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Fiction. Literature. HTML: When Norman Maclean sent the manuscript of A River Runs through It and Other Stories to New York publishers, he received a slew of rejections. One editor, so the story goes, replied, "it has trees in it." Forty years later, the title novella is recognized as one of the great American tales of the twentieth century, and Maclean as one of the most beloved writers of our time. The finely distilled product of a long life of often surprising raptureâ??for fly-fishing, for the woods, for the interlocked beauty of life and artâ??A River Runs through It has established itself as a classic of the American West. This new edition will introduce a fresh audience to Maclean's beautiful prose and understated emotional insights. Elegantly redesigned, A River Runs through It includes a new foreword by Robert Redford, director of the Academy Award-winning 1992 film adaptation of River. Based on Maclean's own experiences as a young man, the book's two novellas and short story are set in the small towns and mountains of western Montana. It is a world populated with drunks, loggers, card sharks, and whores, but also one rich in the pleasures of fly-fishing, logging, cribbage, and family. By turns raunchy and elegiac, these superb tales express, in Maclean's own words, "a little of the love I have for the earth as it goes by.… (more)
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"In our family there was no clear line between religion and fly-fishing"
So starts the chronicle of the hot summer of 1937, the last Maclean spent with his younger brother Paul. This is an unparalleled piece of writing, a poignant and captivating memoir of a particular moment in time for this family and an evocative description of a bygone era in Montana. Maclean's descriptive talents are immense and there is great poetry to his portrayal of fly-fishing as an art form. He applies them equally as effectively when describing the natural world around him and the reader is transported to a time past - feeling the lazy summer heat and the constant flow of the great Montana waters.
He is exceptionally perceptive in his description and analysis of his relationship with his brother Paul. The mirroring of their interaction in the landscape as the brothers cross the Continental Divide at the same time as it becomes apparent there is a great divide in their own lives is subtly achieved.
It is a short work that is peppered with humour to balance the poignancy of events, none more so than the extremely funny description of the disdain which fly fisherman have for fishermen of the bait variety. The descriptions of Maclean's brother-in-law (a bait fisherman, no less) especially on the ill-fated fishing trip which culminated in a naked, sunburnt prostitute running down the main street, are ascerbic and brilliant.
This short novella is as much a history of the waters and fish of Montana, as it is of the family Maclean. The river lives in it as a character all of its own and the reader finds themselves infused with the same love and enthusiasm for fish and the art of fly-casting as Maclean and his family have.
"If you listen carefully, you will hear that the words are underneath the water"
Maclean's use of words and vocabulary choices are second to none. This piece is rich and full. I found myself noting so many quotes from it, just because I found his phrasing so beautiful and his meaning so relevant. It is a piece that is based on a deep foundation of words that breathe life into the natural world around the protagonists.
In the end, however, this story of a family tragedy is heartbreaking. The description of the final fishing trip the sons took with their ageing father is almost painful as the reader is already equipped with the knowledge each moment is one that would never be repeated. Maclean artfully conveys the inevitability of Paul's death through his character building and leaves the reader aching for the loss both to the family and the world, of a brother, a son and an artist.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. It is a classic work and is both moving and affecting. Maclean puts it more eloquently than I ever could:"I am haunted by waters".
While these two stories are rougher than River in many waysâpartly as they lack the family connection of the novellaâthey are strong stories on their own.
I returned to the book after catching the last third of Robert Redfordâs beautiful movie based on the book. This edition has an excellent foreword written by Redford that gives some insights into the authorâs thoughts. Redford learned much while fishing with him, as he courted the man for his permission to film a version of the book. Most unfortunately, Maclean died before the movie got into production, but the movieâs stunning last scene features the author in his natural habitat. Maclean is shown by the water with his fly rod, casting in the canyonâs fading light, as Redfordâs narration reads the last haunting lines of the book.
The story and emotions of A River Runs Through It are good enough to eat, but Iâm afraid that it would taste like fish, and fish rarely pleases my palate. Somewhere in my fabled boxes of books in a nearby storage unit, are at least two editions of this book. One has the gorgeous drawings of Barry Moser. At my present rate, I will never get through my only wealth left in lifeâall those boxes of books collected over both Vickyâs and my own years of bookselling and reading. Weâd always held to a fantasy that we would once again live somewhere that would allow us to shelve all our wealth again, making any book available to pick off a shelf to reread or loan to a friend. Vicky had always wanted to name a bookstore Old Friends, because thatâs what oneâs very favorite books become. But we always feared that the public would assume that we were only selling used books and we looked elsewhere for a store name. So, I live on alone, with most all my old friends in boxes.
Nowadays, I wish weâd used that name and simply educated our customers about making old friends of new books. Our extensive book collection has been boxed up for far too many years. In the end, I gave another bookstore a sale, so that I could spend some perfectly golden time reading A River Runs Through It, all over again.
Norman begins the story by laying out the terms by which his father and brother live. And by live I mean fish. Fishing is their life --- sad, stressed, and/or happy --- they fish. It transports them to another place where time doesnât so much matter as long as you get your limit. Paul is a stubborn soul and Norman admits to not being able to understand him or connect with him on his own level which both frustrates and amazes him. His life is boring but orderly and while he may not be the happiest of people, Norman knows who and what he is. Paul is unpredictable, strange, and a wonder with a rod anywhere near water. Even their father has trouble relating to Paul but everyone stands in awe of him, from the careless way he leads his life to the way he can fish a river.
A River Runs Through It is a short chronicle of Paulâs life and Normanâs struggle to understand it. Itâs also very sad but I wonât go into spoilers here. You do have to read it to understand the depth he manages to convey with so few words. Itâs astonishing.
I love the role the Montana landscape plays in this story. Itâs a living being especially the river in which they fish and consider almost a reverent part of the family in ways. Neither brother fears the river although they have a certain respect for it but itâs Paul who seems able to tame it and thatâs where Normanâs awe of his brother comes in. His descriptions of Paulâs fishing are poetic in a way. His descriptions of Paulâs fishing abilities are poetic in a way and should be read to be fully appreciated so I won't try to describe it for you.
There are a few additional stories in the book I have, A River Runs Through It being the only one Iâve read so far. Since this is a short story and the best known of Macleanâs work, I wanted to include it here as a separate review. I think it warrants that. Itâs an emotionally moving story that feels much longer than its scant 100 pages.
Few women raise their heads in these stories, and those who dare are of only two types:
*The âwhoresâ are very much like the men; they share their adventures, but are neither loved nor respected by them.
*The strong "Scotswomenâ rule the roost, serving as Christian wives and mothers, operating in the background while providing a firm foundation for life. The men love them, but prefer not to have too many run-ins with them.
I propose that the book will appeal best to men and/or those who enjoy the outdoor life, although even a woman who prefers a comfortable chair by the fire will find truth in its pages.
A few of my favorite quotes:
"One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself and watch something beautiful, even if it is only a floating
"I sat there and forgot and forgot, until what remained was the river that went by and I who watched. On the river the heat mirages danced with each other and then they danced through each other and then they joined hands and danced around each other. Eventually the watcher joined the river, and there was only one of us. I believe it was the river."
"All there is to thinking," he said " is seeing something noticeable which makes you see something you weren't noticing which makes you see something that isn't even visible."
And the last paragraph, which is perhaps the "more perfect" last paragraph ever written:
"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timelss raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters."
Highly recommended.