Synopses & Reviews
"A charming whopper of a tale." --The San Diego Union-Tribune
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 and outrageous.
"Refreshing, original . . . Wallace mixes the mundane and the mythical. His chapters have the transformative quality of fable and fairy tale." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A comic novel about death, about the mysteries of parents and the redemptive power of storytelling." --USA Today
"Highly original . . . An imaginative, and moving, record of a son's love for a charming, unknowable father." --Kirkus Reviews
Review
“A charming whopper of a tale.”
—The San Diego Union-Tribune
Review
“Refreshing, original . . . Wallace mixes the mundane and the mythical. His chapters have the transformative quality of fable and fairy tale.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review
“Both comic and poignant.”
—The New York Times
Review
“A comic novel about death, about the mysteries of parents and the redemptive power of storytelling.” —USA Today
Review
“An audacious, highly original debut novel . . . An imaginative, and moving, record of a son’s love for a charming, unknowable father.” —Kirkus Reviews
Review
“A charming whopper of a tale.” —The San Diego Union-Tribune
“Both comic and poignant.” —The New York Times“Refreshing, original . . . Wallace mixes the mundane and the mythical. His chapters have the transformative quality of fable and fairy tale.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A comic novel about death, about the mysteries of parents and the redemptive power of storytelling.” —USA Today
“An audacious, highly original debut novel . . . An imaginative, and moving, record of a son’s love for a charming, unknowable father.” —Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
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 and outrageous.
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Synopsis
"A talented and fascinating writer. Daniel Wallace has created a jewel in Big Fish." --Winston Groom, author of
Forrest Gump "I have a feeling that Big Fish is going to make a very big splash." --Lee Smith, author of News of the Spirit
About the Author
Daniel Wallace has published stories in numerous magazines, including Story, Glimmer Train, Prairie Schooner, and Shenandoah. His first novel, Big Fish, was translated into German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese. Raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Daniel Wallace now lives with his son, Henry, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he also works as an illustrator.
Table of Contents
Part I
The Day He Was Born
In Which He Speaks to Animals
The Year it Snowed in Alabama
His Great Promise
My Father's Death: Take 1
The Girl in the River
His Quiet Charm
How He Tamed the Giant
In Which He Goes Fishing
The Day He Left Ashland
Entering a New World
Part II
The Old Lady and the Eye
My Father's Death: Take 2
His First Great Love
His Legendary Legs
In Which He Makes a Move
The Fight
On Meeting the In-Laws
His Three Labors
He Goes to War
My Father's Death: Take 3
The Day I Was Born
How He Saw Me
How He Saved My Life
His Immortality
His Greatest Power
In Which He Has a Dream
Part III
In Which He Buys a Town, and More
How it Ends
My Father's Death: Take 4
Big Fish