The Life of Pi

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The Life of Pi - 17/9/2008 9:01:37 AM

borstal

Posts: 8744
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: its grom up nirth

Im surprised there was no thread for this already. Has anyone else read it and if so what do you think?

Just finished it this morning and its been itching my brain since! So many questions to answer.

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RE: The Life of Pi - 17/9/2008 9:45:53 AM

Acho

Posts: 3903
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Dublin, Co. Ireland

I've read it a couple of times since it was published. Have to say, I love it. When I first read it, I really hadn't a clue what to expect and a lot of the early stuff, charting his discovery of the various religions, really threw me - I think I must have been expecting just some hilarious escapades on the boat! It really drew me in though. The level of imagination and accomplished story-telling is fantastic, as is the manner in which some fairly weighty themes are brought in via a very accessible tale.

Different things appealed to me each time I read it. First time round, I though the humour and the absurdity of the situation of Pi, Richard Parker et all on the boat was great. Still did second time round too obviously, but I enjoyed his back story more too, the descriptions of his life in India.

When there was talk a few years ago of M. Night Shyamalan directing an adaptation of this, I was pretty happy. But that was before his last few films.....after the borderline-hilarious stinker that was The Happening, he can stay the hell away from this beloved book!

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RE: The Life of Pi - 17/9/2008 1:11:16 PM

damn im good!

Posts: 498
Joined: 12/10/2005
From: Left of hell, East of damnation

Shamalangadingdong won't be directing anything other than traffic after the shambles that was The Happening.

I heard Jeunet was signed, but pulled out over "financial" differences, and that Alfonso Cuaron is currently in talks. Don't know how accurate that is though.

But back to the book.....Simply brill. Wonderfully imaginative and really easy to read. I loved it.

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RE: The Life of Pi - 17/9/2008 1:43:17 PM

Shaunette_ofthe_Dead

Posts: 4215
Joined: 7/2/2006
From: Cardiff

The first time I finished it, I cried.
Just sat there and cried like a baby - the power of it, the story, was so well realised and so beautifully written that it completely captured me. And the idea of losing everything, even the photos of your family and your whole previous life, was just heartbreaking.

The tiger being called Richard Parker cracked me up, though.

I also love Pi telling the interviewers that god preferred the version with the animals - I like the implication that the story with animal characters is Pi's ... not exactly fictionalised, but his interpretation of events, a story his mind changed the facts in to to make the reality more bearable.

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RE: The Life of Pi - 17/9/2008 10:14:14 PM

borstal

Posts: 8744
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: its grom up nirth

It wont leave my head! Its like after I'd watched No Country.... thoughts, questions and ideas kept on popping into my head.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!

So Pi was on the boat with people? Im thinking thats correct and that the 'second' story wasnt just to appease the interviewers. Aside from what he said in the second story I remember him saying that the Orang had given birth to two sons (Pi and his brother)

What was the carnivorous island all about? Had he gone mad or just got carried away with his 'first' story?

Then the whole initial religion thing. It was given a lot of time in the first part of the book but only small parts later on.

I really am going to have to read it again. Have another cookie so to speak.

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Post #: 5

RE: The Life of Pi - 19/9/2008 4:45:22 PM

Shaunette_ofthe_Dead

Posts: 4215
Joined: 7/2/2006
From: Cardiff

quote:

ORIGINAL: borstal

So Pi was on the boat with people? Im thinking thats correct and that the 'second' story wasnt just to appease the interviewers. Aside from what he said in the second story I remember him saying that the Orang had given birth to two sons (Pi and his brother)

That's what I think is correct - Pi says to the interviewers, "Which story did you like best?", they reply the one with the animals, and then Pi says, "That's what God said."
...Which I figure means that he prayed about what to tell them and how to deal with the horrors that had befallen him, and God 'told' him to turn it into a story with animals, to make it into an entertaining fiction so the horror would be at a remove from him and Pi could then live his life without going crazy.

Not a freaking clue what that island was all about, though....

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Post #: 6

RE: The Life of Pi - 21/9/2008 10:53:32 AM

borstal

Posts: 8744
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: its grom up nirth

Is the island Pi? Eating all the creatures it can and even eating people?

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Post #: 7

RE: The Life of Pi - 25/9/2008 8:16:47 AM

borstal

Posts: 8744
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: its grom up nirth

After I finished it I dropped it back at the library, somewhat sad to see it go. Then bought it yesterday in a charidee shop, �2 hardback. Good work fella!

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Post #: 8

RE: The Life of Pi - 28/9/2008 9:51:08 PM

barney01uk

Posts: 208
Joined: 17/12/2005
From: beside the seafront, beside the sea

Its in my 'too read pile' after my Mum received it for Christmas. Think after reading the posts I'll bump it up the list. Have been reading a lot of fluff infil books lately due to work stresses and wanted to wait til I could give it more attention.

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Post #: 9