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rosemariew's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
coreyinscoe's review against another edition
4.0
It's hard to beat good narrative nonfiction.
"Close to Shore" chronicles a number of shark attacks along the New Jersey coast in 1916, presumably all made by the same shark. The shark attacks were the first to get such media attention and also inspired "Jaws."
Capuzzo tells about the shark attack but also describes the way people thought of the ocean at the time. New bathing suits that showed more skin were risque, swimming in the ocean was a test of manliness and people didn't think sharks attacked humans. They thought they were big fish that didn't want to deal with humans. The "man-eating shark" was a myth to them.
This changed everything.
Capuzzo's story is based on a ton of research and talking with shark experts. I don't think it's possibly to definitively prove that this one shark did all of the attacks, but, based on the evidence, Capuzzo seems to believe it did, as do his experts.
The story is well written and reads like a thriller novel, tracking the shark along the coast and telling the stories of the people that encountered it.
"Close to Shore" chronicles a number of shark attacks along the New Jersey coast in 1916, presumably all made by the same shark. The shark attacks were the first to get such media attention and also inspired "Jaws."
Capuzzo tells about the shark attack but also describes the way people thought of the ocean at the time. New bathing suits that showed more skin were risque, swimming in the ocean was a test of manliness and people didn't think sharks attacked humans. They thought they were big fish that didn't want to deal with humans. The "man-eating shark" was a myth to them.
This changed everything.
Capuzzo's story is based on a ton of research and talking with shark experts. I don't think it's possibly to definitively prove that this one shark did all of the attacks, but, based on the evidence, Capuzzo seems to believe it did, as do his experts.
The story is well written and reads like a thriller novel, tracking the shark along the coast and telling the stories of the people that encountered it.
lbmertes57's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book, it was well researched and informative. My favorite part though is that it read like a story and not just a bunch of facts which made it easier to absorb.
countingstarsbycandlelight's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. SO much history and culture and biology wrapped into some great storytelling!
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birdkeeperklink's review against another edition
2.0
There were certain aspects of this that I really enjoyed. The context in the first few chapters is wonderful--really helped set up just what a shock such violent shark attacks would have been at that time. Also at the beginning, the information on great white shark biology and behavior was really interesting. However, this 'stage-setting' and random tidbits got very, very annoying as the book stretched on, partly because it began to meander farther and farther away from the subject of the book, distracting from the 'action' and also creating frustration as I found myself drawn down a completely different path in the middle of suspenseful moments. The book might easily have been pared down by 150 pages if some of these non-essential wanderings and, occasionally, repetitious information had been excised. In the beginning of the book, it provided context, which is wonderful--by the end, it was no longer acceptable and had become static. It also had a somewhat 'cinematic' feel, at times--by which I mean that it seemed as though the author was attempting to write a very detailed screenplay, rather than a literary nonfiction piece. This is not a good feeling, for me, anyway.
I also found it somewhat aggravating that the author did such an excellent job making us feel as though we knew these victims and their families, only to completely exclude any follow-through--we're never told what happened to the families of the victims (or the victim who survived) in the years after the attacks. That frustrated me, because the author had done a beautiful job making me care about these people. Possibly that information wasn't available, but even saying so would have helped.
All in all, the book dragged. The off-topic context and the shark stories from other years and locations were interesting, but by the end had become tiresome. Half as much of that would have done. I'm sure many others would find this book wonderful--personally, I preferred Vaillant's [b:The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival|7624594|The Tiger A True Story of Vengeance and Survival|John Vaillant|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320490797s/7624594.jpg|10109525] for an example of a good animal attack book. All of the digressions were on-topic, save for a few sections on context (but those didn't go overboard), and the suspense was maintained. It, too, ran on the long side, but unlike with this book, I never felt a struggle to continue reading it.
Still, this book has its merits. There is more information than can be found in the Wikipedia article on the subject. Just be aware that there is a lot of extraneous information.
I also found it somewhat aggravating that the author did such an excellent job making us feel as though we knew these victims and their families, only to completely exclude any follow-through--we're never told what happened to the families of the victims (or the victim who survived) in the years after the attacks. That frustrated me, because the author had done a beautiful job making me care about these people. Possibly that information wasn't available, but even saying so would have helped.
All in all, the book dragged. The off-topic context and the shark stories from other years and locations were interesting, but by the end had become tiresome. Half as much of that would have done. I'm sure many others would find this book wonderful--personally, I preferred Vaillant's [b:The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival|7624594|The Tiger A True Story of Vengeance and Survival|John Vaillant|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320490797s/7624594.jpg|10109525] for an example of a good animal attack book. All of the digressions were on-topic, save for a few sections on context (but those didn't go overboard), and the suspense was maintained. It, too, ran on the long side, but unlike with this book, I never felt a struggle to continue reading it.
Still, this book has its merits. There is more information than can be found in the Wikipedia article on the subject. Just be aware that there is a lot of extraneous information.
angelfireeast24's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, and Blood
wynter's review against another edition
4.0
HAPPY SHARK WEEK!
In celebration of the most wonderful week of the year I usually pledge to read at least one shark-themed book. Here's the book I chose for 2016. I've actually been meaning to read Close to the Shore for years now, so better late than never. The events of 1916 shark attacks at the New Jorsey shoreline apparently inspired Peter Benchley's famous [b:Jaws|126232|Jaws|Peter Benchley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327958767s/126232.jpg|2318370] and the subsequent movie, and I can see how. There numerous parallels: the dependent on summer tourism seaside towns, the open beaches, the unbelieving scientists, the tragic attack on a little boy that sent everyone into a frenzy, and of course the manly "salty dog" who kills the man-eater mano a mano.
Close to the Shore is a rather straightforward account of the attacks, and Capuzzo barely offers his own conclusions. I think the book needed a bit of an opinionated conservationist angle. The panic that gripped the population resulted in dozens of sharks being hunted down and killed off, even if they didn't belong to the great white or bull shark varieties that were suspected of attacking humans. Man is indeed the most dangerous animal on earth. Save the sharks, people, and in the meantime I'm off to watch The Shallows.
In celebration of the most wonderful week of the year I usually pledge to read at least one shark-themed book. Here's the book I chose for 2016. I've actually been meaning to read Close to the Shore for years now, so better late than never. The events of 1916 shark attacks at the New Jorsey shoreline apparently inspired Peter Benchley's famous [b:Jaws|126232|Jaws|Peter Benchley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327958767s/126232.jpg|2318370] and the subsequent movie, and I can see how. There numerous parallels: the dependent on summer tourism seaside towns, the open beaches, the unbelieving scientists, the tragic attack on a little boy that sent everyone into a frenzy, and of course the manly "salty dog" who kills the man-eater mano a mano.
Close to the Shore is a rather straightforward account of the attacks, and Capuzzo barely offers his own conclusions. I think the book needed a bit of an opinionated conservationist angle. The panic that gripped the population resulted in dozens of sharks being hunted down and killed off, even if they didn't belong to the great white or bull shark varieties that were suspected of attacking humans. Man is indeed the most dangerous animal on earth. Save the sharks, people, and in the meantime I'm off to watch The Shallows.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Between July 1 and July 12, 1916, there were a series of shark attacks along the New Jersey coastline. The first attack occurred in Beach Haven, and the beaches remained open after that attack. There were several reports of large sharks made by ship captains, but apparently were not taken seriously. The next attack occurred north of Beach Haven in Spring Lake. The third and fourth attacks were in Matawan Creek, where a captain had reported an 8 foot long shark, but was dismissed. The last attack occurred a half hour after the previous two attacks in the same area. Only one of the five victims survived. Of course, the media tried to downplay the danger to beach patrons, as this was going on during a heat wave and polio epidemic. People were looking for relief from the heat and from the worries of illness. Of course, after the subsequent attacks, the media began actually reporting there was danger, causing people to avoid beaches. There were several sharks caught in the wake of the attacks, including a blue shark. a sandbar shark, and a great white shark. It is also suggested that a bull shark could have been responsible.
This book was pretty interesting. I love the ocean, and I am aware that sharks are out there and some do attack people. Oddly, I am less terrified of the possibility of a shark attack that seeing a whale. I am absolutely terrified of whales, as illogical that is. I did think that it was interesting that this is what the book and movie about Jaws was based on. I didn't realize it was based on an actual historical event. The book was well researched, and the story flow made it easy to stay interested in. I would recommend this book for people interested in disaster or crisis books, as well as those who are fans of the Jaws franchise.
This book was pretty interesting. I love the ocean, and I am aware that sharks are out there and some do attack people. Oddly, I am less terrified of the possibility of a shark attack that seeing a whale. I am absolutely terrified of whales, as illogical that is. I did think that it was interesting that this is what the book and movie about Jaws was based on. I didn't realize it was based on an actual historical event. The book was well researched, and the story flow made it easy to stay interested in. I would recommend this book for people interested in disaster or crisis books, as well as those who are fans of the Jaws franchise.