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428th out of 4,642 books
—
31,488 voters
A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
Norman Maclean's memories about growing up in Montana revolve around mighty trout rivers and the four-count rhythm of fly fishing. It is the one activity where his family can bridge troubled relationships, where brother can connect with brother and father with son. And in the end, it is the river that makes them realize that life continues and all things are related. The s...more
239 pages
Published
October 1st 2001
by University Of Chicago Press
(first published 1976)
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Mar 18, 2013
Leftbanker
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
non sissies like me who may tear up a bit at the end but that isn't crying goddamit
Shelves:
novels
I really, really fucking hate to fish, but. Can you end a sentence with "but?" Did I write that correctly with the quotation marks? Do you see what I'm doing here? I'm using humor to avoid talking about my real feelings.
When I first read this book I was on a cross-country flight. I was just finishing it when we began our descent. I was tearing up, and not because I was glad to see the sprawl of Los Angeles again. That last part when he is out fishing alone and everyone he knew and loved was dea...more
When I first read this book I was on a cross-country flight. I was just finishing it when we began our descent. I was tearing up, and not because I was glad to see the sprawl of Los Angeles again. That last part when he is out fishing alone and everyone he knew and loved was dea...more
Growing up, while the rest of my family hated the movie, I have always been inexplicably attracted to its ideas. Whenever it was on the TV, I had to sneak down to the basement to watch it. The film is one of the few out there that can speak to my innermost soul.
I finally read the book a few years ago, and found a profundity that the film barely touched. It is difficult to put into words the reason why this is one of the most significant books in my life. The plot seems common enough, when expla...more
I finally read the book a few years ago, and found a profundity that the film barely touched. It is difficult to put into words the reason why this is one of the most significant books in my life. The plot seems common enough, when expla...more
19 likes · like · see review
This book features one novella and a couple of short stories and they are mostly about fly-fishing, logging (before the invention of a chainsaw), and the early days of United States Forest Service. It goes into fine details of casting line (which apparently is "an art that is performed on a four-count rhythm between ten and two o'clock"), finding a good sawing partner and ideal sawing rhythm, and the methods of extinguishing wildfires in the early twentieth century; generally the sort of thing e...more
"You like to tell true stories, don't you?" he asked, and I answered, " Yes, I like to tell stories that are true."
Then he asked, "After you have finished your true stories sometime, why don't you make up a story and the people to go with it."
"Only then will you understand what happened and why."
Many people think that this book is a memoir, but it is not. Norman Maclean did have a brother named Paul, and that brother was murdered in 1938, but this is a work of fiction. I've been having a lot of...more
Then he asked, "After you have finished your true stories sometime, why don't you make up a story and the people to go with it."
"Only then will you understand what happened and why."
Many people think that this book is a memoir, but it is not. Norman Maclean did have a brother named Paul, and that brother was murdered in 1938, but this is a work of fiction. I've been having a lot of...more
5 likes · like · see review
this is one of those books my mother has been telling me to read for what feels like my whole life. the opening sentence, about jesus' disciples being fly fisherman and john, the favorite, being a dry-fly fisherman, was quoted and referred to on the screen porch in the afternoon, at the dinner table in the evening, and in the morning on the way to church. naturally, i have fought reading it tooth and nail.
but mama was right. it is unbelievable. the title story is beautiful and heartbreaking, an...more
but mama was right. it is unbelievable. the title story is beautiful and heartbreaking, an...more
9 likes · like · see review
Jan 22, 2008
Timothy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
sportsmen, philosophers, plowmen, stay-at-home moms, truck drivers, loggers, prostitutes and pastors
There is a rawness to the stories that Norman Maclean tells in this collection. He lived the stories 30 or 40 years before he wrote them into this book. His writing is poetry, harsh and spare. It reminds me a little bit of Hemingway but with a more refined sense of place. Hemingway seemed to be searching for something or trying to find himself in the places he traveled. Maclean knew who he was and where he was. And where he was is the Montana that many people in other parts of this country think...more
3 likes · like · see review
I found that this book did not in any way live up to its hype. If I hadn't come in with such high expectations I might have given this 3 stars. And that's not to say that the book wasn't in places well written. It had a gentle use of language that was pleasant, but the story wound up making me feel completely dissatisfied. It struck me as being in the very worst of ways a typically sentimental American book. In a sense, Henry James but with the smell of small town rural America. By this I mean t...more
1 like · like · see review
It's easy to allow yourself to get bored with this one. But push through it; you won't regret it. This is a story about two brothers who grow up fly fishing, and they're taught by their minister father how physical grace and spiritual grace can become the same thing through fishing. It's a beautiful story. It got me to thinking about what in my life helps me gain physical and spiritual grace at the same time. What's the one thing you do that is spiritual to you, but maybe not to anyone else. The...more
This was a fantastic read, especially the title story. Norman Maclean spins the sad saga of his family with a respect and richness rarely found in modern literature. His ability to capture the Montana of his youth is nothing short of amazing as he winds the rivers and mountains around his family to a point that they're all inseperable characters of the story.
While the second story, Your Pal Jim, is lacking in most of the qualities that make 'A River Runs Through It' so great, it's short and amu...more
While the second story, Your Pal Jim, is lacking in most of the qualities that make 'A River Runs Through It' so great, it's short and amu...more
The story is different from the movie, if I remember the movie right. Well, okay, the movie I think, for once, is longer than the story. Meaning the movie makers embellished the movie a bit.
I could be wrong.
The book - at least the title story - is a wonderful portrait of the family members knowing and loving each other and being inable to communicate. Framed in river metaphors, fishing metaphors, and succinct, beautiful descriptions of fly fishing, fish and rivers in Montana.
I could be wrong.
The book - at least the title story - is a wonderful portrait of the family members knowing and loving each other and being inable to communicate. Framed in river metaphors, fishing metaphors, and succinct, beautiful descriptions of fly fishing, fish and rivers in Montana.
This is without a doubt another one of my most favorite books to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I have read it a couple times and am sure I will read it a couple more times.
To anyone who has just seen the movie and not read the book, you are in for some surprises, as is usually the case, Hollywood gets things a little jumbled up and adds and subtracts things. The movie, by the way is still one of my favorite movies of all time too. I just wanted to clear it up that if you ex...more
To anyone who has just seen the movie and not read the book, you are in for some surprises, as is usually the case, Hollywood gets things a little jumbled up and adds and subtracts things. The movie, by the way is still one of my favorite movies of all time too. I just wanted to clear it up that if you ex...more
Last summer my father mentioned this book and then had me read the last paragraph. It was good. "I've never read the other stories in this book, but I don't need to," he said. I made a mental note to read the book, too, hoping the rest of it was as good as that one final paragraph.
The title story is one of the best pieces of writing I have ever read. Meditative and lovely. It speaks of flyfishing like one might speak of breathing, and describes human actions with an honesty that I have found in...more
The title story is one of the best pieces of writing I have ever read. Meditative and lovely. It speaks of flyfishing like one might speak of breathing, and describes human actions with an honesty that I have found in...more
The build up to me reading this was immense. I just finished a Nick Lyons collection where he mentions A River Runs Through It, so I had to finally sit down and read one of fly fishing's seminal works. I haven't really seen the movie, so I didn't have any preconceptions about what to expect. I remember seeing parts of the movie about 15 years ago; I think Brad Pitt is in it. I know I would have a different concept of what to expect from the book if I remembered seeing the movie.
I hate to admit t...more
I hate to admit t...more
Một cuốn tiểu thuyết (ngắn) rất Mỹ. Câu chuyện lôi cuốn về tình anh em được đặt trong không khí hào hùng, bi tráng của miền Tây nước Mỹ.
Nó có cái gì đó gợi đến câu chuyện trong "Huyền thoại mùa thu". Tình cờ là bối cảnh của cả hai câu chuyện đều ở Montana. Và Brad Pitt đóng cả 2 phim chuyển thể từ 2 tiểu thuyết này.
Ám ảnh và xuất sắc.
"Một trong những nỗi rạo rực lặng lẽ của cuộc đời là tách ra khỏi cơ thể mình một chút để quan sát chính mình nhẹ nhàng trở thành tác giả của một điều đẹp đẽ, ng...more
Nó có cái gì đó gợi đến câu chuyện trong "Huyền thoại mùa thu". Tình cờ là bối cảnh của cả hai câu chuyện đều ở Montana. Và Brad Pitt đóng cả 2 phim chuyển thể từ 2 tiểu thuyết này.
Ám ảnh và xuất sắc.
"Một trong những nỗi rạo rực lặng lẽ của cuộc đời là tách ra khỏi cơ thể mình một chút để quan sát chính mình nhẹ nhàng trở thành tác giả của một điều đẹp đẽ, ng...more
I read a copy that only had the title novella, ~160 pages in total, several of them taken up by wooden etchings of images and characters from the story.
This is such a great poem of a book. I read it outside on the swing, to the chirping of the grasshoppers in cool, still air, a mug of tea in my hand. The only thing missing was the rustle of some nearby water, a creek or a fountain.
The writing grows on you. At first, its simplicity it surprising; but it soon becomes more detached than refreshing....more
This is such a great poem of a book. I read it outside on the swing, to the chirping of the grasshoppers in cool, still air, a mug of tea in my hand. The only thing missing was the rustle of some nearby water, a creek or a fountain.
The writing grows on you. At first, its simplicity it surprising; but it soon becomes more detached than refreshing....more
A River Runs Through It and Other Stories presents an interesting view of Montana and Idaho in the early 1900's. If you are a fiserman, you'll likely enjoy the main story, and even if you aren't, you can appreciate the art that goes into fly fishing as the author explains it throughout the main story. The other two short stories deal with the United States Forestry Service (USFS), and provides some neat insights into a hard life where men cut trees by hand and fought deadly forest fires.
I really...more
I really...more
I really wasn't excited to read this book at first. I had to read this book for my senior English class. I didn't read the other stories after reading A River Runs Through It.
For A River Runs Through It, I have to say that at first, I wasn't captivated by it. It was one of those reads where, even though the story had a deeper meaning than just two brothers fishing, I felt like I had to be a fishing enthusiast to want to read it. Towards the end though, I saw the meaning behind the story, which...more
For A River Runs Through It, I have to say that at first, I wasn't captivated by it. It was one of those reads where, even though the story had a deeper meaning than just two brothers fishing, I felt like I had to be a fishing enthusiast to want to read it. Towards the end though, I saw the meaning behind the story, which...more
This is one of my favorite of all books, best known for the novella that opens the book and provides its title. It may be a book that could only have been written by someone in his seventies, as Maclean was when he began it. On the surface, it's a story about Maclean, his gifted but fundamentally flawed brother, their father, the land that they loved and the religion of fly fishing that bound them together. But it's also a book that has a great deal to say about the bonds that tie family members...more
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The story of brothers has always been fascinating to me - I still believe it to be one of the most formative, aggressive, and comforting relationships a person (I suppose I can only speak for males here) can experience. The competitiveness, the constant yearning to impress the other while still holding yourself apart, the simultaneous desire to win the validation of parents over the other, the need to have a friend, an adversary, a...brother - these are all inimitably wrapped up in the fraternal...more
3 likes · like · see review
I feel that this book has a target audience: people who like fly fishing, and that's it. I mean, I get that there are family aspects and even some stuff about religion. But it's buried under so much crap about fly fishing that by the time it gets to anything else, you don't really care, because you know the book is going to go right back to freaking fly fishing. I mean, the book even kind of sums up if a person is "beautiful" or "a bastard" due to how much the like fly fishing. And I must say, f...more
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This is a story of two boys who grow up with the authority of a Presbyterian Minister. They were given the same instruction as children growing up and turned out so different. One was a daredevil determined to challenge the world. The other became a writer and reflective. The two of them could not have been any different.
This novel shares how each of us have a built in path that has to be followed. It is the destiny of us all to fulfill and express our own uniqueness in the world. And yet, ther...more
This novel shares how each of us have a built in path that has to be followed. It is the destiny of us all to fulfill and express our own uniqueness in the world. And yet, ther...more
The novella-length story of the title, written well and with feeling, is the best of the three stories in this book. In the narrative arc of his description of fly-fishing in the river with his family, especially his father and brother, there flows undercurrents of beauty and loss which, in great literature, are perhaps one. There are passages about rivers and glaciers and mountains written simply, but which linger in the imagination. Macleans's description of his family, fellow loggers and fore...more
This is a fairly easy read that won't consume too much of your time. The analogy between fishing and religious thought is difficult to parse sometimes, and an optimistic reader might believe that it's not a simple one-to-one correlation throughout. The characters can at times be a little frustrating, but that's their nature, and I found it to be quite effective. Perhaps it's because I grew up not too far from the setting of the book, but the imagery was vivid, which helped with the story telling...more
My brother suggested this novel for me, with instructions to the effect of: Let me know if this is a good book or just a good story about fishing (he being an avid fly fisherman, I, myself, not so much).
There is a distinct charm and poetry to the way Maclean writes his story, a gentle, subdued fluidity to his words. 'River' tells the story of a family in Montana, lead by a minister father whose passions include spirituality and fishing, though the two are so intertwined that they nearly become s...more
There is a distinct charm and poetry to the way Maclean writes his story, a gentle, subdued fluidity to his words. 'River' tells the story of a family in Montana, lead by a minister father whose passions include spirituality and fishing, though the two are so intertwined that they nearly become s...more
I needed an audio book for my drive to Indiana for my Grandpa's funeral. Fly fishing had been on my mind because of a few mentions in recent books, and I wanted a book that dealt with water. My route north follows the path of the Mississippi River backwards and then breaks at the convergence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to follow that of the Ohio and smaller tributaries all the way to Loogootee. Seven years ago, my Grandpa and I plotted that course, and he told me story after story of the...more
"A River Runs Through It" is one of the best written stories I've ever read. Nearly a third of its 105 pages are spent describing fly fishing outings in minute detail. Having never had this experience myself, I nonetheless leaned forward, spellbound, as I read. Even these details weave perfectly into the larger focus of the story, subtly showing the beautiful relationship between two brothers and their father.
Two more stories remain to be read in this short collection, but I already wish Maclean...more
Two more stories remain to be read in this short collection, but I already wish Maclean...more
I read this book after spending a summer in the Great Smoky Mountains. One of my co-workers was an avid fly fisherman, who like the characters in A River Runs Through It, viewed fly-fishing as sacrosanct. A River Runs Through It was beautifully written tragedy. While painting a beautiful picture of a Western Riparian environment, Maclean's words haunt the reader with an ominous presence, alluding to the tragedy that is waiting at the end of the novel. The other two novellas are based off Maclean...more
Technically, I only read the title story of this collection, but it makes up most of the book, so I don't feel that bad about putting in my "read" shelf. The story is beautifully written, and from the first pages, you want to get out on the river and start fishing. It's definitely worth the time to read. In fact, I'll probably check out the movie now, too.
A River Runs Through It Is a tale of Norman Maclean and his aventuses as he grows up. This book also features how big brothers try to help ther younger siblings and try to stick together though thik and thin. Maclean also describes very well what it feels like when your little brother out does you and you try to be just a little bette than your younger sibling. He also describes what it is like to grow up fly fishing and how it is an art form other that bait fishing ( fishing with worms). There...more
I was assigned to read this book my sophomore year in high school, and to be honest I barely remember the plot. Why I am writing about what I learned from this book is how effective nostalgia, and images associated with that, can be. When I think of this book my heads gets filled with beautiful images of secluded rivers and streams in Montana and someone standing in the river fly-fishing on a late-afternoon sunny summer day. The book is incredibly popular among fisherman, because of the nostalgi...more
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| More like these: A River Runs Through It / The Secret History / The Whisper of the River | 6 | 41 | Aug 02, 2012 11:23pm |
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Born in Clarinda, Iowa, on December 23, 1902, Maclean was the son of Clara Davidson (1873-1952) and the Rev. John Maclean (1862-1941), a Scottish Presbyterian minister, who managed much of the education of the young Norman and his brother Paul (1906-1938) until 1913. The fam...more
More about Norman Maclean...
Born in Clarinda, Iowa, on December 23, 1902, Maclean was the son of Clara Davidson (1873-1952) and the Rev. John Maclean (1862-1941), a Scottish Presbyterian minister, who managed much of the education of the young Norman and his brother Paul (1906-1938) until 1913. The fam...more
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“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 timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters.”
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213 people liked it
I am haunted by waters.”
“Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing to help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding.”
—
112 people liked it
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Sep 24, 2007 12:02pm