Reviews

The Guide by Peter Heller

arielamandah's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 I like Peter Heller's writing. I enjoy the Western, outdoorsman's focus and the equal parts reverence and respect he gives the natural world. This story felt a little far-fetched. It felt like it was following a bit of a script and did a lot of "yes and..." -ing. But at the same time, it was stitched through with the claustrophobia and the paranoia of deep pandemic times - always escalating, each thing more unbelievable than the last. It also only JUST started to touch on the culture of vacation towns, guides vs. guests, and billionaires vs. those scraping by. I wish Heller had lingered more on this and treated it with the sensitivity he gave the issues of parks and wolves in The Last Ranger. All in all, I wouldn't say it was my favorite of his books, but it was a quick, spooky read that spent some nice time playing with fly fishing imagery. 

slimo1's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was good, but felt predictable to me. 

shaunie991's review

3.0

DNF @ 82%

Tried really hard but I just couldn’t get into the story.

aedmunso's review

3.0

I enjoyed the description of the nature and fishing, didn’t really like the perspective

live_2_read's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Incredibly descriptive, you can envision the river and the woods and the fishing. Slow buildup of tension to lots of action in the final 20%

fjkcppa's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

annamolpus's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

shareen17's review

4.0

I really don't know how to classify this - sort of post-apocalyptic, sort of realistic fiction; sort of nature writing, sort of suspense. I love how Heller writes about nature. I'll probably continue to read all his books. There was something a little odd to me about the immersive nature writing with the semi-post-apocalyptical, semi-alt-world story. I did tear right through this. Maybe 3.5 stars.

avidreadr's review

5.0

While it didn't pack the same punch as The River, I loved hanging out with Jack again and seeing how he has grown since the last book. Peter Heller never disappoints.

gkelch's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this follow-up to The River, though you don't have to read The River to enjoy this book. Heller's writing is descriptive and lyrical and the puzzle Jack encounters is compelling.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.