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Title: Life of Pi by Yann Martel ISBN: 0-15-602732-1 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.25 (884 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: appaled
Comment: I'm totally confused as to how so many people could think that this book was worth while reading. I read this book in a book club. I was warned before I started reading that it starts out slow but seems to pick up. Well that certainly wasn't evident. The book started out slow, picked up slightly, and then just slowed right back down again. I found that I was not alone with my opinion when others that read the book said that they found it horrid and hard to finish. Even the leader of the book club did not finish it, I still don't know if he has, and this was 4 months ago! The philisophical aspects of this book are not nearly as powerful as the power to put the reader to sleep.
Rating: 5
Summary: ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL
Comment: Let us first get the negatives out of the way:
(1) Yes, you may find that the book is not about "anything much." If you are the sort of person who wishes to tie a novel to a chair and force a definitive plot out of it, then you'll be disappointed.
(2) Martel usually gets into a refrain about theological banalities, and for me, they were a bit difficult to trudge through without skimming. Good news is, you won't miss much even if you skim past such sections (only a few of them.)
(3) The book admittedly drags a little at the end.
That said, I have to confess that this brilliant long-story debut from Martel is a tour-de-force in contemporary fiction. Apart from his extraordinary command of language -- imagine a full-fledged novel without any discernible plot that still manages to grab you by the scruff of your neck for 300 odd pages -- the situations that his narrative veers around are both original and whacky, so you can expect frequent traces of restrained but intelligent humor, and almost a persistent undercurrent of themes that evoke ruminations.
But the thing that shines above all are its lovable characters, who are suffused with such neotenous wonder that reading about them is a fresh experience, a sparkling look at our habitual assumptions about religion, about zoos and the wilderness, about the ambiguous bounds of freedom, or even about -- gulp! -- God.
Almost anyone with a heart and a flair for thought can savour this novel. Do yourself a favor and get a piece of this Pi. Or share it with someone you love, it'd make for a very thoughtful gift..
Rating: 3
Summary: Re: Metaphorical Animals and Zoos vs. the real thing
Comment: From the reviews, it seems that some readers of this book believe that they are getting objective information about how captive animals are managed in zoos. This is not the case. Mr. Martel slants his descriptions to fit his layman's understanding of the art and science involved in keeping animals in the zoo. I worked in a zoo for nearly 25 years, and I thought it might be useful to point out that for those who are interested in Mr. Martel's sources for his information on zoos and captive animals, you can see where he got his information by reading the books by H. Hediger (e. g. Wild Animals in Captivity, Man and Animal in the Zoo and The Psychology and Behavior of Animals in Zoos and Circuses). Some of his descriptions of zoo animals/behavior/management are lifted right out of Hediger's books (and, to be fair, he does mention Dr. Hediger in the text).
He did a good job of research on Hediger's work, but the animals and zoo he describes do not equal the real thing. As metaphors, his animals and his zoo are interesting reading, but please don't come away thinking that what happens in this book is close to reality in terms of the zoological parts--they are a blend of Martel's research and his fertile imagination. Life in the zoo for captive animals is one of forced adaptation and--quite unfortunately--differs little today from its 19th Century origins. Enjoy these animals and their zoo as metaphors and you won't be misled.
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Title: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown ISBN: 0385504209 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 18 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd ISBN: 0142001740 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 28 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Angels & Demons by Dan Brown ISBN: 0671027360 Publisher: Pocket Star Pub. Date: 26 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom ISBN: 0786868716 Publisher: Hyperion Press Pub. Date: 23 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Middlesex : A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides ISBN: 0312422156 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 16 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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