Reviews

Having never see the movie, yet hearing all the hype, I had much higher expectations for this book. As a thriller, it lacked suspense and tension... And I'm a whimp when it comes to scary stories.

The book is problematic. I tried to read it with the mindset that it is a product of its time, but it was hard to ignore the racism, misogyny, and homophobia.

The book wasn't well balanced: too much time was spent on developing the relationship between Ellen and Hooper, and not enough on the real story of the politics of the town. Benchley started plot lines, but never played any of them out in any meaningful way.

My favourite characters in this book were Quint and the shark. They were the only redeeming qualities that kept me interested. It's a quick, nostalgic read.

phedrebelle's review against another edition

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It's rare that I just give up on a book and don't finish, but this one has not aged well. The fact that the most detail seems to be put into how Ellen Brody got ready to cheat on her husband and then her conversation at lunch was enough for me. It's not the fact of what she was talking about, it's the way all the women seem to be written with little thought or depth. I will not be finishing this one.

sarosa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

tiffanie39e8e's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

bhalstead04's review against another edition

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2.0

I love this movie!! It's one of my all time favorites. Most of the time books are better than movies... HANDS DOWN! This book fell short, I mean really short for me.

The end of the book is great. The beginning and the middle is more about Brody and Ellen's bad marriage. There is a huge chunk of the book dedicated to Ellen's affair with Hooper...???

The book as a whole was DISAPPOINTING!

blairsatellite's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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