Rating: 
Summary: Great Story
Review: Having seen the movie some years ago, I was anxious to read this book for a book club review, and I have come away wishing I had never seen the movie, for the book is so far above it as to make it trash in all its physical beauty. Having kept my studies basically to European literature, I am now in mid-life finding all these wonderful American authors. I think this is one of the best books I have ever read about human relationships, and MacLean's descriptive style of describing nature is superb. This is definitely on my re-read list!
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad. Movie is better.
Review: I learned to fish on the Blackfoot and know (the new) Lolo Hot Springs as well as MacLean. I enjoyed the thoughtfulness of his prose and his writing style, but found that his story wasn't particularly compelling. The movie was splendid, and anyone who has not seen Montana cannot create the beauty of Big Sky Country without seeing the movie. The best words of the book are spoken verbatim in the movie. See the film and save yourself the time of getting through the book.
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Summary: This book packs a lifetime of living in a fishing tale.
Review: A River Runs Through It is a story of the heart of a man and the passion for life that runs through all men. Some of us may not be aware of this when we look at our lives of struggle and mediocrity. Others may say this is a dreamer's attitude. Norman Maclean shows us how it is as natural as a river, and as powerful as a fist . This book is about men, and growing into manhood. It uses the river both as metaphor and as the dramatic backdrop for a life of a man. It is written as if every word was distilled to its purest essence, and reads as a drink of the finest wine. I read it sentence by sentence and went over many passages simply to savor the view and the feel it created in me. Read it and treasure it and give it to another man you may care about.
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Summary: IT"S NOT ABOUT FISHING!!
Review: Norman Maclean happens to use his muse, fly fishing, to relate the intricate and subtle nature of one man's relationship with father, mother, wife and brother. Time worn, biblical themes are set down in everyman's terms and after 100 pages a boy (however old) will surely examine his relationship to those people most important to him. After numerous readings the story continues to roll the rocks in the river, revealing more of the words. I, too, am haunted by waters
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Summary: in my opinion this is one of the best books ever written
Review: In my opinion this is one of the best books ever written, it includes drama comedy and emotions. You feel like you're there with Norman and his family. It really touches your hear
Rating:
Summary: spectacular book
Review: I feel that this book is one of the best in modern literature, incorporating the poetic phrasing of Faulkner to portray the infinite power and beauty of nature and its inhabitant therein
Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: OK...so I admit it..I saw the movie first. But, the book is much, much better. It got me interested in fly fishing. And, isn't that what a classic is supposed to do? This book will broaden your horizons in many ways. Don't miss it
Rating:
Summary: Simply a masterpiece...
Review: One of the ten best works of fiction written in the English language, this book, but particularlly its title novella, takes the reader not just on a trip through the world of fly-fishing, but through the trip of life. Maclean's work tackles the difficult question: how does man relate to the world around himself?
Maclean's work is not just the culmination of an author's hard work, it is the culmination of a lifetime of experiences, rolled over in his mind till the full meaning of those experiences is understood.
One need not enjoy fishing at all to appreciate the stories of this masterpiece. In fact, it could be argued that it isn't even about fishing. It's about love, art, faith, doubt, charity and all the other myriad things which infest the life of ordinary man.
The University of Chicago Press does not publish fiction works as a rule. It's worth the time spent reading to find out why they broke that rule with Norman Maclean
Rating:
Summary: The greatest book I have ever experienced...
Review: A River Runs Through It... "Eventually all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters." Norman Maclean captivates the reader using turbulent and smooth recollection, which flows as peaceful as the story setting. Maclean describes a romantic notation, which could compare to Twain's writings, of floating down a river and observing life as it passes by. Maclean keeps the river as the median of the story, and all life revolves around it. Living life and writing about it later gave Maclean more understanding and an advantage to tell his tale. Maclean uses proverbs and lessons of life make the story easy to understand and relate to. Never before have I been so black in the face and ecstatic to get back into fly-fishing. Maclean uses such vivid images in his writings; it makes the reader believe they are at the graceful Blackfoot River of Montana. The story has the same simple solitude and loneliness of life that Hawthorne places on Hester in The Scarlet Letter. Both stories have a loss of innocence in realizing that life still perseveres, no matter what they do. A River Runs through it, is a book for all, not just fly fisherman. Maclean's visions and thoughts will astound any person who enjoys the beauty and glory of life. Growing up, under the reign of Presbyterian minister, made the meaning of life much more difficult to grasp. Maclean's uses ironic literature to create a world outside of everyday life as in The Catcher and the Rye. Maclean would be considered, one of the greatest writers of his time but had he not wrote the story until he reached his biblical allotment of seventy years. Coinciding with watching the movie, this book easily places far more dramatized images, than one filmmaker could ever imagine. I truly believe that Norman Maclean is haunted by waters.
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Summary: NOT ABOUT FISHING
Review: It seems many of the reviewers have misread this wonderful book. "A River Runs Through It" is not about fly-fishing and Montana any more than "Romeo and Juliet" is about Italy. MacLean uses fly-fishing as a back drop for his story about family, time, and love. If it could be summarized in a sentence (and it cannot) it would be about loving completely without complete understanding. The scope of the book expands far beyond the confines of fly-fishing. I think that is why so many readers, even the ones who think it's about fly-fishing, see themselves and their families in this book. I only write all this because I'm afraid readers who would truly enjoy this book may be turned away, not wanting to read a book about fishing. It's a beautiful story, beautifully told.
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