Giant

Edna Ferber

6/20/2008

Bick Benedict runs the millions-acre family ranch in Central Texas. On a visit to Washington DC, he stops by a famous doctor's genteel home in Virginia. There he meets Leslie Lynnton, the spirited, independent minded middle daughter of the doctor's family. Six weeks later the couple returns from their honeymoon in the Northeast to Texas. Now Leslie has a whole new culture to learn. And Bick has to learn to live with a strong-minded wife who can't understand Texas ways.

Bick's older sister, Luz, has run the family home for years. Nothing was more important than the ranch, Reata. She doesn't want to accept that Leslie has the rights a new wife should have. Jett Rink is one of the Reata employees. He and Bink don't agree on many subjects and often butt heads. Jett is attracted by Leslie but knows to stay away from Bick's bride.

Leslie is a strong woman and stands up for herself against Luz. After a terrible accident, Jett leaves Reata to make his own millions. Leslie keeps trying to correct the things she believes are wrong, especially the bigotry she sees against the Mexicans. Jett Rink will return to affect their family fortunes.

Giant is a novel that portrays sweeping vistas in Texas and highlights all the social problems it had in the 1920's through the 1950's. Ferber touches on feminism, racisn, bigotry, environmental issues, and illegal immigration. This sounds like the early 21st century issues, doesn't it.

Unfortunately, the writing doesn't hold up over time. It may have won a Pulitzer Prize in 1952, but now it is hard to read. I felt it glossed over many sections, was obscure at times, and her stream of thought sections hard to follow. There are interesting thoughts and issues worth discussing. Many of the issues are still social problems today. We'd like to think we've grown as a people and are more tolerant. Ferber even addresses that idea by having most of the offenses happen in the novel's past. At the end, we realize we've just changed how we repeat our actions in new and disguised ways.

I found it readable but not great. I wish Ferber had ended it better by referring back to the beginning. I have to wonder if the television show Dallas was paying homage to this novel when naming its main character JR (Jett Rink). I had to chuckle - one of my book club members described this book as a "historical soap opera".

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In response to my blog entry "Who Named J.R.?" I received this:

7/08 That thought struck me when I was watching the movie "Giant". I think the plot of Giant was adapted for "Dallas". The novel revolves around a cattle baron who is challenged by the evil Jett Rink's desire to build an empire on oil and his desire for Lesley who, I think, was split into Miss Elly and Sue Ellen. (Anonymous)