Do I need to do synopsis on this one? Jaws tells the story of a monstrous shark terrorising the people of a small seaside town called Amity. After a few attacks, the chief of police, Brody, campaigns to close the beaches during the summer, which is the towns prime time for tourists, who it relies on for money to support the local economy through the rest of the year. Brody ends up out hunting the shark, along with Hooper, a shark expert, and Quint, an experienced shark hunter. It's an entertaining story, and obviously has enough going for it to turn it into a Hollywood blockbuster - one of the best Hollywood blockbusters there has ever been. The book adds a bit more to the story - with the arrival of the shark comes marriage problems for Brody, and he finds himself caught up with the Mafia. He is fighting a big fish, but along with it a couple of other battles too. It's an unsettling story, which picks at the thalassophobia that is lurking in us all.
I love the film Jaws. It's over 40 years old now, but it still hold up. It's still exciting and frightening, even if the effects are a bit dated, and it's impossible to tell what they are saying during that one scene. For me, it is the ultimate summer blockbuster. And the book wasn't bad either. The story plodded along nicely, the tension between Brody and the local powers-that-be seemed to be even tighter than in the film, and the hunting was just as exciting. The book has a little more going on than in the film - Brody's wife has a back story and plays a part in the main plot line, and there's a whiff of corruption in the air around the local mayor. This gives the book a little more substance than just a shark eating people, but really, who is reading Jaws for it's depth? There is little going on beneath the surface here, just a giant shark. I think it goes without saying if you are looking for big ideas, or something to wrap your head around or to play on your mind, you will not find it in Jaws. If you are looking for an easy read, which is a great story, then Jaws is what you want.
I've read a number of books which inspired films now - I'd guess over 20, and mostly I find the films to be not quite as good as the book (Gone Girl & The Martian jump to mind). Sometimes, I think the film is better than the book (Schindler's List is the best example. The book is good, but the film has a much bigger impact), but it's rare that I immensely enjoy both the film and the source material. I very much enjoyed the book Jaws, but the film is just a nose ahead. This is a nice, leisurely read, maybe the sort of book you'd want to relax with on a sunny beach somewhere.
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