Book Review: Jaws by Peter Benchley

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Venganza Media, Inc.

Tv & Film:film Reviews, Film Reviews, Film Interviews, Tv & Film, Film History

4.5 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 March 2011

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Just when you thought it was safe to read on the beach! Books & Nachos is now part of Now Playing Podcast. Before our book reviews were branded as Now Playing Podcast Book Reviews, they were released under a separate show called Books & Nachos. That podcast focused on book discussions, most of which tied directly into films we were covering on Now Playing Podcast. We’ve now merged those episodes into the main Now Playing Podcast feed for easier access and a complete archive. But these older episodes still have the original Books & Nachos intro and credits on those older recordings. You’ve seen the shark. But have you read the book that started it all? Before Spielberg made audiences afraid of the water, Benchley made readers afraid to turn the page. Now, in partnership with Now Playing Podcast’s Jaws retrospective, Stuart returns to dive into Peter Benchley’s bestselling novel. The core story may be familiar, but the tone, characters, and motivations are far darker and more complicated than the film you know. Political corruption, marital drama, and a very different Amity Island lurk beneath the surface. Join Stuart as he explores the novel that launched the summer blockbuster. {Jaws Series} {Book Reviews}

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Books and Nachos, a podcast for those of us who find excitement in the pages of a good book.
0:12.5	Fiction and nonfiction, graphic novels, and more.
0:15.4	We are here to help you find something great to read.
0:24.3	Hello, a lot of us. something great to read. Hello and welcome to books and nachos, the Vin-Ganza Media podcast about all things in print.
0:29.5	This is your host, Stuart, in L.A., and I'm currently trying to get the sand out from between my toes.
0:34.3	I've been down at the beach, reading Jaws, the 1974 blockbuster novel by
0:39.3	Peter Benchley, that inspired the 1975 blockbuster movie by Steven Spielberg. We're currently
0:45.5	reviewing all of the films in the Jaws franchise over at our sister podcast, now playing,
0:50.9	and they are available exclusively to listeners who are able to support us by donating
0:55.6	$10 or more. But I thought I'd throw you guys a freebie here and give you my perceptions of the
1:01.2	original source material, as well as seeing how it stacks up against Spielberg's work.
1:06.4	Now, how many times have you heard somebody say when they dismiss a movie? Yeah, the book was better.
1:11.5	Well, you're not going to hear that for me today.
1:14.5	Jaws may prove to be the exception to that rule, and I don't mind telling you that I think
1:18.8	that Jaws is perhaps one of Spielberg's greatest triumphs.
1:22.2	Do I feel as passionately about Peter Benchley's book?
1:25.5	Not exactly.
1:27.1	Why would that be?
1:28.2	I mean, on the surface, the skeleton of the plot is identical.
1:32.4	I mean, our main character is Martin Brody.
1:34.5	He's the chief of police and the new to Amity Beachside community.
1:39.8	He is afraid of water.
	...

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