I read lots of stories where the characters lead lives far removed from my experiences. They have problems I have never had and probably never will. Yet I empathized with them at some level. How does an author do that?

One way is by creating characters that have traits and behaviors that the reader admires or relates to. Even when a character has weaknesses or problems, if the reader admires some of their traits, they will cheer for them to succeed, forgive them when they make mistake More...

I read this book because it was favorably compared to David J Duncan's "The River Why" which I thoroughly enjoyed and think is a great book, even for non-fishers.

This book, however, fell quite short of the high bar set by Duncan.

The best thing about this book are the author's descriptions of the setting: the river and it's streamside ecology (blackberries included) and the funky town in which it is set and it's (typical) cast of characters. The scenes with fishi More...