A River Runs through It and Other Stories

Norman Maclean published his first work, this collection of three stories, when he was 73. He was an English Professor at the University of Chicago, and its Press broke precedent, by publishing its first work of fiction. A fortuitous decision, as this best seller provided the Press the funds to issue other drier academic works of non-fiction. The movie  A River Runs Through It , directed by Robert Redford, issued in 1992, helped greatly to popularize this story. Nonetheless, not having seen the movie, I was leery of the book, with a gut feeling that this would be about the ultra-rich crowd who water at Jackson Hole, WY, or even further a field, say, chartering a private plane to some remote river in Siberia, so they can differentiate themselves from the masses by practices this arcane sport. And was I ever wrong - this is the REAL thing, fly-fishing as a natural art form, and a passion, as practiced by the natives of an equally obscure part of America: the Idaho-Montana border area.The story is largely autobiographical, set in the late `30's, and is about Maclean's family relationships, particularly with his brother, who we learn early in the story, was murdered in the prime of life. His father, a Presbyterian minister, of Scottish origins, taught both sons how to fly fish, and it remained a passion, and cement that could be relied upon to bind their relationship. Norman's brother was admittedly the better sportsman. Although I've never fished, this one story explains why it is an intelligent man's (or woman's) avocation, shattering the image of Tom Sawyer sitting under a tree, with a pole in the water, and a worm at the end of the string. For that reason alone, the story is worth the read (I'd also highly recommend Russell Chatham's series of short stories  Dark Waters  for the same reason). But what really sets this story apart is the beautifully crafted tale of these relationships, coupled with those relating to their absolute loser of a brother-in-law and the women who find self-actualization tending to his pathetic nature. There are also some ribald and humorous scenes in the story. A line in the story summarizes Maclean's outlook: "...at the time I did not know that stories of life are often more like rivers than books." And perhaps the central question of the story is: Can we really help anyone else?The other two stories don't match the title story in excellence, but still are both worthwhile reads. They are both set just after World War I, when Maclean was in his late teens, and worked in the logging camps and the Forest Service in the same Idaho-Montana border area. It is a portrait of the "rough and tumble" West, not long after the "frontier" had closed, and featured hard work, gambling, boozing, and, yes, ladies of the trade. Maclean's summer work with the Forest Service involved fire watches, and it was in this same area that the largest forest fire in American history occurred nine years earlier, and is described in Timothy Egan's excellent book  The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America .Like Egan, and Wallace Stegner, Norman Maclean has written excellent, , poignant and authentic stories of the American West. A solid 5-star read.

I had read this book before, and seen the movie several times. I noticed my book was lost, and wanted to replace it. That turned out to be a most fortuitous literary loss for the new book has two amendments that made gold of my decision to replace the lost treasure. First, it has a new forward by Robert Redford which is extremely interesting and informative. Everyone knows what a splendid actor Redford is, but I doubt many appreciate his writing skills. They are sterling and add brilliance to an already brilliant book. The publisher also saw fit to move the Acknowledgements to the front of the book, between Redford's Forward and Chapter 1. That was a canny move for I fear many skip this section if it's left till the end. I suspect most will find, as did I, that it is a touching piece of writing that shows off Mr. Maclean's extraordinary writing skills in sun-bright radiance. I challenge you to get through it with dry eyes. The story itself takes only 119 of the 246 page tri-story book and while both the "co stars" are well written and delightful, only "River" warrants "Masterpiece", at least in my opinion. I can't think of a story that has moved me more and I'm sure I'll laugh and cry, as astonished as my first read through, even if I read it another hundred times. Maclean had a gift and I envy any that were students in his classes at the University of Chicago. I wish I had been one.

I bought this book because I loved the movie. Normally I like to read the book first, then see the movie but in this case I don't think the book would have been as interesting without my mental pictures of the three key players.I know nothing about fly fishing and have no interest in it but I loved his descriptions of the technique and I can understand how being on the water and coming home with a bag full of exceptional fish would be relaxing and fulfilling all at the same time. I did find it strange that they felt so bonded to each other when every time they went fishing "together" they all went their separate ways. I get that you can't cast standing right next to someone else but it did seem strange; perhaps it's because I am female.The story was also very sad. Sad that the younger son with so much talent never found the peace he was looking for, and sad that a Presbyterian minister who had obviously dedicated his life to the work of God, could not pass his faith on to his sons. They loved each other and they loved fishing and that was it.

A wonderful collection of short stories. All the men in our family fly fish and all have asked to read the book.

This book is unusual in so far as there are no chapters, it is quite short and it is a simple, one dimensional story. That said, it is heartfelt and it keeps you turning the pages. It also gives an insight to life in Montana in the 1920s and it really was the Wild West.

As flyfisher and hiker I can connect and I am touched by the stories. Kind of you can hear the river and smell the pines …

Produit conforme, livraison rapide. Très bien. Merci

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