FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review from Discover Great New Writers

Though all of our volunteer readers weighed in with "two thumbs up," we knew this was a winner when our fiction buyer -- not given to hyperbole -- declared it "one of the best books I've ever read!" Yann Martel's Life of Pi deserves every word of that praise. Drawing parallels between zoology and theology, Martel's novel is by turns amusing, intellectually astute, and poignant. And his Kiplingesque adventure tale will cause readers to reexamine beliefs of all kinds.

Meet Pi Patel, a young man on the cusp of adulthood when fate steps in and hastens his lessons in maturity. En route with his family from their home in India to Canada, their cargo ship sinks, and Pi finds himself adrift in a lifeboat -- alone, save for a few surviving animals, some of the very same animals Pi's zookeeper father warned him would tear him to pieces if they got a chance. But Pi's seafaring journey is about much more than a struggle for survival. It becomes a test of everything he's learned -- about both man and beast, their creator, and the nature of truth itself.

With a brilliant combination of sensitivity and a precise economy of language, Martel develops a story some readers might find less than credible. But his capacity for the mysterious, and a true understanding of the depths of human resilience will compel even the most skeptical of readers to continue on the fantastic journey with Pi, and an unusual 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

ANNOTATION

Winner of the 2002 Booker Prize for Fiction.

SPANISH LANGUAGE COMMENTARY

Pi Pattel es un joven que vive en la India. Su padre es el propietario y encargado del zoológico de su ciudad, pero deciden emigar a Canadá y procurarse una vida mejor con la venta de los animales. Tras complejos trámites, la familia Pattel inicia una travesía que se verá truncada por la tragedia: una terrible tormenta hace naufragar el barco donde viajan, y Pi acaba compartiendo una suerte de bote salvavidas con un grupo de animales en ellos, un tigre de Bengala.

Pi tendrá que echar mano del ingenio para sobrevivir mientras los animales se ocupan de ocupar puesto en la cadena de alimentación y, a la postre, tendrá que defender su liderazgo frente al único que, previsiblemente, queda vivo, el tigre. El joven intentará domar a la fiera, demostrar quien es el que manda pero también cómo es posible la comunicación, la comprensión y el respeto entre hombrecito y animalote. Sólo así, Pi podrá sobrevivir.

FROM THE CRITICS

Criticas - Dolores M. Koch, New York City

This charming and truly original tale became an instant best seller after winning the Man Booker Prize in 2002. An Indian zookeeper takes his family and some of his animals to Canada, but their ship capsizes during the voyage. Only Pi, the inquisitive teenage son, survives, cast adrift in a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific with the unlikeliest of traveling companions, including a 450-pound royal Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. This is only one of the several layers of this wise tale of persistence and survival. The plot, which has more to do with perceptions than with answers, explores themes like trust and unfettered imagination, our own animal instincts, and the nature of animals, and offers fascinating insights into Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. To Martel's credit, the magical feels real, turning grisly at times, and the art of fiction reaches new heights. Born in Spain to a Canadian diplomat, Martel has lived in Mexico, Alaska, Iran, Turkey, and India, and now resides in Canada. Southwood's translation is not only as life affirming and engaging as the original text but also has one big advantage: a valuable glossary that includes Arabic, Punjabi, and British terms, from Alahu Akbar to Yogui. This intelligent, funny, and moving novel will interest and delight animal lovers as well as those who ask themselves the big questions or just want to be entertained by a fanciful adventure. A memorable reading experience for all. Highly recommended.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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