Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi

I picked this up as a sale/discard item from my local library and it just sat in a pile of similar items until I picked it up a few days ago. I wish I'd taken the trouble to read it before now.

The author's stamping-ground is thousand of miles away from mine, and many of his fishing methods and experiences are also many miles away from my own, metaphorically speaking. However, it certainly struck a chord once I gave it my attention. As a previous reviewer has said, it also has potential to appeal to a more general reader.

The more philosophically-minded angler will probably find parallels with their own experiences, thoughts and motivations, while the general reader may gain some insight into an angler's mindset, and how it can evolve.

A show more brief footnote: according to the circulation-sheet inside the book, this copy was loaned just three times during a shelf-life of seven years. Why did I choose to pass it by when it was on the shelves I was scanning regularly? show less

Winner of the Governor General's award in Canada, Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi consists of the author's reminiscences about fishing on that river. Not having fished myself, I never thought that a book primarily about fly-fishing would be so compelling. David Adams Richards, writing in a simple and beautiful way, gives us a glimpse into this other world and helps us understand the relationship between man and nature, fisherman and fish.

Beautiful, languid prose, and yet far from stereotypical fartsy crap one too often finds in this subject. I will read more from this author.