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btlitell's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My experience with Forrest Gump up until some time near the end of my masters was only with the movie. I didn't even know there was a book until then, and while I won't say I prefer the movie, it's hard not to compare the two based on differences between the formats.
I think the book gave a more genuine look at the world from Forrest's perspective, but I think he was a lot easier to sympathize with in the movie than the book. His experience with the world being always tainted by others' perception of his intellectual/mental capabilities first is still just as touching and perhaps a bit more noticeable in the book.
After reading the book, there are things I wish they had incorporated into the film that would have been neat to see.I think if the movie could have included his playing chess, going to space, his relationship with Sue the Orangutan, living in Borneo for four years it could have captured a bit more of who Forrest is. I do really like how Forrest saw Lieutenant Dan not just as a Lieutenant but as a person, referring to him only as "Dan" instead of by his rank. That I think showed a lot more of his character and how he sees people as people and not simply as their rank or job title.
This was a great read and is worth picking up.
I think the book gave a more genuine look at the world from Forrest's perspective, but I think he was a lot easier to sympathize with in the movie than the book. His experience with the world being always tainted by others' perception of his intellectual/mental capabilities first is still just as touching and perhaps a bit more noticeable in the book.
After reading the book, there are things I wish they had incorporated into the film that would have been neat to see.
This was a great read and is worth picking up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Ableism
Minor: War, Drug use, Cursing, Medical content, Racial slurs, and Sexual content
cscharfway's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book had a much different vibe than the movie many of us know. It was much more lighthearted and funny to see the world through Forrest’s eyes, and even during his darker experiences, there was a sense of hope and optimism that this was just another adventure he would make it through.
Some of the events experienced by the main character were more fantastical than realistic (Sue the orangutang was a bit much). I think though that silly, ridiculous tone of the book is symbolic of the age and development of Forrest’s unique mind, showing the parallels between plot and character shaped by the author; this deeper meaning bumped up the book from a 3.5 to a 4 for me. Otherwise, the book was amusing, but doesn’t create quite the same emotional impact as Tom Hank’s version.
Some of the events experienced by the main character were more fantastical than realistic (Sue the orangutang was a bit much). I think though that silly, ridiculous tone of the book is symbolic of the age and development of Forrest’s unique mind, showing the parallels between plot and character shaped by the author; this deeper meaning bumped up the book from a 3.5 to a 4 for me. Otherwise, the book was amusing, but doesn’t create quite the same emotional impact as Tom Hank’s version.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Ableism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Addiction, Cursing, Violence, and War
beccah1610's review
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Racism
lexin105's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The outrageous stories of Forrest Gump are both entertaining and mind-opening about issues in the world and how people are treated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Drug use, Racial slurs, Death, Sexual content, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction and Blood
nikogatts's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I read this as a sort of pregame before the start of the next season of the podcast 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back. I've never seen the 1994 movie adaptation of this book, so my impressions are based solely on the text.
This book is less of a series of events and more of a cycle of two recurring instances:
1. Forrest Gump doesn't understand a situation and acts instinctively, doing the wrong thing in a way that results in immense personal success and makes him a national/international hero. Despite the many times this happens, no one ever recognizes Forrest as a war hero/famous astronaut/pro wrestler/guy who publicly mooned the president.
2. Forrest Gump doesn't understand a situation and acts instinctively, doing the wrong thing in a way that hurts the people around him and results in his girlfriend, Jenny Curran, dumping him. Despite the many times this happens, Forrest never learns from his missteps, and Winston Groom tosses out the phrase "I guess I'm just an idiot" as a shortcut to avoid writing character development.
There are attempts at "deep" moments sprinkled in here and there, particularly during the chapters dealing with Forrest's deployment in Vietnam, but the emotional impact is minimal because these moments last for, at most, a page and a half before the story moves along to Forrest's next implausible adventure. Ditto any attempts at satire -- there are a couple of political jabs at the popular targets of the time (Nixon, war protestors, Hollywood stars, etc.), but they're quickly shuffled offstage so Forrest can get back to publicly stating that he needs to pee.
To say the book has not aged well is to put it lightly. Every female character is written as either a weeping mess or a nagging shrew. Forrest's adventures take him across the United States and to several different countries, so readers are treated to a wide spectrum of racist slurs and stereotypes. And in addition to treating Forrest's disability as a get-out-of-jail-free card for personal conflict, Groom also uses it as a superpower, a punchline, and an excuse for sexual assault.
I'm not expecting any better from the sequel, Gump & Co., but at least I'll be reading that with a podcast, so I won't be cringing alone.
This book is less of a series of events and more of a cycle of two recurring instances:
1. Forrest Gump doesn't understand a situation and acts instinctively, doing the wrong thing in a way that results in immense personal success and makes him a national/international hero. Despite the many times this happens, no one ever recognizes Forrest as a war hero/famous astronaut/pro wrestler/guy who publicly mooned the president.
2. Forrest Gump doesn't understand a situation and acts instinctively, doing the wrong thing in a way that hurts the people around him and results in his girlfriend, Jenny Curran, dumping him. Despite the many times this happens, Forrest never learns from his missteps, and Winston Groom tosses out the phrase "I guess I'm just an idiot" as a shortcut to avoid writing character development.
There are attempts at "deep" moments sprinkled in here and there, particularly during the chapters dealing with Forrest's deployment in Vietnam, but the emotional impact is minimal because these moments last for, at most, a page and a half before the story moves along to Forrest's next implausible adventure. Ditto any attempts at satire -- there are a couple of political jabs at the popular targets of the time (Nixon, war protestors, Hollywood stars, etc.), but they're quickly shuffled offstage so Forrest can get back to publicly stating that he needs to pee.
To say the book has not aged well is to put it lightly. Every female character is written as either a weeping mess or a nagging shrew. Forrest's adventures take him across the United States and to several different countries, so readers are treated to a wide spectrum of racist slurs and stereotypes. And in addition to treating Forrest's disability as a get-out-of-jail-free card for personal conflict, Groom also uses it as a superpower, a punchline, and an excuse for sexual assault.
I'm not expecting any better from the sequel, Gump & Co., but at least I'll be reading that with a podcast, so I won't be cringing alone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, Cursing, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Police brutality, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, and Forced institutionalization
rainydayswithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Insgesamt ist das Buch wirklich unterhaltsam und vielfältig.
Man verfolgt das Leben von dem "Idioten" Forrest Gump, der jedoch gar nicht so dumm ist wie andere ihn zunächst einschätzen- zum Teil ist er sogar außerordentlich begabt und talentiert. Seine Abenteuer und Hindernisse sind interessant und Forrest ist als Charakter liebenswert (allerdings hab ich etwas gebraucht, bis ich mich auf ihn einlassen konnte). Da die Geschichte aus seiner Perspektive erzählt wird, erhält man einen noch besseren Einblick in sein Leben und seine Gedanken, die in der Regel völlig unbeschwert, gut gläubig und etwas naiv sind - wie die eines 6 jährigen Kindes eben, mit dessen IQ Forrest angeblich übereinstimmt. Dies erkennt man auch am Schreibstil, der an Forrest's Sprache angepasst ist und zu Beginn etwas irritiert, aber man gewöhnt sich allmählich daran. WICHTIG: Anzumerken ist an dieser Stelle, dass das Buch an manchen Stellen problematisch ist (rassistische/diskriminierende Formulierungen, Stereotype usw) ABER für eine differenzierte Beurteilung muss man das Erscheinungsjahr des Werks sowie die Zeit, in der die Handlung spielt, mit einbeziehen. Für die damaligen Verhältniss ist diese Ausdrucksweise nicht ungewöhnlich oder absichtlich diskriminierend gewesen, sondern alltäglich/'normal'. Aus unserer heutigen, aufgeklärten Sicht ist die Sprache zwar kritisch zu sehen, aber man muss es wie gesagt immer in Bezug zur Zeit setzten.
Wenn man bei so etwas empfindlich ist, sollte man das vorher vielleicht wissen und sich darauf einstellen.
Obwohl ich es nicht direkt als witziges Buch beschreiben würde, hat es doch durchaus humorvolle Passagen. Nicht ohne Grund gilt das Werk als ein Klassiker der Literatur.
Man verfolgt das Leben von dem "Idioten" Forrest Gump, der jedoch gar nicht so dumm ist wie andere ihn zunächst einschätzen- zum Teil ist er sogar außerordentlich begabt und talentiert. Seine Abenteuer und Hindernisse sind interessant und Forrest ist als Charakter liebenswert (allerdings hab ich etwas gebraucht, bis ich mich auf ihn einlassen konnte). Da die Geschichte aus seiner Perspektive erzählt wird, erhält man einen noch besseren Einblick in sein Leben und seine Gedanken, die in der Regel völlig unbeschwert, gut gläubig und etwas naiv sind - wie die eines 6 jährigen Kindes eben, mit dessen IQ Forrest angeblich übereinstimmt. Dies erkennt man auch am Schreibstil, der an Forrest's Sprache angepasst ist und zu Beginn etwas irritiert, aber man gewöhnt sich allmählich daran. WICHTIG: Anzumerken ist an dieser Stelle, dass das Buch an manchen Stellen problematisch ist (rassistische/diskriminierende Formulierungen, Stereotype usw) ABER für eine differenzierte Beurteilung muss man das Erscheinungsjahr des Werks sowie die Zeit, in der die Handlung spielt, mit einbeziehen. Für die damaligen Verhältniss ist diese Ausdrucksweise nicht ungewöhnlich oder absichtlich diskriminierend gewesen, sondern alltäglich/'normal'. Aus unserer heutigen, aufgeklärten Sicht ist die Sprache zwar kritisch zu sehen, aber man muss es wie gesagt immer in Bezug zur Zeit setzten.
Wenn man bei so etwas empfindlich ist, sollte man das vorher vielleicht wissen und sich darauf einstellen.
Obwohl ich es nicht direkt als witziges Buch beschreiben würde, hat es doch durchaus humorvolle Passagen. Nicht ohne Grund gilt das Werk als ein Klassiker der Literatur.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, War, and Ableism
lainy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, War, Death, and Racial slurs
vici24kl's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
This book was really problematic. VERY different from the movie...
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Ableism
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Addiction
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Animal cruelty
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