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life of pi
Jan. 31st, 2009 08:52 pmI just finished Life of Pi and I absolutely loved it. I think it may go down as one of my all-time favorites.
The only real quibble I have with this book is that it isn't real. I admit, I was completely hoodwinked. Just as the double story of The Princess Bride once set me off on a fruitless search for the *real*, unabridged version, so did the italics of Life of Pi lead me from at first thinking for certain the book was fictional to wondering whether or not the author really did interview a Piscine Molitor Patel who relayed to him this tale.
The slight twist at the end bothered me as well. I felt cheated. By the doubts of the Japanese man, by the ultimate ambiguity and mere possibility of an alternate interpretation. I, for one, believe Pi told the truth. But that's more or less opinion; take it however you want.
Some of the crowning points (for me):
This, in a holy nutshell, is Hinduism
XD
She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary. The rising sun was behind her. Her flaming hair looked stunning.
Just for your information, that was in description of an orangutan. Named Orange Juice. :3
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, without further ado, it is my pleasure and honour to present to you: THE PI PATEL, INDO-CANADIAN, TRANS-PACIFIC, FLOATING CIRCUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!
I really liked the prose. It is clear, straightforward, and so - droll. Something about the matter-of-fact tone used a most bizarre way. Even in describing the worst of situations it manages to make it both amusing and horrifying at the same time. Considering the plot, this could easily have been a heartrending survivor novel that made you even more depressed than All Quiet on the Western Front, but instead it comes off as light and utterly charming. And the narrator is very, very lovable, perhaps for this precise reason (the story is told in first-person).
As I flip back through it now for a second time, I see other imperfections (prose overly dramatic sometimes?), but I can say with certainty that none of it bothered me in the least the first time around. I didn't even notice it.
Basically, I love this book. ♥ It is fantastical and wild and had me believing every word of it, and plus to that it gives you some very interesting insight on religion and zookeeping. Who is to say the three-toed sloth isn't equivalent to God?
The only real quibble I have with this book is that it isn't real. I admit, I was completely hoodwinked. Just as the double story of The Princess Bride once set me off on a fruitless search for the *real*, unabridged version, so did the italics of Life of Pi lead me from at first thinking for certain the book was fictional to wondering whether or not the author really did interview a Piscine Molitor Patel who relayed to him this tale.
The slight twist at the end bothered me as well. I felt cheated. By the doubts of the Japanese man, by the ultimate ambiguity and mere possibility of an alternate interpretation. I, for one, believe Pi told the truth. But that's more or less opinion; take it however you want.
Some of the crowning points (for me):
This, in a holy nutshell, is Hinduism
XD
She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary. The rising sun was behind her. Her flaming hair looked stunning.
Just for your information, that was in description of an orangutan. Named Orange Juice. :3
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, without further ado, it is my pleasure and honour to present to you: THE PI PATEL, INDO-CANADIAN, TRANS-PACIFIC, FLOATING CIRCUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!
I really liked the prose. It is clear, straightforward, and so - droll. Something about the matter-of-fact tone used a most bizarre way. Even in describing the worst of situations it manages to make it both amusing and horrifying at the same time. Considering the plot, this could easily have been a heartrending survivor novel that made you even more depressed than All Quiet on the Western Front, but instead it comes off as light and utterly charming. And the narrator is very, very lovable, perhaps for this precise reason (the story is told in first-person).
As I flip back through it now for a second time, I see other imperfections (prose overly dramatic sometimes?), but I can say with certainty that none of it bothered me in the least the first time around. I didn't even notice it.
Basically, I love this book. ♥ It is fantastical and wild and had me believing every word of it, and plus to that it gives you some very interesting insight on religion and zookeeping. Who is to say the three-toed sloth isn't equivalent to God?
