Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML: The classic novel that inspired the beloved Tim Burton film and the Broadway musical. In his prime, Edward Bloom was an extraordinary man. He could outrun anybody. He never missed a day of school. He saved lives and tamed giants. Animals loved him, people loved him, women loved him. He knew more jokes than any man alive. At least that�??s what he told his son, William. But now Edward Bloom is dying, and William wants desperately to know the truth about his elusive father�??this indefatigable teller of tall tales�??before it�??s too late. So, using the few facts he knows, William re-creates Edward�??s life in a series of legends and myths, through which he begins to understand his father�??s great feats, and his great failings. The result is hilarious and wrenching, tender an… (more)
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1998-10-01
Publication
Penguin Books (2003), Edition: Reissue, 208 pages
ISBN
0142004278 / 9780142004272
Awards
User reviews
LibraryThing member extrajoker
first line: "One one of our last car trips, near the end of my father's life as a man, we stopped by a river, and we took a walk to its banks, where we sat in the shade of an old oak tree."
I have a hard time separating this book from the movie adaptation, which I saw first, so that strongly colors
The book left me a little cold...possibly because I found the written Ed Bloom less charming...less sympathetic...than the one on the screen; the movie focuses more on the mythologized man, while the book insists on showing you the man behind the curtain. And while I guess that makes for better literature, I have to admit to missing that magic.
I have a hard time separating this book from the movie adaptation, which I saw first, so that strongly colors
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my review. I enjoyed the book, though this is one of those rare cases in which I'm fonder of the movie. Granted, I'm a sucker for Tim Burton's aesthetic. But it's more than that.The book left me a little cold...possibly because I found the written Ed Bloom less charming...less sympathetic...than the one on the screen; the movie focuses more on the mythologized man, while the book insists on showing you the man behind the curtain. And while I guess that makes for better literature, I have to admit to missing that magic.
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LibraryThing member cestovatela
Edward Bloom is terrified of intimacy and so he tells jokes and tall tales. When that's not enough, he travels across the world, earning money but alienating his family. Big Fish is both a compendium of the stories Edward tells and his son William's attempt to make sense of his dying father's life.
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It's a great premise that Wallace ultimately doesn't write in an interesting way. Edward's stories are mostly retreads of American folklore. His moments with William are sometimes very touching, but there aren't very many of these in the book. Mostly it's just the story of a little boy with a distant father and although that's sad, it's too ordinary a story to make an interesting novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member bibliophile26
Maybe it was because this was the first book I read after the end of the Harry Potter series, but I had major issues with this book. Written in the style of ancient myths, Edward Bloom does many amazing things. It is clear that none of these things happen and that the purpose of these stories is to
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cover up the fact that he is a shitty husband and father. The one that romanticized the fact that he was an adulterer pissed me off the most. I do plan to check out the movie though. Show Less
LibraryThing member jlparent
The son is relating tales of his dying father, trying to understand the man through them. But his father never discussed anything solid/real directly - he relayed everything into jokes, anecdotes, tall tales. I was hooked early and hard by this bit in the first "chapter":
---I looked at this old
Never seen the movie and likely won't as books are generally better; especially because I doubt how this would translate. It's written like vignettes or episodes, which - for me - made it so hard to put down. Each scenario was powerful, I laughed, cried, cringed...been awhile since a book really zinged me. Highly recommended.
---I looked at this old
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man, my old man with his old white feet in this clear-running stream, these moments among the very last of his life, and I thought of him suddenly, and simply, as a boy, a child, a youth, with his whole life ahead of him, much as mine was ahead of me. I'd never done that before. And these images - the now and then of my father - converged, and at that moment he turned into a weird creature, wild, concurrently young and old, dying and newborn. My father became a myth.---Never seen the movie and likely won't as books are generally better; especially because I doubt how this would translate. It's written like vignettes or episodes, which - for me - made it so hard to put down. Each scenario was powerful, I laughed, cried, cringed...been awhile since a book really zinged me. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member amerynth
I picked up Daniel Wallace's "Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions" because I thought the movie was stellar. It had an amazing arc to the story (and when we saw it, I said to my husband that if I was a screenwriter, that is the kind of story I'd want to tell.)Sadly, this was one of the few cases
The stories are similar -- it's a book about the death of Edward Bloom; a man that his only son really never knew. Edward Bloom cracks jokes and tells stories much to the chagrin of his son, who is waiting to know his father, or at least hear some kind fatherly words before it is too late.
The stories in the book weren't quite as mythical as in the movie -- the characters just don't shine as bright. The book lacks that beautiful story arc that pulls everything together in the end.
It's an okay story that is a quick read, but not one that I'll ever pick up again.
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where the movie was just plain better than the book.The stories are similar -- it's a book about the death of Edward Bloom; a man that his only son really never knew. Edward Bloom cracks jokes and tells stories much to the chagrin of his son, who is waiting to know his father, or at least hear some kind fatherly words before it is too late.
The stories in the book weren't quite as mythical as in the movie -- the characters just don't shine as bright. The book lacks that beautiful story arc that pulls everything together in the end.
It's an okay story that is a quick read, but not one that I'll ever pick up again.
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LibraryThing member JosephJ
A definite case of the movie being better than the book. That being said, the book reads like a series of myths one might find in a folk tale collection. As far literature goes, this book lacks a really concrete character arc. The reader has the sense that William (the son) is telling the stories
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about his father, but we never get too close to what William is either feeling or believes to be true himself. While not an over all great read, it does have its moments and is a very easy read. Show Less
LibraryThing member EmScape
Wow, they really amped up the fantastical nature of this story for the movie, didn't they? Granted, it's been a while since I've seen it, but I remembered something a little harder to believe and a little less mundane. The only two instances that seemed familiar were Edward's encounter with the
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"giant" and meeting the two-headed woman. Otherwise, this mostly sad and philosophical tale focuses more about Edward's relationship with his son, our narrator. The question is still whether Edward's stories are made up, but an extra level is added, seemingly implying the stories might have been made up by William, the son, instead. Still, an interesting meditation on the relationship between father and son, both of which would like for the son to see the father as larger-than-life, a Great man, a Big Fish. Show Less
LibraryThing member Chuck37
Worst ending ever, but I loved the story and the imagery that led up to it. Lovely wording.
LibraryThing member JDionne
I loved the movie, so I looked forward to reading the book. I found this to be one of the rare occurrences where I liked the movie better (by leaps and bounds). I had to give the book one star since it is the source material. So little of what I loved about the film was in the book.
LibraryThing member Bridgey
I saw the film and couldn't wait to read the book... rushed out, bought it, ran a bath.....
Started reading and was instantly disapointed with lack of energy in the book that the film was full of.
It just seemed totally disjointed, chapters barely a page long, very repetitive and at times
If you enjoyed the film, leave the book alone. If you fancy the book, watch the film instead.
Started reading and was instantly disapointed with lack of energy in the book that the film was full of.
It just seemed totally disjointed, chapters barely a page long, very repetitive and at times
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depressing. This is the only book where I have enjoyed the film more. After reading about his fathers death, for the 3rd time, I really couldn't wait for the final chapter. Not one part of the book seemed to flow into the next, it is more like a series of childish short stories trying to cover a more meaningful and deep theme. Unfortunately it fails miserably. If you enjoyed the film, leave the book alone. If you fancy the book, watch the film instead.
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LibraryThing member prettypinkpony2
I thought the jokes and stories he made were funny, I couldn't put down the book
LibraryThing member Czrbr
Book Description: Penguin Books. TRADE PAPER ISBN: 0142004278 Literature- General. NEW, Standard.
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
I liked this book. Small as it is, there's a lot there between the covers.
Big Fish is a quiet little book, not so much a novel as a series of small vignettes about the life of one Edward Bloom, who is now dying. Edward was one of those people for whom a day-to-day life with his family just wasn't
Edward's tall tales are like a sign pointing William in a general direction toward the truth of his father's life: no matter what situation Edward found himself in, it was always important to him to be the big fish in the small pond. Edward notes that he always wanted to be a great man, and that he always felt it was his destiny to be so. William's reconstruction, which in many ways mythologizes Edward, is his attempt at making his absent father the great man he always wanted to be, even though William feels that a great man is someone of whom it could be said that he was loved by his son. The "myths" William creates about his father in this book are a step toward not only William being able to connect at some level with Edward before he dies, but are also William's way of loving his father as best he can.
Big Fish is a small book, but read it slowly because there is a lot to uncover here.
A note about the Tim Burton film: the movie picks up these little vignettes and expands them into fuller stories, and is a joy to watch as well as a full-fledged tear jerker at times. If you haven't seen the movie, read the book first so you get more into William's head.
Big Fish is a quiet little book, not so much a novel as a series of small vignettes about the life of one Edward Bloom, who is now dying. Edward was one of those people for whom a day-to-day life with his family just wasn't
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enough, so he ended up missing a lot of his son William's life. As he's laying there dying, William begs to know more about his father, but Edward, who is the king of the one-liners, answers his son's questions with more jokes and reminisces of life before William came along. The book is William's way of trying to know and understand his father -- it is William's construction of Edward's life based on Edward's often over-the-top stories.Edward's tall tales are like a sign pointing William in a general direction toward the truth of his father's life: no matter what situation Edward found himself in, it was always important to him to be the big fish in the small pond. Edward notes that he always wanted to be a great man, and that he always felt it was his destiny to be so. William's reconstruction, which in many ways mythologizes Edward, is his attempt at making his absent father the great man he always wanted to be, even though William feels that a great man is someone of whom it could be said that he was loved by his son. The "myths" William creates about his father in this book are a step toward not only William being able to connect at some level with Edward before he dies, but are also William's way of loving his father as best he can.
Big Fish is a small book, but read it slowly because there is a lot to uncover here.
A note about the Tim Burton film: the movie picks up these little vignettes and expands them into fuller stories, and is a joy to watch as well as a full-fledged tear jerker at times. If you haven't seen the movie, read the book first so you get more into William's head.
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LibraryThing member phoebesmum
I read this straight after I’d seen the movie. It is, of course (as always), completely different. Less sentimental, but more affecting, it’s almost like a love song to his (one assumes late) father. Not a theme with which I can really sympathise.
LibraryThing member stephmo
William Bloom's father, Edward Bloom has always been bigger than life. At least that's how the legends of Edward Bloom's depictions of saving lives, saving towns, being a great lover of animals, friend to all who knew him and great visionary as well as reputation of joke-teller extraordinaire would
Big Fish is a quick and unencumbered read. Edward's stories are fantastic, running the gambit from suspense to romance to action and are often found with a heavy dose of humor. At the same time, the tale does pause for the reality of a family losing a patriarch that may not have always been perfect from an insider view, but at the end is clearly loved by his family. This is an excellent light weekend read.
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have everyone believe. The truth is that William doesn't know Edward very well and now that his end is near, there's little time to fix this. This is the story of Big Fish - a father who tells stories of his life in an effort to get to know, reconcile and say goodbye all at the same time.Big Fish is a quick and unencumbered read. Edward's stories are fantastic, running the gambit from suspense to romance to action and are often found with a heavy dose of humor. At the same time, the tale does pause for the reality of a family losing a patriarch that may not have always been perfect from an insider view, but at the end is clearly loved by his family. This is an excellent light weekend read.
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LibraryThing member emib
I think I didn't enjoy this book very much because i saw the movie before i read the book. I thought the characters were more interesting in the movie than the book. However if you do want to read it I suggest you read the book before you see the movie.
LibraryThing member wareagle78
The book was a quicker read than I originally thought - I finished it in a day after about 3 false starts over several months.
The novel explores the relationship between a son and his dying father, with unusual results. For example, we revisit one individual deathroom visit three times, presumably
The stories defining the father's life are huge, funny, telling and often heart-wrenching. Well worth the effort. And now I'll check out the movie!
The novel explores the relationship between a son and his dying father, with unusual results. For example, we revisit one individual deathroom visit three times, presumably
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as the son attempts to morph the story into the memory he wants. The book tells of the father in story and myth, but it's unclear whether the attempt to aggrandize the father stems from the father or the son. The stories defining the father's life are huge, funny, telling and often heart-wrenching. Well worth the effort. And now I'll check out the movie!
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LibraryThing member bobholt
Less fantastic and more heartwarming than the film it spawned, Big Fish is everything I enjoy about Wallace's writing. His use of language is clear, yet playful, and his stories touch on common human experience. If Edward Bloom isn't your father, he's your grandfather or your uncle or your cousin.
LibraryThing member suetu
My father is a fish
My best friend is a little obsessive about reading the novel before seeing the film. Not so, me. I’m a bit more laissez faire in these matters. I saw and thoroughly enjoyed Tim Burton’s 2003 adaptation of Big Fish, and didn’t think too much more about it. Fast forward a
In the past, it has occurred to me that I have an overdeveloped sense of whimsy. I’m a middle-aged woman, for God’s sake. But I love this sort of light, heart-warming, and above all whimsical tale. Daniel Wallace’s debut novel charmed my socks right off! It is, first and foremost, a tale of paternal and filial love. The brief novel is told through the eyes of son William as he watches—four separate times—his father Edward dying. It doesn’t sound like an upper, I know, but Edward Bloom is a larger-than-life character.
All his life, Edward was a teller of jokes and tall tales. He’s the sort of character who charms everyone around him. And yet, as much as his father has always made him laugh, William feels that all the jokes and stories have kept him at arm’s length, and that he’s never really gotten to know his father. Now in these final hours, he seeks a deeper connection—all while a greatest hits montage of tall tales recounts Edward’s extraordinary, eventful, and one might even say mythic, life. Edward confesses to his son, “I wanted to be a great man… Can you believe it? I thought it was my destiny. A big fish in a big pond.” Later William acknowledges, “He’s just being him, something he can’t not be. Beneath one façade there’s another façade, and another. And beneath that, the aching dark place, his life.” By the end, however, each man gets what it is he needs:
“His illness was his ticket to a better place. I know this now. Still, it was the best thing that could have happened to us, this final journey. Well, maybe not the best thing, but a good thing, all things considered. “
In Wallace’s novel, it’s the journey, not the destination. The folksy fables that make up Edward’s life are as colorful and imaginative as anything you could wish for, and full of humor. And Daniel Wallace’s narrative voice is distinctive, as well as distinctly Southern. He has a wonderful, playful way with language, as with this passage: “This is what is meant by last words. They are keys to unlock the afterlife. They’re not last words, but passwords, and as soon as they are spoken you can go.” While Edward is more legend than man, it is William who is the emotional core of the novel. He’s what keeps the story grounded and creates resonance with readers. Everyone knows what it is to love (and feel frustrated by) a parent, and so the emotion William experiences is universal.
This was a fantastic introduction (15 years late) to a new novelist. I can’t wait for a chance to see the musical! It will be magical on the stage. It’s been years since I’ve seen the film, but Burton did a lovely adaptation. Many of the stories from the novel are recreated faithfully. Others are altered or created from scratch in the same voice. I was delighted to discover in the book passages that never made it into the film as well. Commenting on adaptation on his blog, Wallace noted that Big Fish was now a book, a movie, and a musical. He offered one final adaptation. Big Fish, the haiku:
He hides behind lies
and charm. I do not know him.
My father is a fish.
My best friend is a little obsessive about reading the novel before seeing the film. Not so, me. I’m a bit more laissez faire in these matters. I saw and thoroughly enjoyed Tim Burton’s 2003 adaptation of Big Fish, and didn’t think too much more about it. Fast forward a
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decade, and I hear that a major, Broadway-bound musical is on the way. Now I know it’s time to return to the source material.In the past, it has occurred to me that I have an overdeveloped sense of whimsy. I’m a middle-aged woman, for God’s sake. But I love this sort of light, heart-warming, and above all whimsical tale. Daniel Wallace’s debut novel charmed my socks right off! It is, first and foremost, a tale of paternal and filial love. The brief novel is told through the eyes of son William as he watches—four separate times—his father Edward dying. It doesn’t sound like an upper, I know, but Edward Bloom is a larger-than-life character.
All his life, Edward was a teller of jokes and tall tales. He’s the sort of character who charms everyone around him. And yet, as much as his father has always made him laugh, William feels that all the jokes and stories have kept him at arm’s length, and that he’s never really gotten to know his father. Now in these final hours, he seeks a deeper connection—all while a greatest hits montage of tall tales recounts Edward’s extraordinary, eventful, and one might even say mythic, life. Edward confesses to his son, “I wanted to be a great man… Can you believe it? I thought it was my destiny. A big fish in a big pond.” Later William acknowledges, “He’s just being him, something he can’t not be. Beneath one façade there’s another façade, and another. And beneath that, the aching dark place, his life.” By the end, however, each man gets what it is he needs:
“His illness was his ticket to a better place. I know this now. Still, it was the best thing that could have happened to us, this final journey. Well, maybe not the best thing, but a good thing, all things considered. “
In Wallace’s novel, it’s the journey, not the destination. The folksy fables that make up Edward’s life are as colorful and imaginative as anything you could wish for, and full of humor. And Daniel Wallace’s narrative voice is distinctive, as well as distinctly Southern. He has a wonderful, playful way with language, as with this passage: “This is what is meant by last words. They are keys to unlock the afterlife. They’re not last words, but passwords, and as soon as they are spoken you can go.” While Edward is more legend than man, it is William who is the emotional core of the novel. He’s what keeps the story grounded and creates resonance with readers. Everyone knows what it is to love (and feel frustrated by) a parent, and so the emotion William experiences is universal.
This was a fantastic introduction (15 years late) to a new novelist. I can’t wait for a chance to see the musical! It will be magical on the stage. It’s been years since I’ve seen the film, but Burton did a lovely adaptation. Many of the stories from the novel are recreated faithfully. Others are altered or created from scratch in the same voice. I was delighted to discover in the book passages that never made it into the film as well. Commenting on adaptation on his blog, Wallace noted that Big Fish was now a book, a movie, and a musical. He offered one final adaptation. Big Fish, the haiku:
He hides behind lies
and charm. I do not know him.
My father is a fish.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JHemlock
I would have liked to see a little more meat and potatoes to this story. But I get it and I get why it is formulated the way it is. It is meant to be ambiguous and to the point while still allowing the heart of the reader to not only understand where William's feelings are but how his father
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subliminally caters to his latent curiosity. How can such a small book be so large? In this case the movie captures way more of the heart in the center of the story. For those who have watched their parents pass, especially their fathers, it is heartbreaking but ultimately invigorates the spirit later down the road, after they have passed and the memories flood in. Big fish dares us and challenges us to be bigger fish and milk our imagination for all it is worth. The moral to the story.... NEVER loose your sense of wonder. When you do...then that is when you truly grow old. Show Less
LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
I was thinking of movies that I have loved and wondered what ones might have been inspired by books that I was unaware of. I quickly thought of Big Fish and decided to listen to it.
If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is basically a tall tale. The film was full of whimsy; it followed the book
If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is basically a tall tale. The film was full of whimsy; it followed the book
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very well. I have enjoyed both. Show Less
LibraryThing member wrightja2000
I loved the movie so had to read the book when I saw it at the library but was very disappointed. I didn't like the father at all and I found the writing very sparse.
LibraryThing member justagirlwithabook
I wanted this book to be a novel of mythic proportions but it instead felt like a bunch of short stories with one shared character keeping it all together. I think, if anything, props to whoever it was who made the movie because they took such small scenes that weren't too entirely vivid and turned
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them into something unforgettable. This is one of those rare instances when I say that I ultimately enjoyed the movie more than the book. The movie left a lasting impression on me whereas I can't really say that for this book. Still a decent story, but it fell short. Show Less
LibraryThing member SadieBabie
The film adaptation of Big Fish is a favourite of mine, and I’ve been meaning to read the book for ages. For me though...the film is better. The book is very touching and has some wonderful stories and imagery. The writing is lovely, and if I took each story as a stand-alone then there was a lot , because to me he just came across as a crap husband, terrible father, and not all that wonderful at all, actually. But maybe that was the point - his son had built him into a mythical being, because the reality was just so mundane and disappointing.
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to like. But I felt it could have gone so much deeper into what made Edward Bloom do the things he did and live such a split life. I just wanted more, but what I got was a series of toe dips which were too disjointed to make me feel much. I was left wondering what was so special about this man Show Less
LibraryThing member jphamilton
With Big Fish we're talking about fables and wild stories around this man who lived a bigger-than-reality life. The heart of this book, in amongst all these grand tales, is as simple as the strained relationship between a son and his father. All the father's spectacular storytelling constantly gets
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in the way of the two of them developing a close relationship. The father is the storyteller and the rest of the word is his audience. It's not a new story, but this telling of it really has heart. Reading the book after first seeing the Tim Burton movie version makes it hard to separate them, but they are each a treat in their own way. Show Less