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Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions Audiobook
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(3.00) - 6,044 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Writer and illustrator Daniel Wallace has published stories in various literary magazines. Big Fish is a novel reminiscent of Garrison Keillor and Mark Twain. It is a surprising work, filled with imagination, homespun humor, and hyperbole. Edward Bloom, an aging salesman, is dying. As his grown son, William, cares for him, the young man tries to focus on what he knows about his father's life. Story after story surfaces in William's memory, and he shares mythic visions of a fantastic father who was loved by all-a man who was the best runner, fisherman, businessman, and adventurer in the world. Big Fish tells these tall tales of Edward Bloom's life. Punctuated with his vast repertory of jokes, they set the stage for Edward's final, wonderful transformation. Each chapter achieves an added richness through Tom Stechschulte's distinctive narration. An interview with Daniel Wallace is the perfect conclusion to this audio production.
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"Having seen (and loved) the movie first, it is VERY difficult for me rate the book on its own merits. I relied on my knowledge of the movie to fill in a lot of gaps and help define the characters, and I'm not so sure I would have been able to do so without it. The book is very sparse - well written, but sparse - and I found myself missing many of the movie elements that helped flesh it out. I'm going with 4 stars to give the author the benefit of the doubt, but frankly feel it was more of a 3-star effort"
— Mike (4 out of 5 stars)
Big Fish Listener Reviews
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" Reminds me of my dad. "
— Kurt, 2/11/2014 -
" I guess this is the first time I like the movie more than the book. Probably cannot tell why, the movie its just more coherent, more magical. But I cannot hide my affection for this story :) "
— Thea, 2/10/2014 -
" This is one of the rare instances where movie is so much better than the book. "
— April, 1/28/2014 -
" This is just about the only book that I've ever read in which I can say that the movie was better. It was still a great book and I would recommend it, but I would also recommend the movie. "
— Marie, 1/7/2014 -
" Oh man, that was satisfying. That was exactly what I wanted it to be. The excellence of the movie accurately predicted the book. And, of course, not everything in the book is in the movie... nor is everything in the movie (exactly) in the book. So good. So good. "
— Amber, 1/4/2014 -
" I like quirky books. "
— Alisa, 12/31/2013 -
" the movie really does it a lot of justice, though of course they leave a lot of things out so the book is better. "
— Kira, 12/28/2013 -
" I think the movie was probably better "
— Scott, 12/12/2013 -
" Absolutely loved the movie, disappointed with the book on moral grounds. "
— Natalie, 11/18/2013 -
" Much better than the movie version, it in an interesting take on a man's attempt to understand his father and come to terms with his death. "
— Alessandra, 11/3/2013 -
" I enjoyed the book far more than the movie. "
— Anne, 9/16/2013 -
" Great book, great movie; different stories. This is one of those times where you cannot compare a book and a movie (not that it should be done, anyway.) The book is good, and a very quick read. "
— Cecilia, 9/10/2013 -
" I liked it. I also like Tim Burton's movie adaptation of it. It was interesting to think about how changed as it went from page to screen. "
— Vanessa, 9/5/2013 -
" I liked it, it was cool, and the book had lots of good stories. "
— "Jakia7d", 7/22/2013 -
" The movie was better lol "
— Byron, 7/9/2013 -
" I loved this book. The movie was amazing but the book was better! "
— Liz, 11/29/2012 -
" Not as good as teh movie. "
— Brandon, 10/11/2012 -
" I loved it!! I decided to get the book after seeing the film [which i really love!:] & i was surprised that the film is not very true to the book! The book is full of the most amazing stories & fantastical situations & it doesn't fail to raise a smile or two! "
— Ana, 8/16/2012 -
" I thought it was anti-climatic. It really didn't impress me as much as I thought it was going to. Perhaps it's just not my type of book. "
— Jenna, 6/14/2012 -
" Though Wallace's fine father and son story is a good read, it's one of the few examples in literature where I found the movie to be an improvement on the book. One of the others is The Wizard of Oz. "
— David, 6/3/2012 -
" This is definitely one of the few instances in which the movie far surpasses the book! "
— Starr, 5/13/2012 -
" Not as good at the movie but nice to read to see where the adaptation came from. "
— Russell, 3/30/2012 -
" I loved the book! Great story line! "
— Chris, 2/13/2012 -
" This is one of the few cases where I like a movie more than the book it's adapted from. But Big Fish is still an absolutely wonderful book about the nature of truth, and parent/child relationships. The story is just so perfect for visual media. "
— Rowan, 1/29/2012 -
" Adore this book! It's been a few years since I have read it.. need to again! "
— Alison, 1/13/2012 -
" Such poignant life story, such few words. "
— Une, 11/20/2011 -
" This book feels good. I enjoyed the experience of reading it. I really liked how Daniel Wallace wrote the same scene several different ways, or wrote several very similar scenes, and then included them all. I wish I had written this book. "
— Chanel, 6/3/2011 -
" I only read bits and pieces. english final overload "
— Lizzy, 5/26/2011 -
" I wish I'd read this in middle school. I probably would have found it more magical. "
— Paige, 5/21/2011 -
" I thought it was anti-climatic. It really didn't impress me as much as I thought it was going to. Perhaps it's just not my type of book. "
— Jenna, 5/18/2011 -
" Super easy read. If I cannot read it in about 2-3 hours, you can too!<br/><br/>I do actually like the movie better. Book is VERY good, but the movie just had this sense of magic and wonder at least I cannot get from this book.<br/><br/>4.0 / 5.0 "
— Evan, 5/12/2011 -
" Good book.I can say this is one instance where the movie was indeed better than the novel.This is my completely favorite movie. The magic in the film is just almost there in the printed word.I enjoyed it still. <br/> "
— Ken, 5/11/2011 -
" I read this book because I loved the movie. The book captures the same magic feel of the movie. Told in short story form, the narration is clear and entertaining. The mythology is fun, imaginative, and the connection between the father and son is heartfelt. "
— Danielle, 4/30/2011 -
" I liked this. It was a short, easy read; more a group of related short stories than a novel. Given the choice, however, I'd prefer to see the movie - the father was likable in that, the cinematography was gorgeous and Tim Burton makes even the most absurd concepts (like this book!) seem possible. "
— Melissa, 4/25/2011 -
" I liked the movie a lot better. "
— Steven, 3/25/2011 -
" I just read this with my "Literature of Love and Romance" class for the themes of love found within the father-son relationship. Ehhhhhh. "
— Sara, 3/21/2011 -
" Great book, great movie; different stories. This is one of those times where you cannot compare a book and a movie (not that it should be done, anyway.) The book is good, and a very quick read. "
— Cecilia, 3/17/2011
About Daniel Wallace
Daniel Wallace is the author of five novels. His first, Big Fish, was made into a motion picture of the same name by Tim Burton in 2003, and a musical version is coming to Broadway in 2013. Wallace’s work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages and is studied in high schools and universities across the country. He is a contributing editor to Garden & Gun magazine and is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he teaches and directs the Creative Writing Program. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife, Laura Kellison Wallace. Visit his website at DanielWallace.org.
About Tom Stechschulte
Tom Stechschulte (1948–2021) was an acclaimed narrator and winner of the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He had been a college athlete and business major when a friend dared him to audition for a play. He got the part and traded the locker room for the dressing room, eventually taking him to New York City and to recording audiobooks.