In honor of Shark Week I reread Jaws by Peter Benchley.
If you’ve only seen the film (one of the best ever IMHO) the book is worth reading. It is different from the movie in many ways. This was Benchley’s 1st novel and he captured lightning in a bottle. His character development is brilliant as evidenced by how easily they translated to the film version. The characters in the film are the same ... but act and relate to each other a bit differently (a brilliant move by the film makers). His depictions of the “fish”, the attacks and the political havoc wrought on a small seaside town are captivating. The story and dialogue is fast paced. It’s a great read ... even a second time.
I can’t remember another book to movie that I’ve enjoyed more than this one.
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Jaws: A Novel Paperback – August 6, 2013
by
Peter Benchley
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Peter Benchley
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Print length352 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherBallantine Books
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Publication dateAugust 6, 2013
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Dimensions5.15 x 0.75 x 7.95 inches
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ISBN-100345544145
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ISBN-13978-0345544148
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“A tightly written, tautly paced study of terror [that] makes us tingle.”—The Washington Post
“Powerful . . . [Benchley’s] story grabs you at once.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Relentless terror . . . You’d better steel yourself for this one. It isn’t a tale for the faint of heart.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Pure engrossment from the very opening . . . a fine story told with style, class, and a splendid feeling for suspense.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“Powerful . . . [Benchley’s] story grabs you at once.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Relentless terror . . . You’d better steel yourself for this one. It isn’t a tale for the faint of heart.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Pure engrossment from the very opening . . . a fine story told with style, class, and a splendid feeling for suspense.”—Chicago Sun-Times
About the Author
Peter Benchley began his career as a novelist in 1974 with the publication of Jaws, which was made into a hugely successful film. His other books include The Deep, The Island, The Girl of the Sea of Cortez, “Q” Clearance, Rummies, Beast, White Shark, and Shark Trouble. He was also a speechwriter for President Lyndon Johnson and a journalist for such magazines as Newsweek and National Geographic. Benchley died in 2006. For more information, please visit www.peterbenchley.com.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1
The great fish moved silently through the night water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tail. The mouth was open just enough to permit a rush of water over the gills. There was little other motion: an occasional correction of the apparently aimless course by the slight raising or lowering of a pectoral fin—as a bird changes direction by dipping one wing and lifting the other. The eyes were sightless in the black, and the other senses transmitted nothing extraordinary to the small, primitive brain. The fish might have been asleep, save for the movement dictated by countless millions of years of instinctive continuity: lacking the flotation bladder common to other fish and the fluttering flaps to push oxygen-bearing water through its gills, it survived only by moving. Once stopped, it would sink to the bottom and die of anoxia.
The land seemed almost as dark as the water, for there was no moon. All that separated sea from shore was a long, straight stretch of beach—so white that it shone. From a house behind the grass-splotched dunes, lights cast yellow glimmers on the sand.
The front door to the house opened, and a man and a woman stepped out onto the wooden porch. They stood for a moment staring at the sea, embraced quickly, and scampered down the few steps onto the sand. The man was drunk, and he stumbled on the bottom step. The woman laughed and took his hand, and together they ran to the beach.
“First a swim,” said the woman, “to clear your head.”
“Forget my head,” said the man. Giggling, he fell backward onto the sand, pulling the woman down with him. They fumbled with each other’s clothing, twined limbs around limbs, and thrashed with urgent ardor on the cold sand.
Afterward, the man lay back and closed his eyes. The woman looked at him and smiled. “Now, how about that swim?” she said.
“You go ahead. I’ll wait for you here.”
The woman rose and walked to where the gentle surf washed over her ankles. The water was colder than the night air, for it was only mid-June. The woman called back, “You’re sure you don’t want to come?” But there was no answer from the sleeping man.
She backed up a few steps, then ran at the water. At first her strides were long and graceful, but then a small wave crashed into her knees. She faltered, regained her footing, and flung herself over the next waist-high wave. The water was only up to her hips, so she stood, pushed the hair out of her eyes, and continued walking until the water covered her shoulders. There she began to swim—with the jerky, head-above-water stroke of the untutored.
A hundred yards offshore, the fish sensed a change in the sea’s rhythm. It did not see the woman, nor yet did it smell her. Running within the length of its body were a series of thin canals, filled with mucus and dotted with nerve endings, and these nerves detected vibrations and signaled the brain. The fish turned toward shore.
The woman continued to swim away from the beach, stopping now and then to check her position by the lights shining from the house. The tide was slack, so she had not moved up or down the beach. But she was tiring, so she rested for a moment, treading water, and then started for shore.
The vibrations were stronger now, and the fish recognized prey. The sweeps of its tail quickened, thrusting the giant body forward with a speed that agitated the tiny phosphorescent animals in the water and caused them to glow, casting a mantle of sparks over the fish.
The fish closed on the woman and hurtled past, a dozen feet to the side and six feet below the surface. The woman felt only a wave of pressure that seemed to lift her up in the water and ease her down again. She stopped swimming and held her breath. Feeling nothing further, she resumed her lurching stroke.
The fish smelled her now, and the vibrations—erratic and sharp—signaled distress. The fish began to circle close to the surface. Its dorsal fin broke water, and its tail, thrashing back and forth, cut the glassy surface with a hiss. A series of tremors shook its body.
For the first time, the woman felt fear, though she did not know why. Adrenaline shot through her trunk and her limbs, generating a tingling heat and urging her to swim faster. She guessed that she was fifty yards from shore. She could see the line of white foam where the waves broke on the beach. She saw the lights in the house, and for a comforting moment she thought she saw someone pass by one of the windows.
The fish was about forty feet from the woman, off to the side, when it turned suddenly to the left, dropped entirely below the surface, and, with two quick thrusts of its tail, was upon her.
At first, the woman thought she had snagged her leg on a rock or a piece of floating wood. There was no initial pain, only one violent tug on her right leg. She reached down to touch her foot, treading water with her left leg to keep her head up, feeling in the blackness with her left hand. She could not find her foot. She reached higher on her leg, and then she was overcome by a rush of nausea and dizziness. Her groping fingers had found a nub of bone and tattered flesh. She knew that the warm, pulsing flow over her fingers in the chill water was her own blood.
Pain and panic struck together. The woman threw her head back and screamed a guttural cry of terror.
The fish had moved away. It swallowed the woman’s limb without chewing. Bones and meat passed down the massive gullet in a single spasm. Now the fish turned again, homing on the stream of blood flushing from the woman’s femoral artery, a beacon as clear and true as a lighthouse on a cloudless night. This time the fish attacked from below. It hurtled up under the woman, jaws agape. The great conical head struck her like a locomotive, knocking her up out of the water. The jaws snapped shut around her torso, crushing bones and flesh and organs into a jelly. The fish, with the woman’s body in its mouth, smashed down on the water with a thunderous splash, spewing foam and blood and phosphorescence in a gaudy shower.
Below the surface, the fish shook its head from side to side, its serrated triangular teeth sawing through what little sinew still resisted. The corpse fell apart. The fish swallowed, then turned to continue feeding. Its brain still registered the signals of nearby prey. The water was laced with blood and shreds of flesh, and the fish could not sort signal from substance. It cut back and forth through the dissipating cloud of blood, opening and closing its mouth, seining for a random morsel. But by now, most of the pieces of the corpse had dispersed. A few sank slowly, coming to rest on the sandy bottom, where they moved lazily in the current. A few drifted away just below the surface, floating in the surge that ended in the surf.
The great fish moved silently through the night water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tail. The mouth was open just enough to permit a rush of water over the gills. There was little other motion: an occasional correction of the apparently aimless course by the slight raising or lowering of a pectoral fin—as a bird changes direction by dipping one wing and lifting the other. The eyes were sightless in the black, and the other senses transmitted nothing extraordinary to the small, primitive brain. The fish might have been asleep, save for the movement dictated by countless millions of years of instinctive continuity: lacking the flotation bladder common to other fish and the fluttering flaps to push oxygen-bearing water through its gills, it survived only by moving. Once stopped, it would sink to the bottom and die of anoxia.
The land seemed almost as dark as the water, for there was no moon. All that separated sea from shore was a long, straight stretch of beach—so white that it shone. From a house behind the grass-splotched dunes, lights cast yellow glimmers on the sand.
The front door to the house opened, and a man and a woman stepped out onto the wooden porch. They stood for a moment staring at the sea, embraced quickly, and scampered down the few steps onto the sand. The man was drunk, and he stumbled on the bottom step. The woman laughed and took his hand, and together they ran to the beach.
“First a swim,” said the woman, “to clear your head.”
“Forget my head,” said the man. Giggling, he fell backward onto the sand, pulling the woman down with him. They fumbled with each other’s clothing, twined limbs around limbs, and thrashed with urgent ardor on the cold sand.
Afterward, the man lay back and closed his eyes. The woman looked at him and smiled. “Now, how about that swim?” she said.
“You go ahead. I’ll wait for you here.”
The woman rose and walked to where the gentle surf washed over her ankles. The water was colder than the night air, for it was only mid-June. The woman called back, “You’re sure you don’t want to come?” But there was no answer from the sleeping man.
She backed up a few steps, then ran at the water. At first her strides were long and graceful, but then a small wave crashed into her knees. She faltered, regained her footing, and flung herself over the next waist-high wave. The water was only up to her hips, so she stood, pushed the hair out of her eyes, and continued walking until the water covered her shoulders. There she began to swim—with the jerky, head-above-water stroke of the untutored.
A hundred yards offshore, the fish sensed a change in the sea’s rhythm. It did not see the woman, nor yet did it smell her. Running within the length of its body were a series of thin canals, filled with mucus and dotted with nerve endings, and these nerves detected vibrations and signaled the brain. The fish turned toward shore.
The woman continued to swim away from the beach, stopping now and then to check her position by the lights shining from the house. The tide was slack, so she had not moved up or down the beach. But she was tiring, so she rested for a moment, treading water, and then started for shore.
The vibrations were stronger now, and the fish recognized prey. The sweeps of its tail quickened, thrusting the giant body forward with a speed that agitated the tiny phosphorescent animals in the water and caused them to glow, casting a mantle of sparks over the fish.
The fish closed on the woman and hurtled past, a dozen feet to the side and six feet below the surface. The woman felt only a wave of pressure that seemed to lift her up in the water and ease her down again. She stopped swimming and held her breath. Feeling nothing further, she resumed her lurching stroke.
The fish smelled her now, and the vibrations—erratic and sharp—signaled distress. The fish began to circle close to the surface. Its dorsal fin broke water, and its tail, thrashing back and forth, cut the glassy surface with a hiss. A series of tremors shook its body.
For the first time, the woman felt fear, though she did not know why. Adrenaline shot through her trunk and her limbs, generating a tingling heat and urging her to swim faster. She guessed that she was fifty yards from shore. She could see the line of white foam where the waves broke on the beach. She saw the lights in the house, and for a comforting moment she thought she saw someone pass by one of the windows.
The fish was about forty feet from the woman, off to the side, when it turned suddenly to the left, dropped entirely below the surface, and, with two quick thrusts of its tail, was upon her.
At first, the woman thought she had snagged her leg on a rock or a piece of floating wood. There was no initial pain, only one violent tug on her right leg. She reached down to touch her foot, treading water with her left leg to keep her head up, feeling in the blackness with her left hand. She could not find her foot. She reached higher on her leg, and then she was overcome by a rush of nausea and dizziness. Her groping fingers had found a nub of bone and tattered flesh. She knew that the warm, pulsing flow over her fingers in the chill water was her own blood.
Pain and panic struck together. The woman threw her head back and screamed a guttural cry of terror.
The fish had moved away. It swallowed the woman’s limb without chewing. Bones and meat passed down the massive gullet in a single spasm. Now the fish turned again, homing on the stream of blood flushing from the woman’s femoral artery, a beacon as clear and true as a lighthouse on a cloudless night. This time the fish attacked from below. It hurtled up under the woman, jaws agape. The great conical head struck her like a locomotive, knocking her up out of the water. The jaws snapped shut around her torso, crushing bones and flesh and organs into a jelly. The fish, with the woman’s body in its mouth, smashed down on the water with a thunderous splash, spewing foam and blood and phosphorescence in a gaudy shower.
Below the surface, the fish shook its head from side to side, its serrated triangular teeth sawing through what little sinew still resisted. The corpse fell apart. The fish swallowed, then turned to continue feeding. Its brain still registered the signals of nearby prey. The water was laced with blood and shreds of flesh, and the fish could not sort signal from substance. It cut back and forth through the dissipating cloud of blood, opening and closing its mouth, seining for a random morsel. But by now, most of the pieces of the corpse had dispersed. A few sank slowly, coming to rest on the sandy bottom, where they moved lazily in the current. A few drifted away just below the surface, floating in the surge that ended in the surf.
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Product details
- Publisher : Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (August 6, 2013)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0345544145
- ISBN-13 : 978-0345544148
- Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.15 x 0.75 x 7.95 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
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- #85 in Classic Action & Adventure (Books)
- #187 in Sea Adventures Fiction (Books)
- #839 in Psychological Fiction (Books)
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Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2018
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Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2020
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I opened this book expecting the literary equivalent of Jaws the movie, which was amazing and engrossing and frightening and left me with a permanent fear of swimming in oceans and lakes. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time, and one of my favorite memories. That is not what this is.
I found the writing mediocre and overdone. There is quite a bit of additional plot and random musings by various characters, most of which have nothing to do with the shark. There are quite a few sexual references which are all distasteful in my opinion and just plain unnecessary. The author commits a fairly hefty number of pages to the floundering relationship between Brody and his wife, Ellen, then never bothers to resolve their situation in any way. Everybody and everything are portrayed with a disdain and bitterness that gives the entire story an unpleasant ambience. The shark is barely in the book until the last 48 pages, and for me, the ending is anti-climactic. It was more subtle and believable, so some of you may prefer this ending over the movie version.
The thing I find most disappointing about this book is all the bigotry, racism, sexism, and the dash of anti-Semitism. After reading the five and half page introduction the author wrote 30 years later (2005), which was included in my edition, this was especially hard for me to get through. He explains why he portrayed the shark so poorly, how much he regretted that, and how he later became a shark activist…. and not a single word about all the social prejudice. NOT A WORD. I had to take a lot of breaks from reading, and I was frequently tempted to quit this novel all together.
I admit I went into this book before reading any reviews or anything at all about it, so part of the terrible experience I had reading this book is my own fault. I went in blind and with high expectations, so the fall was exceptionally hard. This book was published in 1974, fresh off the civil rights movement and women’s liberation. I should have investigated a bit first. Hollywood did Peter Benchley a huge favor by cutting away everything about this novel except the shark portions, which quite frankly, are much better in the film.
I found the writing mediocre and overdone. There is quite a bit of additional plot and random musings by various characters, most of which have nothing to do with the shark. There are quite a few sexual references which are all distasteful in my opinion and just plain unnecessary. The author commits a fairly hefty number of pages to the floundering relationship between Brody and his wife, Ellen, then never bothers to resolve their situation in any way. Everybody and everything are portrayed with a disdain and bitterness that gives the entire story an unpleasant ambience. The shark is barely in the book until the last 48 pages, and for me, the ending is anti-climactic. It was more subtle and believable, so some of you may prefer this ending over the movie version.
The thing I find most disappointing about this book is all the bigotry, racism, sexism, and the dash of anti-Semitism. After reading the five and half page introduction the author wrote 30 years later (2005), which was included in my edition, this was especially hard for me to get through. He explains why he portrayed the shark so poorly, how much he regretted that, and how he later became a shark activist…. and not a single word about all the social prejudice. NOT A WORD. I had to take a lot of breaks from reading, and I was frequently tempted to quit this novel all together.
I admit I went into this book before reading any reviews or anything at all about it, so part of the terrible experience I had reading this book is my own fault. I went in blind and with high expectations, so the fall was exceptionally hard. This book was published in 1974, fresh off the civil rights movement and women’s liberation. I should have investigated a bit first. Hollywood did Peter Benchley a huge favor by cutting away everything about this novel except the shark portions, which quite frankly, are much better in the film.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2019
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Jaws. I am sure we have all heard about this shark more times than we can remember. So I don't think any sort of a plot rehash is necessary.
What to say about this? I enjoyed the scenery details and the descriptions of some of the shark attacks, etc. There were some great scenes early on and I could really see myself getting scared of Jaws in such a different way while reading this. But that was Part 1 of the book (which is split into a total of three parts).
But as a friend said in a chat the other night, this book should have been called The Amity Affair. TOO much of this book is about an adulterous relationship. I read this book for SHARKS (although he is consistently referred to as "the fish" throughout most of the book). There was not nearly enough BITE in this book for me. Thank the water lords that we have the brilliant minds of Spielberg and Williams to bring this book to the big screen. The sights and music are two of the things that make Jaws JAWS. While I didn't expect that same feeling while reading this book, I did expect more shark and less extramarital affair discussion. Seriously... it's at least 1/3 of the book if not more. Anyway... 3 stars from me on this one!
What to say about this? I enjoyed the scenery details and the descriptions of some of the shark attacks, etc. There were some great scenes early on and I could really see myself getting scared of Jaws in such a different way while reading this. But that was Part 1 of the book (which is split into a total of three parts).
But as a friend said in a chat the other night, this book should have been called The Amity Affair. TOO much of this book is about an adulterous relationship. I read this book for SHARKS (although he is consistently referred to as "the fish" throughout most of the book). There was not nearly enough BITE in this book for me. Thank the water lords that we have the brilliant minds of Spielberg and Williams to bring this book to the big screen. The sights and music are two of the things that make Jaws JAWS. While I didn't expect that same feeling while reading this book, I did expect more shark and less extramarital affair discussion. Seriously... it's at least 1/3 of the book if not more. Anyway... 3 stars from me on this one!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2017
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There's no call for a bigger boat here - this is not the same story as the movie version. Generally speaking, yes it is, but the movie took the action storyline from the book and left all else behind. The details left behind are interesting but not *that* interesting - at times they greatly slow an already slow paced story. The pace and all the additional material (life in town; more with the Brody family; a larger group of characters, some with different motivations and fates) means the book is 70% done before people go out after the shark. Still it's a good read, and there *are* surprises in the plot where book and movie differ. I just prefer the movie over the book this time.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2019
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Jaws has been one of my all-time favorite movies for years, but for some reason I had never bothered reading the book. Well after recently finishing reading Jurassic Park (another favorite movie), I decided to keep with the trend and read Jaws. And I'm so glad I did. The book was a very quick read, but I enjoyed every bit. There was definitely a fair amount of content in the book which was omitted from the movie, and I'm ok with that. The book and movie are both enjoyable respectively and in their own rights. I'll likely watch the movie and read the book again very soon.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read for fans of the movie
By Marcus D. on August 2, 2019
Jaws has been one of my all-time favorite movies for years, but for some reason I had never bothered reading the book. Well after recently finishing reading Jurassic Park (another favorite movie), I decided to keep with the trend and read Jaws. And I'm so glad I did. The book was a very quick read, but I enjoyed every bit. There was definitely a fair amount of content in the book which was omitted from the movie, and I'm ok with that. The book and movie are both enjoyable respectively and in their own rights. I'll likely watch the movie and read the book again very soon.
By Marcus D. on August 2, 2019
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Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2017
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This was a fantastic book that still frightens me after reading it 2 years ago. The ending haunts me still, nothing like what you'd expect. Clearly you saw the movie before you read the book, I just have a hunch, you're going to hate Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss' character) in the book, which is why I gave this book 4 stars, I loved the character in the movie.
Is this review based off emotion? Yeah. Maybe. Maybe a little, whatever! Read this book! Shut up! Go away...
Is this review based off emotion? Yeah. Maybe. Maybe a little, whatever! Read this book! Shut up! Go away...
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KoffinCass
4.0 out of 5 stars
Crush it like Quint.....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2021Verified Purchase
I'm a huge jaws fan, seen the movie easily a 1000 times, I've got tons of jaws memorabilia, my body is covered in a few jaws tattoos and I own it on VHS, dvd, bluray and 4k. It's my all time favourite movie. But ive never read the book. I've heard about all the differences between the book and film on YouTube videos and really never liked the sound of the book, so I was put off from reading. But I took the plunge and I've finally given it a shot. And...
It's really good, in its own right. Is it better than the movie, nooooo. The movie is way better than the book, however the book is still an enjoyable read. It does play a little like the film but also with a few differences. The intro and first few victims are roughly the same. B characters in the movie have bigger roles to play in the book such as Harry the reporter and Hendricks the police deputy. Quint really isn't in the book till really the end part of the book. Which leads me into what I didn't like about the book.
At the beginning of the book it has its shark attacks and politics but then midway through it turns into a exotic thriller with Ellen (Brodys wife) and hooper and their affair. It's needlessly gross in detail to the point I was like when will this part of the story end. Its an uncomfortable read. The book really doesn't paint hooper in a good light. He's an awful character.
Also the whole part of the quint, brody and hooper hunting the shark on the orca, in the film is large part of the story, here is basiclly a chapter. Quint and Bruce the sharks demise is literally over in a page and half. I had to re-read it twice to understand what was going on. It all just ends suddenly, which was dissapointing.
The film is so much better than the book however, I couldn't put this book down. I did genuinely read it in one sitting, it took me roughly 6-7 hours to finish. But once i started I couldn't stop reading, even though the mid section of the book is pretty bad. Learning more about the characters and their motivations was great.
If your a jaws megafan I would recommend it just to see the orignal work the movie is based on. But this is case of the movie is far better than the book.
Another note: I ordered this book from amazon in brand new condition. The book arrived in a terrible state, the front cover was creased to wear it looks awful. If I could be bothered I would of returned to amazon. It did not look like a new copy.
It's really good, in its own right. Is it better than the movie, nooooo. The movie is way better than the book, however the book is still an enjoyable read. It does play a little like the film but also with a few differences. The intro and first few victims are roughly the same. B characters in the movie have bigger roles to play in the book such as Harry the reporter and Hendricks the police deputy. Quint really isn't in the book till really the end part of the book. Which leads me into what I didn't like about the book.
At the beginning of the book it has its shark attacks and politics but then midway through it turns into a exotic thriller with Ellen (Brodys wife) and hooper and their affair. It's needlessly gross in detail to the point I was like when will this part of the story end. Its an uncomfortable read. The book really doesn't paint hooper in a good light. He's an awful character.
Also the whole part of the quint, brody and hooper hunting the shark on the orca, in the film is large part of the story, here is basiclly a chapter. Quint and Bruce the sharks demise is literally over in a page and half. I had to re-read it twice to understand what was going on. It all just ends suddenly, which was dissapointing.
The film is so much better than the book however, I couldn't put this book down. I did genuinely read it in one sitting, it took me roughly 6-7 hours to finish. But once i started I couldn't stop reading, even though the mid section of the book is pretty bad. Learning more about the characters and their motivations was great.
If your a jaws megafan I would recommend it just to see the orignal work the movie is based on. But this is case of the movie is far better than the book.
Another note: I ordered this book from amazon in brand new condition. The book arrived in a terrible state, the front cover was creased to wear it looks awful. If I could be bothered I would of returned to amazon. It did not look like a new copy.
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The booktrail
5.0 out of 5 stars
BookTrail it to the movies!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2020Verified Purchase
Oh I've watched Jaws the movie so many times I've lost count. I thought I'd read the book to see how it had been adapted and to see what was different, better etc. Well the ending is certainly different! There's so much extra detail of course in the book and more description but it was clear to see just how clever the film was for its time.
The island is described so well and in such lucious detail that I am half tempted to live by the sea despite the risk of sharks. The nature of the first shark attack in the book is shocking as are the ones which follow and the book really does keep up an excellent sense of fear and foreboding. Having read this so long after the film though, I swear I could hear that der dum der dum every time the shark was about to appear.
I really recommend reading the book even if you think you know the story very well. There's a lot more to the story than just the shark here such as more drama when they have to close the beaches and...wait for it...the issue with Brody's wife! Ah I'm going to look her a little differently now.
That shark steals the show though and I'm going to take this movie/book/booktrail thing one step further now and read it next time I go to the beach...
The island is described so well and in such lucious detail that I am half tempted to live by the sea despite the risk of sharks. The nature of the first shark attack in the book is shocking as are the ones which follow and the book really does keep up an excellent sense of fear and foreboding. Having read this so long after the film though, I swear I could hear that der dum der dum every time the shark was about to appear.
I really recommend reading the book even if you think you know the story very well. There's a lot more to the story than just the shark here such as more drama when they have to close the beaches and...wait for it...the issue with Brody's wife! Ah I'm going to look her a little differently now.
That shark steals the show though and I'm going to take this movie/book/booktrail thing one step further now and read it next time I go to the beach...
5.0 out of 5 stars
BookTrail it to the movies!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2020
Oh I've watched Jaws the movie so many times I've lost count. I thought I'd read the book to see how it had been adapted and to see what was different, better etc. Well the ending is certainly different! There's so much extra detail of course in the book and more description but it was clear to see just how clever the film was for its time.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2020
The island is described so well and in such lucious detail that I am half tempted to live by the sea despite the risk of sharks. The nature of the first shark attack in the book is shocking as are the ones which follow and the book really does keep up an excellent sense of fear and foreboding. Having read this so long after the film though, I swear I could hear that der dum der dum every time the shark was about to appear.
I really recommend reading the book even if you think you know the story very well. There's a lot more to the story than just the shark here such as more drama when they have to close the beaches and...wait for it...the issue with Brody's wife! Ah I'm going to look her a little differently now.
That shark steals the show though and I'm going to take this movie/book/booktrail thing one step further now and read it next time I go to the beach...
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M. Dowden
5.0 out of 5 stars
Man vs Shark
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2016Verified Purchase
First published in 1974 this is probably not the best book to read if you are on the beach and thinking of taking a dip. After all you just don’t know what could be out there, and those great white sharks are prone at times to take a bite out of someone, although we are far from being their preferred food. With only the Orca as its natural enemy this is a fish that is definitely to be feared.
Taking place at the fictional seaside town of Amity, on Long Island, things are hopefully brewing up to a good summer. In a place where the local inhabitants rely on outsiders to stay and spend their money over the warm months, anything that may keep them away is a disaster. And when a woman is seemingly killed by a shark, so the town’s worse fears could be realised, especially when the problem starts to escalate.
Although definitely a thrilling read this was a success on first publication, mainly helped by some neat marketing and then the release of the film. With political machinations as well as sexual tension and adultery this helps to balance the story out a bit, so we don’t end up with just a shark chase and so on. But it is the shark that always grabs your attention.
With the town getting in a hunting fisherman to go after the shark this does have some nice cat and mouse play between man and killing machine, and the suspense and audacity of the shark does give this that oomph that it needs, and that people enjoy.
In all this is always fun to read, and if you have never read it before then perhaps it is something to add to your list, but just don’t read it before you go for a swim in the sea.
Taking place at the fictional seaside town of Amity, on Long Island, things are hopefully brewing up to a good summer. In a place where the local inhabitants rely on outsiders to stay and spend their money over the warm months, anything that may keep them away is a disaster. And when a woman is seemingly killed by a shark, so the town’s worse fears could be realised, especially when the problem starts to escalate.
Although definitely a thrilling read this was a success on first publication, mainly helped by some neat marketing and then the release of the film. With political machinations as well as sexual tension and adultery this helps to balance the story out a bit, so we don’t end up with just a shark chase and so on. But it is the shark that always grabs your attention.
With the town getting in a hunting fisherman to go after the shark this does have some nice cat and mouse play between man and killing machine, and the suspense and audacity of the shark does give this that oomph that it needs, and that people enjoy.
In all this is always fun to read, and if you have never read it before then perhaps it is something to add to your list, but just don’t read it before you go for a swim in the sea.
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James Brydon
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great adventure story that has worn well despite the passing of forty years.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2018Verified Purchase
This was probably the first ‘grown up’ book that I read, back in the second year of grammar school (what I suppose we would now call Year 8). Of course, we are all familiar with the film (which I think I had probably seen before reading the book), which was one of Stephen Spielberg’s early blockbuster successes.
After a gap of more than forty years, the novel seems to have held up fairly well. It is definitely a plot-driven story: Benchley doesn’t loiter to flesh out his characters in any depth, and even Police Chief Brody (the Roy Scheider character) remains fairly two dimensional. Indeed, Peter Benchley spends almost as long on the personality of the shark (Oops … I have just thought … Should I have given a spoiler alert before mentioning the shark? Ah, well, too late now!) as on any of the other characters. Don’t, however, view that as necessarily a bad thing. This is a thriller, and the author unfolds his story rapidly, without unnecessary lets or hindrances. In the same way that ice cubes, straws and fancy adornments might simply represent unwelcome and peripheral impediments to an alcoholic seeking urgently to down a drink and bask in the relief of a decent shot, there are some novels that do need to rely on gushing pen portraits of lovingly created protagonists.
There is, however, an interesting sub-plot that was less prominent in the film. Spielberg’s film certainly acknowledged the fact that Amity, the island-based community being terrorised by the shark, was dependent upon the summer holiday trade from wealthy New Yorkers. It did not delve into this financial morass as deeply as the book, though, where the Mayor’s insistence upon opening the beaches to lure the holiday trade has more sinister undertones founded on organised crime.
This is a solid, well thought out story that has stood the test of time. The edition I read was also beautifully produced as part of the ’70 Years of Pan’ series.
I am sorry if I spoiled it for anyone by mentioning the shark.
After a gap of more than forty years, the novel seems to have held up fairly well. It is definitely a plot-driven story: Benchley doesn’t loiter to flesh out his characters in any depth, and even Police Chief Brody (the Roy Scheider character) remains fairly two dimensional. Indeed, Peter Benchley spends almost as long on the personality of the shark (Oops … I have just thought … Should I have given a spoiler alert before mentioning the shark? Ah, well, too late now!) as on any of the other characters. Don’t, however, view that as necessarily a bad thing. This is a thriller, and the author unfolds his story rapidly, without unnecessary lets or hindrances. In the same way that ice cubes, straws and fancy adornments might simply represent unwelcome and peripheral impediments to an alcoholic seeking urgently to down a drink and bask in the relief of a decent shot, there are some novels that do need to rely on gushing pen portraits of lovingly created protagonists.
There is, however, an interesting sub-plot that was less prominent in the film. Spielberg’s film certainly acknowledged the fact that Amity, the island-based community being terrorised by the shark, was dependent upon the summer holiday trade from wealthy New Yorkers. It did not delve into this financial morass as deeply as the book, though, where the Mayor’s insistence upon opening the beaches to lure the holiday trade has more sinister undertones founded on organised crime.
This is a solid, well thought out story that has stood the test of time. The edition I read was also beautifully produced as part of the ’70 Years of Pan’ series.
I am sorry if I spoiled it for anyone by mentioning the shark.
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Robert Craven
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still after 50 years a great read - better than the movie
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2021Verified Purchase
There is much of a mythology around Benchley's novel as the movie JAWS. It took nearly 9 years to write and parts of the book you can tell were taken off him and given to other editors. I'd love to see the original manuscript submitted before it was tailored to the mass market.
That said, for a book that's nearly 50 years old, it has an incredible impact.
The set pieces including the final voyage of The Orca are tightly paced and written. But there are moments too where it loses its shape; Ellen Brody, had the potential to become a great literary creation, but her complexity is ruined with 'sexed up' scenes that jar the narrative and reduce her to a cipher. And tag on a cliched crisis between Hooper and her husband, Martin.
The Great White is the star of the show and Benchley brings terror to the page with sharp, snappy writing.
still a great read & I'm glad I rediscovered it. Its part noir, soap opera, and horror. But its hard to feel any sympathy for the principal characters.
That said, for a book that's nearly 50 years old, it has an incredible impact.
The set pieces including the final voyage of The Orca are tightly paced and written. But there are moments too where it loses its shape; Ellen Brody, had the potential to become a great literary creation, but her complexity is ruined with 'sexed up' scenes that jar the narrative and reduce her to a cipher. And tag on a cliched crisis between Hooper and her husband, Martin.
The Great White is the star of the show and Benchley brings terror to the page with sharp, snappy writing.
still a great read & I'm glad I rediscovered it. Its part noir, soap opera, and horror. But its hard to feel any sympathy for the principal characters.
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