Life of Pi

Yes, I am probably one of the last in the book reading world to have read Life of Pi by Yann Martel.  There were a couple of reasons for this...one, I didn't think the story sounded all that interesting, and two, I had read Yann Martel's book Beatrice and Virgil and wasn't all that taken with it.   I did like Life of Pi, but I was not thoroughly mesmerized by it as others seem to have been.  However, I definitely feel that if this had been a book that I read and discussed with one of my book groups, I would have probably enjoyed it much more.  That being said, I probably would get more out of it with reading it again, so maybe I will someday.  I am curious to see how the movie is.

If there is anyone reading this blog who has not read Life of Pi,here is a very brief, incomplete summary of the basic story:  it is the story of a young Indian boy, Pi, whose family owned/runs a zoo in India. Pi grew  up with all of the animals in the zoo, so he knew their ways, etc.  His parents decided to move to Canada and the ship they are traveling on sank.  Pi found himself in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra and a tiger.  The story is about how Pi survives.

There were two features of the book that I especially enjoyed.  I liked reading of Pi's spirituality and wanting to know God...he was a Hindu, and also became a Catholic and a Muslim...all because he wanted to know God better.  The spirituality of the book was quite touching and thought-provoking, in my opinion.  The other thing that I really liked about the book was how it went back and forth from the past and the present.  I didn't find that confusing at all, which is a sign of good writing! The book did win the Man Booker Prize award.

Would I recommend it?  Yes.  Will I read it again at some point? Yes again.