Rating: 
Summary: Understated wisdom and humor in this enjoyable read...
Review: The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing is a compilation of short stories, mostly revolving around the character Jane Rosenal, a sarcastic yet unquestionably endearing New Yorker whose growth we see marked by different events and stages of her life. Each chapter/story leaves Jane with ideas and revelations to ponder about herself, life, relationships, and love, and how all of these things relate to each other. Bank uses the cute analogy of "hunting and fishing" to relate to the process of finding oneself and one's soulmate.It is surprising that such a quick delightful read can be so insightful and profound at the same time. Bank uses simple language to get her point across, but her words are carefully chosen and her humor is smart and honest. Bank's refreshing style recounts moments that are telling snapshots of Jane's life and the story, with no additional fluff to fill up the pages. She gets across in one sentence what it takes many authors to get across in one chapter. And because she shows more than tells, it leaves the reader with the ability to take from the story what he/she wants. As a result, it is as much the reader's journey as it is Jane's. In funny and serious, tragic and mundane moments, the book never attempts to manipulate the reader's emotions. My one complaint is that Bank's clever humor extends to all the supporting characters - every character seems to dip into the same wit pool as Jane, with puns and playing on words plentiful, which is a bit distracting. However, this is a small flaw that doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment of the book. There is also a chapter/story tucked in the middle, as told by the point of view of a character never before introduced to the story, and it interrupts the flow of the stories a bit. This book will leave you with your own questions to ponder about life, and is a timeless story that can be read over and over again. For all the readers out there who read Bridget Jones and were looking for more substance, this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: a great read for anyone on the "hunt"
Review: Jane Rosenal is the main character in one of the best books that I have read in a very long time, The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing. At first I was a bit turned off by the title but soon came to understand it. Jane was just a normal girl trying to "hunt" out the true meaning of love and who she is as a person. In this crazy world that we live in these are very common occurrences in which everyone can relate with. Jane is a very real character with problems that we encounter everyday in some way. She has many attempts to find that special love. First there was Jamie, but that just does not work. Then she attempts a relationship with a man 28 years older that her named Archie. That too was unsuccessful and ended twice. Jane, who was just fed up with all her defeated in the dating world, decides to purchase a book on the do's and don'ts of dating. This action of course is one of terrible judgment. Jane finally meets a wonderful guy, but sticks to the rules in the book. She becomes a different person and loses the guy. In the end she figures out that someone will love her for just who she is, and not someone she wants to be. This is a great book and I would recommend it for anyone who is frustrated with love and anyone who is on the "hunt"! HAPPY HUNTING! :)
Rating: 
Summary: Good Chick Lit.
Review: My son saw me reading this and broke out in hysterical laughter, saying, "Mom, you're never going hunting!" Good story but I don't get why the part about the family that lived below Jane at her aunt's condo is included in this book? I thought she would come back to that relation but never does, and it's never explained how it related to the rest of the story. And what happened to Archie? Lots of loose ends, but I particularly liked how she wrote the last section with the two authors speaking to Jane as if they were actually her straight talking girlfriends right in the room with her. Interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: How did this book get published??
Review: I have to confess that I purchased my copy of "The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing" when it first came out in hardback back in 1999 and for next few years it sat in bookcase, well now that I have just finished it, I wish I had just left it where it had been. This book was the worst ever! I can't believe that I bought it. All this time I kept thinking that it was like "Bridget Jones" and it was not anywhere near the quility of "Bridget Jones" or any book for that matter. The bottom line that book contains seven short stories and the only thing that ties them together is the main character of Jane. Do your self a big favor and just stay away from this book!
Rating:
Summary: a good way to spend an afternoon
Review: This book has been likened to Bridget Jone's, and while I have read and enjoyed them both, I do not think you can easily compare the two. Hunting and Fishing is a much more serious book and deals with issues beyond Ms. Jones. Which is not to say that it isn't funny. It is, but it is blended with growing up, losing a parent, and learning to love and be loved. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to all.
Rating:
Summary: Retarded
Review: This book is badly written. The cover likens it to "Diary of Brigid Jones" but it's nowhere in that league. Throughout almost the entire book, the mood and narration is dark, with the headstrong "heroine" jumping from one dysfunctional relationship to another, lonely and full of insecurities. This part was fine.
But all of a sudden, in the last chapter, she meets Mr. Right, and finds out that--gasp-- she has not been able to find Mr. Right beforehand because of her overreliance on reading self-help books and acting how "everyone" told her women should act. NOWHERE beforehand in the book does she even mention a self-help book or playing into some mold of "only call back after three days" etc; the ending is a complete cop-out. Even the style of the writing does a 360 in order to try and sell. Most of the book left me unsatisifed or sad, but the last chapter or two just plain annoyed me. This writer just tried way too hard to create a chick-novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fresh Perspective
Review: I don't know where I was in the world when everyone else was publicizing this book, but I had never heard of it until it landed on my desk. Literally. A coworker of mine set the hard cover version of this book on my desk because she had lost my Harry Potter book. In all honesty, I did not consider it a fair trade because I don't like hunting and I don't like fishing and Harry Potter. C'mon! Doesn't compete! AND what was this book about, anyway? Well, without any bias and VERY low expectations, I loved this book, and read it in two days' time. I loved it so much that after I returned it to my coworker (who miraculously recovered my Harry Potter, thank goodness), I went out and bought another copy and sent it to my best friend in Florida. Hopefully, my Florida friend kept the chain going. This is a great book, and if the stories make you think that Jane has a low self-esteem, well, she does. I think that is more realistic than Smug Marrieds might realize (or not, as I am one of Those). But I suggest giving this book a chance. It's a good one, even with its misleading title.
Rating: 
Summary: low self esteem, no plot
Review: I was excited about reading this book after all the buzz that had surrounded it. While reading it, I kept waiting for it to get good. It is a collection of short pieces most of which focus on a central character as she matures through adolescence and toward middle age. I kept thinking that she would blossom and become someone I admired. It never happened. I read for escape or for inspiration. I dont have time to read about boring characters who have no self esteem and consistently sell themselves short. Read something else instead.
Rating:
Summary: Sitting on the dock of the bay.
Review: Not sure if this book of vignette's would suit Otis Redding, but I found it interesting. Future fisherwomen are advised to be patient; it's a slow-burner/nibbler and just when you think you've hooked the crook of the story, Jane twists until you've almost lost her. In youth, Jane is me - Girl Ganglia, tripping over her tongue and legs of knobby knee. Midway through, she morphed (at least for yours truly) into someone out of Sex And The City. Jane with Archie could have been Carrie with Big. Jane with Robert might have been Miranda with.... Begs to wonder how many fictional characters of NYC are somehow stamped with that comparison from today on? --Laurel825
Rating:
Summary: Mildly entertaining, not about fishing and hunting :(
Review: This book was forgetable! I like to fish and hunt and bought it on a whim but was thoroughly disappointed with the pathetic nature of the main character. There's way more to life than fishing and hunting for men! It's almost as bad a Briget Jones diary!
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