Big Fish (movie tie-in): A Novel of Mythic Proportions
by Daniel Wallace
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Book Summary Information
Author: Daniel WallaceEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-11-04
ISBN: 0142004278
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Big Fish (movie tie-in): A Novel of Mythic Proportions
Book Review: Simple yet Profound
Summary: 5 Stars
Daniel Wallace's Big Fish is the story of a son coming to grips with the imminent death of his father--a father he loves deeply despite harboring some contempt. Written with the pared-down, straightforward English of Hemingway and the imagination of Dahl, Wallace creates a simple story that pays homage to its setting, the South of a generation or two ago, and does so in the tradition of the Greek myth.
But don't be fooled by the book's simplicity. It achieves something special and rare by so accurately showing the imperfections of mankind, our (in)ability to communicate, and our overwhelming desire for resolution and peace before death. I implore you, the interested who has yet to read this novel, to force yourself to read it sl-ow-ly. You have the ability to read it in one sitting. Don't. Read it over the course of several days and absorb the terrific visuals and honesties that will remind you of people you have encountered and emotions that you have felt.
It's about a boy who sees his father as a hero, showed to its audience by the tall tales that he heard about his father himself. Intermixed are four different renditions, written in the first person, that tell the story of his father's death, the last one representing the balance or peace that is achieved upon that death. Big Fish is a significant success and I recommend it highly.
Summary of Big Fish (movie tie-in): A Novel of Mythic Proportions
When his attempts to get to know his dying father fail, William Bloom makes up stories that recreate his father's life in heroic proportions.In Big Fish, Daniel Wallace angles in search of a father and hooks instead a fictional debut as winning as any this year. From his son's standpoint, Edward Bloom leaves much to be desired. He was never around when William was growing up; he eludes serious questions with a string of tall tales and jokes. This is subject matter as old as the hills, but Wallace's take is nothing if not original. Desperate to know his father before he dies, William recreates his father's life as the stuff of legend itself. In chapters titled "In Which He Speaks to Animals," "How He Tamed the Giant," "His Immortality," and the like, Edward Bloom walks miles through a blizzard, charms the socks off a giant, even runs so fast that "he could arrive in a place before setting out to get there." In between these heroic episodes, Bloom dies not once but four times, working subtle variations on a single scene in which he counters his son's questions with stories--some of which are actually very witty, indeed. After all, he admits, "...if I shared my doubts with you, about God and love and life and death, that's all you'd have: a bunch of doubts. But now, see, you've got all these great jokes." The structure is a clever conceit, and the end product is both funny and wise. At the heart of both legends and death scenes live the same age-old questions: Who are you? What matters to you? Was I a good father? Was I a good son? In mapping the territory where myth meets everyday life, Wallace plunges straight through to fatherhood's archaic and mysterious heart. --Mary Park
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