first line: "One one of our last car trips, near the end of my father's life as a man, we stopped by a river, and we took a walk to its banks, where we sat in the shade of an old oak tree."

I have a hard time separating this book from the movie adaptation, which I saw first, so that strongly colors my review. I enjoyed the book, though this is one of those rare cases in which I'm fonder of the movie. Granted, I'm a sucker for Tim Burton's aesthetic. But it's more than that.

The book left me a little cold...possibly because I found the written Ed Bloom less charming...less sympathetic...than the one on the screen; the movie focuses more on the mythologized man, while the book insists on showing you the man behind the curtain. And while I guess that makes for better literature, I have to admit to missing that magic. ( )

I thought the book had some very poignant ideas about nature of myth and the death of legends, or what we consider to be legends. I had to trudge a little in the middle, to be honest, and I don't think I'll ever read it again. ( )

Big Fish tells the story of a father and a son. Edward Bloom is dying and his son William is trying to say his goodbyes to him, a father he feels he barely knows. Edward has always seemed hidden from him behind his never ending stories and jokes. He was away a lot and was not always faithful to his wife. William is struggling to understand the man who has been his father and form a bond with him before it is too late.

Many of Edward's mini stories and it seems he is something of a legend. He has bought a town, saved his sons life twice, commmunicated with animals and nearly caught a giant catfish swimming in the lake. You spend time wondering which tales are fact, which are fiction and which are a mixture of the two and wondering whether ultimately it really matters. It ends with William telling his story of his fathers death and how it transformed him. Here he has learnt what his father has been trying to teach him: persevernce, ambition, personailty, optimism, strength, intelligence and imagination. Much of it looks at Edward feeling like abig fish in a very small pond and wanting to escape and make thebest of himself. This is also something he wants to pass on to his son.

I have not seen the film so I cannot say if was adapted well. The novel though was well written in short, seemingly easy to digest chapters. It is one that stays in the mind and the different stories within it chase each others tails. It was very surreal in places and I think this is one that will grow on me with a second and third reading. It is a very difficult book to describe and summarise in all honesty, but like I said it is one that stays in the mind long after the last page has been finished which can only be a good thing. ( )

I think I didn't enjoy this book very much because i saw the movie before i read the book. I thought the characters were more interesting in the movie than the book. However if you do want to read it I suggest you read the book before you see the movie. ( )

For the first time in a long time, I have read a book after seeing the film! I usually tend to avoid doing just this, as I find films place very set images in my mind, which make it difficult for me to imagine characters when reading the book.

Because of this, I perhaps did not enjoy this book as much as I would have, had I not already seen the film. I loved the film. Though I love anything Tim Burton creates, so that may not be saying much! Burton's use of colour and imagery are always stunning and imaginative.

Daniel Wallace's Big Fish is just as imaginative, but not quite what I expected. Our narrator is William Bloom, son of Edward Bloom, the titular "Big Fish". Edward is dying, and his son seeks a finally chance to truly know the man, who has spent his entire life telling fantastic stories rather than truths. Edward's life has been a colourful one, full of magnificent tales, but William has trouble separating the truths from the fiction. Throughout the tales, Edward's death is revealed in four different chapters, each bringing us a little closer to the old man's true self. Even at the end, Edward's stories are still fanciful and William's sense of frustration is palpable. However, I felt drawn to the old man and his stories, and the ending was very sad yet heart-warming.

Full of tall tales and extraordinary adventures, Big Fish is a beautiful, magical and charming read. Very much a fairy tale for adults. Highly recommended. ( )