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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Pure nostalgic gold. I grew up in Missoula, MT where the book is set. It endlessly reminded me of my father and of countless adventures of fishing and wading those powerful waters.
Maclean has an American masterpiece here. It is a shame to pigeonhole this into "regional" American literature--as I have done for the past twenty years since I saw the movie.
There is a spirituality to these tales beyond that imposed by Norman's Presbyterian preacher father: nature's nirvana found in reading the mind of a fish to pick just the right fly, or looking out from a mountain top to spot a faraway fire and basking in awe. And Destiny, for Maclean, is the power of the story that he finds himself in.
Maclean's prose works on all levels as well, shifting from rowdy to tragic to sublime almost effortlessly. The beginnings and endings of the three stories featured here are particularly strong.
There is a spirituality to these tales beyond that imposed by Norman's Presbyterian preacher father: nature's nirvana found in reading the mind of a fish to pick just the right fly, or looking out from a mountain top to spot a faraway fire and basking in awe. And Destiny, for Maclean, is the power of the story that he finds himself in.
Maclean's prose works on all levels as well, shifting from rowdy to tragic to sublime almost effortlessly. The beginnings and endings of the three stories featured here are particularly strong.
This book is an anomaly in a few different ways. First, it's the authors first piece of work which he wrote at age 70. Second, while its a shorter novel, it truly reads like poetry. I can't think of a book that I've found the imagery to be so vivid and all consuming as this. It's as if the author has spent their entire life having this story within them, perfecting every word and description, only to have it burst out of them in the twilight of their lives as this incredibly beautiful masterpiece. While fly fishing is the main catalyst for telling this story, you don't have to care or understand it at all to enjoy it. The story itself is simply told with very few characters or dialogue. The setting of small towns and rivers of the North West is perfect and makes you yearn to see these beautifully described landscapes, though you can perfectly picture them in your mind through the author's prose. I'm honestly blown away by the beauty within this novel. It's a rare thing to constantly put a book down after a paragraph or chapter and simply say, "Wow", under one's breath, but this novel is moving in a ways I've never seen before. It's simple and stunning.
I give three stars for all three stories, but five for the title story.
I can't decide if Maclean was smart to put the title story first or if it should have been last. I might not have gotten to it at all if I had to work my way through the other stories. I was so moved by that story, but the other two tales left me cold. I suspect none of these stories were written for me, but the first story transcended where I am and where the story was written. The whole beginning story swept me away and left me breathless. The language is amazing.
It is hard to imagine that this story hasn't been read by most Americans, but I know that is not true. More people have seen the movie than read the book. If you haven't read the story, pick it up soon. Enjoy the 100 pages it takes to tell the tale and then read the other two stories if you feel so inclined.
I can't decide if Maclean was smart to put the title story first or if it should have been last. I might not have gotten to it at all if I had to work my way through the other stories. I was so moved by that story, but the other two tales left me cold. I suspect none of these stories were written for me, but the first story transcended where I am and where the story was written. The whole beginning story swept me away and left me breathless. The language is amazing.
It is hard to imagine that this story hasn't been read by most Americans, but I know that is not true. More people have seen the movie than read the book. If you haven't read the story, pick it up soon. Enjoy the 100 pages it takes to tell the tale and then read the other two stories if you feel so inclined.
The feeling of fishing wrapped up in literary art...
I don't feel like I can really give this book a rating. I think I read it at the wrong time and couldn't give my full attention to it. The first story was amazing. Just like BN said it would be. I'm sad I waited so long to read it and will revisit this collection again soon.
One of the two books that I actually like less than the movie adaptation (the other being Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil).
3.5 stars— rounding to 4 for review. As someone who grew up in the country, I appreciate this story. Maclean’s ability to paint a vivid picture with words is lovely, and the many instances of these pictures of the wilderness made me feel at home. The story itself was good and I enjoyed reading it, but I wasn’t quite as wowed as many other reader’s reviews.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This was the book a friend brought on our camping trip to Banff to read aloud around the campfire. It was magical. The perfect slow, meditative pace for camping; lovely nature descriptions; of course tragic - but beautifully written.