or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
347 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Life of Pi
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Life of Pi (Paperback)

by Yann Martel (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (314 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.40 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.59 (32%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Saturday, November 7? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
42 new from £0.69 301 used from £0.01 5 collectible from £2.00
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (New edition) £25.00 £17.50 41 used & new from £4.61
Paperback (New edition) £7.99 £4.94 39 used & new from £0.49
Mass Market Paperback £5.46 £5.49 34 used & new from £1.00
Library Binding (Reprint) 5 used & new from £16.23
Hardcover (Large Print) 3 used & new from £5.73
Show more editions and formats

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Life of Pi + The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Price For Both: £10.11

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

by Mark Haddon
4.4 out of 5 stars (498)  £4.71
Self

Self

by Yann Martel
3.3 out of 5 stars (7)  £6.49
Vernon God Little

Vernon God Little

by DBC Pierre
3.5 out of 5 stars (111)  £4.78
The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things

by Arundhati Roy
3.9 out of 5 stars (173)  £5.09
The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios

The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios

by Yann Martel
3.4 out of 5 stars (8)  £6.49
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 348 pages
  • Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd; New Edition edition (17 May 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 184195392X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1841953922
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (314 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > World > Indian

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Some books defy categorisation: Life of Pi, the second novel from Canadian writer Yann Martel, is a case in point: just about the only thing you can say for certain about it is that it is fiercely and admirably unique. The plot, if that’s the right word, concerns the oceanic wanderings of a lost boy, the young and eager Piscine Patel of the title (Pi). After a colourful and loving upbringing in gorgeously-hued India, the Muslim-Christian-animistic Pi sets off for a fresh start in Canada. His blissful voyage is rudely interrupted when his boat is scuppered halfway across the Pacific, and he is forced to rough it in a lifeboat with a hyena, a monkey, a whingeing zebra and a tiger called Richard. That would be bad enough, but from here on things get weirder: the animals start slaughtering each other in a veritable frenzy of allegorical bloodlust, until Richard the tiger and Pi are left alone to wander the wastes of ocean, with plenty of time to ponder their fate, the cruelty of the gods, the best way to handle storms and the various different recipes for oothappam, scrapple and coconut yam kootu. The denouement is pleasantly neat. According to the blurb, thirtysomething Yann Martel spent long years in Alaska, India, Mexico, France, Costa Rica, Turkey and Iran, before settling in Canada. All those cultures and more have been poured into this spicy, vivacious, kinetic and very entertaining fiction. --Sean Thomas --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Review

'Extraordinary...Life of Pi could renew your faith in the ability of novelists to invest even the most outrageous scenario with plausible life.' New York Times Book Review
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(4)
(4)
(4)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 15 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Life of Pi
85% buy the item featured on this page:
Life of Pi 4.2 out of 5 stars (314)
£5.40
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
5% buy
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time 4.4 out of 5 stars (498)
£4.71
The Time Traveler's Wife
4% buy
The Time Traveler's Wife 4.3 out of 5 stars (989)
£3.84
The Book Thief
3% buy
The Book Thief 4.5 out of 5 stars (508)
£3.97
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

314 Reviews
5 star:
 (186)
4 star:
 (62)
3 star:
 (32)
2 star:
 (18)
1 star:
 (16)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (314 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, 17 Nov 2006
By R. Blain (France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
What a wonderful book! A sublime piece of story-telling - beautiful prose, a superb flight of fancy, and written well enough to allow the reader complete acceptance of what is after all, a hugely unlikely premise.
I seem to be the only one of my friends who loved the ending, but, love it or loathe it - it certainly provides material for discussion. This is probably THE book of its year for reading clubs throughout the English speaking world!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible story, 3 Oct 2006
By Michael (Raleigh, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
The sheer number of views posted on this title and the publicity it has generated tells a lot about what should be expected from the story. It is catching. This with THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES is one of the best works of fiction that my eyes have roved through and which my mind has appreciated. I like Martel's poetic style of writing, his plot and the vivid descriptions he gave of things , characters and events results the story, which is similar to the style in DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE. I was so caught up by the book that I was unable to put it down until the last page. In the end, I saw The Life of Pi become so popular. Any reader who knows a good story may think he/or she is starting this book at a stroll but would be surprised to end it at a compelling rush. Like THE USURPER AND OTHERS, and THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, the story is completely captivating, fast-paced, thrilling, inspiring, shocking and hilarious. I smiled, sighed, laughed and even wiped a tear while reading this book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing a pandit, an imam and a priest couldn't have told me, 12 Dec 2003
This review is from: Life of Pi (Audio CD)
This is a great, well structured novel...

I'm surprised that some people feel the early chapters dragged, as I felt these offered some of the most entertaining moments of the entire novel. Moreover it gives a strong foundation for Piscine's unfaltering faith and resolve; much better to have a myriad of Gods and faiths looking after you and providing company when you finf yourself in such dire straits as he.

I've read the last 30 pages this morning in about 15minutes - the 3rd and final part of the book is an intriguing look at the man behind the book and lets you make your own judgement on just how much of what has passed is truth and how much is fantasy. Like all great experiences (not just books) it leaves you not only wanting more but thinking more too.

Well done Yann Martel.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Hmm.
After the astonishing wonders of the first 286 pages, it's a shame that the final resolution was a classic example of a writer with no idea how to pull it off.
Published 5 days ago by Whitney Drakefield

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
I was attracted to the plot initially; boys family owned a zoo, needed to transport animals on a boat, the boat sinks leaving him alone on a lifeboat with animals. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Choudhry

5.0 out of 5 stars READ IT !!
I AM JUST READING IT 4 A SECOND TIME --EVEN BETTER, ESPECIALLY INTERESTING IF YOU ARE AN OBSERVER OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
Published 1 month ago by Tracey & Phil

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific tall tiger tale
A beautifully written shaggy-dog story in which a religiously-minded Indian teenager from a zoo keeping family has an fateful sea accident leaving him alone on a small lifeboat... Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Young

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fiction...deep storyline

This is one of the best/deepest fiction books I've read - surpassed only by
The Time Traveler's Wife.
Published 1 month ago by Rob B.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
I couldn't put this book down, it went everywhere with me.

Everyone should read this, I found the ending unexpected but it didn't disappoint

Janice Self
Published 2 months ago by J. Self

5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected pleasure....
My neighbour lent me this book and I ended up buying a copy so I could lend it to friends and relish it again for myself! It is beautifully written and deeply compassionate. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Joanne Mattin

5.0 out of 5 stars Still think about this one!
Completely different to anything I have ever read and probably one of the best books I have ever read! Read more
Published 2 months ago by F. Hesketh

1.0 out of 5 stars Boy on Boat - Boring
The only reason it has a star at all is because I did occasionally find the first section interesting, but it didn't last long. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Sarah Kate

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
I've been meaning to read this for a few years, so when August 2009 was declared a world readathon I decided now was the time - and I was disappointed. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Book chatter

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Books which match, beat The Life of Pi? 4 2 months ago
› See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject











i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.