Peter benchley books list of books by author peter benchley. Peter benchleys first novel, jaws, became one of hollywoods biggest blockbusters, an acknowledged classic recently judged by the american film institute as the second most scary movie after psycho. Binchys novel, echoes published in 1985, was made into four part television miniseries for channel 4 and the lilac bus, a collection of interrelated short stories, was made into a 90 minutes tv movie. Over the ensuing decades, benchley was actively engaged with scientists and filmmakers on expeditions around the world as they expanded their knowledge of sharks. Based on the novel by jaws author peter benchley, this actionpacked, highseas thriller features a riveting performance from michael caine, who plays a. He wrote the bestselling novel jaws and cowrote its film adaptation with carl gottlieb. Probably my least favorite of the 5 peter benchley maritime thrillers. Peter benchley began his career as a novelist in 1974 with the publication of jaws, which was made into a hugely successful film. Benchley wrote the screenplay himself and director michael ritchie was given the job of bringing this rather dour tale to the screen. Blair maynard, a divorced journalist in new york city.
The ending could have gone either of two ways, and i wasnt sure which way that would be. The dust jacket is protected by a clear plastic covering. But he gets stranded on a mysterious islandwhere he might not be alone. Two men and a boy, on the boat they charter to gamefishermen, are lazi. Well, i ended up reading the novel the island only knowing one thing about it. The island hardcover april 1, 1979 by peter benchley author visit amazons peter benchley page. Well, maybe not so modernday, as the pirates behave in a decidedly archaic manner. Benchleys novel, however, has them at odds with one another to where they argue most of the time, and it is ellen who is more dissatisfied with the. When peter benchley wrote jaws in the early 1970s, he meticulously researched all available data about shark behavior.
Adapted for the screen by source novel author peter benchley jaws, this swashbuckling drama unfolds at a steady clip and piles on the carnage much heavier than youd expect. I read this book many years ago and recently had a desire to read it again. A novel by benchley, peter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. I generally find peter benchley to be a very engaging writer, but not this time out. Peter benchley, whose novel jaws terrorized millions of swimmers even as the author himself became an advocate for the conservation of sharks, died at home saturday in princeton, n. Ive never been hurt by a sea creature, except for jellyfish and sea urchin, remarked peter benchley, who did very well from a novel depicting a long island beach which was terrorised by the. In addition, tara road and how about you are other two novels, which are made into hollywood films.
I think the main problem with the island is that you dont really feel much for any of the characters. Peter bradford benchley may 8, 1940 february 11, 2006 was an american author, screenwriter, and ocean activist. Maynard was also too passive and his doomed escape attempts got annoying. While peter benchley cowrote the screenplay for jaws, and authored several other novels, including the deep and the island, wendy benchley said he was especially proud of his conservation work. Several of the author s novels were adapted into movies include, the island, the deep, white shark, and beast. Grandson of famed humorist and actor robert benchley and the son of highly respected childrens books author nathaniel benchley, novelist peter benchley s book were decidedly more dramatic in their content and style than his fathers, and usually centered on the worlds oceans as a backdrop to his vigorous plots. It is a typical peter benchley adventurethriller book. The island 1979, novel the girl of the sea of cortez 1982, novel q clearance. The tale is based on a peter benchleyjaws novel, and tells the story of an inquisitive reporter who flys to the caribbean to investigate mysterious ocean disappearances. Feb 14, 2006 ive never been hurt by a sea creature, except for jellyfish and sea urchin, remarked peter benchley, who did very well from a novel depicting a long island beach which was terrorised by the.
Theres an enjoyable, thrilling movie at the heart of michael ritchies the island 1980, but a few things get in the way of the fun. The girl of the sea of cortez by peter benchley, paperback. How could hundreds of boats, carrying more than two thousand people, simply disappear. Benchley s knowledge and use of nautical boatingrelated terms, though impressive, was mostly wasted on me, unfortunately, as i am unfamiliar with this particular area and thus the desired effect was not reached. Blair maynard, an editor at a weekly news magazine, becomes obsessed with finding out whats going on. I must admit the island was a guilty pleasure to read. Blair maynard becomes obsessed with finding out whats going on and pursues the story to a remote archipelago southeast of the bahamas.
Whenhe modern day pirates finally show up, they are so soulless and brutal that i wanted to hurry through the rest of the book and be done with. After the commercial success of jaws and the deep, universal studios decided to explore the works of peter benchley a little further and adapt his novel the island. Apr 23, 20 based on the novel by jaws author peter benchley, this actionpacked, highseas thriller features a riveting performance from michael caine, who plays a british reporter investigating a series of. Peter benchley s the island certainly has an interesting idea, the pirates of old are still around and are largely responsible for most of the missing boats in the bermuda triangle. The film was based on a novel of the same name by peter benchley who also wrote the screenplay.
Isbn 0233970967 book in good reading condition with light shelf wear. A real benchley fan, i was curious about this film, as jaws and the deep had both left great impressions on film, as as the novels were packed with constant suspense. Benchley attempts to weave real history with contemporary fantasy, but the results are mixed. Benchleys knowledge and use of nautical boatingrelated terms, though impressive, was mostly wasted on me, unfortunately, as i am unfamiliar with this particular area and thus the desired effect was not reached. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Scientific fact notwithstanding, anyone who s read peter benchley s terrifying jaws or seen the movie version will forever see the great white shark as a vicious, bloodthirsty monster. Peter benchley has written a suspenseful story about modernday pirates.
A number of other angles in the plot were also contrived in a way that simply was not believable. That was never directly clarified in the movie but it would make sense that chief brody took his family to spend the summer at a new york beach. Feb 16, 2006 peter benchley, who died saturday at age 65, was the very model of a pulp writer. Jun 25, 2018 benchleys novel, however, has them at odds with one another to where they argue most of the time, and it is ellen who is more dissatisfied with the move to amity island as she misses her former life in the city.
The success of the book led to many publishers commissioning books about mutant rats, rabid dogs and the like threatening communities. Blair maynard, a divorced journalist in new york city, decides to write a story about the unexplained disappearance of yachts and other small boats in the caribbean, hoping to debunk theories about the bermuda triangle. Next year, specifically february of 2014 will be the forty year anniversary of peter benchleys bestselling novel jaws, a book with a narrative that concerns itself with the efforts of a small island community to catch and kill a great white shark that has been gobbling up some of its residents. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Several more of his works were also adapted for cinema, including the deep, the island, beast, and white shark. Jaws peter benchleys novel vs steven spielbergs film. Based on the novel by jaws author peter benchley, this actionpacked, highseas thriller features a riveting performance from michael caine. It is about a savage group of pirates, made up of outcasts, thieves, and murderers, who are hidden from the outside world by an uncharted caribbean island, and who have raided boats to. Ritchie reteamed with matthau on the survivors 1983, but the comedy. Peter benchley was an american author of mystery and thriller novels best known as the author of jaws and cowrote the novel subsequent film adaptation alongside carl gottlieb. Peter benchleys novel indicated that amity island was a seaside town off of long island, new york.
Click to read more about the island by peter benchley. The grandson of robert benchley, the humorist and algonquin. With the appearance of the islandbenchleys third adventure novelwashington post reporter joseph mclellan concluded that benchley writes according to a formula. Whatever damage benchley did to the sharks reputation, he made up for it as a champion of study and conservation, making him a compelling author for shark fans. Grandson of famed humorist and actor robert benchley and the son of highly respected childrens books author nathaniel benchley, novelist peter benchleys book were decidedly more dramatic in their content and style than his fathers, and usually centered on the worlds oceans as a backdrop to his vigorous plots. The island by peter benchley and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The island by peter benchley and a great selection of related books, art and. Several more of his works were also adapted for both cinema and television, including the deep, the island, beast, and white shark. Peter benchley, who died saturday at age 65, was the very model of a pulp writer. Several of the authors novels were adapted into movies include, the island, the deep, white shark, and beast. Feb, 2006 peter benchley, whose 1974 novel jaws turned shark attacks into a national obsession and who later used what he called his fish story to help promote oceanic conservation, died yesterday. Better received was divine madness 1980, a bette midler concert film. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form.
His other books include the deep, the island, the girl of the sea of cortez, q clearance, rummies, beast, white shark, and shark trouble. Peter benchleys the island certainly has an interesting idea, the pirates of old are still around and are largely responsible for most of the missing boats in the bermuda triangle. More information about this seller contact this seller 17. If all the people who earn their living from the worlds seas were asked to nominate their public. Peter bradford benchley may 8, 1940 february 12, 2006 was an american author, best known for his novel jaws and its subsequent film adaptation, the latter cowritten by benchley with carl gottlieb and directed by steven spielberg. The grandson of robert benchley, the humorist and algonquin troubadour, and the son of nathaniel benchley, the. Jul 25, 2019 peter benchley s novel indicated that amity island was a seaside town off of long island, new york. Peter benchley, whose 1974 novel jaws turned shark attacks into a national obsession and who later used what he called his fish story to help promote oceanic conservation, died yesterday. Benchley succeeds in making their plight touching and funny with one small detail. I made darn sure to read the novel first, before pursuing the film itself. Peter bradford benchley was an american author best known for writing the novel jaws and cowriting the screenplay for its highly successful film adaptation. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read jaws. The tale is based on a peter benchley jaws novel, and tells the story of an inquisitive reporter who flys to the caribbean to investigate mysterious ocean disappearances.