Book Review: Jaws

By Elizabeth Suggs

The book Jaws by Peter Benchley may carry the same name as Spielberg’s cult classic, the two couldn’t be any more different.

The book holds a darker and more disturbing message, one that ripples through the sea as a shark and through the house within a family. I know there are many out there who didn’t enjoy the book, and maybe I wouldn’t have enjoyed it so much if I hadn’t gone in with such a low expectation.

Photo Credit: Petra Orloff

While I’d never give this book a five (I kept going back and forth between a three and a four), I did have fun with it. And I enjoyed the end. In a way, it’s a modern-day Moby Dick, what with the captain, the revenge, and the ending. And while there were many elements paying homage to Moby Dick in the movie, it was much more prominent in the book. 

Most viewers who have watched the movie probably won’t like the book because the book adds elements that feel a little unnecessary to the shark. But I’m sure readers who read the book may have enjoyed the book over the movie. I think in this case, it just depends on what you were expecting going into the story. For me, I never got into the hype as a kid, and now as an adult only just reading and watching Jaws for the first time, I have no nostalgia or anything. So, honestly, I don’t know if either is better than the other. They bring different things to the table, and that resonates with different people. 

I won’t ever reread or rewatch Jaws, but I didn’t dislike the story. I think Jaws is a fun idea, but it’s not for everyone.

Read another review of Jaws by Petra Orloff and make sure to follow her to see her gorgeous book pictures on Instagram!

Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee and co-owner of Collective Tales Publishing. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com