Jaws - Peter Benchley

Jaws

By Peter Benchley

  • Release Date: 1981-07-01
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4
4
From 450 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The shark-versus-man classic that inspired the blockbuster Steven Spielberg movie—now in a fiftieth anniversary edition with an exclusive foreword from the author’s wife, renowned ocean conservation advocate Wendy Benchley

“A tightly written, tautly paced study of terror.”—The Washington Post


A great white shark terrorizes the beautiful summer getaway of Amity Island, and a motley group of men take to the water to do battle with the beast. A heart-pounding novel of suspense and a brilliant meditation on the nature of humanity, Jaws is one of the most iconic thrillers ever written. 

In addition to Wendy Benchley’s foreword, this edition features bonus content from Peter Benchley’s archives, including the manuscript’s original typed title page, a brainstorming list of possible titles, a letter from Benchley to film producer David Brown with candid feedback on the movie adaptation, and excerpts from Benchley’s book Shark Trouble, highlighting his firsthand account of writing Jaws, selling it to Universal Studios, and working with Steven Spielberg.

After writing Jaws in the early 1970s, Peter Benchley was actively engaged with scientists and filmmakers, and over the ensuing decades, joined many expeditions around the world as they expanded their knowledge of sharks and shark behavior. He encouraged each new generation of Jaws fans to enjoy his riveting tale and to channel their excitement into support and protection of these magnificent prehistoric apex predators.

Reviews

  • Dun dun…. dun.. dun

    4
    By Ayden gamer
    Overall, I thought the book was very well written and it elaborated on details the movie did not. The book itself had much more deaths and those deaths were more brutal. It was very interesting to see Hopper and Brody at each other’s necks. I did not however, like the affair between Hopper and Ellen- it didn’t add anything more to the plot and would’ve been good without it. The ending (spoilers) was also very interesting in the fact that the shark simply just dies- moments before getting a hold of Brody. If you are a fan of the movie I would highly recommend reading the book, in my opinion I enjoyed the movie more because it featured more time out on the Orca. The book itself didn’t have too much time on the Orca-but the time it did have was done well.
  • Very good book

    4
    By Kmorales27
    I like reading old school books like this the way they are written, brings nostalgic memories for me, even though I’m only dirty and this book is way older than I am really enjoyed reading this one
  • Movie much Better

    2
    By DSB111
    I’m sure glad they ignored most of the book when they made the movie! Tedious read at best.
  • Loved it!

    5
    By nautique28
    Absolutely amazing. So much of it is like the film yet so much is different.
  • Dated, but that’s to be expected

    4
    By Amigo73
    Still a thrilling read.
  • Jaws

    5
    By The Admiral 37
    Great book.
  • Jaws book vs movie

    3
    By stone crap
    The novel Jaws is significantly different than the Academy Award winning movie. Although the author is also credited with the screenplay along with Carl Gottlieb, there are stark differences that I think make the movie a much better story.
  • This book is terrible....

    1
    By Mattjboh
    I am so happy the movie took the liberties it did with the story because the book has almost zero likable characters and how it became so popular is a mystery....
  • Smile you son of a shark

    5
    By gabe donovan
    Better than the movie . More deaths . Affairs . Hopper as the bad guy. And the shark being the shark .
  • Jaws

    5
    By God USA
    Jaws