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A River Runs through It and Other Stories
A River Runs through It and Other Stories | Norman Maclean
23 posts | 31 read | 24 to read
When Norman Maclean sent the manuscript of A River Runs through It and Other Stories to New York publishers, he received a slew of rejections. One editor, so the story goes, replied, it has trees in it. Forty years later, the title novella is recognized as one of the great American tales of the twentieth century, and Maclean as one of the most beloved writers of our time. The finely distilled product of a long life of often surprising rapturefor fly-fishing, for the woods, for the interlocked beauty of life and artA River Runs through It has established itself as a classic of the American West. This new edition will introduce a fresh audience to Macleans beautiful prose and understated emotional insights. Elegantly redesigned, A River Runs through It includes a new foreword by Robert Redford, director of the Academy Award-winning 1992 film adaptation of River. Based on Macleans own experiences as a young man, the books two novellas and short story are set in the small towns and mountains of western Montana. It is a world populated with drunks, loggers, card sharks, and whores, but also one rich in the pleasures of fly-fishing, logging, cribbage, and family. By turns raunchy and elegiac, these superb tales express, in Macleans own words, a little of the love I have for the earth as it goes by.
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willaful

A thoughtful reframing of the endless TBR problem:

https://www.oliverburkeman.com/river

Faranae It would probably be more helpful to me if I did not, in fact, think that my failure to read the entire contexts of the British Library is both a personal failing and a testament to the innate tragedy of mortal existence. 😂 8mo
willaful @Faranae well, there is that. 😂 8mo
11 likes2 comments
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BookBabe
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Watching the movie of the tagged book with this amazing dinner my husband cooked for us tonight. He is quite the chef! 😋

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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

“We can love completely what we cannot completely understand.”
A beautiful & philosophical novella about 2 brothers in the early years of the 20th century. The descriptions of Montana are vivid and alive. The brothers though different, communicate through their shared love for nature and fly fishing. As is often the case, “part of the way to come to know a thing is through its death.”
Effective, calming narration. I only read the first story👇🏼

mrp27 Love this movie. We watch it as a a family every year before we go camping. I've never been camping in Montana, only snow skiing in Big Sky, but how I would love to camp there! 4y
Scochrane26 I have wanted to go to MT ever since I saw the movie. Will make it one day. 4y
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marleed Montana (Butte, specifically) is my generation-deep home state. No matter where I move, I‘m a Montanan at heart. We had a log cabin growing up - it was an abandoned one room school house cold water only place in the highland mountains. A sister and I laugh because back in the day my dad would take us up in the summer then go back to town for work checking up on us every few days. It was perfectly normal then and we had a blast. 4y
Cinfhen I definitely want to visit MT @mrp27 @Scochrane26 I‘m so envious of your summers @marleed amazing the amount of freedom we had as kids!!! 4y
Cathythoughts Lovely review of that first story ❤️ 4y
Cinfhen It‘s very meditative @Cathythoughts transports you! Have you seen the film??? A River Runs Through It/ directed by Robert Redford starring a VERY YOUNG, Brad Pitt??? 4y
Cathythoughts I havnt seen the film, but I‘ll be on the look out for it now 👍🏻❤️ 4y
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Cinfhen
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And just like that, I‘ve deviated from my #WeeklyForecast 😜This was available through #Scribd and it fits my #ReadingUSA2020 challenge #Montana #BedtimeAudio I saw the film which was gorgeous and the writing so far is just as beautiful. Do any Littens live in Montana?? I‘d love to see what your views look like!!!!

LeahBergen Well, my province in Canada is due north of Montana. 😆😆 4y
Cinfhen I remember a stunning photo you posted of a family cabin @LeahBergen I‘m always happy to see anything you share 😘 4y
Suet624 I should try to find this. I Imagine it must be beautiful. 4y
Cinfhen I think this book will be right in your wheelhouse @Suet624 🥰 4y
79 likes4 comments
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Scochrane26
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Thanks for the tag, @Texreader
I‘ve been thinking about this since @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks posted it, so I‘m going to use 3 books that I‘ve loved for many years & have re-read the most.
1. A River Runs Through It
2. A Walk in the Woods
3. The Little Prince
#favs I tag @callielafleur @Kathy1212 @ulyssesartmiller @candority

Texreader Awesome! I haven‘t read any of them but I know my husband loves the Little Prince. Except his copy is in French so I won‘t be reading that one anytime soon. 4y
Scochrane26 @texreader I have the French version, too. We read it in French class, & I was able to find it years later at a bookstore. I don‘t remember enough French to read it though-it‘s just sentimental. (edited) 4y
26 likes2 comments
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smallthings
Mehso-so

I have mixed feelings on this one. It was a quiet story and the writing was beautiful sometimes. But my fishing vocabulary was not enough to appreciate some paragraphs. And the scene with Old Rawhide being chased and kicked followed by a line 'Suddenly, I developed a passion to kick a woman in the ass' was just awful.

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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

I got this for Christmas from my parents years ago and am so glad I finally read it in my #mounttbr challenge! I adore books that have such a strong sense of place and I‘ve always loved books set in american states like Montana and Wyoming, I can‘t explain exactly why but all that sky and space inspires me so much. This had such a beautiful way of talking about landscape and so much respect for the land, forestry and fish

Scochrane26 If you haven‘t seen the movie, you should. Gorgeous MT scenery (& young Brad Pitt). 4y
Cathythoughts Lovely review ❤️ 4y
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Emilymdxn
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#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

1. Tagged book, The Wicked King and The Wolf And The Watchman

2. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 - finished yesterday but definitely going to be on my end of year lists

3. Either people who look down on me for reading ebooks/audiobooks or people that try to make others feel bad about their reading. No lie I once met someone in a bar who made me feel bad for only having read Don Quixote once.

PaperbackPrincess19 How do I do this? When I try to add a pic it gives me blurb, quote and review but when I click any of those it makes me look for a book which this tag isn‘t. 4y
Emilymdxn @Paperback.princess19 you can search for ‘untitled‘ as the name of the book and select it instead of a real book title ☺️ 4y
PaperbackPrincess19 @Emilymdxn thank you! Also how do I do a new line? I don‘t seem to have the option or do I need to just do space till I get to a new line? 4y
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Emilymdxn @Paperback.princess19 i think if you switch to the numbers and punctuation keyboard on your phone there‘s an enter key there ☺️ 4y
Scochrane26 A River Runs Through it is one of my all-time favorites. The movie is good, too. 4y
rachelsbrittain Ugh yes! Book snobs are the *worst* -- everybody's reading habits are valid and awesome 📚💛 4y
60 likes6 comments
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Scochrane26
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Pickpick

I‘ve only read the “other stories” once because obv, the masterpiece is the novella. This book has a special place in my 💚. Besides the writing, when I was summer staff at church camp a lot of yrs ago, this was a common book & movie that we all loved. I think it‘s a rare case of seeing the movie (early brad Pitt) before I read the book. I re-visit it every few years and still love so many things about it. The movie is great, too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ericalambbrown I love this story so much! 📚❤️ 5y
13 likes1 comment
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Scochrane26
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Hanging out at a festival all weekend. My mom has figured out that I‘ll come help if she gives me a job where I can read. This is High Bridge, the highest train bridge over a navigable stream (KY River)in the U.S. The community is mostly farmers. My parents grew up here, then moved a few miles to my hometown. Same architect as the Brooklyn Bridge.
Week 2 check-in for #BFCr3: 4/4 exercise, tracked food, 4/6 books. @wanderinglynn @Laughterhp

wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌🏻 A great week & your crushing your book goal! 👍🏻 5y
Laughterhp Great job! Way to go this week! 🎉 5y
13 likes2 comments
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britt_brooke
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#barracuda | I‘m just going with fishing here; not barracuda, but trout. 🎣 My husband tried and tried to get me to read this for years and I finally did last year. It‘s fantastic, of course!

#marchintothe70s

Cinfhen I‘m obsessed with the background graphics 😍🤩😍🤩 5y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Thanks! It‘s a piece of scrapbook paper. I love how it looks like scales. 5y
Cinfhen I want it as mosaic tile....love it 5y
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britt_brooke @Cinfhen That would be so pretty! 5y
DocBrown Love the book, the movie, and the amazing soundtrack by Mark Isham. I listened to it as I ran the Missoula Marathon last July. 5y
britt_brooke @mdhughes72 That‘s awesome! How many marathons have you completed? 5y
DocBrown 21 so far. Working on running all 50 states. Next up, St Louis! 5y
britt_brooke @mdhughes72 That‘s incredible!! 5y
gradcat @mdhughes72 Congratulations on all those marathons! I will never be able to run one of those, but I think we might have something else in common...do you love soundtracks in general and Mark Isham in particular, because I do!! 5y
DocBrown @gradcat I do enjoy certain movie soundtracks. One of my favorites is Fantastic Mr Fox. Such fun! I don‘t know any other Mark Isham soundtracks that I enjoy, and when I checked out one of his non-movie-related recordings I wasn‘t very impressed. 5y
DocBrown @britt_brooke I used to be very impressed with myself, but what I do is very tame compared to those who run tris and ultras, some in extreme conditions. I just do it to stay well, not because I‘m any good at it or obsessed with running. I didn‘t run at all until my mid-30s. It gives me an excuse to get outdoors and to travel. 5y
britt_brooke @mdhughes72 Those folks that run ultras or compete in iron man, etc are totally crazy. You‘re medium crazy. Actually, no, you‘re totally crazy, too. That‘s a lot of marathons! I pat myself on the back when I do back to back cycle classes (2hrs) on Saturdays. 😆 (edited) 5y
gradcat @mdhughes72 Somehow soundtrack writer/musician‘s work doesn‘t really translate in other genres...I mean, did you ever listen to Brian Eno‘s “Music for Airports”? It‘s not for everybody. But Isham used to do a lot of children‘s storybook soundtracks, and I loved his theme music 🎼 5y
DocBrown @britt_brooke I didn‘t run when my kids were small and the Y offered free child care. Perhaps your time will come later as it did for me? Perhaps it‘s the kids that made me totally crazy?? 5y
britt_brooke @mdhughes72 Kids have definitely made me crazy. 😬 5y
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Anna40
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Mehso-so

As much as I loved the idea of how the river and fly fishing are intertwined with the lives of the characters (the latter as their, seemingly, only way of communicating), I could not relate to the story or the characters. I hated the way "Old Rawhide" was portrayed and was disgusted at how the brothers treated her. "Suddenly, I developed a passion to kick a woman in the ass." At this point, I developed a passion to finish the book.

smallthings That's my thoughts exactly! The scene with Old Rawhide was so awful that I couldn't get passed it and appreciate the book. 4y
Anna40 @smallthings Almost everyone loves this book. Good to know that someone else was annoyed by it! 😉 4y
10 likes2 comments
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Anna40

The Elkhorn and the Brown Trout are also alike in being beautiful by being partly ugly.

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Anna40
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"It is a strange and wonderful and somewhat embarrassing feeling to hold someone in your arms who is trying to detach you from the earth and you aren't good enough to follow her."

I took this photo on the beach this morning. To me it looked like a masterpiece of art but it's a masterpiece of nature.

Izai.Amorim It‘s very beautiful. 6y
Anna40 @Izai.Amorim I thought so too. How are you? How is life in Berlin? 6y
Izai.Amorim @Anna40 Thank you, I'm doing fine at the moment. When I'm here I forget Munich. We're definitely moving! 6y
11 likes3 comments
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britt_brooke
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After years of hubby trying to get me to read this, I finally did earlier this year. SO good, 5 ⭐️.

#River #GetMovin

Graywacke Have that same edition. I‘ve read it twice, but it‘s been a while now. Maybe I should read it again... 6y
CuriousG This is on my list of books to read while camping - hoping to get to it this summer! 6y
britt_brooke @Graywacke It‘s definitely one I‘ll be retreading in a few years. I need to rewatch the movie, too. 6y
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britt_brooke @CuriousG 🤞🏻🤞🏻 6y
Cinfhen That‘s a gorgeous edition, I did see the movie but never thought I‘d like the book....maybe it‘s time 🤔 6y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen That was the same with me. I watched the movie several years ago and liked it but didn‘t think I‘d be that interested in the book. I really loved it, though. 6y
Cinfhen Does your hubs have a whole shelf dedicated to fly fishing books🎣 🐡 ?!? 6y
Reggie Lol, wow @Cinfhen, that‘s quite the eye you have!!! 6y
Cinfhen Ha @reggie 😁😂I was viewing on my iPad 😉 6y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Yep! Good eye! 👀 He used to be super into it, tying his own flies and all, but hasn‘t had much time for it the last few years. 6y
jillrhudy Dismissed this forever as a “dude” book. I am so glad I eventually read it. 6y
emilyhaldi Based on all of these endorsements I am stacking!!! 6y
quietjenn 💖💖💖 6y
britt_brooke @jillrhudy Exactly how I was. 😊 6y
britt_brooke @emilyhaldi I support this! 👏🏻 6y
Godmotherx5 Happy Anniversary!! 6y
britt_brooke @Godmotherx5 Thank you! 🤗 6y
122 likes5 stack adds17 comments
review
britt_brooke
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Pickpick

“It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.”

I absolutely loved these stories, especially A River Runs Through It. It‘s breathtaking. I knew I loved the film, but it‘s been many years since I‘ve seen it, so the story really felt fresh. All of the stories are pretty fantastic. I highly recommend this on audio. Superb narration.

HeatherBookNerd I‘m always glad to hear about great audiobooks! 6y
LeahBergen My husband used to fly fish a lot, too (and loved this book). 6y
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britt_brooke @LeahBergen My husband used to be really into it, but hasn‘t gone in 3 years or so since there aren‘t really any good spots nearby. He‘s been tying to get me to read this book for years. So happy I finally did! 6y
DocBrown I‘m heading to Missoula this summer for a race. I should listen to this to prepare! 6y
britt_brooke @mdhughes72 YES! It‘s so good. What kind of race?? 6y
DocBrown @britt_brooke It‘s the Missoula Marathon. Apparently it‘s the top rated race in the country — at least according to one source. I‘ll be happy if it‘s less hilly than Nashville, that one nearly did me in! 6y
britt_brooke @mdhughes72 Wow, that‘s fantastic!! 👏🏻 Yeah, I‘m down in the Nashville area and it‘s extremely hilly around here. 6y
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britt_brooke
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Gosh, I love this paragraph. 💚

#quote #quotes

DocBrown Love the book, love the movie. Love rivers that run through it, and after 44 years I finally live by waters that haunt me ❤️ 6y
Tamra I don‘t know that I‘ve read the book, but I did enjoy the movie. 👍🏾 6y
britt_brooke @Tamra I watched the movie many years ago and loved it. The book is really good so far! 6y
britt_brooke @mdhughes72 Loved the movie when I watched it several years ago .... really loving the book! 6y
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britt_brooke
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I like this #firstline. I‘m actually listening to the #audio, but hubby has an old worn out mass market on the shelf that‘s handy for photos. He‘s been asking me to read this for years. I like the narration so far. 👌🏻 #currentlyreading #currentlylistening #audible

Leftcoastzen An iconic title that I haven‘t read. 6y
britt_brooke @Leftcoastzen I‘m only a few pages in, but really liking it so far. 6y
Kimberlone I had a teacher in high school who was super obsessed with fly fishing. We read this and 6y
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BethFishReads Omg I loved this. I read this sooooo many years ago to my husband. He‘s been fly fishing since he was just a boy (edited) 6y
britt_brooke @Kimberlone My husband fly fishes when he can. He went through a huge phase when he was younger, tying his own flies and all. We have The River Why as well. 😊 6y
britt_brooke @BethFishReads My husband loves to fly fish, though he hasn‘t gone in a few years. We went a lot when we lived In Colorado. He used to tie his own flies. I know he misses it. He needs to find a good spot here in Tennessee - and some time! 6y
131 likes6 stack adds6 comments
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heidisreads
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1. A River Runs Through It by Norman MacLean. 2. Gray 3. hiss 4. Nisse #friyayintro

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Lola
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I started this book on Thursday. A river figures prominently. I can't remember the last time I thought about rivers or heard or read the word river. Yesterday, the day after I started the book, I had an unplanned lunch overlooking the Chicago River. At a place called River Roast. And ordered a dish that looked like it could be the Riverrun house special of the Tully clan from Game of Thrones. #bookserendipity #serendipity

saguarosally I'm still amazed when I see a river and there is water flowing in it. 7y
ReadingEnvy Crazy!! 7y
JackieSmith I am 10 pages in & already think it's more complex than 7y
Lola @JackieSmith Halfway through and I'm enjoying it sooooo much more than GOTT-which I liked but didn't love. 7y
Jerdencon Just got it yesterday... can't wait to start it! 7y
40 likes5 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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#theriver Not a river, but a stream, runs through the edge of our property. I read this around the time the movie with Brad Pitt came out 25 years ago, so don't remember details, although I know I liked it and the movie 👍

batsy I remember that movie! Or rather, Brad Pitt 😆 7y
Cinfhen Same @batsy 😍😍 7y
batsy @Cinfhen 😉 7y
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KarenUK The stream is so pretty 💕 7y
Josie Super jealous of your stream! 7y
ValerieAndBooks @batsy @Cinfhen I was shocked when I found out the movie was made 25 years ago...it doesn't seem like it was that long ago 😊 7y
ValerieAndBooks @KarenUK @Josie thanks 😊! When we bought our house two years ago, we soon after discovered that the previous owners had used a large area by the stream as a dumping ground (old deck boards with nails sticking out, etc), so we're not down there much but hope to get it all cleaned up eventually 😊 (edited) 7y
Jess_Read_This I picked the same book! 🙈But your stream is cooler than my kitchen table background.. 😂 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Jess_Read_This thanks , but I really like the creativity in yours 😊 7y
britt_brooke I haven't read this (yet), but it's one of my husband's favorites. 🎣 7y
ValerieAndBooks @britt_brooke it is short, for what it's worth! Not strictly a fishing story but also about family dynamics. I don't remember anything about the other stories in this volume. 7y
britt_brooke @ValerieAndBooks I remember liking the moving, but it's been a while. Maybe I'll pick this up this year. 7y
82 likes2 stack adds12 comments
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leslieisreading
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An old favorite, though it's been years since I read it. On its face it's about fly-fishing and the rivers of Montana. Really it's about more than that, but what I remember the most is the descriptions of nature. I wish my copy didn't have the movie cover, but the movie is wonderful as well. #booksaboutnature #readjanuary

britt_brooke My hubby loves this book, but I haven't read it. This is the same copy he has. 7y
leslieisreading @britt_brooke I haven't actually read it since high school but I loved it then. It's beautifully written. 7y
17 likes2 comments