Definitely in my top 5 books of all time. A wonderful, funny, tragic read. BUT, saying this book is about fishing is like saying the Noah's Ark Story is about the weather. ( )

At age twenty, Gus Orviston tells of his life growing up in rural Oregon in a fishing family. His dad writes about fishing. His parents met while fishing. They constantly debate the merits of bait versus fly fishing. Upon graduating from high school, he believes his life will be complete if he can achieve the “ultimate schedule” of doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and fishing. So, he moves away from home to an isolated cabin near a stream. Gus starts to notice the impact of human activity on his surroundings, which changes his outlook. He eventually figures out that there needs to be more to his life than a single-minded pursuit, and he branches out.

This novel is so much more than a book about fishing. It is about finding one’s place in the world. It contains musings about love, spirituality, and life. Fishing becomes a metaphor for a search for meaning in life. It expresses a reverence for the earth and its creatures.

The author weaves together beautiful descriptions of nature, a number of mini-stories, and a great deal of humor. There are a number of eccentric characters – a five-year-old child nicknamed Hemingway, a dog named Descartes, and a young woman who fishes from a tree. I found it extremely creative, and though I am far from a fisherman, I very much enjoyed this uplifting story.
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This is an utterly delightful book.

I'm not usually a fan of coming-of-age stories, but this one is amazing. It's about Gus, a young man growing up in Oregon whose family is obsessed with fishing. His father is an erudite and sophisticated fly-fisher, and his mother is a ribald and gregarious bait fisher, so that conflict causes a lot of love-hate feelings in the household. Gus is just as obsessed with fishing as his parents, and is an expert fisherman from a very young age. When he graduates from high school, he buys a little cabin near a river so that he can spend all of his time fishing. Over the years, he learns a lot about nature, solitude, community, and love. Ultimately, he learns how to exist peacefully with nature, friends, family, and God, and to understand his place in all of those communities.

At first, I really wasn't sure I was going to enjoy a book about fishing. I'm a vegetarian and have some pretty strong opinions about fishing (or any other form of hunting) for sport. Part of Gus's journey is his growing understanding that fish deserve respect too, and how his fishing fits in with the balance of nature. The book is full of beautiful writing about nature: it reminds me a lot of Brian Doyle's writing in its celebration of the exuberance of nature.

The book also explores some big questions of philosophy and religion, but never becomes preachy or even prescriptive: the questions remain open, and the characters understand that they may come closer to answers, but will always be contemplating the questions.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator is amazing - he really brings all of the characters to life. ( )

It often wonder why these "classics" are rated so high. Maybe it was because it was a "fishing" story and I don't fish but I not enjoy this book. I never felt anything for the characters, a large portion of the story felt like rambling to me, and it jumped around to where I could barely follow the story line. I gave it 3 stars because there were several parts in the book that did make me laugh. ( )

After watching the overlooked 2010 film version of this novel, I set out to read the book, as I enjoyed the adaptation a great deal. It turns out the film writer and director watered down the fishing portion of the text quite a bit. For no logical reason, I was taken aback after standing knee-deep in fish scales. But, after a slow, fishy start, the book settled into the more philosophical material and coursed along swimmingly. In tone, it reminded me a bit of [Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance]. While hanging out with Gus as he figured out his life along the banks of a river was quite enjoyable and provided some actual laugh aloud moments, I agree with some of the other reviewers that this is not one for the casual reader. And, just to be clear, I do not at all agree with the reviewers who complained about the bits about religion - Gus' wry and keen observations on religion are just what the zealots need. ( )