Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence

by Michael Capuzzo

Book Overview

Combining rich historical detail and a harrowing, pulse-pounding narrative,Close to Shorebrilliantly re-creates the summer of 1916, when a rogue Great White shark attacked swimmers along the New... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767904133
• ISBN13: 9780767904131
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Broadway Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

I am sad...

I received the children's version of the book, which was NOT as advertised. It was a gift, so what can I say except that I am VERY disappointed. Otherwise, I am sure the book is great.

Factual yet compelling

The author really put in the effort to make sure the reader understood everything that was going on in the book by providing as much background information as possible to fully understand the context of the events and what the people living through it were feeling. This helps build suspense and get the reader invested in what is happening in the story. There is also a lot of interesting shark facts sprinkled into the book. I read it in one sitting because it was so interesting.

Great book!

This short book is well written. The prose is a delight and the description of the account is irresitable. One of the best books I've ever read. Really, an unexpected delight from start to finish. Really gripping!!! Great Read.

Deserves a Pulitzer Prize!

Beautifully written, beautifully researched. I found the historical detail fascinating. This book deserves the Pulitzer Prize!

Quintessential Beach Read

I can't remember the last book I absolutely could not put down, until "Close to Shore" swam by on Father's Day. As engrossing as the stories of shark attacks were, I was even more impressed with the author's evocation of an era much maligned or misunderstood. As America clung relentlessly to the myth of isolation from Europe's problems, a denizen of denial from the deeps shattered the enforced social order of the Victorian Jersey shore. I was enthralled by Capuzo's recreation of the pulse and rhythms of life in 1916. It helped me gain a new appreciation for my native state of New Jersey and the life my Dad grew up in, as he was born in New Jersey in 1913. The old European world with its new problems dragged him and others of his era into modernity with the same force and urgency as the shark dragged young men to their deaths. More than a gripping story of sharks and sea, Close to Shore is a reminder that clinging to an outdated belief system in the face of facts is foolish and, in some cases, fatal.

Finally, the story is told. Fabulous literature.

Close To Shore transported me back to a time when marine biology and recreational swimming in the ocean were in their infancies in the United States. I am a fishery biologist that has studied the migratory patterns and population dynamics of large pelagic fish for seven years. I commend Michael on the masterful portrayal of this shark's behavior and peculiar feeding habits. The book provides a historical fact filled account of Mid-Atlantic America attempting to enjoy the summer of 1916 and the citizen reaction to the unknown creature lurking along the coastline. For over twenty-five years I have imagined the shark moving in the murky water below as I cross the bridge over Matawan Creek. Mr. Capuzzo allows the reader to experience the power of the tale told to the children of Matawan and those who remember the 1916 attacks in New Jersey. As a child of Matawan and a fan of fishery and maritime books, I thank him for giving the event the attention and discussion it has so rightly deserved.

A terrific tale, beautifully told

'Close to Shore' is a wonderful book, a riveting account of the shark attack on the Jersey coast in 1916 that inspired 'Jaws.' Capuzzo is a great writer. The book is fabulously researched, his portrait of America in 1916 wonderfully detailed and evocative. He informs and entertains. His portraits of the ill-fated victims and, of course, of the killer shark are masterful. I started the book at the dinner hour and read into the night, transfixed. 300 pages of terror and fascination and history: I devoured it in one sitting.