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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Release Date: May 31, 2005 (first published May 6th 1973)
Genre: Horror (Thriller, Suspense)
Summer is winding down so I thought now would be the perfect time to FINALLY read Jaws by Peter Benchley. All in all, I'm glad I did. I was very hesitant to dive into it at first because I wasn't sure how it would measure up to the movie (which is fantastic). And in some ways, I did like the movie better. I know, most readers say books are always better but in this case, I have to disagree! While the book was cool to read, it was SO SLOW. It's about 230 pages and it took me a week to read it. This is not normal reading behavior for me. I can typically read 3-5 books a week. When it came to this one though, I just never found the energy (or want) to continuously pick it up until I finished it. The writings not bad, but the story was kind of all over the place. I was hoping for a little more action within the story about the great white but this was mostly saved until the last 2 chapters. In between it we learned of some sneaky dealings with the town, affairs, and nostalgia of the past. This all should have added to the story but unfortunately it dulled it for me.
Another thing that turned me off was the ending. It was extremely abrupt. I had to flip the pages back and forth because it felt unfinished. I thought I got a bad copy! Unfortunately I didn't, that's just how the story ends. The best way for me to describe it is by saying you get a lot of action and tension, buildup, a fight to the death, and then it ends. Right there, just like that. Sigh, it really bothered me.
Now, just because the book had some problems for my tastes doesn't mean it was a bad read. I enjoyed seeing the 3 men get together and fight the great white. The action was INTENSE and Peter Benchley didn't sugarcoat anything. I also enjoyed the beginning of the story when people started to get eaten (that's bad, right? It was just jaw dropping and exciting the way it started out like that). I just didn't find the story to be as cohesive as I would have liked. Don't take my word for it though because MANY readers loved this book. Take my review with a grain of salt and give it a try despite my personal thoughts. It does bring back my memories of the movie though and I feel like I need to go watch it again (for the millionth time).
Genre: Horror (Thriller, Suspense)
Summer is winding down so I thought now would be the perfect time to FINALLY read Jaws by Peter Benchley. All in all, I'm glad I did. I was very hesitant to dive into it at first because I wasn't sure how it would measure up to the movie (which is fantastic). And in some ways, I did like the movie better. I know, most readers say books are always better but in this case, I have to disagree! While the book was cool to read, it was SO SLOW. It's about 230 pages and it took me a week to read it. This is not normal reading behavior for me. I can typically read 3-5 books a week. When it came to this one though, I just never found the energy (or want) to continuously pick it up until I finished it. The writings not bad, but the story was kind of all over the place. I was hoping for a little more action within the story about the great white but this was mostly saved until the last 2 chapters. In between it we learned of some sneaky dealings with the town, affairs, and nostalgia of the past. This all should have added to the story but unfortunately it dulled it for me.
Another thing that turned me off was the ending. It was extremely abrupt. I had to flip the pages back and forth because it felt unfinished. I thought I got a bad copy! Unfortunately I didn't, that's just how the story ends. The best way for me to describe it is by saying you get a lot of action and tension, buildup, a fight to the death, and then it ends. Right there, just like that. Sigh, it really bothered me.
Now, just because the book had some problems for my tastes doesn't mean it was a bad read. I enjoyed seeing the 3 men get together and fight the great white. The action was INTENSE and Peter Benchley didn't sugarcoat anything. I also enjoyed the beginning of the story when people started to get eaten (that's bad, right? It was just jaw dropping and exciting the way it started out like that). I just didn't find the story to be as cohesive as I would have liked. Don't take my word for it though because MANY readers loved this book. Take my review with a grain of salt and give it a try despite my personal thoughts. It does bring back my memories of the movie though and I feel like I need to go watch it again (for the millionth time).
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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
Good pacing. Movie diverged from book in key ways but book is a fun story that explores the human condition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
✧ Review ✧
Title: Jaws
Author: Peter Benchley
Pages: 330
Genre: Horror
I’m writing this first note 40 pages in… at page 17 I had a slight eyebrow raise and cringe at the writing. At page 30 the fact this book was written in the 70s by a white man in his 30s is very obvious. You can interpret that however you like… and now at page 39 my eyes have fully rolled out of my head and had me googling “does menstrual blood attract sharks”.. now enough of past Alex, let’s see what present day, finished the book Alex thinks…
My main takeaway was that this novel has so many pointless scenes and even more pointless descriptions… why do I need to know how Brady carried three glasses?
None of the characters are likeable, the men are misogynistic and the women play into the stereotypes and are annoying. This book could be 200 pages shorter with numerous chapters cut completely.
At first the book is great. The opening chapter is super engaging and then nothing happens, at all, other than side plot stories which add zero to the storyline. Between the first two chapters and the last two chapters there is nothing about the shark?! We just follow the police chiefs bitch wife and the fact she wants to cheat on him to see if she’s still desirable?! Like what?! There is literally a shark eating people and we’re reading about some man’s wife for 100 pages asking if another man is ‘big’…
I straight after rewatched the film for the first time since my childhood to confirm my thoughts… This is one of those rare occasions where the film is better than the book. Spielberg may be a genius that he had this book and made Jaws the iconic film it is today. I wouldn’t bother wasting your time reading this.
I’ve never been more disappointed by a book when comparing it to a film.
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Title: Jaws
Author: Peter Benchley
Pages: 330
Genre: Horror
I’m writing this first note 40 pages in… at page 17 I had a slight eyebrow raise and cringe at the writing. At page 30 the fact this book was written in the 70s by a white man in his 30s is very obvious. You can interpret that however you like… and now at page 39 my eyes have fully rolled out of my head and had me googling “does menstrual blood attract sharks”.. now enough of past Alex, let’s see what present day, finished the book Alex thinks…
My main takeaway was that this novel has so many pointless scenes and even more pointless descriptions… why do I need to know how Brady carried three glasses?
None of the characters are likeable, the men are misogynistic and the women play into the stereotypes and are annoying. This book could be 200 pages shorter with numerous chapters cut completely.
At first the book is great. The opening chapter is super engaging and then nothing happens, at all, other than side plot stories which add zero to the storyline. Between the first two chapters and the last two chapters there is nothing about the shark?! We just follow the police chiefs bitch wife and the fact she wants to cheat on him to see if she’s still desirable?! Like what?! There is literally a shark eating people and we’re reading about some man’s wife for 100 pages asking if another man is ‘big’…
I straight after rewatched the film for the first time since my childhood to confirm my thoughts… This is one of those rare occasions where the film is better than the book. Spielberg may be a genius that he had this book and made Jaws the iconic film it is today. I wouldn’t bother wasting your time reading this.
I’ve never been more disappointed by a book when comparing it to a film.
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes