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145th out of 757 books
—
3,433 voters
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
by
Peter Hedges
Just about everything in Endora, Iowa (pop. 1,091 and dwindling) is eating Gilbert Grape, a twenty-four-year-old grocery clerk who dreams only of leaving. His enormous mother, once the town sweetheart, has been eating nonstop ever since her husband's suicide, and the floor beneath her TV chair is threatening to cave in. Gilbert's long-suffering older sister, Amy, still mou...more
Paperback, 319 pages
Published
November 1st 1999
by Simon & Schuster
(first published September 1st 1991)
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I have this friend who has a rule (although he will deny that it's a rule) that he won't see movies if he has read the book-and vice versa-because it's a waste of time when there are so many movies to be seen and books to be read. And sometimes that is true but I am pretty much the opposite. If I liked the book, I'm curious to see how they adapt it for the screen. If I liked the movie or at least found it interesting, I want to go back to read the book to fill in the inevitable blanks. House of...more
I JUST remembered having read this book sometime when I was in middle school. (Not sure when, but I am pretty sure that I read it at some point recently after the huge onslaught of Leo fame brought on by Titanic... Although Leo was in this movie, I have never actually seen it. I think I can recall knowing that the rating of the movie made it absurd for me to even think of asking my parents at the time if I could rent it from Blockbuster... So what did a book nerd like me do instead?? Read the bo...more
What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a great book. It's set in a small town in Iowa that Gilbert wished he could escape. He's held there by his morbidly obese mother, hard-working older sister, diva younger sister, and brother Arnie whose eighteenth birthday is approaching. Two of his older siblings have left and almost never return to the house where their father committed suicide. Gilbert contemplates leaving behind his family, few friends, and job as a grocery clerk for good throughout the book. He...more
This book was an impulse thrift purchase. I remember loving the movie when I was younger (how can you go wrong with a pre-weird Johnny Depp and a young Leonardo DiCaprio?), so I thought I’d check out the book. The book is always better. (Unless it’s adapted from the movie like the Omen. Or made into a wicked awesome TV series like Dexter.)
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a great anti-hero book. Gilbert is stuck. Stuck in his small town and stuck in a family full of disfunction: he has a father who...more
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a great anti-hero book. Gilbert is stuck. Stuck in his small town and stuck in a family full of disfunction: he has a father who...more
There isn't much to life if you're a resident of Endora, Iowa. In fact, chances are you'll be doing the same things at 30 that you did when you were a teenager. And if you have any hopes, dreams, or aspirations... well, you might as well forget about them.
Not that Gilbert Grape has hopes or dreams. Or at least, not that he'll admit. He is a willing but bitter prisoner of his dysfunctional family -- drama queen Ellen never gives him any rest, Arnie is mentally handicapped, Larry and Janice moved...more
Not that Gilbert Grape has hopes or dreams. Or at least, not that he'll admit. He is a willing but bitter prisoner of his dysfunctional family -- drama queen Ellen never gives him any rest, Arnie is mentally handicapped, Larry and Janice moved...more
Nov 09, 2011
Sarah Weiser
is currently reading it
I chose to read this book because it was suggested to me and also because I have seen the movie, so I pretty much knew what would happen, but I wanted to see what was different. But the main reason I read it is because it was the only book I was interested in.
The main plot of the book is it is about a young man named Gilbert Grape. He lives in a small town called Endora, which is located in Iowa. Gilbert has a small job a small grocery store, he has a older sister named Amy, a younger brother...more
The main plot of the book is it is about a young man named Gilbert Grape. He lives in a small town called Endora, which is located in Iowa. Gilbert has a small job a small grocery store, he has a older sister named Amy, a younger brother...more
From a passage in the book where Momma is talking to Gilbert about motherhood/creastion: "I see you and I know that I'm a god. Or a goddess. Godlike! And this house is my kingdom. Yes, Gilbert. This chair is my throne. And you, Gilbert, are my knight in shimmering armor."..."Shining, I think, Momma, is what you mean."..."No, I know what I mean. You don't shine, Gilbert. You shimmer. You hear?. You shimmer!"
My dictionary defines shimmer as a verb and as a noun: to shine with or reflect a soft, tr...more
My dictionary defines shimmer as a verb and as a noun: to shine with or reflect a soft, tr...more
7 likes · like · see review
So. I had written earlier that I was kind of seesawing on the book, but that the end would probably make it or break it for me, which happens with so many things. I did feel that the end brought a lot of the chaos and events together and made a lot of since, but I still had a lot of issues with the book, so this isn’t exactly going to be a rave review. Now, onto writing whatever pops into my head when I think about this book:
Maybe this just comes from not living in a small town, but I didn’t rea...more
Maybe this just comes from not living in a small town, but I didn’t rea...more
This story was interesting. Endora, Iowa was (a little terrifying, yes, but) interesting. Gilbert himself was interesting, though I admittedly thought he was his most dynamic twenty pages before the book ends. I was ready to see him leave Endora. Ready to see what he'd look like outside of the small town seemingly suffocating him and the dysfunctional family chaining him there. But mostly I wanted more overall character development (I think I was more interested in Mr. Lamson-the lowly and kind...more
Aug 04, 2012
Brian
added it
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? from the perspective of someone who grew up in Iowa -- that field-of-dreams, first-to-the-primaries, nothing-but-corn-and-more-corn mythical paradise that purports to be the heartbeat of the United States -- is a romance. Romance, not in sense of 24 year old Gilbert being torn between an affair with a married woman old enough to be his mum and a femme fatal 15 year old from Michigan, but in the sense of Don Quixote in quest of the Holy Grail, of Holden Caulfield sear...more
How many times have I heard of the movie. I was a kid and remembering hearing the title and thinking that a guy must have gotten some flesh eating disease. I did not know of the phrase, What's eating you?, and of course didn't know that the title meant that there was a guy who was truly bothered by everything.
I'm the kind of person that believes things happen for a reason so I can't beat myself up for not having read this long ago because I know I would have loved it. So I must have been mean...more
Another title for this book could have been "Dysfunctional Family Personified." While I did enjoy the read, I felt that the subject matter has been done often and frankly a lot better. We follow Gilbert and his family of siblings and a grossly overweight mother through their sufferings and eventually experience their love realizations of each other. Sorrow and pity abound for this family as we witness the destruction of this unit which seemed to be kicked off by the suicide of the father. The si...more
1 like · like · see review
Jan 19, 2013
Rachel Campbell
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
hmm...not sure, I suppose people who like depressing books
***WARNING: CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS***
What's eating Gilbert Grape?
Well, if you think that something is actually physically eating Gilbert Grape, then you will be greatly disappointed (which, I suppose there could be a case made that Mrs. Carver did...but that is something I rather not go into). By the end of the book, I was kind of hoping a giant yellow pacman would come along and devour him...but no such luck.
Ehh.
I had to read this book for school ( that is not why I did not love it). It was jus...more
What's eating Gilbert Grape?
Well, if you think that something is actually physically eating Gilbert Grape, then you will be greatly disappointed (which, I suppose there could be a case made that Mrs. Carver did...but that is something I rather not go into). By the end of the book, I was kind of hoping a giant yellow pacman would come along and devour him...but no such luck.
Ehh.
I had to read this book for school ( that is not why I did not love it). It was jus...more
A touching,emotional, comi-tragic novel by Peter Hedges. It takes places in a small town in Iowa. The
hero is completely dependable as a supportive son. He feels trapped in this small town,but he has no
idea what to do. He is practically responsible for the rearing of his eighteen year old retarded brother
whom he treats with utmost love and care. Beyond that he,as well as the rest of the family, are saddled
with a mother who is terribly overweight and who has barely moved out of her chair before...more
I loved this book! The story is simple but engaging and the character of Gilbert Grape is one of the most well constructed male characters I’ve read in a long time. I enjoyed it so much because it’s not quite a coming of age story; Gilbert is older and feels the adult pressures of being a grown up but he’s still young enough that his life has not passed him by, even though he thinks it has, and all these other characters in the book are trying to show him this.
Coming from a “unique” family my...more
Coming from a “unique” family my...more
Hedges' masterful first-person/present-tense writing should be studied and studied (and studied again) by anyone thinking of writing a book in the first-person/present-tense style, because it is a style that only leads itself properly to a particular voice, rhythm, and cadence. It should never be approached in the same manner as a novel written in the more common first-person/past-tense. That said, What's Eating Gilbert Grape is is nothing short of a modern classic. I've read it over 30 times (o...more
1 like · like · see review
I felt honored to be allowed inside Gilbert's head, because he always says the opposite of what he's thinking, and doesn't let anybody inside his head. His distance from everyone let's him look at them in a light untouched by positive regard or optimism. He shares with the reader the brutal truth of what he's thinking, which is often guiltily hysterical.
Even still, you know there's a heart somewhere in there by the way he looks after Arnie. It was one of the sweetest relationships I've ever seen...more
Even still, you know there's a heart somewhere in there by the way he looks after Arnie. It was one of the sweetest relationships I've ever seen...more
This is by far one of my favorite books! Before reading this novel, I had previously read Hedges's other novel, An Ocean in Iowa. Both are fantastic! Those of you avoiding the novel because you've seen the movie are making a mistake. Gilbert is an amazing character who struggles to understand his role in the world. His musings are both funny and introspective and make you think of a time when you felt the same ennui with life. I've followed Hedges's career since, and though he doesn't write nove...more
1 like · like · see review
I wanted to like this, as I recall enjoying the movie, but it just didn't do anything for me. I could make the comparison to -A Catcher in the Rye- as so many others have, but I recall liking that book much more. This was just depressing; life is difficult enough without having to read a fictional tale about how much more it could suck. I also still find it unsettling that the whole town, including our 24-year-old main chracter, is sexually fascinated by a girl who has just turned fifteen. If Be...more
I've always been fascinated with this movie, but as usual, the book is way better. ;)
I'm not exactly sure what this book is about at the core, but I think one could make the arguement that it's borderline dystopian lit--at least it's dystopia for the 'main' character. I think the reason I resonated with this book so much is because I lived in a small town and experienced some similar feelings that Gilbert experienced--everyone waiting for his/her ship to come in, fascinated with the 'outside' wo...more
I'm not exactly sure what this book is about at the core, but I think one could make the arguement that it's borderline dystopian lit--at least it's dystopia for the 'main' character. I think the reason I resonated with this book so much is because I lived in a small town and experienced some similar feelings that Gilbert experienced--everyone waiting for his/her ship to come in, fascinated with the 'outside' wo...more
It's difficult for me to recommend a book that is filled with sex, swearing and undesirable relationships, but I really like this story. Gilbert Grape is a fascinating character and I find myself wishing that he were real and that his future holds great possibilities.
My bookclub read this book because Markus Zusak ("The Book Thief") listed this as his favorite book and one of the reasons why he himself became a writer. I would love to have him come to our book club and talk about the characters...more
My bookclub read this book because Markus Zusak ("The Book Thief") listed this as his favorite book and one of the reasons why he himself became a writer. I would love to have him come to our book club and talk about the characters...more
A book about a family in a rut, with a titular character who seems to feel it more than the others (although I would have loved to have seen some of his sister Amy's true perspective), What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a tragicomic dramedy that lets you into Gilbert's head so intimately at times you almost feel like you're living his life. What is so good about this book is that all the characters are flawed, and that is what makes them so human and so realistic. They try to do the right thing, but...more
This book was more edgy, dark, and intensely funny than the movie I remember watching as a young child many years ago.
It was indeed a snapshot into a life much different than mine by circumstance, but much the same in regards to human emotion, and the experiences that form us and compel us forward on life's journey. I absolutely love books like this- books that show unequivocally that the human condition is, deep down, the same for us all, though personalities and circumstances are much differen...more
It was indeed a snapshot into a life much different than mine by circumstance, but much the same in regards to human emotion, and the experiences that form us and compel us forward on life's journey. I absolutely love books like this- books that show unequivocally that the human condition is, deep down, the same for us all, though personalities and circumstances are much differen...more
I didn't bring a book with me on a recent trip to Massachusetts (and I also forgot my knitting), so I was really happy to see a book swap table at my friend's apartment complex. After wading through piles of bodice-rippers and grocery store thrillers, I finally found something worth reading. This was a really good novel. Hedges makes Gilbert Grape's difficult character understandable and likeable, and the same can even be said for his dysfunctional family. I haven't seen the more-famous movie, b...more
This book is not really informative, deep, or insightful. I am talking about the first person narrator (Gilbert) as well as the book. Gilbert is thoroughly mediocre in thought and deed. He wears a 'perma-frown'. He likes to brood. The book relies on his thoughts more than his actions, as he is very passive(repressed). Most of the supporting characters are annoyingly shallow.
None of this really sounds like a good book to me.
But this book (and Gilbert) did very much captivate me. I am rooting har...more
None of this really sounds like a good book to me.
But this book (and Gilbert) did very much captivate me. I am rooting har...more
I stumbled upon What's Eating Gilbert Grape in a charming little used bookstore and purchased it on a whim. It didn't seem as heavy as the classics I was used to reading, and I'm always in the mood for a good book about a disenchanted young man. Once I started reading, this marvelous book surpassed all my hopes. Gilbert feels like a real person. His hopes, impossible as they are, and his frustrations are put across tastefully and in a strong voice.
I read this book nearly straight through, ignor...more
I read this book nearly straight through, ignor...more
One of my very favorite books. I'd seen (and loved) the movie version before picking up this book, but it was the style of writing that made it jump out to me and establish itself as separate. Gilbert's inner monologue? Brilliant and hilarious, I could go on and on. It felt so REAL to me. Mr. Hedges is very talented. Through the prose I was enveloped in the sleepy town vibe so completely that I felt as if Endora were my own hometown, familiar in every way. I continue to recommend this book to an...more
The dialogue inside Gilbert's head paints the perfect picture of Endora, Iowa...the small town that time forgot. Gilbert has not had an easy life, finding himself as the family patriarch still working at Lamson's Grocery at 25. His father hanged himself when Gilbert was young. With his mother's ballooning weight and her health on the decline; The challenge of Arnie, his retarded 17 year old brother; Ellen, the younger sister with her braces off; Amy, the "mom" and his affair with Mrs. Carver, Gi...more
I never saw this movie with Johnny Depp and Leonardo DeCaprio, but I may have to check it out now. The book is a times funny and at times sad. I sympathized with Gilbert Grape and I think anyone can relate to him who has ever been in a rut or felt trapped in their own life.
Some things I did not like about it for sure - like his long time affair with a married woman and when I found out the girl he had been chasing after is only 15 to his 24 I wanted to scream. But there you have it, life is not...more
Some things I did not like about it for sure - like his long time affair with a married woman and when I found out the girl he had been chasing after is only 15 to his 24 I wanted to scream. But there you have it, life is not...more
El título original, What´s eating Gilbert Grape, significa algo similar a “qué reconcome a Gilbert Grape” que, dicho sea de paso, es un nombre que encaja mucho más con la idea de la novela que la “traducción” al español que, a su vez, no tiene nada que ver con Gilbert en una novela de amor. Además, no lleva signos de interrogación, algo que valoro porque no todas las preguntas han de llevarlo para que sepamos que lo son.
Gilbert Grape es un joven que vive en Endora, Iowa. Trabaja en un supermerca...more
Gilbert Grape es un joven que vive en Endora, Iowa. Trabaja en un supermerca...more
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Peter Hedges is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director. His novel What's Eating Gilbert Grape was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie of the same title, which launched his film career.
In 2002 he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy. In the same year, he wrote and directed Pieces of April, starring Katie Holmes, which he dedicated to...more
More about Peter Hedges...
In 2002 he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy. In the same year, he wrote and directed Pieces of April, starring Katie Holmes, which he dedicated to...more
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“A man who works all day, every day and loves each apple he uncrates, who cherishes each can of soup - a man like that surely puts us all to shame.”
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