Editing Life of Pi (section)

== Reception ==
''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' reported on reviews from several publications with a rating scale for the novel out of "Love It", "Pretty Good", "Ok", and "Rubbish": ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'', ''[[The Times|Times]]'', ''[[The Independent|Independent]]'', ''[[The Spectator|Spectator]]'', and ''[[Literary Review]]'' reviews under "Love It" and
''[[Daily Telegraph]]'', ''[[Sunday Telegraph]]'', ''[[The Observer|Observer]]'', ''[[Sunday Times]]'', and ''[[Times Literary Supplement|TLS]]'' reviews under "Pretty Good".<ref>{{cite news |title=Books of the moment: What the papers say |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph/153128202/|access-date=19 July 2024 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=26 Oct 2002|page=60}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Books of the moment: What the papers say |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph/149290364/|access-date=19 July 2024 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=5 Oct 2002|page=60}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Books of the moment: What the papers say |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph/153128304/|access-date=19 July 2024 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=1 Jun 2002|page=57}}</ref> According to [[Book Marks]], the book received "rave" reviews based on eight critic reviews with five being "rave" and two being "positive" and one being "mixed".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Life of Pi|url=https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/life-of-pi/ |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=Book Marks}}</ref> On [[Bookmarks (magazine)|Bookmarks]] November/December 2002 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a {{rating|4|5}} (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "Though some critics balked at the “baldly allegorical” nature of this story of a boy and the sea, this novel, an award winner in Canada, wins overall high marks".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Life of Pi|pages=1|url=http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/images3/BookmarksPressClippings.pdf|access-date=14 January 2023 |website=Bookmarks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070412055048/http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/images3/BookmarksPressClippings.pdf|archive-date=12 Apr 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Life of Pi|pages=10|url=http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/images3/BookmarksJanFebIssue.pdf|access-date=14 January 2023 |website=Bookmarks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040705030740/http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/images3/BookmarksJanFebIssue.pdf|archive-date=5 Jul 2004}}</ref> ''ReviewofBooks'' said on the critics consensus, "Yann Martel is a master story teller and he weaves a tale that is entertaining and thought-provoking and at the end, he challenges you to believe it all. A top-notch read. From our review, "''Life of Pi'' is a delicious treat to savor".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Life of Pi by Yann Martel|url=http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/life_of_pi/|access-date=14 January 2023 |website=ReviewofBooks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923054612/http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/life_of_pi/|archive-date=23 Sep 2015}}</ref> Globally, the work was received generally well with [[Complete Review]] saying on the consensus "Generally very impressed, and pleasantly surprised by how much he pulls off".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-04 |title=Life of Pi |url=https://www.complete-review.com/reviews/canada/martely2.htm |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=Complete Review}}</ref>

Brian Bethune of ''[[Maclean's]]'' describes ''Life of Pi'' as a "head-scratching combination of dense religious allegory, zoological lore and enthralling adventure tale, written with warmth and grace".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.macleans.ca/2010/04/13/the-missing-half-of-his-new-novel |title=The missing half of Yann Martel's new novel: His plan for his long-awaited follow-up to 'Life of Pi' didn't quite work out |author=Bethune, Brian |date=13 April 2010 |magazine=[[Maclean's]] |access-date=31 August 2010 }}</ref> ''Master Plots'' suggested that the "central themes of ''Life of Pi'' concern religion and human faith in God".<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Cockeram | first = Paul | title = Life of Pi | journal = Master Plots 4 Edition | pages = 1–3 | date = November 2010 }}</ref>
Reutter said, "So believable is Pi's story telling that readers will be amazed."<ref name=Reutter>{{cite journal|last=Reutter|first=Vicki|title=Martel, Yann. Life of Pi.|journal=School Library Journal|date=2004}}</ref> Gregory Stephens added that it "achieves something more quietly spectacular."<ref name=Stephens>{{cite web|last=Stephens|first=Gregory|title=Feeding tiger, finding God: science, religion, and 'the better story' in Life of Pi.|date=14 May 2013|volume=14|series=1|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA243361283&v=2.1&u=va_s_098_0332&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w}}</ref> Jean Smith stated that there was "no bamboozlement here."<ref name=Smith>{{cite journal|last=Smith|first=Jean|title=Yann Martel. Life of Pi.|journal=The Review of Contemporary Fiction|year=2003|volume=23|issue=1}}</ref> Gary Krist of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised the book, but added that at times Martel "pushes the didactic agenda of his story too hard."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/books/taming-the-tiger.html|title=Taming the Tiger|last=Krist|first=Gary|date=2002-07-07|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-03-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In 2010, [[U.S. President]] [[Barack Obama]] wrote a letter directly to Martel, describing ''Life of Pi'' as "an elegant proof of God, and the power of storytelling."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/life-of-pi-author-martel-hears-from-obama-90198067.html|title=Life of Pi author Martel hears from Obama|date=8 April 2010|work=[[Saskatoon StarPhoenix]]|publisher=[[Winnipeg Free Press]]|access-date=6 September 2011}}</ref>