Hardcover, 224 pages
English language
Published June 14, 2005 by Newmarket.
Jaws is a 1974 novel by American writer Peter Benchley. It tells the story of a great white shark that preys upon a small resort town and the voyage of three men trying to kill it. The novel grew out of Benchley's interest in shark attacks after he learned about the exploits of Montauk, New York shark fisherman Frank Mundus in 1964. Doubleday commissioned him to write the novel in 1971, a period when Benchley worked as a freelance journalist.
Also contained in:
4.5 stars. A fun summer read and different enough from the movie that there is some fresh surprises.
edit to add: there are some problematic aspects to this book given its age. They weren’t plentiful or egregious enough to prevent me from being able to enjoy it though. Just a heads up for the more sensitive among you.
The ending of this book is the only time I can recall ever throwing a book across the room, stomping on it, and chucking it in the trash. I just couldn't believe what I had read and tried to get so invested in. I thought it would redeem itself a bit in the end, but nope, not for me. The basic premise was a fantastic idea; just wish it'd gone better. There was too much and not enough going on through much of it.
Yes, the film is iconic as hell, and yes, it's an adaptation, so it'll make changes, but those changes tightened the story and streamlined it so well half the book was unnecessary. What got me was how utterly unlikeable most of the characters were in the book. If they weren't complaining or bad-mouthing each other (to their faces or elsewhere), then they were pursuing their own …
The ending of this book is the only time I can recall ever throwing a book across the room, stomping on it, and chucking it in the trash. I just couldn't believe what I had read and tried to get so invested in. I thought it would redeem itself a bit in the end, but nope, not for me. The basic premise was a fantastic idea; just wish it'd gone better. There was too much and not enough going on through much of it.
Yes, the film is iconic as hell, and yes, it's an adaptation, so it'll make changes, but those changes tightened the story and streamlined it so well half the book was unnecessary. What got me was how utterly unlikeable most of the characters were in the book. If they weren't complaining or bad-mouthing each other (to their faces or elsewhere), then they were pursuing their own agendas with relish. I hadn't seen a fiction book so populated with unlikeable people that I can recall. It's like watching old episodes of "House, M.D.", but EVERY freaking character acts like House!
There were too many side plots, some which had something going for them but were vaguely fleshed out (the mob and pressure to keep the beaches open by the mayor could've had a bit more, probably the only integral side-story that would've helped the movie a touch regarding the mayor's story).
Maybe if I'd read this before seeing the movie 100-ish times, I would've liked it better, but considering how much I despised the characters, it probably would've led me to not want to watch the movie. I think this is the one time I can say "the movie was better" without sarcasm or much defense.
I was seven when the movie version of Jaws came out. My parents, not having any clue as to what was appropriate for a small child, took me along with them to the drive-in. I was terrified to take a bath for years afterward.
I figured the book would be pretty fun and since it's offered for free to Amazon Prime members through Audible Channels, I decided to take the plunge. I mostly wish I'd skipped it.
While I absolutely loved all the parts that had the shark involved in the scene, everything else was pretty bad. Well, maybe it wasn't bad in the early 1970s but yeah, plenty of casual racism and sexism. The biggest thing that made me want to quit mid-way was how much time was devoted to Brody's wife. I didn't care about character development, especially not a character who has nothing to do with the …
I was seven when the movie version of Jaws came out. My parents, not having any clue as to what was appropriate for a small child, took me along with them to the drive-in. I was terrified to take a bath for years afterward.
I figured the book would be pretty fun and since it's offered for free to Amazon Prime members through Audible Channels, I decided to take the plunge. I mostly wish I'd skipped it.
While I absolutely loved all the parts that had the shark involved in the scene, everything else was pretty bad. Well, maybe it wasn't bad in the early 1970s but yeah, plenty of casual racism and sexism. The biggest thing that made me want to quit mid-way was how much time was devoted to Brody's wife. I didn't care about character development, especially not a character who has nothing to do with the shark. But there you go. It was there and I got through it with some eye rolling and grimacing.
Luckily, there was plenty of shark-related carnage at the end that made it mostly worth the time.
dont look at your heroes too closely. Jaws is my favorite film and while I can say I'm glad I read the book, the story of the movie was better. They did the right thing by cutting out the poorly depicted marital problems of the Brodys. It was nice to read the forward where Benchley said he could not write Jaws today because it promotes a misunderstanding of shark behavior.
A competent thriller, with the usual flaws of age: A depiction of women from hell, and the conflict reduced to males competing for the alpha spot. - The parts where the story focuses on the shark, though, are certainly very well done. ;)
Not as good as it was when I was 10.
Has very little to do with a shark, and a lot to do with a small community in crisis. Interesting and tense, it captures small-town mentality brilliantly.
