Customer Reviews

Close To Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've seen a documentary about the events surrounding the New Jersey shark attacks of 1916, and my family vacations there, but I never thought two books about these events would come out only months apart (see "Twelve Days of Terror" by Richard Fernicola). "Close to Shore," was enjoyable for it's description of the period, but was less successful in describing the sharks behavior.

Capuzzo is certainly broad in his description of the time, delving into family life, urban conditions, "modern" medicine, evolution of science and museums, culture, wealth, and many more. Overall he succeeds in contextualizing the response of vacationers, the media, and scientists to the attacks, which was much different than responses of today. The writing is a little fluffy and effusive, but never a distraction from the story.

In this type of book, Capuzzo speculates what the thoughts, motivations, and emotions were of the characters. This works fine enough for human characters, but is less flexible, and more disappointing for the sharks "character." With people he can research primary documents and even conduct interviews with family and witnesses. But for the shark as "character" there is no one to interview, and speculatiing on the shark's behavior is more difficult. Capuzzo does not fully explore the range of theories and mysteries that still surround the shark attacks of 1916.

Overall, the Jersey summer Capuzzo describes is a gripping story. From the first attack at Beach Haven, to the last in a fresh water creek miles inland at Matawan. Capuzzo describes an instinctive feeling humans still have for when they are being stalked or watched or about to become prey. A measure of Capuzzo's writing is that he tapped into that mechanism within me as he describes those long ago shark attacks.

I have just finished reading `Close to Shore', it took just two days to read which is an indication of how good the story is and not that it's a short book. The author, Michael Capuzzo tells the horrifying story of how a rogue shark took a number of innocent lives in the United States back in 1916. The narrative runs for 298 pages and although it may appear to start off sluggish when the book begins with the lead up to the first attack it becomes hard to put down.

Some reviews have mentioned that the author fills up the story with subsidiary information but I don't think that is the case. I believe he is trying to put a picture into the reader's mind of how people lived back in those days and why they thought and acted as they did, some what foreign to us modern people of the 21st century.

I was amazed to read how Americans never considered the Great White as a potential threat, but back then they didn't and sadly quite a few people suffered for it. The story of the shark and the attacks it made on humans along the East Coast of American is very well told and held my interest throughout. I would have to agree with a previous review that a few photographs would have been of enormous benefit to this book.

I don't know if this book is any better or not than the other book currently on the market titled `Twelve Days of Terror' by Richard Fernicola. However I can honestly say that `Close to Shore' has sparked my interest so much that I am going to buy that book as well. The story is very well told and the author has placed numerous facts about the shark in general and the Great White in particular throughout the narrative. I never got bored with the story and I found myself reading late into the next morning.

I couldn't help but tell my wife snippets of information about the Great White as I was reading the book and she complained of having nightmares that night! This is a good book, I don't know if its the best book on the market at the moment but I can say that it's worth the time to sit down and read. Very enjoyable!

Close To Shore is the non-fiction story of the first recorded white shark attacks in the US. In 1916, a sole white shark terrorized the coast of New Jersy and New York as it made its way down, attacking humans as it went. The novel is very well written, although author Capuzzo gives us too much information that is irrelevant. For example, he gives us the background and history of a hotel and of people that have nothing to do with the actual events. They just serve as space fillers.

But Cappuzzo's straightforward style is impressive. He is able to create suspense by reenacting the events of that Summer. I loved the parts that are more or less from the shark's point of view. Every time the shark is close to attacking someone, the book's suspense level becomes incredible.

Overall, Close To Shore is a fun read that has a lot of pertinent information about sharks. It's unfortunate that the author felt the need to distract us with too much details or too much character background. This book could have been perfect, but it ends up simply being a fun beach book (just be careful which beach you read it on!).

There are currently two books out there on the 1916 Matawan Shark attacks and the bottom line is which is better.

The story is unbelievable. A great white killing 4 people along the Jersey Shore and in Matawan Creek in 1916. It is an awesome and frightening story.

Close to Shore is the more stylish of the two books, but the author clearly does not have the passion for sharks and the story that the author of 12 Days of terror has.

Do not get me wrong. This is a good book. It is a fast read and provides not just a good look at the shark attack but the culture of the Jersey shore at that time. But it is clear from reading both books that the author of closer to shore does not know sharks like the author of twelve days of terror.

I felt 12 Days of Terror told the same story, with more passion, and with a lot more primary source material, pictures, and information about sharks in general.

My advice is this: take this book out of the library but by Twelve Days of Terror.

'Close to Shore' is a wonderful book, a riveting account of the shark attack on the Jersey coast in 1916 that inspired 'Jaws.' Capuzzo is a great writer. The book is fabulously researched, his portrait of America in 1916 wonderfully detailed and evocative. He informs and entertains. His portraits of the ill-fated victims and, of course, of the killer shark are masterful. I started the book at the dinner hour and read into the night, transfixed. 300 pages of terror and fascination and history: I devoured it in one sitting.

Capuzzo's volume is an engrossing narrative of the inevitable collision between two species. Vacationing masses, lured to the New Jersey shoreline for the first time among the sweltering days of July 1916, with the promise of cool breezes to keep away mosquitos and with opportunity to indulge in the popular new recreation of ocean swimming, and Charcharidon carcharius, Nature's most efficient preditor. Escaping the disease ravaged cities of the east coast, Americans would soon be swept up in growing (media inspired) hysteria, following a group of five fatal shark attacks, including three occuring nearly five miles inland. 'Close to Shore' is as lavish in it's portrayal of the contemporary social history, as it is in it's natural history of the great white shark. The events of those fateful July days are masterfully recreated by the author, against the backdrop of a war in Europe that was claiming many thousands of lives a day, and would soon destroy the innocence of twentieth century americans. Thought provoking in the extreme, I found myself unable to put it down after the first page. A magnificent, terrifying read, and probably best not brought to the beach this summer.

Im not sure why all the negative reviews on here for this book but to each his/her own. I found this book engaging, interesting and always entertaining. The author does a great job at creating the period in history, which is very important. He also does an incredible job of describing the shark attacks themselves. There really arent that many but the settings are so well done that its like you are really there experiencing the whole thing. And it is very very well written. One of the best and one I will read again.

After kicking and screaming through Close to Shore I decided to think more openly about the fact I waited to get two thirds through a shark book before hearing about a shark attack. The real problem here is that I read Twelve Days of Real Terror before Cappuzzo's embellished version. The guts of this commentary is that anyone could and will do what Cappuzo did. His writing is fine and it is also fine to re-write a historic event. I just saw something so unique and unmatchable in the other book by Dr. Fernicola. Is it any wonder that Twelve Days of Terror has beat out Close to Shore in NJ the entire summer--and that's despite a multimillion dollar ad campaign by Broadway.....

Capuzzo's Close to Shore is a quick read for anyone who wants to get acquainted with the famous 1916 New Jersey shark attacks, which resulted in 4 deaths and mass panic along coastal New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area. Capuzzo's book reads somewhat like a novel, and can be read in conjunction with Richard Fernicola's Twelve Days of Terror, also an outstanding book on this topic (but with greater technical detail).

Capuzzo's strength is his research into the cultural background of the eastern U. S. seaboard during this time period. One feels immersed in the history of the time period, which helps us to understand the panic that occurred when the coastal bathing areas suddenly became places of fear rather than relaxation.

This item is a good summer read.

This book will change (maybe warp?) your view of the Jersey Shore forever more. Capuzzo juxtaposes a backdrop of fabulous hotels and the leisured wealthy with a canny look inside the brain of one of nature's ultimate carnivores. As the shark closes in on its prey, we're there underwater with it--and we're also paddling on the surface with the innocent swimmers who never hear or see it coming. Think you're safe inland, in some nice swimming hole? Think again. This monster has very little sense of direction. Its only constant craving is for meat.

Yes, this is a good, suspenseful read, with a multitude of detail about American swimming habits at the turn of the 20th century. I especially liked the way Capuzzo combines a tense tale of survival (shark and man) with insights into the social history of the times. I also appreciated the author's full grasp of the terrors of ocean bathing--it's not just Jaws you have to worry about.

After I read this one, I was happier than ever to have booked my summer vacation in the mountains! "Close to Shore" stars one BAAAAAD (shut yo mouth) shark, I'm talkin about a Great White.