Forrest Gump

Rating:
Summary: As good as the movie, yet entirely different.
Review: Some have bought this book expecting to find the material on which the movie was based and, not surprisingly, have been entirely disappointed. That's a shame. Admittedly, the greatness of the movie stemmed from the ability of its screenwriter and director to actually IMPROVE Forrest Gump the character and to place him in a mesmerizing story that stole our hearts. Yet just because the movie was loosely based on this novel, this does not mean that the book is not great on its own merits. This book is a farce, a comedy, and a satire all rolled up into one. Thus, if you are able to forget about the movie and focus on the novel itself you're guaranteed to have a great time. I know I did. I laughed so hard when I first read it that once in a crowded NY subway I suddenly stopped laughing and noticed that all eyes were on me. But, I didn't care--I kept on reading because I was having the time of my life.

Rating:
Summary: One of the few times the movie was better than the book
Review: I saw the movie and decided to read the book. The book started strong and the characters portrayed where creitable and as Forrest spoke of his life I reflected that back to the movie, BUT towards the end where Forrest got lost in the forests of New Guinea the story became silly and , in fact, just plain stupid. See the movie and enjoy it and don't waste your time reading the book. You will be disappointed as I was

Rating:
Summary: The book is better than the film!
Review: I read it, ordered Gumpisms and Gump & Co.(the other Gump books in the UK), and started to read it again!

Rating:
Summary: Slightly Below Average
Review: ''Forrest Gump'' had its good points. The parts with Major Fritch and Raquel Welch were hilarious. The opening lines were good too. Other than that,not much left.

Rating:
Summary: Direct Change
Review: ''Forrest Gump'', the movie, was magical, funny, touching, and great. The novel was a piece of trash. The character in the book was a brute who had a fascination with the s-word. Throw the book in the fireplace. See the movie.

Rating:
Summary: I think the book was grreat
Review: I think this book was awesome, Winston Groom made naivette look like intelligence and taught people a lot about repect, and life. He showed us how we all have to act like Forrest sometime, we all need to step back from looking at things analytically and look at them naively.

Rating:
Summary: Average
Review: If you have watched the fýlm, there ýs no need for reading this book which is by no means near to the movie. The story seems quite silly when read, mainly because of some parts missing in the movie. If you have plenty of spare time, may be, but better buy the movie.

Rating:
Summary: see the movie, skip the book
Review: Forrest Gump is the only example I know of in which the movie is a vast improvement on the book. The movie was funny, touching, coherent...three things the book was not. I can see why Winston Groom was snubbed at the Oscars (he was never thanked when Tom Hanks won), because the screenplay took a piece of tripe and transformed it 100%. He should count himself lucky he sold the rights to this otherwise worthless novel.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully funny, surprisingly different from the book
Review: I got the audio book on a whim to fill up some driving time and was very pleasantly surprised. It was hilarious, especially Forrest at a chess tournament. The reader talked a better Gump than Tom Hanks and I thought Hanks was excellent. I'm not sure I would have had the same opinion if I had just read the book instead because of the flavor that the reader gave the character. I would definitely recommend the audio version for anyone (over 15) for a good laugh!

Rating:
Summary: What's happened to the beauty of literature?
Review: What was Larry King thinking when he said it was the funniest novel he ever read? I read it about a year ago and thought it a faith tester to get through the whole thing! This novel has no literary quality, no message(except maybe that idiot people don't have to live a hum-drum life)and stands as an isult to the world of literature. The story is about Forrest Gump, an idiot-savant who goes on to become fame and fourtune overnight. I think Winston Groom is adicted to swearing, displayed well in this book. It didn't teach me anything, and the only reaction after finishing it was to throw it away. I could have written a better novel, and I'm only thirteen! (Sorry if I offended anyone out there who enjoyed the book, after all, you are entiled to your opinion.