Wow!

What a remarkably written book! Martel's descriptions sent shivers down my spine more than once. Witness Martel's description of "dying of thirst":

..."With a tiger aboard, my life was over. That being settled, why not do something about my parched throat?
I believe it was this that saved my life that morning, that I was quite literally dying of thirst. Now that the word has popped into my head I couldn't think of anything else, as if the word itself were salty and the more I thought of it, the worse the effect. I have heard that the hunger for air exceeds as a compelling sensation than thrist for water. Only for a few minutes, I say. After a few minutes you die and the discomfort of asphyxiation goes away. Whereas thirst is a drawn-out affair. Look: Christ on the Cross died of suffocation, but His only complaint was of thirst. If thirst can be so taxing that even God Incarnate complains about it, imagine the effect on a regular human. It was enough to make me go raving mad. I have never known a worse physical hell than this putrid taste and pasty feeling in the mouth, this unbearable pressure at the back of the throat, this sensation that my blood was turning to a thick syrup that barely flowed. Truly, by comparison, a tiger is nothing."

Reading this was an adventure, and, I thought as I was reading, that was all there was to it. Then came the ending. I finished reading this book two days ago and I cannot stop thinking about the ending!

This book deserves to be read and re-read. A wonderfully written, thought-provoking adventure!

***Bookring Participants (in order)***

Tutmarie - Denmark
majosim - Denmark
Jolanda - the Netherlands
lisa-b - Germany
linquistkris - Germany
alithia - New Zealand
piper1 - Wisconsin, USA
Cassandra0629 - Arizona, USA
back to me :o) (Canada)

Please PM the next person on the list to obtain their mailing address.

Finally, this book arrived while I was away on vacation - I was starting to get a bit worried about it, but here it is! I'm looking forward to reading it and will get started on it today. Thanks, cyber-pixie.

Now I'm halfway through the book and so far I enjoy it a lot. Especially the explanation about Pi's name and the revelation (to me) that the book's actually based on the story of a real person. Will be back with more later.

I don't know if the book made me believe in God more than I already do, but it definitely made me believe the story (the one with animals in it...). It's great and I'll want to read it again sometime soon - actually I already went back and skimmed through the first part of the book because I couldn't just put it down. Great book! Thanks for sharing it with me, cyber-pixie. I'll now pass it onto Majosim (I actually feel a bit sad about that, because I'll miss Pi, but don't worry, I'll do it anyway). Bye for now, Pi!

Got it from tutmarie. Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading it.

The book travelled with me on the bus between Copenhagen and Berlin on a short vacation where I read half of it. The second and most incredible half I swallowed over the past two days.
A fantastic story. But is it pure fiction or did he actually experience it all? I don't know but I have decided that I believe it. I have decided to think that the second version was only to please the unimaginative japanese and not the real story. One could decide to believe that the second version is the true one and that it all is made up in his mind in order to be a way to save him from the incredible suffering. But I have decided that I believe in the story.

Well - it's been a little bit delayed. I haven't sent it yet. Why? Because Yann Martell is going to visit Copenhagen tomorrow, Tuesday, September 2nd. The Danish translation is published Thursday and in that connection he is giving an interview. Of course tutmarie and I will be there and we thought nobody would mind this copy being with his autograph from now on. At least we hope he will sign this copy and our new one - which will move into our book shelf at home!

Today tutmarie and Majosim went to the interview with Yann Martel at the Danish newspaper "Politiken". It was very "cleverly" arranged two days before the publication of the Danish translation - so people who don't read English could not get a copy signed by the author: But we had English copies so we got him to sign them. We told him that one of them was a bookcrossing book and we told him the short version of what a bookring is - and what bookcrossing is. He liked the idea and was also a bit relieved when we told him that we had bought our own copy to keep. This is what he wrote (so that people who don't have the book any more can remember):
"May you reach the
coast of Mexico!
Yann Martel
Copenhagen 2/9/03".

In our copy he wrote:
"To Martin and Anne,
May your lifeboat overcome every storm,
Best,
Yann Martel
Copenhagen, 2/9/03

We took a few photos which we have uploaded to the last five journal entries.

The interview was very interesting and it was fascinating to listen to the author talking about how he wrote the book and how he felt about it during the very long process. It was difficult for the interviewer and him to avoid giving any plot spoilers to the part of the audience who had not read the book yet. Therefore it would also be difficult for us to say too much!

I received the book this weekend in the mail and I'm looking forward to the read.

I only noticed that the author signed the book once I wanted to make this journalentry. Really great!

I liked the book a lot. And yes I believe the story with the animals! A very original book, never read anything like this before.

I send it further on its journey to Germany.

Received yesterday. It took me a little while to make out that this copy has been signed by Yann Martell himself :-)

A very entertaining and smart book. It can be read on different levels, and obviously it means different things for different readers. I myself am still an agnostic :-) And I don't worry too much if I should believe the story of Pi crossing the Pacific together with Richard Parker, or not. It is simply a good story, and not too unbelievable. However, the scene I enjoyed most was when the three religious "fathers" of Pi met on the Sunday stroll.......

Being mailed to Linguistkris today. Enjoy!

Oooh, have I been waiting for this book! I was very excited to have the postman drop this on my doorstep this morning -- thanks all who have made this possible!
Unfortunately, I will have to finish A.C. Clarke's THE TRIGGER first and also am next in line in an AMERICAN PSYCHO bookring, but I think Pi will have to go first. I'm very curious indeed and hope this book will live up to my expectations. :)

A wonderful book that I, alas, read all too fast. I will probably have to get myself a copy of my own to hold on to and read at leisure. I found LIFE OF PI both so cleverly and artfully written and the story so heartstoppingly moving, cruel, funny, frigthening, enlightening, sad, full of love, ... (name any other emotion you might experience while reading) that I found it impossible to dwell on any sentence longer than it took my eyes and brain to take it in. It was all so intense I rather "fell into" the story and only emerged, gasping, at the end of chapter 100. What a treat.

Released on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 at Book Ring in Post, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany.

On to Alithia in New Zealand -- Enjoy!

Is this book lost? I pmed Alithia a while ago to ask if she ever received it, but haven't heard from her yet. What a shame this would be, the beautiful signed edition!!!

Just emailed alithia... AGAIN! I wonder if the book ever made it????