Giant: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

It’s difficult to review Edna Ferber’s Giant because the book and the movie are so intertwined in my mind. Having seen Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean in the key roles numerous times, those faces were the only ones I could attach to the characters as I read the book. I also had a difficult time, being a lifelong Texan, with the geographic setting. In the film, the ranch is obviously far West Texas; the book doesn’t specify but leads one to believe that the ranch is somewhere near the Gulf of Mexico, placing it near Houston—yet Houston seems to be hours away. Ferber’s town names often are invented, particularly the town of Holgado, which seems to be a large metropolis of mid-twentieth century Texas. This sort of thing is typical of authors, but the film is so firmly rooted in Texas geography that I felt a bit uncomfortable, trying to fit the place names into the Texas I know. That being said, the novel and Ferber were far ahead of their time regarding race relations and women’s place in society. Ferber had proven in her novel Show Boat back in the 1920s that she was a progressive woman as far as race relations go. She carries this theme much farther in Giant. Again, I had though the race theme and even the women’s theme was an invention or embellishment of the film makers. But they are straight out of Ferber’s book. She is adamant that her female protagonist Leslie Benedict have a say in how she chooses to live her life, and Ferber also is quite clear that Texans of the time in which the book is set—the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and early 50s—have a wrong-sighted attitude about their citizens of Mexican descent. It has been said that Texan readers at the time were incensed by Ferber’s depiction of them, for she paints my fellow Texans as vain, arrogant, sometimes ignorant, and above all, racist. But, knowing now what we know, her portrayal is fairly accurate, albeit a bit satirical. And finally, the prize-winning author’s writing style: previously, I had only read Show Boat, her novel written in the 1920s. With Giant, fifty years later, Ferber’s writing style is quite unconventional. She uses run-on sentences liberally and is continually stringing together lists of words with no commas. This, at first, unsettled me, and I wondered why she was allowed by her editor to get away with this. But soon I realized, at least in my eyes, she was trying to convey the idea that Texans of that era did not live by rules. That their lives were totally unconstrained and their attitudes matched those rules of life. Giant is a remarkable book and quite a good tale.

Edna Ferber explains Texans to us, and her words ring as true in 2010 as they did in 1952 when she published her book. Having seen the George Stevens' film of the book, I was expecting something even better. I wouldn't say the book is better than the film, but it is a bit different. Ferber's heroine, Leslie Lynnton, is a spirited Southern belle, with some Yankee roots, and an indulgent father, who fascinates Bick Benedict, owner of La Reata, a million acre plus cattle ranch. He meets her, sweeps her off her feet and takes her to this other-world, namely rural Texas. There the wealthy have all had fancy east coast educations (Bick played football for Harvard), but mostly maintain a deceptive, folksy outward presentation to show they are still Texas all the way through.The novel takes place after WWI, at the beginning of the Depression and through to the 1950's. Coming from Virginia, a bilevel society should not have been shocking to Leslie, but she is gobsmacked by the way her husband and white Texans treat the Mexican-Americans who work for them and share the state. The book details her struggle to improve conditions for the Hispanic employees of the ranch, as well as her personal battle to assert herself in an atmosphere charged with testosterone. Texans think that their women come after their cattle and ranches.Ferber's style is a little dated, and her vocabulary sent me to the dictionary a couple of times, but her ability to weave a good yarn is fine, and I was sucked right into the Benedict's world of privilege and squalor. This is a good summer read for the beach, as the story is long and sprawling. You'll be tan before you know it.

There are books and there are classics. Edna Ferber was a classic author with this one and although she participated in seeing it to the film starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean, her better work was in the book itself... but then, there my imagination got to play with and truly see, feel what this story was all about. The Rancher from a long line of Ranchers, The Debutante from Back East City Life, and The Dreamer of Big Things, Lacking Means to Reach Them. A story of love. Love for the Land. Love for Another. Love of Wealth. A story of Sacrifice. Sacrifice personal for professional success. Sacrifice of comforts well known, for devotion and love. Sacrifice of pride to overcome poverty, adversity. A story of loyalty. Loyalty to the past, present, and future. A story of Journeys and Generations. It was a grand film, but as in most cases of books to films, the book is simply better. Ferber gets a ball rolling, the story itself sweeps one up and carries one away... And while I don't think one can read it in 3 1/2 hours (the length of the feature film, give or take), it is an adventure in an industrious time where no one would, could stop an American Dream, as it would seem today, some (particularly politicians and evil terrorists) are want to do.

Enjoyed the book as I have seen the movie many times. Considered the changes made in the movie to actually improve the story. The changing culture in Texas has much truth as I lived in Texas for awhile in the 50's and can speak to how the prejudice has changed. Also Texas moved from large ranches to Industrial brought about by Oil. A worthwhile read if you like historical fiction.

Having lived in Texas, Ferber nailed the attitude and pride they feel for being in Texas. No real likable characters but I guess that was part of the point.Ahead of her time for sure.

A wonderful story covering three generations of life in the vast expanse of Texas, one of Edna Ferber's finest literary achievements. May I also add that as great as the book truly is, GIANT on the big screen, a George Stevens extravaganza starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, was a rare instance when the movie was as good as the book--and perhaps even better!

Ferber gibt in ihrem Buch ein lebendiges Bild von Texas in den 1920-50er Jahren. Die Lebensgewohnheiten der Menschen vor dem Hintergrund eines rauen Landes und eines beständigen ethnischen Konflikts lassen auch das Thema des Schmelztigels der Kulturen plastisch vor Augen treten. In eine flüssigen Geschichte werden Kontraste und Wesensmerkmale texanischer und amerikanischer Kultur im Gegenlicht der an England angelehnten Lebensverhältnisse der Ostküste dargestellt. Zwar ist die Geschichte nicht sonderlich tiefgehend, aber eben wegen ihrer Lebendigkeit und Gegenständlichkeit sehr lesenswert. Der Leser erfährt viel über die Lebensgewohnheiten und das Alltagsleben auf einer großen texanischen Ranch. Im Gegensatz zur berühmten Verfilmung mit James Dean, steht in Ferbers Buch Texas als Land der Rinderbarone im Vordergrund.