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colson's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
littletaiko's review against another edition
5.0
I first heard about this book when listening to the What Should I Read Next podcast when the guest inlaced this in his top three favorite books. While I'm not into fishing, I am into coming of age stories and this one is oh so good. The wry humor just sneaks up on you and you find yourself doing a double take at what you just read. This follows Gus's decision to strike out on his own to live a life spent fishing. What he gets instead is a better understanding of what it means to be a well rounded member of society.
dustyeub96's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
What a lovely, heartening read. I was hesitant at first — the prose is crammed full of zeal and simile and metaphor that are over-the-top, trying so hard — but I got used to this as part of accepting Gus, much like we accept the friend that blabbers just a little much. Aside from this bit of stuffiness, it is a charming read and doubles as a prompt for thought. I find myself reflecting on the land, on God, and on growth, and think most readers will have this (very Gus-like) experience, per Duncan’s intent.
davidjordan's review against another edition
5.0
Upon making a new friend recently, I was examining her collection of books displayed on the shelves in her living room. I saw David James Duncan's "Brothers K" and mentioned how much I had enjoyed reading that book. We both agreed that it was one of our favorite novels. She suggested that I should read Duncan's book "The River Why" and loaned me her copy. What a blessing this book is. It is a fantastic and fascinating coming of age story told gloriously through the eyes of a young fly-fisherman as he learns to navigate spirituality, community, his natural environment, and love. The story is wonderful, but that almost didn't matter to me because the author's prose is so masterful that I would have been enthralled regardless of the subject matter. On several occasions I texted the book's owner with sentences that leaped off the page and dazzled me with their humor, cleverness, or profundity. How wonderful it is to continue discovering literature I've missed, and I'm thankful for friends who are willing to share the books they love so others can be blessed by them. Highly recommended.
matthewbrand's review against another edition
2.0
I just did not get this book. I feel like I'm just not the target audience and the target is 19 year old guys? Lots of fishing, but he learned a valuable lesson that fishing isn't everything, cool.
arielamandah's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I am conflicted on this book. When it’s soaring, Duncan flies high. He’s a tremendous writer: he’s funny, he’s thoughtful, he writes beautiful things about beautiful places and interesting people. The anecdotes and stories-within-stories are excellent. But... this book is also boring? The pacing really struggles. The philosophical sidebars are either hard to follow or kill whatever momentum he had worked to create. I wanted to love this book so, so much (for an abundance of reasons!), yet find myself walking away both missing it and being glad I don’t have to read it any more.
ecrummy's review against another edition
3.0
Gus comes from a family with an intellectual father, a hick-ish mother, and a philosophically-inclined younger brother. Both parents are passionate about fishing, though their methodologies and philosophies differ. Gus leaves his home and purchases a cabin in the woods to live out his dream of fishing near-constantly. When he realizes the life of a fisherman-hermit isn't all it's cracked up to be, he starts engaging with his neighbors and realizes that a fulfilled life is one with community, friendship, and love.
Summarized like that it sounds cheesy and overdone, but Duncan lends his own voice to the "no man is an island" maxim. We are there with Gus throughout his journey, and his inner thoughts are often funny and relatable. With him, we reflect upon everything from "what is the soul" to the importance of protecting nature, to the nature of love.
As in The Brothers K, I liked to picture Duncan writing this at his own cabin in the woods, tired after a long day of protesting development companies and cozied up to fuzzy critters sitting on his stoop. It has a very obvious "save the earth!" agenda, which I'm about.
But it was a tough sell, perhaps. I interrogate anyone who claims fishing as a hobby because I genuinely, try as I might, do not see the appeal (except it's relaxing to hang out near the water, maybe?). As an ignorant non-fisherman, fishing seems like a game of luck and patience, not something worthy of passion. And this book was about a man whose "ideal day" included 14.5 hours of fishing. So I couldn't quite get on Gus's level for a significant portion of the book and found myself skimming fishing-heavy passages (of which there were many).
Another significant portion of the book was philosophy-heavy, which wasn’t terribly surprising after reading The Brothers K. Instead of weaving the character’s philosophies in naturally as I felt Duncan did in The Brother’s K, it was forced in via long dialogues. Maybe enriching for some, but again: not my thing.
Overall, this spoke to me far less than The Brothers K did; I almost wish I had read it first and gone in with lowered expectations. It’s a powerful piece if you like fishing and philosophy, but a tougher sell otherwise.
Stray thoughts:
They made a movie and OF COURSE, the title picture implies it’s a love story. I wouldn’t call this a love story at all.
Bill Bob was a GREAT character; his Dreefree explanations made me want to give random objects back stories and sleep with them in my room too.
If I had a dog I would also narrate his inner thoughts, thanks for that Titus.
Happy ending much? Almost forcefully so, in my opinion.
Summarized like that it sounds cheesy and overdone, but Duncan lends his own voice to the "no man is an island" maxim. We are there with Gus throughout his journey, and his inner thoughts are often funny and relatable. With him, we reflect upon everything from "what is the soul" to the importance of protecting nature, to the nature of love.
As in The Brothers K, I liked to picture Duncan writing this at his own cabin in the woods, tired after a long day of protesting development companies and cozied up to fuzzy critters sitting on his stoop. It has a very obvious "save the earth!" agenda, which I'm about.
But it was a tough sell, perhaps. I interrogate anyone who claims fishing as a hobby because I genuinely, try as I might, do not see the appeal (except it's relaxing to hang out near the water, maybe?). As an ignorant non-fisherman, fishing seems like a game of luck and patience, not something worthy of passion. And this book was about a man whose "ideal day" included 14.5 hours of fishing. So I couldn't quite get on Gus's level for a significant portion of the book and found myself skimming fishing-heavy passages (of which there were many).
Another significant portion of the book was philosophy-heavy, which wasn’t terribly surprising after reading The Brothers K. Instead of weaving the character’s philosophies in naturally as I felt Duncan did in The Brother’s K, it was forced in via long dialogues. Maybe enriching for some, but again: not my thing.
Overall, this spoke to me far less than The Brothers K did; I almost wish I had read it first and gone in with lowered expectations. It’s a powerful piece if you like fishing and philosophy, but a tougher sell otherwise.
Stray thoughts:
They made a movie and OF COURSE, the title picture implies it’s a love story. I wouldn’t call this a love story at all.
Bill Bob was a GREAT character; his Dreefree explanations made me want to give random objects back stories and sleep with them in my room too.
If I had a dog I would also narrate his inner thoughts, thanks for that Titus.
Happy ending much? Almost forcefully so, in my opinion.
tawntawn's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, unique, well written and philosophical. My complaints would be that the characters were a bit exaggerated and the story sometimes too idealistic. That being said, I will definitely read more by David James Duncan.
wsk56's review against another edition
3.0
Apparently this book is a cult classic for environmentalists. Written in the 80's, it is the story of a young fisherman, whose was brought up in an Oregon family obsessed with fishing. He leaves home after high school and moves to a cabin on a river near the Oregon coast so he can live his dream to fish nearly all the time. He finds love and God and realizes the importance of nature. It is a humorous book and had many wonderful quotes about fishing, philosophy and spirituality.