Forrest Gump [Paperback]

Winston Groom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2002

Meet Forrest Gump, the lovable, hurculean, and surprisingly savy hero of this remarkable comic odyssey. After accidentally becoming the star of Univerity of Alabama's football team, Forrest goes on to become a Vietnam War hero, a worl-class Ping-Pong player, a villainous wrestler, and a business tycoon -- as he wonders with cildlike wisdome at the insanity all around him. In between misadentures, he manages to compare battle scars with Lyndon Johnson, discover the truth about Richard Nixon, and survive the ups and downs of remaining true to his only love, Jenny, on an extraordinary journey through three decades of the American cultural landscape. Forrest gump has one heck of a story to tell -- and you've got to read it to believe it....

Editorial Reviews

Review

Los Angeles Times Part Candide, part Huck Finn and a whole lot of Andy Griffith, [Gump] makes his case in a voice all his own.

George Plimpton A wacky and funny nuthouse of a book.

New Woman Broad satire with serious resonances...Gump's adventures are both hilarious and bawdy....This picaresque tale will set you guffawing.

Pittsburgh Press A Huckleberry Finn­type odyssey, complete with the humor-tempered irony and insight of Mark Twain. A rollicking satire, milking laughs from our sacred cows...As much fun as a box of chocolates, but far less fattening.

Ocala Star-Banner A most gentle spirit, Forrest Gump should enter the annals of fiction as a great American hero.

Anniston Star Zany, tongue-in-cheek, affectionate and wise.

Tom McGuane A delectable and unsparing comic treat.

About the Author

Winston Groom is the author of ten books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Gumpisms: The Wit and Wisdom of Forrest Gump. He also wrote the acclaimed Vietnam War novel Better Times than These, the prize-winning As Summers Die, the Civil War history Shrouds of Glory, and coauthored Conversations with the Enemy, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Groom's most recent works include Such a Pretty, Pretty Girl and The Crimson Tide: An Illustrated History of Football at the University of Alabama. He lives in Point Clear, Alabama, with his wife and daughter and in the mountains of North Carolina.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (October 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743453255
• ISBN-13: 978-0743453257
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great novel and far above the movie, January 24, 2003

By 

Eric Perlin (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forrest Gump (Paperback)

Forrest Gump is a superb novel, and it is unfortunate that most people are more familiar with the movie, and think of Forrest Gump mainly as a "movie character." This is very unfortunate, just as if "Tom Sawyer" or "Gulliver's Travels" were widely known as just "good movies" while the original books were confined to obscurity.

The movie was good, and deserving of the awards and accolades it received. However, it is not by any stretch a substitute for the book. Forrest Gump is a somewhat different character in the book than in the movie, and the Forrest Gump of the novel experiences numerous adventures that the movie does not even hint at. To do the book justice, perhaps it should have been adapted into four or five separate movies.

Then again, another way to do the book justice is to just read it.

It's been about a year since I read "Forrest Gump", and about 6 years since I saw the film version. However, here is a list of some of the key differences between the book and the movie:

BOOK ONLY:
* Forrest described as being 6 1/2 feet tall, and extremely strong and muscular
* Forest's experiences attending a school he calls a "nut school"
* Forrest causing calamitous cooking accident in the army
* Explosion of commodes in Viet Nam, causing whole platoon to be covered with feces (Although amusing in the book, it's probably best that this is omitted from the movie.)
* Forest accidentally ripping off Jenny's dress at the movies
* Forrest joining Jenny in a political demonstration and accidentally wounding a government official by throwing one of his army medals
* Forrest getting committed to psychiatric hospital
* Forrest becoming an astronaut
* Forrest living for several years on remote island populated by cannibals
* The character of Sue the orangutan
* Forrest becoming a champion wrestler under the name "The Dunce"
* Forrest playing harmonica in a band called The Cracked Eggs
* Forrest starring in sci fi film with Raquel Welch
* Forrest mastering chess
* Forrest running for senate using "I've got to pee" as campaign slogan
* Forrest retaliates against his mother's boss by throwing him into a washing machine and turning it on

(Unlike the Forrest Gump of the Tom Hanks movie, the Forrest Gump of the novel is pretty aggressive if provoked, although still a basically sweet-natured person.)

MOVIE ONLY:
* Forrest wearing leg braces, and eventually magically breaking out of them
* The phrase, "Life is like a box of chocolates."
* The word "buttocks" (In the book, Forrest uses the word "ass" like anyone else.)
* Forrest inspiring Elvis Presley's dance style
* Forrest meeting John Lennon
* Death of Jenny
* Death of Forrest's mother

There are just a few things I remember being in both the book and the movie:
* Forrest becoming a football player
* Forrest going to Viet Nam and rescuing his friend Dan in combat
* Forrest becoming a world-renowned ping pong champion
* Forrest becoming a successful tycoon in the "srimping" business

Winston Groom's book holds numerous surprises and huge laughs regardless of whether you saw the movie or not. I particularly appreciated the author's lightning-fast pacing. One thing happens after another, and there is not a single wasted word.

When you finish the first book, I suggest getting the sequel, "Gump and Company", which is every bit as good, and covers Forest's odyssey from the early 1970's through the 1990's.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Through The Eyes of a Dummy, March 3, 2003

By 

Matt Pawenski (Garden City, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forrest Gump (Paperback)

Winston Groom depicts the adventures of a dim-witted country boy in his novel, "Forrest Gump." Groom writes the novel in a first person perspective, as if Forest is reminiscing on his past. He even uses the poor grammar and broken language of such a dense narrator. He recounts all of his life achievements and failures. He describes everything from his fame of being a football and wrestling star, to his struggles with the love of his life, Jenny Curran.
The thing that impressed me the most was the point of view. The entire book is written in the dialect of this easy speaking wholesome character. The language connects you to Forrest and puts you in his shoes. You can see how Forrest experienced these events and the reactions of the people he comes in contact with. He naively explains these reactions and events, which is a subtle way that the author relates to the reader without sacrificing Forrest's stupidity.
The novel is lined up with story after story that all intertwine together. Every amazing adventure is followed by another. And Forrest's genuine and innocent narration of these events never leads the reader to question the character's honesty. As a side note to movie patrons, don't disregard this book because you have seen the movie, there are many differences between the two. And seeing all the events through Forrest's eyes allows an even greater connection to the character. I enjoyed every page of this book and I hope you do too.

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Off the Scale Funny, October 19, 2003

By 

Jennifer B. Barton "Beth Barton" (McKinney, Tx) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forrest Gump (Paperback)

While I was reading it (I had seen the movie prior), I thought that the movie followed the book about one third or even one half of the way but then the book just took off in a ninety degree turn and it was one incredible adventure after another - and I mean incredible literally. It has to have been one of the funniest things I have ever read. At the time, I thought it was as if the author thought mid-way through the book 'Heck, I'm the author - I can do whatever I want' ... and did. The unbridled imagination is thoroughbred. Best thing to do is get the movie and the book and compare them. The movie is first rate but the book is exquisitely funny - much more than the movie.