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vverbatim7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
tnociti's review against another edition
animal cruelty - even though "just" fish it kept making me have to walk away
nalia1991's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-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
3.0
slichto3's review
2.0
I didn't really like The River Why. Maybe I came in with the wrong expectations. I've read David James Duncan's The Brothers K - a couple times. I loved it. I thought this would be deeper and really delve into philosophy. So all I was hoping for was a transcendent book, as moving and as beautiful as The Brothers K, but also having a philosophy to it that would teach me how to live. Yeah, maybe that wasn't so fair.
But the book still isn't all that good. The main character in the book is Gus. He grows up in Oregon and is taught to orient his life around fishing: his father and mother are both talented fisher-people, although with violently different ideas about what fishing should be. Gus is frustrated with his family, but he loves fishing. After Gus graduates from high school, he decides to make his life better by moving to a cabin in the middle of nowhere in Oregon to fish every hour of the day.
Predictably, this goes miserably. Gus gets depressed and essentially goes crazy. He learns that fishing isn't everything, and he learns the value of friendship and a banging hot girl.
And that's one of my big issues with the book: the portrayal of Eddie, the girl Gus ends up with. Eddie is essentially a magic pixie dream girl, but with fishing. She's super hot, and she's good at fishing, and that's pretty much all that Gus or the reader every really gets to know. She is just a prop, and it feels pretty gross and dull to read. It's not realistic and it's not interesting.
Gus is also not the most fun character to be around. By the end of the book, I was pretty sick of him. He's life is just so pointless: he has this single-minded focus on fishing all by himself, and then he wonders "why am I unhappy?" It's just so stupid. And he's also so obsessed with fishing, nature, and, later philosophy, in such a dull way. He just rambles on and on and on about it.
That's probably my biggest complaint: the book is boring. I found the first third to be more engaging, before Gus leaves for his solitary confinement. But then it feels like you, the reader, are suffering in solitary confinement. Long chunks of the book just drag on, and it gets worse as you get to the end of the book. There's maybe a nugget of interesting stuff on every topic, but the book tends to continue to beat a dead horse. I would have probably enjoyed this book if it was about half the length
I was glad to finish this book so that I could move onto something else. Read The Brothers K, but I wouldn't recommend reading The River Why. David James Duncan writes some really good stuff, but this one felt a bit stale to me.
But the book still isn't all that good. The main character in the book is Gus. He grows up in Oregon and is taught to orient his life around fishing: his father and mother are both talented fisher-people, although with violently different ideas about what fishing should be. Gus is frustrated with his family, but he loves fishing. After Gus graduates from high school, he decides to make his life better by moving to a cabin in the middle of nowhere in Oregon to fish every hour of the day.
Predictably, this goes miserably. Gus gets depressed and essentially goes crazy. He learns that fishing isn't everything, and he learns the value of friendship and a banging hot girl.
And that's one of my big issues with the book: the portrayal of Eddie, the girl Gus ends up with. Eddie is essentially a magic pixie dream girl, but with fishing. She's super hot, and she's good at fishing, and that's pretty much all that Gus or the reader every really gets to know. She is just a prop, and it feels pretty gross and dull to read. It's not realistic and it's not interesting.
Gus is also not the most fun character to be around. By the end of the book, I was pretty sick of him. He's life is just so pointless: he has this single-minded focus on fishing all by himself, and then he wonders "why am I unhappy?" It's just so stupid. And he's also so obsessed with fishing, nature, and, later philosophy, in such a dull way. He just rambles on and on and on about it.
That's probably my biggest complaint: the book is boring. I found the first third to be more engaging, before Gus leaves for his solitary confinement. But then it feels like you, the reader, are suffering in solitary confinement. Long chunks of the book just drag on, and it gets worse as you get to the end of the book. There's maybe a nugget of interesting stuff on every topic, but the book tends to continue to beat a dead horse. I would have probably enjoyed this book if it was about half the length
I was glad to finish this book so that I could move onto something else. Read The Brothers K, but I wouldn't recommend reading The River Why. David James Duncan writes some really good stuff, but this one felt a bit stale to me.
meeshsassycat's review
4.0
Wonderful, coming-of-age style book. The writing style is intricate but accessible. It explores concepts of self, spirituality, and philosophy. There are some very colorful characters that I wish I could meet. Very enjoyable read.
mberkman's review
3.0
This is one of my dad's favorite books, so I read it. In short, its about solitude and learning to love. Too much fishing for me!
colson's review against another edition
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