Giant - (Perennial Classics) by Edna Ferber (Paperback)

About the Book

Edna Ferber's classic story of a Texas family's rise to the pinnacle of society in the early days of oil wildcatting was the basis of a popular film starring Rock Hudson, James Dean, and Elizabeth Taylor.

Book Synopsis

"A powerful story...truly as big as its subject." -- Los Angeles Times

The basis for the classic film starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson, Giant is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber's sweeping generational tale of power, love, cattle barons, and oil tycoons, set in Texas during the first half of the twentieth century.

When larger-than-life cattle rancher Jordan "Bick" Benedict arrives at the family home of sharp-witted but genteel Virginia socialite Leslie Lynnton to purchase a racehorse, the two are instantly drawn to each other. But for Leslie, falling in love with a Texan was a lot simpler than falling in love with Texas. Upon their arrival at Bick's ranch, Leslie is confronted not only with the oppressive heat and vastness of Texas but also by the disturbing inequity between runaway riches and the poverty and racism suffered by the Mexican workers on the ranch. Leslie and Bick's loving union endures against all odds, but a reckoning is coming and a price will have to be paid.

A sensational and enthralling saga, Ferber masterfully captures the essence of Texas with all its wealth and excess, cruelty and prejudice, pride and violence.

From the Back Cover

This sweeping tale captures the essence of Texas on a staggering scale as it chronicles the life and times of cattleman Jordan "Bick" Benedict, his naive young society wife, Leslie, and three generations of land-rich sons. A sensational story of power, love, cattle barons, and oil tycoons, Giant was the basis of the classic film starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson.

Review Quotes

"A powerful story...truly as big as its subject." - Los Angeles Times

"Her vocabulary is rich and vital; she sees material objects with a penetrating and delightful vision." - New York Tribune

"Miss Ferber at her best, and that's very good indeed." - St. Louis Globe-Democrat

"A powerful novel and a gripping read, and very much ahead of its time regarding South Texas race relations. It has charm and intelligence and swagger, and even some fairly profound sociological insight." - Texas Observer

"A brisk, slick, clever, constantly moving story." - New York Times

"Giant makes marvelous reading--wealth piled on wealth, wonder on wonder in a stunning, splendiferous pyramid of ostentation....no one can deny the explosive impact of this story." - New York Times

"A powerful novel and a gripping read, and very much ahead of its time regarding South Texas race relations." - Texas Observer