Jaws - Peter Benchley

If you have seen the film, then be poised for a slightly different take with the novel. Is it best to do a comparison or to treat each as a separate entity. well, considering the success of the film and the fact most people will have watched Jaws, it is difficult to approach the novel without referring to the film. We all know the story, a killer great white arrives in Amity and starts attacking the beachgoers in the midst of their summer season. The Mayor wants to keep the beach open and the weary Chief Brody wants to close the beach and get everyone up on dry land. The novel chooses to focus a lot more on relationships. There is careful exploration of ...  Read the complete review

I picked up my copy of Jaws for 10 pence second hand somewhere, and it even came with authentic tooth marks, although I think they might be dog rather than shark. Anyway, I loved the film, so at next to nothing I though I'd give the book a try - much preferable to seeing the film after reading the book, as I usually find myself disgusted with what been done to a much loved favourite. The story will be familiar to anyone who has seen the film, but adds a lot more (some of which Spielberg wasn't happy about putting on film). The book delves much deeper in to the politics only hinted at on the screen, contains some subplots that were completely missed ...  Read the complete review