it!

A riveting tale of a boy's fight for survival when stranded at sea with minimum supplies and a Tiger for company. A well written, emotional story that never lets up. This hard cover edition is beautifully illustrated and adds to the overall experience. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Enjoyed Life of Pi without the images. In fact one of my top 5 reads of all time. The paintings add an interesting element to the story. It doesn't necessarily add to the book, but definitely does not take away from it.

My tattered old edition has been read over and over. Now comes this beautifullly illustrated edition that deserves praise and our kids can enjoy. This will always be a classic. It's a wonderful story by a great author.

A truly satisfying and amazing novel. It is now brilliant in this Illustrated edition. I think if there is one book a person should read in their lifetime it should be this!

A fantastic story, and now with the illustrations, it becomes even more of an adventure. I wish I had bought one for myself!

Canadian author Yann Martel's international bestseller Life of Pi was first published in 2002 and it was the recipient of the prestigious Man Booker Prize in that same year. In 2007 this work of fiction was reintroduced with a Deluxe Illustrated Edition that now includes dazzling illustrations contributed by Croatian artist Tomislav Torjanac of some of the most unforgettable scenes of the narrative.

The narrative revolves around a most outrageous tale concerning a young boy, Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel, who lived in Pondicherry, India. Pi's father was a zookeeper and as a result Pi learned a great deal about zoos and the diverse behavior patterns of the various animals. When Pi, who is a Hindu, reaches adolescence, he decides to experiment with different religions such as Christianity and Islam for he just can't figure out how to find God or for that matter, himself.

Facing political oppression, Pi's father decides that he has had enough with the politics of Mrs. Gandhi and opts to leave India with his family for Canada. On the 21st of June 1977, Pi, who is now 16, together with his mother, father, and older brother as well as seven animals from his father's zoo begin the long trek to Canada on a Japanese cargo ship, Tsimtsum.
Unfortunately, tragedy strikes and the cargo ship mysteriously sinks somewhere in the Pacific leaving Pi the sole human survivor- the result of being miraculously tossed into a lifeboat before the ship sank.
However, Pi is not alone on the lifeboat. Joining him is a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger, a zebra, a hyena, and an orang-utan.

Pi, who now has front row seats, observes the survival of the fittest when the hyena demolishes the zebra; however, shortly thereafter the tiger devours the hyena. Pi, sensing the danger he is in, cleverly manages to avoid conflict with the tiger, which he has named, Richard Parker, by staying away from his territory on the deck of the boat.
In order to survive, Pi manages to fish and feed himself as well as the tiger. Eventually, the two are washed ashore upon a strange island that apparently was formed with tightly knit edible algae.
Pi meanders about and finds some strange fruit of containing human teeth in its center. He comes to the conclusion that it must have been a huge plant like organism that has previously gulped down a human.

From here the pair find their way to Mexico, where the tiger leaves Pi. By the time Pi winds up in a hospital, we learn that he has survived 227 days from the day the Tsimtsum sank. How did Pi manage to live to tell the tale? Martel puts all of this into perspective when Pi is called upon to explain to the individuals investigating the sinking of the cargo ship.

Torjanac was an excellent choice in breathing new energy into the now classic tale. It should be mentioned that Martel's English publisher came up with the idea of an illustrated edition and Martel was agreeable to the idea since in the past fiction authors as Jules Verne and Mark Twain often had their adult books illustrated.

Before executing his poignant and dazzling images, Torjanac first read the book in English and then in Croatian. He uses oil paints enhanced with the combination of digital technology. And as you will notice, all the pictures are executed from Pi's perspective. We never see his face only his elongated reddish brown, hands and feet appear on some of the illustrations. Torjanac's use of contrasting colours and perspective really take you into the scenes so marvellously imagined by Yann Martel. You feel the struggle, the hot relentless sun, the brutality of the stormy seas and Pi's efforts for survival.

The animals are drawn to perfection. For example, the painting of the black leopard contrasting with a snowy mountain peak in the background is stunning. You can sense Pi's disbelief, when he is informed that the family will be leaving India for Canada, just by looking through his eyes as they peer at his brother and parents. The scene of the storm and the sinking of the cargo ship will surely catch the eyes of the reader when Pi's hands throw a lifebuoy to the Bengal tiger.

Particularly noteworthy is the last image in the book that is quite intriguing. It is here we notice a hand pressing a button on a tape recorder, which turns into a vase full of "flowers"- so you believe! However, if you take a second peek you find that the "bouquet" is really a summary of the entire novel. Look for Pi's hands catching a fish, his mother, the hyena, the Bengal tiger, the meerkats, the carnivorous island, the Zebra jumping on the lifeboat. All the elements are cleverly assembled in a bursting posy of reddish, orange algae on a lush green background.

This second edition is a wonderful follow up and a superb work with its exuberant images that as the publisher's publicity material mentions, "offers a fantastic insight on the unique creative process between writer and illustrator."

Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures & Lily Goldman, Artist

After the sinking of a cargo ship only one lifeboat remains on the Pacific - housing a teen named Pi, a hyena, a zebra and a Royal Bengal tiger. Their survival and journeys makes for a winning book which transcends children's or young adult fiction to provide all ages with a gorgeous, winning contemporary folk story, and this deluxe edition is the perfect gift for capturing it all, using lovely drawings by Croatian artist Tomislav Torjanac to capture key scenes in Martel's drama. A top pick not just for library holdings, but for gift-giving.

While this book starts out a bit slow and confusing, and seemingly pointless, it picks up shortly thereafter and then gets you hooked. You live the whole experience with Pi as if you were right there with him. The author does an amazing job with the descriptions and narratives. This is one book that you will want to read again and again.

I had already read "Life of Pi" with great admiration for the way Martel managed to combine a tender philosophy of life with the tough reality of his story. I never, though, expected that it could be illustrated in a way which reflects the pleasure I had when reading it. The drawings by Torjanac are however above praise and made a perfect marriage with the text. This is the way a good book has to be presented, it combines excellent penmanship with sensitive drawings and that all in a shape about which the publisher can be very proud. BRAVO!!

I would have to say that this is one of the greatest books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Yann Martel pulls you in from the beginning with his curious and cogitative way of examining human (and animal) nature in a tale you won't soon forget.