Rating: 
Summary: Forgive me father, for I have . . .
Review: A major work of fiction dealing with parental issues and most importantly, the issue of fathers, this stellar and intense read is one of the best things to come out in a long time. Expertly woven tales figure into this search for family secrets and the truth (whatever that is), with the result being one of the most unusual novels this side of the publishing world. A highly recommended read.Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: Deep and personal
Review: Brilliant and moving, like Jackson McCrae's THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD or Pat Conroy's THE GREAT SANTINI, this book covers a lot of territory both physically and emotionally. Well crafted writing and a great plot make this one of the most enjoyable reads I've come across in a while. The form of the book is pretty unique, and the voice the story is told in is fresh and vibrant. Great stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet, mythical stories
Review: If you've heard of this book, it may be because it was recently made into a movie, which critics hailed as this generation's Wizard of Oz. Of course, being the skeptic that I am, I had to read the book first, to see if it truly contained the seed of such wonder. The verdict: oh, yes! This novel, which ambitiously purports itself to be "of mythic proportions," follows the traditional arc of the novel form, telling the life story of one man - Edward Bloom - from birth to death (to rebirth?). Yet it also resembles a collection of episodic short stories, each of which give us a different taste of Bloom. Ultimately, the book is "about" a young man's search to know his father, and the father's desire to know, as he lay dying, that he did a good job. But that description is really far too mundane; this story is funny, magical, and indeed, mythical. It's beautiful, really, and if the movie captures one-tenth of that beauty it's worth my $7.50. Big Fish is easily a weekend book, but just because the pages turn so quickly, don't rush it - this is the most delightful book you will read for a long time, so savor it.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightful little chuckle of a leg puller
Review: What a simple little book full of whimsy and fable! What a charming character, this Big Fish of a dad is! And such a set of schtick and tricks are here, with a hint of Mel Brooks, Sholem Aleichem, Carl Reiner, Danny DeVito echoing through the delivery of lines like, "I'm dying here!" One has to be totally calloused to not chuckle out load. Shades of "Princess Bride" and all the other great mythology of filmdom! No wonder this Daniel Wallace tale has been translated to cinema. And I will enjoy the movie version more since I have read the novel base. It is hard to believe that this father is merely an Alabaman, from Ashland, no less. The twists and turns of his story are much more universal than the modern world. In fact, the father's adventures seem more like tales from the old country, wherever that may have been. Read it and lift your winter spirits. And then, like me, make a trip to the nearest movie house and indulge in the cinematic interpretation.
Rating:
Summary: O Daddy Where Art Thou
Review: This book was an amazing read! I lost my father a few years ago and a friend suggested that I read this book. It took a while for me to get around to it, and I'm so glad that I did. The only FACT that I knew about my father was that he was a career military man. That's it. Everything else was stories and tales of his martial prowess and sexual conquests. It is amazing how men mythologize other men (especially their fathers) according to their wants and hopes for themselves.
This book was a near-perfect deconstruction of this myth, and in getting to know his father, William provides us with a nice view into the construction of masculinity. The tone of this book reminded me of that Coen Bros. film "O Brother Where Art Thou". Not quite Southern Gothic, but enough folklore/folk belief thrown in that you get a great sense of the mentality of that part of the country during a specific moment in time. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Book That Touches The Heart
Review: Being a daughter, I know all about the problems encountered between mothers and daughters, but I know little about the problems that occur between fathers and sons. BIG FISH did a lot to enlighten me about those problems. I became interested in the writing of Daniel Wallace after seeing the film, BIG FISH. I loved it so much, that I'm now reading everything Wallace has ever written. I recently read THE WATERMELON KING and, while I loved it, I found it quite a bit darker than BIG FISH and less bittersweet, but just as mythic. Wallace is an absolute genius when it comes to weaving myth into the fabric of his narratives. BIG FISH begins when William Bloom is summoned to his birthplace of Ashland, Alabama because his father, Edward is dying. William feels that he never really knew his father, and, indeed, he didn't. At least he thinks he didn't. Edward Bloom was always one to answer his son's questions with jokes and tall tales, the taller (and staler) the better. This infuriated William so, that eventually, he cut himself off from his father. Now, however, he wants to make one last attempt to get to know the man who has played such an important role in his life. Getting to know Edward Bloom, even on his deathbed, doesn't prove to be an easy task for William, for Edward Bloom, even on his deathbed, is just as prone to jokes and tall tales as he was when the end of his life was nowhere in sight. Now, it's William's turn to do a little myth making, to invent the father he felt he never had, and invent him he does. The stories William comes up with are bigger "fish stories" than anything Edward ever devised. But, in his heart, William is still unfulfilled, because he still doesn't know who, and what, Edward Bloom really was. The theme of BIG FISH has been done so many times it would be impossible to count, but Wallace does give it a fresh and quite original spin and one that is, by turns, sweet, sad, touching, funny, poignant and bittersweet. On its surface, BIG FISH might seem to be a simple book, but, if one cares to dig deeper (and I did), it's really quite complex. I loved this book but I don't think it's going to be a book for everyone. I think some people are going to find parts of it "too cute" or "too sweet" and those who dislike myth will definitely not like BIG FISH. I thought it was a beautiful book and one of the rare ones that not only touches the heart but remains there.
Rating: 
Summary: The One That Got Away
Review: I picked up this book because of the hoopla surrounding the movie. I was very disappointed and have not been able to make myself finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Believe it or not, the film is better
Review: Big Fish the book has all the pieces (scenes, sets, characters, and dialogue) that are in the film but the book presents them so that they are like a connect-the-dots puzzle that hasn't been completed. I think that Tim Burton actually improved on the book by connecting those dots, developing themes and motifs that are started in the book but not explored. Big Fish the movie has three distinct narratives. Narrative one is the son's interpretation of his father's stories. The fantasy scenes are the son's exaggeration of what his father is telling him. Then there is story of the father's last days before he dies and the son's attempts to understand his father. Finally (and this is Burton's largest contribution) is the meeting of the truth of the father's stories meeting with the son's expectations of that truth. This happens at the funneral -- a wonderful addition brings the two divergent stories together. Things you won't find in the book: the carnival, the bank robbery, how the father met the two headed singer and the son's pregnant wife.
Rating:
Summary: SWEeeeeeet
Review: I thought this book was awesome. I loved the power the authors words had and i also loved the mythical stories. It seemed like some of Edwards stories could have possibly happened but some where like "no way". I thought that maybe the stories were of things that happened in the fathers life but stretched a bit. I would definatley reccomend this book and cant wait to see the movie, Hope it does the Book justice!
Rating:
Summary: fish
Review: now i must see the movie. i hope it can do this book justice...
| 
