👶👶👶👶 Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

This is the first book I've read AFTER having seen the movie, & I must admit, it is also the first time I've liked the movie slightly more. The reason is three-fold: First and foremost, the book is unnecessarily graphic. There were parts of the book I had to skip over because I literally couldn't stomach the descriptions. The second issue I had with it was that the author went "overboard" (couldn't resist) with certain aspects of his story. By this, I am not referring to the more explicit descriptions, but even the more mundane parts of the book such as what was in the storage container in the boat: item by ceaseless item. This was also done when describing the sky at one point: nearly 20 different descriptions of the sky beginning with "The sky was..." in succession. The significance of his point was lost in the over-abundance of repetition. Finally, I took issue with how he described agnostics as "fence- sitters", when, in my humble opinion, I would describe Pi himself as a form of agnostic, practicing 3 different religions all at once. My understanding of one of the aspects of agnosticism is allowing for the belief in God, but commiting to no one specific religion... So in a general sense, he could easily fall into this category. Personally, I feel as though some agnostics are much more accepting of ALL people despite their differing beliefs than others who think their religion is the only way to salvation. So why would Pi knock them, when clearly, that's how he, himself felt?

On a positive note, clearly, based on my rating, you can deduce that I enjoyed the book. It was boldly imaginative. The author's poetic prose is superb; beautifully written. The imagery is absolutely breathtaking (even when not on a 3D screen). The author absolutely did his homework with respect to the exploration of a variety of animals and their habits. Of special note is the author's ability to delve deeply into the question of faith and the fact that one's reality is largely based upon the "story" one chooses.

Read 2/13/13