The River Why - Hardcover

Duncan, David James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0871563215 ISBN 13: 9780871563217

Publisher: Sierra Club Books, 1983

Synopsis

Since its publication by Sierra Club Books nearly two decades ago, The River Why has become a classic, standing with Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It as the most-read fiction about fly-fishing of our era. Duncan's protagonist, Gus Orviston, is an irreverent young flyfisherman--a vibrant character who makes us laugh easily and feel deeply, and who speaks with startling truth about the way we live.
Leaving behind a madcap, fishing-obsessed family, Gus embarks on an extraordinary voyage of self-discovery along his beloved Oregon rivers. What he unexpectedly finds is man's wanton destruction of nature and a burning desire to commit himself to its preservation.
The River Why is a tale that gives a contemporary voice to the concerns and hopes of all living things on this beautiful, watery planet. It is the story of one man's search for meaning, for love, and for a sane way to live.

About this title

Review

Praise for The River Why:
"A whirlwind, madcap, humorous and sensitive novel" "New York Times""

Praise for The River Why:
"A whirlwind, madcap, humorous and sensitive novel" New York Times"

"A hymn to the waters of the earth and the wholeness of life. It is also funny." Miami Herald"

"A veritable epic of flyfishing... done in a high-velocity, exuberant style, sprawling in scale, heedless of form... The feeling for and evocation of the imperiled natural world is rhapsodic in its intensity; the writing energetic, literary in a distinctly American way... So amiable is the prevailing tone that the flowing narrative is able to absorb Koranic and Eastern mysticisms, Tao, Sufism, Zen-the religions of oneness and gospel of love-without turning into the kind of maudlin choral chanting that so often disfigures treatments of fusion of self and the world." Publishers Weekly"

This is a modern-repeat, modern -tale of maturity and redemption. Christian Science Monitor"

About the Author

David James Duncan is the author of the novels The River Why and The Brothers K, the story collection River Teeth, and two nonfiction collections. His work has appeared in numerous national anthologies, including Best American Essays (twice), Best American Sportswriting, and Best American Spiritual Writing (five times). Duncan is widely renowned as an activist and expert fly fisher. He lives with his family in western Montana.

Edition details

• Publisher: Sierra Club Books
• Publication date: 1983
• ISBN 10: 0871563215
• ISBN 13: 9780871563217
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English