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childofmongreldogs's review against another edition
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Wow, another book that's worse than the movie on multiple levels. I felt like I struck gold reading a cult classic (or maybe just classic?) horror with The Stepford Wives. I hoped to do the same here, but no. The movie was just a better overall piece of fiction than this book.
While I don't agree with the assessment that the majority of the book seems tied up in the town instead of the shark (or the fish, as is more commonly used in the book), there's a lot of distracting elements that are pretty much one and done and take up far too much space for what they are.
A brief overview of what I came into reading this book: giant shark terrorizes tourist town by the ocean that's in danger of completely dying off if the shark isn't taken care of. The sheriff, an ichthyologist, and a rough and tumble fisherman/shark killer for hire take on the shark. Subplots includeinfidelity and the mafia involvement.
I definitely disliked this book. It's hella dated all things considered. A lot of random throw-aways when it comes to calling people dykes, faggots, and weird ideas about women as well as some casual racism. I think this sort of stuff probably would fly in the 70s when this was written, but it's just cringey and uncomfortable now. Pretty much every time something like that happens, it's super unnecessary and seems to be humorous? Or tries to be anyways.
There's a line where one of the shop owners says that he "might start a race riot" because he has to choose between two new hires now because he can't justify two. When asked who he will pick, "the black one and thank god the white one isn't a Jew". Jesus fucking Christ.
The wife of the sheriff has around 50 pages where she's fucking the ichthyologist behind her husband's back and they have a lovely conversation where she says that all schoolgirl's have a secret dream of being prostitutes so they can have sex with as many men as possible and she has the very common desire to be raped but don't worry, it's not too crazy! She, and I quote, "some women have fantasies about being raped by black men, but I never have."
Did I mention that the guy she cuckholds her husband with was the baby brother of a guy she used to date and she's a decade older than him, obsessive about him (until she's done with him and realizes she loves her husband, actually, of course), and that she knew him when he was nine years old? Disgusting. I almost believe the author just hated women, considering she's the only woman who says more than a handful of lines and actually has some degree of character development who is a woman.
My main gripe here is that there's a lot in this book that is so totally unnecessary and, most importantly, detracts from the narrative and the tension being built up. This book has three parts. The first is really strong because it introduces the shark and the problems of the town. It introduces the main character and some of the themes that will continue to come up. It offers up a certain mystery and has quite a bit of action and suspense.
The second part is where this truly goes off the rails. It's where we see the adultery plotline which seems to only be around to make sure the readers really enjoythe moment that Hooper, the ichthyologist, is eaten by the shark. Otherwise it's pretty unnecessary and it's written in such a disgusting way. Pretty much all of it was gross on many levels. The mafia plotline justifies why certain characters acted the way they did, but it introduced an idea that essentially goes nowhere and has not much to the plot other than a reason for the sheriff to open up the beach very briefly. Even more so, it added a weirdly cruel animal death that, once again, was just so unnecessary. I get it that this book is gory as hell and you know it as soon as you step in, but it seemed so weird to include it.
The third part is where the plot actually kicks in again and there's character tension, suspense, and action as the three of them actually hunt the shark. I've heard some people say that the ending is a cliffhanger. Well, not really. The resolution of the actual plot is pretty much done. The only thing that's left out is the sheriff getting back home which is implied to be the case, I think. Plus, he already seemed to be nonplussed by the idea that his wife cuckholded him and the mafia plotline should be done with since the beach will reopen.
Were there any strengths here? I think the author is highly readable, definitely. The characters are highly unlikable but that seems to be the point. There was good characterization there and it made them very distinct. Yes, even Ellen, the Sheriff's wife. There was good culture clash as well and in a different book or written in a different way, it might have been interesting. The clash between the summer people and the locals is an interesting concept but it really isn't done much justice because the only vehicle for it was through Ellen. She was made so unsympathetic in every way, from being essentially a harpy, a hypocrite (anyone else want to scream when she said the sheriff didn't love her?), and a degenerate. The action was good, the initial suspense was good, and the overall plot was fine.
While I don't agree with the assessment that the majority of the book seems tied up in the town instead of the shark (or the fish, as is more commonly used in the book), there's a lot of distracting elements that are pretty much one and done and take up far too much space for what they are.
A brief overview of what I came into reading this book: giant shark terrorizes tourist town by the ocean that's in danger of completely dying off if the shark isn't taken care of. The sheriff, an ichthyologist, and a rough and tumble fisherman/shark killer for hire take on the shark. Subplots include
I definitely disliked this book. It's hella dated all things considered. A lot of random throw-aways when it comes to calling people dykes, faggots, and weird ideas about women as well as some casual racism. I think this sort of stuff probably would fly in the 70s when this was written, but it's just cringey and uncomfortable now. Pretty much every time something like that happens, it's super unnecessary and seems to be humorous? Or tries to be anyways.
There's a line where one of the shop owners says that he "might start a race riot" because he has to choose between two new hires now because he can't justify two. When asked who he will pick, "the black one and thank god the white one isn't a Jew". Jesus fucking Christ.
The wife of the sheriff has around 50 pages where she's fucking the ichthyologist behind her husband's back and they have a lovely conversation where she says that all schoolgirl's have a secret dream of being prostitutes so they can have sex with as many men as possible and she has the very common desire to be raped but don't worry, it's not too crazy! She, and I quote, "some women have fantasies about being raped by black men, but I never have."
Did I mention that the guy she cuckholds her husband with was the baby brother of a guy she used to date and she's a decade older than him, obsessive about him (until she's done with him and realizes she loves her husband, actually, of course), and that she knew him when he was nine years old? Disgusting. I almost believe the author just hated women, considering she's the only woman who says more than a handful of lines and actually has some degree of character development who is a woman.
My main gripe here is that there's a lot in this book that is so totally unnecessary and, most importantly, detracts from the narrative and the tension being built up. This book has three parts. The first is really strong because it introduces the shark and the problems of the town. It introduces the main character and some of the themes that will continue to come up. It offers up a certain mystery and has quite a bit of action and suspense.
The second part is where this truly goes off the rails. It's where we see the adultery plotline which seems to only be around to make sure the readers really enjoy
The third part is where the plot actually kicks in again and there's character tension, suspense, and action as the three of them actually hunt the shark. I've heard some people say that the ending is a cliffhanger. Well, not really. The resolution of the actual plot is pretty much done. The only thing that's left out is the sheriff getting back home which is implied to be the case, I think. Plus, he already seemed to be nonplussed by the idea that his wife cuckholded him and the mafia plotline should be done with since the beach will reopen.
Were there any strengths here? I think the author is highly readable, definitely. The characters are highly unlikable but that seems to be the point. There was good characterization there and it made them very distinct. Yes, even Ellen, the Sheriff's wife. There was good culture clash as well and in a different book or written in a different way, it might have been interesting. The clash between the summer people and the locals is an interesting concept but it really isn't done much justice because the only vehicle for it was through Ellen. She was made so unsympathetic in every way, from being essentially a harpy, a hypocrite (anyone else want to scream when she said the sheriff didn't love her?), and a degenerate. The action was good, the initial suspense was good, and the overall plot was fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Classism
doomluz's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Had some dated casual racism and sexism. Kind of cheesy, but also had some creepy parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia
odrib's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Rape, and Lesbophobia
madeyesjojo's review against another edition
Terrible misogyny, clunky dialogue, too much cheating wife, not enough shark.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, and Sexism
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual assault
razmatesz's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
The opening scene is one of the most haunting and thrilling I have ever read/listened to. Really, all the scenes with “the fish” are amazing. Very well written and suspenseful.
However, keeping in mind that this book was published in 1974, the explicit sexism and racism is so unnecessary (yes, even for the 70s) and really impacted my experience. Props to Spielberg, who definitely knew what to leave out and keep in when he created the motion picture.
However, keeping in mind that this book was published in 1974, the explicit sexism and racism is so unnecessary (yes, even for the 70s) and really impacted my experience. Props to Spielberg, who definitely knew what to leave out and keep in when he created the motion picture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, and Sexism
Moderate: Racism and Rape
bookswithlauren's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
To say I am disappointed in this book is an understatement. The shark wasn't even the main focus of the book!
I adore sharks and shark movies, especially the Jaws franchise, and yet, I had never read the book before. Having read the book now, I appreciate all the changes Steven Spielberg made for the movie adaptation so much more. I understand Jaws was written in 1974 and I have tried to keep that in mind but the movie came out the following year and all the problematic issues from the book had been taken out and the plot line had been improved greatly, so although it was a different time back then, Spielberg still made those much needed changes.
I adore sharks and shark movies, especially the Jaws franchise, and yet, I had never read the book before. Having read the book now, I appreciate all the changes Steven Spielberg made for the movie adaptation so much more. I understand Jaws was written in 1974 and I have tried to keep that in mind but the movie came out the following year and all the problematic issues from the book had been taken out and the plot line had been improved greatly, so although it was a different time back then, Spielberg still made those much needed changes.
The first issue I have with the book is the homophobic language: within the first few pages we see homophobic slurs being used to describe a group of men. Again, further into the story, more homophobic slurs being used against a girl who lives on the island.
Secondly, the sexist language, remarks and behaviours were just ridiculous. The descriptions of the female characters and women on the beach from the male characters point of view were disgusting. After the first shark attack the mayor of the town wanted to over ride the cause of death concluded by the coroner to a potential suicide on the basis that the girl may have been on her period at the time of swimming in the water and therefore, asking to be attacked by a shark. I could not have rolled my eyes more heavily at this scene. There was the very stereotypical dominant male theme throughout the book: husband makes the rules, belittles the wife, makes crude and abusive remarks, threatens physical abuse, doting wife is tempted by the new, smart guy in town and has a brief affair with him.
There was unnecessary focus placed on the corrupt police department on the island: treating rape like an inconvenience and covering it up. The whole book glorified rape, racism and rape and rape fantasies to be perfectly honest. One of the main characters was possibly raped throughout the story and it was written as a sordid affair and fantasy of a housewife, which again, was just an unnecessary added plot line.
Another thing that just ruined the story for me was the introduction of the mafia into the story... yes, you read the correctly. The mafia had a hand in all the shark attacks because they were forcing the town mayor to keep the public beaches open because he was in debt to them and they did not want money, they wanted favours, in the form of keeping public beaches open...
Lastly, there was so much unnecessary killing and torturing of sharks and other animals for enjoyment throughout the book. It was disgusting to read, in great detail, the injuring and suffering of the sharks and other animals at the hands of the main characters in this book.
What was the main plotline of Jaws? Was it the mafia infiltrating a small seaside town? Was it the decline of a marriage resulting in an affair? Was it a corrupt police department? Because it definitely was not the shark. The chase to catch the shark lasted two chapters and in the end, the shark just died randomly, 2ft away from Chief Brody, mouth open, ready to attack. An even more disappointing ending to a disappointing book.
Honestly, Steven Spielberg made some much needed changes for the film adaptation and I am so glad he did. He turned a badly written book into an iconic, well written and directed movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
kdailyreads's review against another edition
This book had way too much racist, sexist, and homophobic content for me. And not enough focus on the shark! A rare case of the movie absolutely being better than the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual content
brookey8888's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
2.5
I’m sad I didn’t like this. I don’t know if the characters are supposed to be unlikable but I literally hated all of them. The few shark parts were good and kind of creepy, but other then that I was just annoyed and rolling my eyes.
What I didn’t like
Weirdly mentioning a black man raping rich white women multiple times(had nothing to do with the plot)Brought it up again because it’s bad for tourism
the weird sexual talk about children
Cheating (I listen to the audiobook and I swear there was an hour chapter of a wife cheating on her husband)
Weird sexual things(i’m looking shaming but there was taco CNC which is fine but I feel weird when a man writes it just for I don’t know I just didn’t think it was well Done)
Hardly any shark action(there was about three scenes before they went after the shark and even then they were like very short)
Racism and antisemitic just casual
Fat phobia
Character said I don’t care if he’s out laying girls scouts(like those are children sir).
What I didn’t like
Weirdly mentioning a black man raping rich white women multiple times(had nothing to do with the plot)Brought it up again because it’s bad for tourism
the weird sexual talk about children
Cheating (I listen to the audiobook and I swear there was an hour chapter of a wife cheating on her husband)
Weird sexual things(i’m looking shaming but there was taco CNC which is fine but I feel weird when a man writes it just for I don’t know I just didn’t think it was well Done)
Hardly any shark action(there was about three scenes before they went after the shark and even then they were like very short)
Racism and antisemitic just casual
Fat phobia
Character said I don’t care if he’s out laying girls scouts(like those are children sir).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
emmaward55's review against another edition
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? Yes
1.0
Fuck this book and fuck Benchley tbh.
His treatment of the female characters of Jaws is ghastly. The further I read, the more obvious it became that the late Peter Benchley thought of women as mere victims for men to abuse as they please and without consequence. We see this at first with our ‘hero’ police chief Brody covering up serial rapes with no negative consequences or moral qualms over his actions.
This barely scratches the surface, however, as about halfway through the book Brody's wife, Ellen, cheats on him with another man. Ellen seduces Hooper with an elaborate 'schoolgirl' rape fantasy that was detailed enough to almost send me into a panic attack. The details of her imagination may be repulsive, but worse than that is her conviction that she would secretly enjoy it, even orgasm, and her belief that other women share this fantasy. This nauseating theme carries through to the culmination of Ellen and Hooper’s affair, where the violence of the intercourse is described as "assaulting" Ellen and Hooper doesn't even look at Ellen, let alone speak to or acknowledge her. She is simply an object for him to abuse until he is satisfied.
Brody himself treats his wife no better, getting blindingly drunk at a party they're hosting and criticising and insulting Ellen all night and in front of their guests, later making her cry. He also considers beating her once he discovers her affair, but decides not to as it "won't do any good". Despite this, Ellen comes to the conclusion that she's lucky to have Brody and that she is still in love with him.
With all this being said, there was a way that Benchley could have written these events without it seeming like a rapist's sexual fantasies put to paper. The book has no awareness of (and therefore makes no commentary on) how it treats its female characters. The men who do these awful things never face consequences for their actions. Rape is glorified, whilst mentions of the survivors are avoided, focusing only on the attackers and the fantasy of the 'ideal victim', who want to be brutalised and who would make the experience all the more enjoyable for the attacker. Brody becomes a hero, his wife rekindles her loyalty to him and we as readers have no reason to think that Brody won't cover up the crimes of the next rapist to walk into town. After all, we already know who Brody will choose to protect when the choice is between the female population of the town and the town itself. I really do believe that this could have been handled in a nuanced way, perhaps with the survivors of the serial rapist coming forward and furthering the message that covering up crimes hurts the town more in the long-term.
Regardless, the narrative that we're left with is the definition of rape culture. The whole thing left me disgusted, angry, and profoundly disappointed. Benchley died in 2006, so we can never really know why he wrote about rape in this manner, but it matters. It matters that his book made it to print with that content. Jaws is a huge part of cultural (especially film) history and as long as we continue to discuss it, we should also acknowledge this unforgivable flaw. After all, it is an integral to the narrative as the eponymous shark itself.
TL;DR: The film is better.
His treatment of the female characters of Jaws is ghastly. The further I read, the more obvious it became that the late Peter Benchley thought of women as mere victims for men to abuse as they please and without consequence. We see this at first with our ‘hero’ police chief Brody covering up serial rapes with no negative consequences or moral qualms over his actions.
This barely scratches the surface, however, as about halfway through the book Brody's wife, Ellen, cheats on him with another man. Ellen seduces Hooper with an elaborate 'schoolgirl' rape fantasy that was detailed enough to almost send me into a panic attack. The details of her imagination may be repulsive, but worse than that is her conviction that she would secretly enjoy it, even orgasm, and her belief that other women share this fantasy. This nauseating theme carries through to the culmination of Ellen and Hooper’s affair, where the violence of the intercourse is described as "assaulting" Ellen and Hooper doesn't even look at Ellen, let alone speak to or acknowledge her. She is simply an object for him to abuse until he is satisfied.
Brody himself treats his wife no better, getting blindingly drunk at a party they're hosting and criticising and insulting Ellen all night and in front of their guests, later making her cry. He also considers beating her once he discovers her affair, but decides not to as it "won't do any good". Despite this, Ellen comes to the conclusion that she's lucky to have Brody and that she is still in love with him.
With all this being said, there was a way that Benchley could have written these events without it seeming like a rapist's sexual fantasies put to paper. The book has no awareness of (and therefore makes no commentary on) how it treats its female characters. The men who do these awful things never face consequences for their actions. Rape is glorified, whilst mentions of the survivors are avoided, focusing only on the attackers and the fantasy of the 'ideal victim', who want to be brutalised and who would make the experience all the more enjoyable for the attacker. Brody becomes a hero, his wife rekindles her loyalty to him and we as readers have no reason to think that Brody won't cover up the crimes of the next rapist to walk into town. After all, we already know who Brody will choose to protect when the choice is between the female population of the town and the town itself. I really do believe that this could have been handled in a nuanced way, perhaps with the survivors of the serial rapist coming forward and furthering the message that covering up crimes hurts the town more in the long-term.
Regardless, the narrative that we're left with is the definition of rape culture. The whole thing left me disgusted, angry, and profoundly disappointed. Benchley died in 2006, so we can never really know why he wrote about rape in this manner, but it matters. It matters that his book made it to print with that content. Jaws is a huge part of cultural (especially film) history and as long as we continue to discuss it, we should also acknowledge this unforgivable flaw. After all, it is an integral to the narrative as the eponymous shark itself.
TL;DR: The film is better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Vomit, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Racism, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Also a straight man lies about a lesbian in a committed relationship with another woman wanting to 'try it straight' and have sex with him. We the readers know that his only interaction with her was a polite conversation at a dinner party and she never expresses any such desire.