I picked this up because I read that it was about Montana. I have a soft spot for Montana ever since I visited Bozeman and Yellowstone. I pictured the grand canyon of Yellowstone throughout all of this.

The story, though - haven't we heard this one before? Troublesome kid brother? ( )

I chose to read the book when the movie version of A River Runs Through It was released a number of years ago. The stunning scenery, excellent acting, and significant passages of the story that were taken straight from the book produced one of the best films in recent memory and solidified the book's status as one of the greatest American stories. Everyone agreed that it was the best fishing narrative ever written. I diligently looked for it and read it. I learnt to appreciate it when I recently went back to it with more knowledge and just enjoyed the language and the poignant family story it told.

Here is the famous opening:
" In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman."

In his timeless tale of dads, sons, and brothers and their frequently fruitless attempts to understand one another, MacLean shows how sport may serve as a link—and even the only link—between them. In this very nearly perfect book, MacLean's crystalline style and the moving plot will leave you haunted. It certainly did that for me and I heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves great literature. ( )

Although hard to get through at times, this novel was really good. There were tears in my eyes at the end of A River Runs Through It so it must have been good! The way this novel is written, it's as if someone's grandfather were telling you stories of their life. This novel has stories that talk of the hardships of life in the goods old days and stories of events that unite families. ( )

So far I've just read the title story of this collection. It's a complex story about two brothers who obviously love one another and how they communicate. The story is told by the older brother who isn't sure how to help his younger brother who likes to drink, fight, and is accumulating deep gambling debts. Fly fishing, thinking like fish, and knowing how to read a river help the narrator figure things out. This is one of those stories to be savored. There are some interesting comparisons that could be made between this story and James Dickey's Deliverance on American manhood, wilderness vs. civilization, and male friendships ( )

The book again is so much better than the movie. Good fast read. ( )