Disclaimer: I received this signed book as part of a Random House Facebook giveaway.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. The beginning didn't grab me, and it was confusing as it shifted story lines, but once Pi's voyage started it became really fascinating. Once I got near the end, I kept reading without stopping because I didn't want to put the book down without knowing how it all ended.

I wish I paid more attention to details as I read, but the descriptions made up for the times I started to skim lines. Pi's life following up to the main part of the story was a curious thing - and I couldn't help but think at the time that it was irrelevant - yet his exploration of religion and his relationship to animals and the zoo were intriguing. Once the voyage began, I knew the type of character he was and it was a great experience to be immersed in his character as he suffered through his trials.

I didn't understand who the tiger was at first, as the name Richard Parker was thrown around as though it were an important man that Pi was betrayed by; it threw me off as it jolted me back and forth through story lines. But the relationship that Pi had with Richard Parker was interesting to see developed, and I wasn't expecting to enjoy his training of the tiger and his survival story as much as I did.

One would think that discussing the day to day boring bits of surviving hundreds of days on a boat would be mind-numbingly boring, but everything was described so wonderfully that I found myself hoping, cheering, cringing, and grimacing along with Pi. The story made me think - think things like 'would I be able to kill and eat raw fish so easily?' or, more so, 'would I even be able to survive; could I make the necessary preparations to even try?' - and that was a nice change to just experiencing the story through someone else's eyes.

My favourite part of the story was when Pi and the tiger arrived at the botanically impossible island. It was fascinating to see the poisonous algae and hilariously-unprepared-for-danger meerkats, as well as how Richard Parker explored the island and how Pi discovered the island's carnivorous secrets, survived his stay, and made the most of his time there.

The end of their journey was too abrupt, and my skimming led to me missing what happened to Richard Parker - however, considering how it felt to Pi, too, I think it was a nice mistake that I made because it made me read back and experience it properly. It was both intriguing and boring when Pi was questioned at the end, and that kept me reading without putting the book down as it was an interesting combination of feelings. I felt indignant for Pi when the Japanese men didn't believe his story, but it was a nice touch to add the sense of doubt about his absurd journey.

I didn't get much of a religious kick out of it, but the storytelling behind the journey itself was so amazing that I wondered what other normally boring things the author could describe that would keep me latched on for pages. I don't think I'd read this book again - at least not any time soon - but I'm glad that I finally got a chance to do so, because it was great to see what others found fascinating about it and it was a nice experience to think 'what if?' thoughts that involved me, instead of concepts, for once.