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A River Runs through It Hardcover – Illustrated, May 15, 1989
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Based on Norman Maclean's childhood experiences, A River Runs through It has established itself as one of the most moving stories of our time; it captivates readers with vivid descriptions of life along Montana's Big Blackfoot River and its near magical blend of fly fishing with the troubling affections of the heart.
This handsome edition is designed and illustrated by Barry Moser. There are thirteen two-color wood engravings.
"A masterpiece. . . . This is more than stunning fiction: It is a lyric record of a time and a life, shining with Maclean's special gift for calling the reader's attention to arts of all kinds—the arts that work in nature, in personality, in social intercourse, in fly-fishing."—Kenneth M. Pierce, Village Voice
"Wise, witty, wonderful, Maclean spins his tales, casts his flies, fishes the rivers and woods for what he remembers of his youth in the Rockies."—Barbara Bannon, Publishers Weekly
"Maclean's book is surely destined to be one of those rare memoirs that can be called a masterpiece. . . . Earthy, whimsical, authoritative, wise; it touches the heart without blushing and traces lasting images for the eye. . . . This book is a gem."—Nick Lyons, Fly-Fisherman
- Print length161 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press
- Publication dateMay 15, 1989
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.4 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-100226500608
- ISBN-13978-0226500607
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Norman Maclean (1902-1990), woodsman, scholar, teacher, and storyteller, grew up in the Western Rocky Mountains of Montana and worked for many years in logging camps and for the United States Forestry Service before beginning his academic career. He was the William Rainey Harper Professor of English at the University of Chicago until 1973.
Product details
- Publisher : University of Chicago Press; First Edition (May 15, 1989)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 161 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0226500608
- ISBN-13 : 978-0226500607
- Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.4 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #39,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in Western U.S. Biographies
- #276 in Biographical Fiction (Books)
- #1,231 in Short Stories (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Barry Moser is the prizewinning illustrator and designer of nearly three hundred books for children and adults. He is widely celebrated for his dramatic wood engravings for the only twentieth-century edition of the entire King James Bible illustrated by a single artist. He is the Printer to the College at Smith College where he is Professor in Residence in the department of art. His work can be found in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC; the Metropolitan Museum; and The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, among scores of other libraries and collections. He lives in western Massachusetts.
Norman Maclean grew up in and around Missoula, Montana, where he worked in logging camps and for the U.S. Forest Service. He attended Dartmouth College and taught English for 46 years at the University of Chicago.
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Customers find the story well-written, with wonderful story telling. They also appreciate the beautiful presentation.
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Customers find the story wonderful, evocative, and magical. They also say the movie is pretty true to the book, well-acted, and well-documented.
"...The second two stores are just great short stories of summer work and life in manual labor a century ago...." Read more
"...he writes Youthful adventure as good as London and as believable as Hemingway...." Read more
"Excellent story about how families relate to one another through a depiction of their fly fishing experiences" Read more
"Honestly, the movie is pretty true to the book, except for the addition of Maclean's romantic interest and some minor timing adjustments...." Read more
Customers find the narrative well written, beautifully presented, and draws the reader in with every word. They also describe the writing as clear, concise, and superbly beautiful.
"I like the authors style of writing. The subject matter and characters are very interesting...." Read more
"...His choice of words are beautiful without being complicated and his sentence structures are well beyond being amazing...." Read more
"...His prose is easy and enjoyable to read without being as verbose as the masters...." Read more
"One of my favorite stories ever! Beautifully told. Used book was in ok shape. A couple of minor stains on the hardbound cover...." Read more
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Level: Easy narrative, short (just over 200 pages).
Summary
This book consist of three short stories: A River Runs Through It; Logging and Pimping and "Your Pal, Jim"; and USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky. All are quite short at 104, 20, and 90, respectively. The first is his most famous story, and the one that was made into a movie. The movie actually does a pretty good job, but of course misses some things, yet often quote directly, which is always a nice touch. It is a somewhat meandering story of his life in relation to his brother, as well as his brother in law (which the movie downplays). There are many funny stories and anecdotes of his early adult life, underpinning the story is that of needing help, and helping 'brothers' (of which he includes his BiL, in contrast).
The second story is about his summers spent in a logging camp, and his competition with 'Jim'. He showcases his own pride, but it is also one of the best portrayals of love/hate relationships between men, in such a short story. It is also quite funny. The final story is about a summer working for the US Forest Service. Again, themes of pride, respect for his boss, and dislike for 'the cook', but this story has an point/ending you may not be suspecting, in that they attempt to rob a casino. Not quite, but that makes it sound more dramatic, more of being cardsharks in a poker room, that they know will end in fights and them running away with money.
My Thoughts
While the other two aren't quite as good as his more famous first story, try to buy a copy that has all three instead of just A River Runs Through It. It is the same price or cheaper, and if you ever want to read an author because of a story that was recommended, buying the anthology book is a good way to decide if you want to read more. In Maclean's, these three are his only writings for general audiences (apparently he also wrote a field manual for the Navy and a textbook while teach at Chicago). That is my general tip for buying books.
Maclean is a fascinating person. Famous to me for fly fishing and the movie made from this book. He also worked for the Forest Service and spent summers working in logging camps. He spent most of his life as an English professor at the University of Chicago; the publisher of this book. Interestingly, this is the only fiction the press has ever published. Again, fascinatingly, he refers to it as fiction in the sense that they are stories that he believes to be true, somewhere between historical fiction and autobiography. This book was a huge success and then he died, which is truly tragic. He was old, so, not tragic in that way, but if he had more stories in him, I'd read every one of them. His uniqueness also stems from his time and place in life. He was born over 100 years ago, but overlapped with my life. However, in some instances his life seems even longer before the modern are due to living out in the intermountain west. The jobs and aspects of his daily life as a teenager/young adult seem so foreign now as I write this.
I'm not a big highlighter, I don't like my books marked up, but I intend to read back through this a note a few things. There are at least 10 worth note in A River, and maybe three to five in the other stories. Half the quotes from the latter made it into the movie, fortunately. One of my favorite quotes, and the movie fails a bit at this, as I said above, though there is still a focus on the brotherly relationship, is his bit about once brothers reach a certain age, the question of who can beat who, if not settled, must be put down and left alone. This maybe stuck out more to me than others. My brother and I are unusually close in age (7 months), so the question of the better fighter (me) still looms in our 30s, and now I also have twin sons.
The second two stores are just great short stories of summer work and life in manual labor a century ago. Though perhaps logging camps today aren't as different, certainly the pride/personality differences he highlights remain. I think anyone interested that time or life, would find these stores interesting. I worked for a summer in Montana when I was 19, which got me into fly fishing, which naturally led to this book (I spent time on the river the movie was filmed, but not his actual river), so the notion of summer work or migrant (by choice) work is familiar, in some ways, to me (though, I moved on and did not continue the life).
However, A River, stands on its own a great American work of literature. You will not find as much about marriage/family, brothers (in all senses), the existential issues of family and needing help, fishing, fighting, drinking, the Westminster Standards, or outdoor life, all packed into 100 pages in any other book. Sometimes when I read a book, I can become almost frustrated, because I read it and think, if I ever could write well, this is how I would want to write. Maclean had me putting this book down in multiple points to stop and thing, this is exactly how I feel and the perfect way to write this. This is easily one of my favorite books of all time, probably top three in fiction (broadly defined), and if you are interesting in anything mentioned, this book is a must read.
More reviews at MondayMorningTheologian.com and KevinReviewsBooks on Instagram
If you like this book be sure to read his second and only other book.
I grew up in Alabama and had never caught a trout on a fly rod before I moved to North Carolina in 1970.
There is a special reverence in fly fishing in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. This awe and reverence are well depicted in the book.
I snap pictures of the trout and promptly release the fish.
My current fly fishing fancy is catching stripers in Lake Hickory, on a fly rod, using live shad.
Don't waste your life in front of a TV. Get outdoors,hike,fish,and enjoy God's great creation!
T.L.Warren
Retired physician, regular user of
Hickory,NC Amazom.com
Top reviews from other countries
Even though l am no fisher , l really enjoyed the pictures so fully drawn of the young boys and father , then the solitary fisherman . Beautifully 'drawn' and l intend to read more of his work .
It is not a dry textbook as the above sentence might imply.