Jaws

Rating:
Summary: A Pretty Good Read
Review: This was a pretty good book to read. It is very suspenseful, funny, and it is a quick, short read. Perfect for a rainy day, or... a day at the beach!

Speaking of that, this books is not at all scary or terrifying as some have made it out to be. Claims that they never want to swim again after reading this are completely unfounded. I mean, come on, the entire portion of this book that is dedicated to detailing shark attacks is five pages, at the most. Also, a lot of the books is improbable. The way the shark acts, some of the things it does. I mean come on people, this is a SHARK we're talking about here, not a genius!

Don't read all that and think I hated the book, I liked it. It's just not perfect. A nice book, but don't go into it expecting to get scared.

Rating:
Summary: Are you sure you want to go swimming?
Review: Unlike most of the books I read, in the case of "Jaws", I saw the movie first. It was being shown on an outdoor screen above the wave pool at a local water park!

Peter Benchley is a good writer with an excellent command of the English language, and a good storyteller. This is a fast-paced book that starts off strong, weakens in the middle, but ends quite dramatically. He attempts, in this novel, to get inside the lives of numerous members of a small, beachfront community, whose economy would be devastated by losing their summer tourism season. With some characters he is more successful than others. Nevertheless, this is an engaging read, which you won't want to put down. 3 1/2 stars.

It is interesting to note, however, that Mr. Benchley, in his recent article on sharks for the "National Geographic", feels that in light of recent scientific discoveries concerning sharks, he could not now, in good conscience, write a novel like "Jaws". Regardless, sharks still scare the willies out of me!

Rating:
Summary: Jaws
Review: This was a great cool, great, sweet book.. When i read the first page i was so suprised how great it was.. It described so much... Lots of action.... When you start to read this book you will want to read for hours at a time...(like i did)

Rating:
Summary: The movie is way better.
Review: For one thing the book has so much bad language. Even though the book can get quite exciting at times it still can not compare with the movie.I also like the idea of Brody and hooper being friends in the movie instead of enemies like in the book.I also think that Hooper didn't need to die when he was in the shark cage.

Rating:
Summary: So-so
Review: The movie, a classic, is by far better than this so-so book. If you wanted to read it after the movie, then you will be utterly dissapointed as I was, but it is still a suspenseful novel that has a catch storyline that most people enjoy. I do not recommend reading this after seeing the movie.

Rating:
Summary: THE MUST-READ THRILLER OF "OCEAN SUSPENSE"
Review: After seeing so many movies of death under water - sharks, in other words - I still don't see any story better than JAWS, written more than two decades ago and still as fresh as your mother's apple pie.

The book is very fast-paced - something obviously necessary on suspense thrillers - and very well-written. The story runs around a shark that keeps getting people that go to the beach. The main characters are delicious, the book is a very pleasant reading for people who like this kind of stories - or even for the ones that are curious about it.

Most important: it's a perfect summer reading, especially if you are there, under the sunlight on your beach towel on the sand... reading a very nice book about shark attacks. I want to share a secret with you: I think that you will be only burned by the sun... What about the beach itself? Well, after reading this book, you'll stay as faraway as possible.

A must-read!

Marco Aurelio - contact: [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Fallible memory?
Review: I first read "Jaws" back in 1974 before the movie came out. Maybe it is just my fallible memory but I recall that book having much more detail than the "Jaws" I am reading now. Reading the book in the 70's built an excitement about the movie. I recently purchased a 278 page "Jaws" that isn't even an inch thick. Is it my fallible memory or has "Jaws" lost a huge number of pages over time? If anyone has an original 1970's copy of "Jaws" I would appreciate any help you could give me on this. By the way, the movie by far is better than the book I just purchased.

Rating:
Summary: A great thriller with a heart
Review: There are four main characters in both the movie and book versions of Jaws. There is Police Chief Brody, expert hunter Quint, shark expert Matt Hooper and Chief Brody's wife. They are all protagonists with the shark being their common enemy. I read the book and felt that it lacked something, not enough scares and too much fluff. It was still outstanding though. The film on the other hand offers gripping suspense and powerful characterazations. The performances are outstanding. Roy Schenider is excellent as Brody as is Richard Dreyfuss as hooper. Robert Shaw steals the show though as hunter Quint who has no fear and is full of adventure. This sets the stage for one of the best thriller's ever written or put on film. I know in this review I'm not supposed to bring up the book but I read the book right before watching the movie again and realized 1 thing. Peter Benchley's book is great, but the movie is truly a work of art.

Rating:
Summary: Benchley rules the waves
Review: Believe it or not, this was the first adult novel I had ever read. I was thirteen at the time, and had borrowed of a friend's mother. I read it from start to finish, not understanding most of the politics, but was thoroughly enthralled by the Great Fish. I loved the books so much that I constantly re-read it, and now that I'm twenty-five and can understand all of the plot and events, I realise just how much Peter Benchley understands - not just about the sea, but about small island politics and the people who are forced to live by them. The story is masterful in it's detail and character, with Quint becoming an archtype who is still appearing today. Benchley must be congratulated on this, and his other novels, as he led me to a long and rewarding fascination with the sea and all it's wonderous inhabitants.

Rating:
Summary: Great Stuff
Review: An incredible book. Better than the movie, though the movie is superb as well. The one catch is that because Hooper is an adulterous f**k in this book, you're happy to read his death. Quint was an a-hole in the movie and book, so seeing him die is no issue. great book, specific and amazing. The ending to the book isn't as explosive (terrible pun intended)as the movie's, but still a great read. Must-have for anyone who likes books period.