The Old Man and the Boy

Rating:
Summary: A timeless book for the entire family to cherish
Review: My husband received this book for a gift right after we married. I had very little understanding of a real hunter and how holidays and seasons joyfully dictated whether he would be on a dove shoot or freezing cold in a duck blind. He and I read this book countless times and always shed a few tears. Ruark's stories and the sage advise of the old man made this young bride appreciate the land and to love and respect a fine bird dog and the desire to make a bird, fish or venison dinner into a Southern culinary delight. His description of Miss Lottie and her fruitcakes and hams at Christmas are so beautifuly written, that without a doubt,you would give it all up to spend one Christmans with the boy,the old man, and Miss Lottie! A hunter's dream of a way of life.

Rating:
Summary: A delight
Review: Robert Ruark describes how he grew to manhood under the direction of his Grandfather. This book is more than just a description of how a Carolina boy became a man. This book will delight anyone who values a common sense, honorable approach to life, and people.
I've probably read 20,000 books in my life. This book, and the sequel, are in the top 10 of those I love the best.

Rating:
Summary: A delight
Review: Robert Ruark describes how he grew to manhood under the direction of his Grandfather. This book is more than just a description of how a Carolina boy became a man. This book will delight anyone who values a common sense, honorable approach to life, and people.
I've probably read 20,000 books in my life. This book, and the sequel, are in the top 10 of those I love the best.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have read in a long time.
Review: Ruark recounts tales from his childhood that provide humuor, philosophy, adventure, and the excitement that can only be felt by a young boy on a hunt.

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Summary: A Respect For Wisdom That Can Come From Age
Review: Ruark was one of the first to put value to the need for life lessons outside the school, the schoolyard and now the newstand and streetcorner. Novel thought that a young boy could learn from a grandfather with rural roots. An earlier reviewer commented on that there were too many lessons, not enough plot in this book. This person probably thought the same about Tuesdays with Morrie. A terrific companion book on Ruark's life is Terry Wieland's new book on Ruark, View from a Tall Hill, I believe its called, published by a Thorn Tree Press.

Rating:
Summary: The Old Man and the Boy
Review: Ruark's book conjures up memories of my own Old Man. The same guidelines on handling guns and how to shoot are still valid today. Some of the more important parts of this book deal with just going hunting, fishing , etc. not with the results of the day, but why we go do these things. Learn why fishing isn't about catching fish. Learn why some dogs are made to hunt and some aren't. The last chapter "All He Left Me Was The World", is not to be read by the tenderhearted. It strikes a chord with any of us who have lost our Old Man. I too went hunting the day of the Old Man's funeral, I know that's what he would have wanted, and so does Ruark.

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Summary: Real life morals
Review: The best thing about The Old Man and The Boy is its wisdom and morals. Most of the book is spent with the old man teaching the boy. With the lessons learned, the boy is able to do what is right without his grandfather guiding him. These morals could be used in real life, and the wisdom is something to pay attention to. The book is fairly repetative, and doesn't seem to have much of a plot, but it does manage to hold together a very descriptive story.

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Summary: This book captures the passion of the outdoorsman.
Review: The love for the field and the stream are usually inherited. This book captures how this passion is passed on through the love and respect between pupil and teacher. Most true outdoorsmen who read this book will vividly experience their own form of dejavu as they share Ruark's childhood adventures. Those that aren't may better understand.

Rating:
Summary: 6 stars
Review: This book is glimpse back into an America that is rapidly vanishing. Robert Ruark can rightly be considered the dean of serious sporting writers. Gene Hill is very good, but only wrote short pieces. Hemingway was vaster, but his angst and internal gordian knot muddy the clear waters. Ruark walks the top rail of the fence: you get the very best of it all. And nowhere does he do it better than in his two "Old Man and the Boy" collections. Others here have said it, but there are stories here that will break your heart clean in two with their aching beauty, their crystal clear images, the smells and tastes of a life spent in rural North Carolina before television. My personal favorite is "September Song", which is, along with "The Road to Tinkhamtown", one of the two or three finest pieces of American sporting literature ever put down. Any appreciation for American sporting literature must begin with Ruark, and any study of Ruark must begin with the Old Man. Without him, you'll never grasp "Horn of the Hunter", or even "Uhuru" or "Something of Value". The Old Man is the key to all the locks. Favorite quote: "Only hunting and mountain climbing are sports. The rest are just games."

Rating:
Summary: Classic story of a boy's rite of passage to manhood
Review: This book is the story of Robert Ruark's boyhood days at his gandfather's place in North Carolina. It chronicles the growth of a small boy toward manhood as he learns some of life's important lessons while he learns to handle guns, to fish, to hunt, and to appreciate the beauty of the natural world. His teacher is his grandfather, who becomes his beat friend and mentor. The book gives off an aroma of wood smoke, gun oil, wet dog and pipe tobacco. It has relevance and value in any age, but particularly today, when we have forgotten many of the old truths of America.I recommend it highly