Jaws

Jaws by Peter Benchley is not the creature feature I expected. In fact, the shark plays a surprisingly small role in the novel and could almost be replaced by any natural disaster, crisis, or threat facing the town. The real focus of the book is Martin Brody. Everything in the story, from the town politics to the relationships to the shark itself, is filtered through how it affects Brody and his life.

As a first novel, Jaws is an interesting read because you can almost watch Benchley grow as a writer over the course of the book. The writing becomes stronger as it goes along, and there is a noticeable difference between the early and later sections. Part One and Part Two often feel like entirely different novels. The first half is largely show more concerned with establishing the town, its social structure, and Brody's personal life, while the shark frequently fades into the background.

Readers should also remember that this novel was published in 1974. Many of the attitudes, expectations, and character dynamics reflect that era and may feel dated or unusual to a modern audience. Some character motivations, particularly regarding relationships and gender roles, felt more rooted in the early 1970s than timeless human behavior.

What ultimately kept this from being a higher-rated book for me was its structure. Benchley introduces a number of interesting ideas and plot threads, including town politics, economic pressures, corruption, marriage, class differences, and the shark itself, but many of them are left unresolved or only partially explored. By the end, I found myself asking "That's it?" rather than feeling that the story had reached a satisfying conclusion. The ending feels abrupt, and for a novel so focused on Brody's character, I was surprised by how little emotional or thematic resolution he receives.

There is certainly value here, particularly as a snapshot of a first-time novelist finding his voice and as a fascinating companion piece to the much more famous film adaptation. Just don't go into it expecting the novel version of the movie. This is far more of a character study and small-town drama than a traditional shark thriller.

**Rating: 3.5/5** show less

About a year ago, I watched the Steven Spielberg movie Jaws for the first time in over a decade. Expecting mostly a nostalgia rush or some cud to chew on, I found myself thinking, with some surprise, "this is actually a damn good movie". A rather obvious thing to think, you might say, but it's easy to take Jaws, and other childhood staples like it, for granted. Particularly as, in our contemporary CGI-superhero-reboot-dumb-it-down-and-sell-it-to-China era, structure and storytelling don't seem to be much of a priority among Hollywood filmmakers. I had a similar response to Peter Benchley's Jaws, the source novel for Spielberg's film (Benchley was also a co-writer for the script). I didn't expect much, but I wasn't that far into it show more before I found myself thinking, with some surprise, "this is actually a damn good story".

It is, I admit, deservedly overshadowed by its film adaptation, which is superior in just about every way. Even leaving aside those things Benchley cannot compete with (such as John Williams' iconic score), the film scores higher. Spielberg said he didn't like any of the book's characters – Brody, Hooper or Quint – and so fleshed them out for the film. He also kept the shark hidden from the audience, building suspense (famously, this was done out of necessity, because the mechanical shark prop kept breaking during filming). None of the film's iconic lines (such as the "bigger boat" one) come from Benchley's novel – though the equally iconic book cover/movie poster does.

The film also omits some of the novel's pointless subplots, such as the mayor's dealings with the mafia and Hooper's affair with Brody's wife. The latter is a particularly unwelcome presence in the novel, not only because Ellen Brody's long inner monologue keeps us from the shark action, but because Hooper's side-smirk cuckolding of Brody sours any later shark-hunting camaraderie they might have had. That camaraderie is particularly well done in the film, in no small part due to Spielberg's altering of the characters, but also because of incredible scenes like the Indianapolis monologue – a conspicuous absence here. In the novel, Brody, Hooper and Quint are too much at each other's throats.

Jaws the novel is by no means a masterpiece, but it is tight. The writing isn't literary, but it's clean and easy to read. The characters aren't astonishing, but they keep us engaged. The plot is direct and thrilling – and well-paced. The novel commits more to the effect the shark attacks have on the Amity townspeople, which is welcome from a literary perspective, and if the novel's cod-Moby Dick ending is inferior to the film version, it still comes across well in print. Benchley allows his talent to come through in bursts; the opening scene in particular is great writing. At no point was I wanting to read anything else, or even do anything else.

Jaws looks and sounds like a crummy potboiler, but – and you might laugh – this was one of the most intelligent novels I've read in a good while. It doesn't have any literary pretensions, and though it has literary potential, Benchley doesn't sound those depths. By intelligent, I mean: situation, character, pace and prose. The story follows three varied characters in a thrilling situation and tells it with good pace and a clean, easy writing style. That's intelligent, to me – particularly as most 'crowd-pleasers' and 'thrillers' tend to be obsessively curated and manipulated, choking out any originality. Jaws is different: Benchley didn't expect it to be much of a success, so he just wrote a good story and it was a hit – a natural hit. I've realised that Jaws would have been a great read, even memorable, had the film never existed – as hard as it is to imagine a world without the world's first summer blockbuster and enduring pop-culture phenomenon. It's just one of those stories that hits a sweet spot, and it's hard to imagine what dull, unpromising roads we would have taken had Benchley not written it. show less

I enjoyed this no end. Compared to the film, I liked the more explicit examination of the impact of tourism on the people of Amity, as well as the deeper focus on the characters and their motivations. I love the film, but the novel feels more of a human exploration of corruption, jealousy, insecurity, and the quiet tensions that exist within the goldfish bowl of small-town America.

When I saw this book pop up on Audible , I had to listen to it! I first read the book my freshman year of high school...and have watched every single movie multiple times (even the horrible 3D one!). There is just something about a monster shark story. I enjoy them all! From Jaws to Sharknado to The Meg -- it's a way for me to encounter something that scares me (being eaten alive is a pretty scary thought!) without actually being in danger.

I enjoyed re-reading the novel that started my love of Killer Shark tales. Revisiting it as an adult, rather than a 14 year old teen, gave me some new insights into the characters. The Sheriff and his wife's marital issues....an affair based on need, nostalgia and bitterness....small town political show more drama. I didn't understand most of that when I read this as a kid....but I certainly did this time. And the shark was the same toothy eating machine he has always been. Oh hey look a surfer --- MUNCH! lol

The beach and the ocean are two of my favorite places to visit. But, the ocean and the creatures in it are also unpredictable and sometimes frightening. The shark didn't mean it personally ..... it's in its basic nature to hunt and kill. That is its purpose. I can't fault a creature for following its inner programming...but I can avoid it. I still remember vividly a trip to Spain I took with a school group in 1984. We were happily paddle boating and swimming at Torremolinos, when it dawned on me that I couldn't see my feet. We were in deep water. Beautiful blue...the white sand beach in the distance. But......what was swimming near me, under me.....??? I got back in the boat. Immediately. Why? THIS BOOK!!

I listened to the audio book version of this story. The audio is just over 9.5 hours long and narrated by Erik Steele. Steele has a pleasant voice and did a great job of bringing the story to life. An entertaining listening experience! I'm now going to watch the movie again. The movie version differs from the book, but the plot is basically intact. They just removed the affair and some of the sub plot to make time for more munching and screaming. The movie has one of the best, and most recognizable, theme songs ever! :)

And, I will also admit that thanks to Peter Benchley, I still get nervous when I swim in the ocean and realize I'm in deep enough that I can't see my feet. I always head for shore at that point.... :) show less

This is tough. Jaws is a 4-star book. Hands down. The writing, the dialogue, the story are all really well done and I thoroughly enjoyed Parts 1 and 3.
But... Part 2 was practically another book entirely. Like a mildly smutty affair romance bookended by shark attacks. I was sooooo confused! Flirtation turns into a secret rendezvous that involves discussing sexual fantasies (and they are NOT good). And then acting on them. It's like Benchley's editor said he needed to appeal to the female reader pool as well, and this was his response. It did not fit the rest of the story at all. So if/when I reread this, I'll skip Part 2 altogether.
What's worse is all I kept thinking is: Steven Spielberg read this.

The book that spawned the famous movie is actually surprisingly good -Benchley is more than a compenent writer.

Unlike the movie, the book does not focus so much on the "terror of the beast". Instead, it examines the effect that the shark killings have on the community of the small Atlantic island off the coast of the US. This community is totally dependant on its summer tourism revenue and there is interesting dynamics going on between the local population and the usually wealthy summer guests, including a romance.

If it had been written today, it would have been more character driven still, but nevertheless, the main point is - it's about people and their community, not about the shark.

This edition includes the author's foreword, show more written fairly recently. In it, he expresses regret in portraying the shark as a killing monster and urges people to learn about ocean conservation. I thought that was pretty cool. show less

This is the book that launched the film that made us all afraid to go in the water! (And don't tell me that you can't instantly come up with John WIlliam's ominous theme music!)

Having seen the film multiple times (and having experienced the "ride" at Universal Studios,) I wasn't expecting too much to be surprising in the novel. I was wrong. Although the movie's plot follows the book fairly faithfully, what I was surprised with was the amount of tension that I felt while reading the book even though I mostly knew how things would turn out.

Peter Benchley's prose is not overly descriptive, but powerful in it's simplicity. His characters are realistic and believable and he masterfully builds the tension and suspense throughout his tale show more giving the audience many big moments leading up to a powerful crescendo at the end.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this familiar tale even more than I anticipated and will definitely be checking out more of Peter Benchley's work in the near future. show less