Life of Pi: A Novel

NOW ON BROADWAY

The international bestseller and modern classic of adventure, survival, and the power of storytelling is now an award-winning play.

"A story to make you believe in the soul-sustaining power of fiction."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

After the sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan--and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.

Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi Patel, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with the tiger, 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?

Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of survival that explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character puts it, to make you believe in God.

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326 pages

Average rating: 7.69

282 RATINGS

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23 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Anonymous
Oct 02, 2024
8/10 stars
The author or character really likes lists of things. But I found as the sanity decreased and food became scarce, the lists changed tune as well. I had decided to read this book after only reading the spark notes for it years ago for school. This story is an interesting one and the end definitely has you questioning certain details. It was a fun read but I’m not sure why it was a required book at my old high school. I don’t think it should be with some details in there.
TT2024
Sep 12, 2024
9/10 stars
Loved this book, I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend this book.
Shahna
Jul 18, 2024
10/10 stars
Read this waaaaaay back in high school. I thought it was pretty good at the time. Well, I'm sure it still is good. I really liked it. I loved all the hidden meanings. It was great. Part two is obviously the best part, but I really liked part three. Put everything into perspective.

I was excited to find out there was a movie. One look at the preview though and I got really upset.
grrr...

I hate when they ruin perfectly good books. I loved this story.
Anonymous
Jul 10, 2024
10/10 stars
I don't even know how to describe Life of Pi. I tried reading it years ago and just could not get into it. This time I could not put it down. It is literary magic. Definitely not what I expected, yet so much more than I thought it would be. This is a fascinating book.
Kristen5678
Jul 06, 2024
10/10 stars
One of my favorite books ever. I finished it and started it at the beginning again right away. I've never done that before or since.

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