Author: Norman Maclean
Genre: Novella/Memoir (Modern Classic)
Pages (words): 168 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Tells about Norman and his brother Paul, two boys who grew up in Montana spending every spare moment fly fishing. The brothers take very different paths in life as they grow up, with Paul always living on the edge and pushing his luck, while Norman settles down and lives a calmer life. Most of the story is focused on Norman attempting to connect with his brother to help him get back on the right track.
Thoughts: About 3/4 of this short book is an incredible description of fly fishing, which was very enjoyable for me since I've tried to fly fish a few times. I almost felt like Maclean's main purpose in writing the book was to describe his passion for fly fishing, and that the story is secondary. I'm okay with that, because I'm still puzzling over what the story is actually about. I think there may be something deep that Maclean was trying to get out, but for me it never quite surfaced. Overall, if you're a fly fisherman you'd probably enjoy the book, since his descriptions of fly fishing are spot on (it made me want to get out there and try it again). If fly fishing's not your thing, watching the movie is probably the better option.
Disclaimer: There is a fair amount of swearing in the book, and several sexual references. It wasn't as clean as I was expecting it to be, which was disappointing. I felt like the filth was unnecessary, and brought the book down. Nothing too bad, just unnecessary.
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