Rating: 
Summary: too bad they don't have room for a sixth star
Review: This book was outstanding. Any review of the book would do it no justice. This book cannot be described as a book. . . David James Duncan would sit down beside me and talk TO me everytime I picked the book up. As my friend described this author, Duncan never writes in order to get somewhere (climax, next paragraph, the end...), he is always content to be right where he is.
Rating:
Summary: A Rare View at Transcending
Review: I challlenge anyone to tell me that this is simply a coming of age book that does not concern Gus' religious journey through life. Nick, the loving, fly tying, old timer, is a direct representative of Jesus Christ. His Story so moves Gus that he is led into his own God seeking journey. By far the most endearing and mentally stimulating book I've ever ventured to read.
Rating:
Summary: Destined to be a classic
Review: Shame on me, I almost didn't read the book when I friend forced me to read it. I absolutely love the book, and I'm the kind of person who doesn't normally love books. I recommend strongly this book to everybody. It is beautiful and funny and poetic.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: This book was a part of my English reading, and I read it just after finishing "The Education of Little Tree." The first thing I was struck by was ... CORRECT GRAMMAR! After Little Tree, I was willing to give it 4 stars on the spot for that alone. Then, as I got into the book, I realized just how great it was. Even though I usually get lost with anything having to do with fishing, I couldn't put it down and started recommending it to just about anybody. Definitely buy this book if you haven't already!
Rating:
Summary: Eight times read...Four copies lent out never to be returned
Review: Yeah, David James Duncan cannot be praised enough, although my G.P.A. has continually dropped since finding The River Why three years ago.... Thanks a lot David! It has all been worth it though. The River Why (along with his other masterpieces), has changed my life. Much more so than my formal education ever has. I cannot say enough to my friends, my family, to the strangers that I have met along the way, just how important of a writer Duncan is. His book(s) should be "required reading" in our educational system because the lessons learned are priceless. THE RIVER WHY ! What else can be said? Just read the darn book! Read it twice. Read it three times. Read it as many times as needed to try to capture the many important messages Duncan provides for you. YOU WILL BE HOOKED... A DAVID JAMES DUNCAN JUNKY. YOU WILL LEARN. YOU WILL BE THANKFUL! YOU WILL WANT MORE! Now if I could only convince Duncan to make the 15 minute drive into town to teach a class or two at the university I attend... My G.P.A. and I would be thankful...
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: Fishing and soul searching. What more could you ask for
Rating:
Summary: Love this damn book! Spread the word.
Review: This is a life-altering story, both for the character and the reader. You will be quoting from it regularly and recommending it to friends.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Language and Humor
Review: There is a lot of high praise for this book here already, and I agree with everyone wholeheartedly; this is an incredible book for so many reasons. In fact I've read all but one chapter, and I'm not going to finish it until I buy the Brothers K so I can switch right over to it. I want to point out a reason why (the script river-shaped why) nearly every sentence in this book is enjoyable: his use of language is superb in its expressiveness, creativity, and most of all, simple but intelligent humor.
Rating:
Summary: Miraculous
Review: Along with "Midnight's Children" (Rushdie) and "The Deptford Trilogy" (Davies), one of the most miraculous exercises in writing I have ever read. What distinguishes this book is that Duncan asks Questions Too Big to Answer...and gets damned close to answering them satisfactorily. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!
Rating:
Summary: Friendliest novel of the latter 20th century
Review: The River Why has become a family favorite ever since the winter I read it aloud to our precocious kids.... who are still fond, 3 years later, of saying things like "got him!" or "witlesses" or "twinkies catch big ones!" They will even occasionally quote Isaak Walton as they hawker into the fire...My thesis is that any book about a solitary young man's learning to see the entire world as a metaphor for fishing, only to be hooked himself by the power of love, while being funny, profound, serious, uproarious, symbolic, cathartic, and a love story about the world and the Fisher of Souls must be packing a wallop... and this one is. The River Why was published by the Sierra Club, either in one-dimensional reflex, or in a sudden access of Light to an editor.... and it is a book about living in harmony with nature. But more than that, it's about aligning one's soul with what has been said, thought, felt, and done over the past few hundred years. This is a book that has made me guffaw, cry, and, always, think. I re-read it every couple of years with joy... and wish that to every reader who ventures on the trout-laden waters of the River Why.
|
