Peter Benchley: Jaws (Paperback, 1991, Fawcett)
mass market paperback, 288 pages
Published July 30, 1991 by Fawcett.
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:
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:
I enjoyed this a lot. The film didn't follow the plot 100% and actually i prefer the movie ending. Quint is one of my favourite characters and he is a stronger character in the movie. But a great read. That shark...3 barrels... sheesh
Jaws has been one of my long time favorite films, so when I saw the book on a shelf at the library, I had to pick it up.
The book lived up to expectations! The writing style was wonderful and all of the characters felt like people on the page with their thoughts, fears, and feelings.
Though there were times where I was like "I see why they didn't include any of this in the movie." Specifically the very long subplot involving Ellen cheating on Brody with Hooper during an insecure time in her life. It wasn't a bad subplot, but it did take me out of the story. The relationship drama felt unrelated to the hunt for the shark and slowed down the story, but it wasn't bad and it was nice to get to know Ellen more as a character.
It might have been better if it'd been …
Jaws has been one of my long time favorite films, so when I saw the book on a shelf at the library, I had to pick it up.
The book lived up to expectations! The writing style was wonderful and all of the characters felt like people on the page with their thoughts, fears, and feelings.
Though there were times where I was like "I see why they didn't include any of this in the movie." Specifically the very long subplot involving Ellen cheating on Brody with Hooper during an insecure time in her life. It wasn't a bad subplot, but it did take me out of the story. The relationship drama felt unrelated to the hunt for the shark and slowed down the story, but it wasn't bad and it was nice to get to know Ellen more as a character.
It might have been better if it'd been weaved in more naturally, like the subplot concerning why Vaughan was so against closing the beach, which was built over over the narrative with his increasing desperation to convince Brody not to scare away the tourists until the reveal. It was a great addition to the main plot and gave more depth to Vaughan's character. It made me feel for him more than the film did.
Overall it was a great read and reminded me how much I missed reading an omnipresent narrator. I'm really glad I got a chance to read it.
(Though I never did get used to them all referring to the shark as a "fish.")
