River Why, The

I've recommended this book for years, always with an unsatisfying "It's about fishing ... sort of" recommendation. It IS about fishing, but manages also to include dysfunctional families, intercultural wars, true love, the meaning of life, and the value of cherishing nature. It is one of the few (if not the only) novel endorsed by the Sierra Club. All this sounds quite dry and serious, which the book is not. Many passages (the Doberman rat being one) reduce me to helpless, hysterical tears of laughter, even on re-reading.

If you can find a copy, buy it.


Awe-inspiring stuff   September 22, 2000
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I read this book for the first time at university when it was lent to me by an American exchange student. Everyone had written comments in the back of his copy stating how much they loved it. A few days later I was scrawling my own glowing tribute to one of the most moving and inspiring works of fiction I have ever had the fortune to read. When I visited Seattle a few years I was delighted to pick up a dusty old copy of the book in a sleepy, second hand bookstore. I found myself a quiet coffee shop and began the journey with Gus once again. Needless to say this well-worn and travelled paperback sits with pride of place on my bookshelf back in London. An absolute joy to read!


One of the best.   July 25, 1999
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I have never read a book more than twice other than The River Why. Since reading it for the first time about 10 years ago I have read it about once a year and see something different every time. I thank the author for his work, it is no minor fluff in any way. Gus was and is me, he loves the same things I do, wild rivers, wild fish, and glumness. Many times over the years I have had questions answered or formed by the tale. Friendships have formed in my life with conversations of the stories and people that Duncan created. Thanks


The bible of Art de Vivre   July 15, 1999
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This novel is absolutely unbelievable and has the virtue to change one's life. The relation to nature, the humility of men seen through the language of the fishing scene. First thing you do, when your finished is get out in the river and go fish, to talk to them...


"WHY?!"... because Duncan says so   June 4, 1999
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

What a beautiful, beautiful book. I absolutely loved Duncan's humor and wisdom in the novel. I have never read an author who writes anything like him. I think I'll remember some of his subplots for a long time to come. Dreefees, Hemingway, Bill Bob, H20, and Descartes to name a few. This novel is easily one of my Top Ten favorites. Next up: The Brother's K...