A River Runs Through It

Rating:
Summary: The American Family, Fishing and Gratitude
Review: I first read this book when I was learning how to flyfish, thinking that this would be a fun fishing book. What I discovered instead was a book which revealed how families relate and provided me with a greater understanding of my own family, how we relate to each other and dealing with, or rather accepting the disfunction, joy and sorrows present in every family. Norman Maclean's prose, reminiscent of Steinbeck, is beautiful and to the point. His narrative draws the reader in to the relatonship of a father and his two very different sons as they wrestle with these differences. Norman Maclean's gift is evident from the opening line,"In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing" to the last few pages which bring the entire book into sharp focus. Personally, I feel the most memorable line of the book appears on the last page when the author writes "It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us."

It is unfortunate that this book is thought of as a book about fishing. Fishing is merely the vehicle which allows the reader to better understand how each member of this troubled yet loving family relates to each other and reveals the mysteries of every family's struggle.

I strongly recommend this book to everyone, especially to those who do not fish. It is truly one of the rare books that transcends the ink and paper on which it is printed to weave itself indelibly into the lives of its reader.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, brave and funny
Review: To say that someone is living in the past is usually an insult, but Norman Maclean's early life was so momentous that you could hardly blame him. As the helpful introduction to this work explains, he was living at the end of an era, when the great days of the Wild West and the frontier spirit were coming to an end.

Perhaps above all A River Runs Through It is a hymn to the restorative power of nature. You get the idea that Maclean was not overly impressed with modern life and throughout these stories his voice rings out beautifully, bravely and more than a little sardonically. This a wonderful glimpse of life in the early years of twentieth century rural America.



Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This book is suited for anyone who has ever felt a twinge of emotion for something or someone other than themselves. A River Runs Through It will sweep through your heart and leave images in your mind long after the pages are read. It is so beautifully written that I found myself reading the same page over and over again. Anyone who passes this book up as a book about 'fishing' is missing out on one of the greatest achievements in American literature. It is amazing.

Rating:
Summary: The Further One Gets From Missoula, MT
Review: I grew up in Billings, MT, on the other side of the Continental Divide, closer to where the movie was filmed than where the book was written. I now live in Missoula, a town where you can still find Front Street Poker, fly fishermen on Clark Fork, and people enjoying drinks while toasting to their own fair city.

It is, as an angling friend of mine highlighted, probably one of the few places on the planet where bar bathroom graffiti includes the line "That guy has a small johnson and he uses bait." That is a strong insult in these parts.

A River Runs through It is a lot of things. It's the story of a family growing closer as it falls apart. It's a story of being unable to help those who need it most. And it's a story of place.

Regardless, anyone who's ever lived in this part of the world needs to pick this book up. A River Runs Through It is great. The other stories are well-written as well, focusing on memories from working summers for the forest service, including a stint down in the Bitterroots.

Heartily recommended.

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Summary: A story of depth and meaning
Review: In his book, A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean has created a modern masterpiece of 20th century literature. Although this work has not yet been recognized in mainstream America for its depth, as with many other works of American literature it will gain more genius through the understanding that only time allows. Maclean's unobtrusive and poetic prose leave the reader contemplating the intricacies and perplexities of life, while also allowing the reader to bask in the sunlight of absolute purity. A family whose love was boundless, but whose communications of the heart were cumbersome and awkward, provides the stone from which this story is hewn. Throughout the book, Maclean intertwines the art of fly-fishing and his vivid descriptions of a virgin Montana to narrate the tale of the Maclean family and their religion, both in the chapel and on the river. The idea of nature and God being synonymous is not a new one, but Maclean adds meaning to this old axiom though a father and his sons reveling in the spirituality of an untouched world, a coming back to ones roots. Throughout his narrative Norman Maclean spends a considerable amount of time detailing the art of fly-fishing, but this never detracts from his underlying thesis of life. The book ends with a style unsurpassed in American literature, leaving the reader with a profound sense of melancholy and nostalgic longings. A River Runs Through It is an important work for those seeking a more complete understanding of the complexities of humanity and the art of fly-fishing.

Rating:
Summary: A Manual on Fly Fishing
Review: I had to read this for freshman English summer reading. I thought it would be a good read. However, it is far too descriptive of unimportant things like the way to create different types of flies to catch fish with. The story takes a backseat to the unending step-by-step instructions. It is simply awful how boring all of it is. The characters are not well developed and one does not get a sense of their personalities at all. I hated this book.