I was hoping that this book would have been ore concise and focused on the Jaws production. I don't see why we need 4 chapters on his sisters' business.

Robert Shaw by Christopher Shaw Myers surprised me in the best way—it’s more than just a biography, it’s a deeply personal excavation of a complicated, brilliant man. I came in expecting a focus on Jaws and his acting career, and while those moments are rich and satisfying (especially the behind-the-scenes drama on set), what stuck with me was the portrait of Robert as a product of his family—his father’s tragic decline, his mother’s force of will, and the weight he carried through it all.

Myers, being Shaw’s nephew, writes with a mix of reverence and honesty that gives the book real emotional weight. There’s no need for overblown claims—the writing speaks plainly and lets Shaw’s life, contradictions and all, do the work.

If you know him only as Quint, this book will open the door to the man behind the monologue.

The subtitle is silly, but I understand wanting to coordinate its publication with the 50th anniversary of the film. Of course, Jaws is not the primary subject—it's a family memoir, and Robert's sister and mother are interesting subjects as well. The author, Shaw’s nephew, obviously had a lot of sources to draw on, but I was skeptical that all these direct quotes and occasional internal thoughts were not the work of creative nonfiction. It’s overly constructed. Still, there is a number of enjoyable anecdotes and a fairly vivid portrait of a great actor and writer.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of Robert Shaw by Christopher Shaw Myers in exchange for an honest review. I grew up watching Jaws, like so many people. I had seen a documentary about it and how it almost didn't get made, which made me look up the actor and I was intrigued. When I saw this audiobook I wanted to learn more. Robert Shaw and his large family led a very interesting life. I loved getting a behind the scenes look at him, his mom and siblings, and his friends.

Thanks to NetGalley, High Bridge Audio and Kensington Books for the digital copy of this book and audiobook; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was curious to know more about the actor and writer, Robert Shaw. I, of course, remember him so vividly in Jaws and was shocked when I recognized him, albeit barely, in From Russia With Love as an albino assassin. And one of my favorite movies growing up was The Sting, so I admired his acting but didn’t know much about him.

This biography, however, is not what I expected at all. Written by his nephew, Christopher, the book is as much about Shaw’s sister (the author’s mother). Joanna Shaw Myers. And quite frankly, I found Joanna’s story much more interesting than Robert’s. However, if we didn’t learn about Joanna and Robert’s close relationship, this book would have been a short story.

The biggest part of this biography is how Robert Shaw developed his USS Indianapolis speech for the first summer blockbuster, Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws. Because the book does not unfurl in a chronological order, but rather non-linear, you get snippets throughout the book until Shaw delivers his monologue.

For the unlucky Shaw, his life was marked by tragedy. His father battled an alcohol addiction, and so did he. His father’s life ended by suicide, his second wife overdosed, and Shaw himself suffered an early death.

This book is narrated by Daniel Thomas May, and he was okay, but he’s not that great performing female or children’s voices. I’m not sure I would listen to something narrated by him again, and I was glad to have the digital ARC to follow along with or I would have been pulled out of the narrative more easily.

As a teenager in the mid 1960s, my first memory of Robert Shaw was in the film A Man for All Seasons. He gave a blistering performance as Henry VIII and I saw the film three times in one week. It’s stayed with me for decades and that performance is, in my view, unmatched. He was such an amazing character actor; Quint was also exceptional and memorable and it’s a tragedy that his talent was lost so soon. I haven’t read any biographies, but was thrilled to have the opportunity to listen to this audiobook, written and partly narrated by his nephew. Wow! What a listen. I could almost feel Shaw’s presence in every anecdote about his time in Ireland and on set with an unknown Spielberg and huge production issues.
I knew nothing of his early life in Scotland and Cornwall or the tragic circumstances of his father’s death. Shaw remained close to his sister ( the author’s mother and equally distinguished in a different way) and this bond shines through. I’ve been glued to this biography for a large part of the night and listened to it in a couple of sittings. Like the subject, it’s brimming with life and vigour. Shaw comes across as a very ordinary and likeable individual, a real man of the people, so content in his little bar in Ireland. I absolutely loved this account which is unflinching and feels honest. A great insight into behind the scenes on sets, as well as the more interesting aspects of this actor’s life. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Robert Shaw was a cinematic chameleon: the shark-obsessed Quint in Jaws, King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons, a Bond villain in From Russia with Love, the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin and Marian, and a mobster in The Sting. He was also an Academy Award nominee and an acclaimed writer—his novel The Hiding Place was adapted into the film Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious, starring Alec Guinness and a young Robert Redford.

This biography, however, is a bit of a bait-and-switch. While it promises Shaw’s life and career, it’s also a stealth biography of the author’s mother, Dr. Joanna Shaw Myers—Shaw’s sister. There’s far too much about her and her life for my liking, especially after Shaw’s death, and it often feels like filler. Without these detours, the book would have been considerably shorter (and more focused).

The highlight, hands down, is the behind-the-scenes account of how Shaw wrote his iconic USS Indianapolis speech for Jaws. The book’s non-linear structure builds toward this moment, culminating in the delivery of the unforgettable monologue.

I genuinely enjoyed the stories about the larger-than-life Robert Shaw—beloved by his family, but haunted by tragedy. Like his father, Shaw battled alcohol addiction. His life was marked by loss: his father’s suicide, the overdose of his second wife (Mary Ure), and his own early death.

Unfortunately, the narration by Daniel Thomas May left a lot to be desired. His attempts at voicing female characters (especially children) and various accents were so jarring they pulled me right out of the story. There were a couple of moments where the narration was so off-putting, I almost abandoned the book entirely.

Ratings:

Shaw’s biography: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Joanna’s biography (which I don’t recall asking for): ⭐️⭐️
Narrator: ⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️1/2

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. These opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the early copy!

This was super enjoyable I am a big fan of Jaws but did not know about Robert Shaw. This book almost felt like a fictional story about an actor- it was very engaging and you learn so much about the whole family. This was easy to read and I enjoyed it. I removed a star just because I felt like this needed to go a bit deeper and more into Jaws.

I may be biased because I prefer a first hand retelling and I have a hard time believing a lot of the stories- they are far too detailed for someone to hear second hand...but I really enjoyed this!

This family memoir of Robert Shaw was hugely enjoyable. Written by his nephew, Christopher Shaw Myers, and drawn from stories passed down through the family (augmented by the author’s research), it portrays a complex and fascinating man from the perspective of those who perhaps knew him best — from childhood in Orkney and Cornwall, through RADA, early stage and film appearances, and eventually to his later years of fame and torment.

This isn’t a film book as such, nor a full biography. It’s more like sitting in a boat with Christopher — perhaps during those endless hours waiting for a shark to start working — listening to him tell family tales.

The Shaw family had a good start, but their father’s alcoholism and early death soon brought harder times. Doreen — Robert’s mother — determined and fearless, with four other children to raise, was pragmatic, tough, and unsociable. The children looked largely to each other for warmth and companionship in these years.

Christopher’s mother, Joanna, idolised her brother, and they remained close throughout his life. She often visited while he was performing, joining actors in cafés and bars after shows to hear their dissection and analysis. She visited him on film sets — the peak being a week she and their mother spent with Robert while he was making Jaws, towards the end of his life, troubled and now dependent on alcohol.

Another kind of book would have picked over Robert’s alcoholism and its echoes of his father’s, and dwelled on the horror of finding his wife dead at home. There’s little of that here. The pain and confusion of these times emerge instead through the family’s observation of his behaviour and denial.

I really appreciated learning so much about him — novelist, playwright — and meeting his indomitable mother and quietly remarkable sister, Joanna, who pushed boundaries under apartheid in South Africa and later fought for equal pay for women.

This was an audio ARC and I applaud narrator Daniel Thomas May, who carries off dozens of speaking parts with aplomb, even if a few UK accents slide around the map.

This book was 90% about Shaw sister. It wasn’t what I needed to be. The writing was good but wasn’t it.

JAWS was a formative film for me and I have always thought Robert Shaw was such a natural talent taken too soon. To say I was excited to listen to this audiobook is an understatement. However, it focuses a lot more on Shaw’s family than Shaw himself which makes it an interesting read but not giving me everything I wanted.

Shaw’s family history from learning about his father to what they survived through during the war and how he got into acting is absolutely fascinating. I really enjoyed the conversations the author wrote, making the Shaw family feel alive and like you are in the room through these events.

The book also gives great detail on the infamous speech Shaw gives in JAWS and how it came to be. It was hooked on every word through those chapters.

Overall, I am yearning for more moments with Shaw on set and more about his own personal struggles like his father before him. This is definitely worth a listen as the audiobook gives different characters real life.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBMedia for an advanced audiobook copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was an interesting biography written by Robert Shaws nephew not only about his uncle but also the wider Shaw family. I have to admit to recognising some but not all of the actors work so I was intrigued to find out more.

I feel Christopher Shaw Myers has written a fair and balanced account of a man who was a fantastic actor and writer despite his struggles with alcoholism. I have to be honest and say that I was actually far more interested in the life of his sister and best friend Joanna, and his formidable mother Mrs. Shaw, perhaps fans will disagree with me. There were lots of great snippets of family lore, detail of the families early years and throughout. The time line could be a bit confusing in parts, but overall I didn’t enjoy this book.

I didn’t love the narration I must be honest, but I didn’t come away having learned a great deal about the family. I think I’m more inclined to enjoy an autobiography, I like to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak.

Huge thanks to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧