Reviews

Giant by Edna Ferber

tittypete's review against another edition

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2.0

Texas, Texas rootin' tootin' Texas! This is a book about a woman who marries a man from Texas and she moves down there to listen to people talk about how awesome Texas is for the rest of her fucking life. And that's all they do. They get racist, "Yew jist don't understand Texas!" They gross her out with nasty food, "Yew jist ain't used to Texas!" They mock her for walking, "Why cain't yew Texas!" Every character is fucking super annoying except maybe Uncle Bally. Very little seems to happen other than a simmering rivalry between two annoying characters and the accidental death of another. Texas Texas Texas-y Texas!

louise56637's review against another edition

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5.0

Fascinating read and still pertinent to the world we live in!

maryehavens's review against another edition

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4.0

The beginning was a bit offensive. I guess it was supposed to be a satire but it just ended up coming off as pretentious. The East Coast snobbery and five dollar words were difficult to get used to.
When Ferber took the novel back to Leslie and Bick's beginnings, it became interesting.
The novel, at it's core, is a reflection on the changes of a country from one man's point of view. It was difficult to read about the oppression of Mexicans but it also makes a lot of sense. That part of Texas gets pushed aside too easily.
I hope I get to see the movie. I saw it once a long time ago and it deserves another watch.

colorfulleo92's review against another edition

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4.0

The movie that is based on this book stars James Dean, One of My grandmother's favorite back in the day and I liked to imagine that she had watched it on cinema as she loved to do so much.
Anywho the book it self was very engaging and intriguing to read. Not the most action packed story but the characters where very intriguing to listen about and I was somehow always curious what was going to happen next

riddlemewhit's review against another edition

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2.0

I liked the concept behind this book and the story idea, but I felt the book was boring. There was no climax and the book just seemed to go on and on without a real central problem.

The beginning of the book was confusing as well because all of the characters were introduced at once. Also, the grammar (no use of commas) made it a difficult read.

emmk's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ihavenouseforit's review against another edition

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hopeful informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

louisds's review against another edition

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3.0

J'ai bien aimé cette ambiance et ces personnages. L'histoire est très fragmentée et c'est sans doute voulu. Mais j'ai quand même espoir que tout va d'éclaircir dans le tome II, comme le laissent présager les dernières pages.

novelesque_life's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 STARS

"This sweeping tale captures the essence of Texas on a staggering scale as it chronicles the life and times of cattleman Jordan "Bick" Benedict, his naive young society wife, Leslie, and three generations of land-rich sons. A sensational story of power, love, cattle barons, and oil tycoons." (From Amazon)

I saw George Steven's sweeping epic with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson many moons ago and the story stayed with me. Once I found out there was a book OMG - I was in heaven. The book is a bit different than the movie and in someways a bit better. Faber's novels have been turned into many films back in the 40-60s.

sjmaxa's review against another edition

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4.0

Epic tale -- can't wait to see the movie now!