In 1991 Aaron was going to turn 16, and I had just finished reading The River Why for the first time. The author, in an attempt to be - maybe funny(?) Twice I haven’t gotten passed 90 pages. Generally I find books whose authors respect and revere the natural world, who write knowledgeably and often beautifully about it, and whose characters struggle with existential questions to be immensely satisfying and engaging, so I think I understand why others count this as a 5 star favorite. It’s all he wants to do, until he realizes it isn’t. I was so drawn in by the first half of the book that I had to slow down so I didn't finish it too fast. Since its publication in 1983, The River Why has become a classic. Simple Nymphing for Trout in Rivers & Streams. He lives with his family beside a Montana trout stream. The first 50 pages will either have you reaching for your rod and tacklebox, or they'll make you want to use the book as bait and never pick up another copy. Members save with free shipping everyday! The book is over 400 pages and there was no hook to keep me interested in reading, especially since he had to interject snide side comments of his views. . The book is the basis of a film starring Zach Gilford, William Hurt and Amber Heard. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Gus, the main character grows up fishing, in this crazy, fishing-obsessed, little family, and then he strikes out on his own, comes to know himself and what's really, most important to him. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Grow Your Child's Library with Top Young Reader Series, Knock Knock Gifts, Books & Office Supplies, Buy One, Get One 50% Off Holiday Boxed Cards, Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser, Andy Kaufman Revealed! One man's musings on his life and his place in the world, maybe fuelled by alcohol and too much sun. This amazing book should be read by everyone! Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2016. The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing (Little Red Books), Alexander Hamilton: First Architect Of The American Government, Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery. So, he moves away from home to an isolated cabin near a stream. One of my most often read books. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Submit your email address to receive Barnes & Noble offers & updates. Read it many years ago and enjoyed it even more this time. He matures into a young man that I would like to sit next to on an 8 hour bus ride. It at times was a little too wordy and philosophical than I typically care for (I often found my mind wandering or my eyes getting heavy at the end of the day); but at times I was laughing so loud as well. I like David James Duncan a lot - his book The Brothers K was also wonderful. It was THAT good. What did Alexander Hamilton ever do besides get shot in a duel by Aaron Burr? The Crimean War is raging. : Best Friend Tells All, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing. His parents met while fishing. Here, then, is a funny, sensitive, unforgettable story about the relationships among men, women, the environment, and the human soul. David James Duncan is the author of The Brothers K, an American Library Association Best Books Award winner and a New York Times Notable Book, and River Teeth, a memoir and collection of stories. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. He lives and breaths fishing. It starts out a bit slow perhaps for some, but keep with it and I promise you will not be disappointed. Since its publication by Sierra Club Books more than two decades ago, The River Why has become a classic, standing with Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It as our era’s most widely read fiction about fly-fishing. Leaving behind a madcap, fishing-obsessed family, Gus decides to strike out on his own, taking refuge in a secluded cabin on a … At the end of The River Why, Gus, David James Duncan's narrator explains that he wrote the book just so we could fully appreciate the last scene. My son is 10 years old and entering 5th grade. At age twenty, Gus Orviston tells of his life growing up in rural Oregon in a fishing family. His dad writes about fishing. Absolutely incredible. Click or Press Enter to view the items in your shopping bag or Press Tab to interact with the Shopping bag tooltip. I enjoyed this book, but not a. An intense adventure between man and nature amidst a battle between good and evil… Two close friends, Wynn and Jack, one from Vermont and the other from Colorado, each with different temperaments, decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada. “At last the cold crept up my spine; at last it filled me from foot to head; at last I grew so chill and desolate that all thought and pain and awareness came to a standstill. Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2017. Leaving behind a madcap, fishing-obsessed family, Gus decides to strike out on his own, taking refuge in a secluded cabin on a remote riverbank to pursue his own fly-fishing passion with unrelenting zeal. It’s rare that a debut novel gets the kind of love and attention that Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, which spanned centuries and continents, received. I finished it because I liked the writing itself; it's often lovely. Gus in James Duncan's The River Why Essay examples 2347 Words | 10 Pages. I chose to re-read it during the past week while I was on a military mission outside of the continental US. There's no denying that it is a coming of age story about a quiet analyical fisherman who finds his own peace and place in the world by developing his own agnostic religion. I persevered and read the whole story, and then wondered why I had bothered. I first read this book in 1990 and have been waiting for this book to hit electronic form since I mostly left paper. In this book Gus is discovering what life really is and that the whole world does not revolve around fishing. My stomping ground is modern sci fi/fantasy, so this meditative piece of realistic fiction from the 80s made for quite a change. Worse he ‘tells’ us the story with very little showing, which makes it more ‘droneful’ to read in anything but small sections. I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. killer plots to assisinate Queen Victoria. 919 reviews. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the author’s other, “The Brothers K” (which was a 5 star for me). Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2016. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2018. - adds so much non-essential to his prose it drones on and on as he sets up the story. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. But Gus is annoying, his friends odd, and the quest much too long. This book is the story of a young flyfisherman growing up and coming to terms with his adult life. David James Duncan is a hero in our home, an integral part of my oldest son's coming of age. David James Duncan’s prose is at times miraculous. "—Publishers WeeklyThis is a modern-repeat, modern -tale of maturity and redemption.—Christian Science Monitor, ©1997-2020 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Inc. 122 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011. And, did I say funny? Please try again. I keep going back and forth between giving it 3 stars and giving it 4 (yes, I know, it's super important and I should anguish over getting it right). He eventually figures out that there needs to be more to his life than a single-minded pursuit, and he branches out. In fact, I liked this book so much I feel half inclined to go back and deduct a star from all of my other 'read' books just so this 5 star one can stand out. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2017, Read previous copy to shreds. I just wish I had enjoyed it more. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. They constantly debate the merits of bait versus fly fishing. One of the best books I’ve ever read. I had a test with my own pr (precocious reader) who would come to me with my copies of books, asking to read it. When it comes to government, the answer is: practically everything. Get to a story man. The Hobbit, in third grade, for example, I had him read three pages and give me a synopsis, so I could check his grasp of the vocabulary, and his grasp of the overall gist of the book. Creating that appreciation is the same reason we launched Torrey House Press: Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2018. Start by marking “The River Why” as Want to Read: Error rating book. This novel tells the story of young fishing prodigy Gus Orviston and his madcap, fishing-obsessed family. This book was recommended by friends. Great book!!! While fishing, predominately for trout, steelhead and salmon, is central to the story, even those who may not be avid fly fisher will find this novel wonderfully rewarding. A new edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's timeless tale of sin and redemption. After a while, one starts to pick up on his favorite literary tricks—but they retain much of their luster nevertheless. . Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2020. Best remembered as English-challenged immigrant Latka Gravas on the '70s sitcom Taxi, Kaufman also appeared regularly on Saturday Night Live, did ... Every July, a fresh crop of college graduates clad in spiffy new suits fills the ... Every July, a fresh crop of college graduates clad in spiffy new suits fills the Javascript is not enabled in your browser. I've never met a person like him yet major aspects of his character run through s. I am two parts surprised to one part in love with this book. You don't have to be a fisherman to like this, but you do have to put up with a lot of schmaltzy philosophy and pseudo-spirituality. Both involve fly fishing, baseball, and family. His dad writes about fishing. Leaving behind a madcap, fishing-obsessed family, Gus decides to strike out on his own, taking refuge in a secluded cabin on a remote riverbank to pursue his own fly-fishing passion with unrelenting zeal. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Since its publication by Sierra Club Books more than two decades ago, A River Runs through It and Other Stories, Trout Bum (John Gierach's Fly-fishing Library), My Story as Told by Water: Confessions, Druidic Rants, Reflections, Bird-watchings, Fish-stalkings, Visions, Songs and Prayers Refracting Light, From Living Rivers, in the Age of the Industrial Dark, The Longest Silence: A Life in Fishing by Thomas McGuane (1999-10-26), "A veritable epic . Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Sierra Club Books; 1st edition (January 1, 1983), Previous page of related Sponsored Products, "Readers will walk away from the book feeling empowered and capable." Injustice has plagued American society for centuries.