The Canoeist: A Memoir [Hardcover]

John Manuel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2006

An ardent canoeist for more than forty-five years, John Manuel was first introduced to the solace, natural wonder and exhilaration of canoeing while growing up on the Chagrin River in Ohio, paddling an old Grumman canoe under the scrutiny of his father. Decades later, as he watches his elderly dad succumb to cancer, Manuel recalls this initiation into a lifetime of canoeing with both fondness and confusion. What was the allure of rivers? Was it the challenge of rapids, the natural beauty his father had known? Or was it the need to pursue his own life, to escape from home and family expectations?

At times rollicking and playful as the rapids it portrays, The Canoeist also possesses a rare emotional depth. Manuel gives us a vivid picture of his own human experience—of falling in love, its elation and heart-rending turns; the intimate connection among paddling friends; the fight to save the natural places he reveres; the frustration and joy of bringing children into the canoeing life. Chapters named for a dozen eastern rivers carry the reader from such historic events as the fire on the Cuyahoga River and anti-Nixon demonstrations in Washington D.C. to the wild and some times dangerous watersheds of Manuel’s life. In part an ode to rivers, The Canoeist also affirms the vital importance of family and friends, and reveals a portrait of America in changing times.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From the Chagrin in Ohio to the Chattooga in North Carolina to the Pigeon in Tennessee, Manuel (The Natural Traveler Along North Carolina's Coast) recalls trips along waterways both big and small. But one canoe ride soon blends into another (which then quickly gives way to another), and though each has a special place in Manuel's heart, the feeling for the reader is akin to bobbing aimlessly in a lukewarm stream of Manuel's nostalgia. He juxtaposes his canoe trips with ruminations on family in particular and nature in general, but the intent of these passages is not entirely clear; the book begins with Manuel visiting his dying father, for example, and though he references their troubled relationship, their mutual disappointment is never satisfactorily addressed. Manuel's explored raging rivers, but he's less adept at traversing the still water of his inner life, making for a tepid reading experience.
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Review

"A parable of conservation and community...a fast and absorbing ride."  —Lee Smith, author, The Last Girls

"An honest take on a man's path of self-discovery viewed through the lessons learned from a lifetime of running rivers."  —Paddler Magazine

"What makes The Canoeist worthy is Manuel's ability to put us in the boat with him, spectating from the stern."  —The News & Observer (Raleigh North Carolina)

"Gorgeously well-written."  —Wilmington Morning Star

"The message is about life—birth and death, love and trust, our burning need for wild places."  —Canoe & Kayak

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Jefferson Press (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971897476
• ISBN-13: 978-0971897472
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,909,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rivers of a Life, May 17, 2006

By 

Anna Jean Mayhew (Hillsborough, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Canoeist: A Memoir (Hardcover)

I watched THE CANOEIST evolve from the first scribbled pages to the last polished paragraph, and I read the book several times in manuscript form before it was published. But reading the finished product was like shooting the rapids with John Manuel as my guide...a wonderful ride! John did what many writers fail to do, which is fine-tune his book during the last few months before publication. I was delighted to come upon whole chapters revised and even more so to find added words of wisdom, eg, "...obstacles that appear so daunting often turn out to be easy, while the unnamed threats do us in." Such thoughts and observations take the reader in tandem with John, give us an intimate relationship with him as we read this story of his life. Memoir is variously defined as "an essay on a learned subject" and "an account of personal experiences" and "a narrative of something noteworthy." John Manuel's book explores all facets of memoir; he lets us look over his shoulder as he runs wild rivers and as he struggles to be a good husband, father, and friend. The book opens on the deathbed of John's father, a man we come to know as both critical and kind, both harsh and gentle, both judgmental and wise. Throughout the book John struggles to be a better man than his father was; by the end of the book we come to see that the two men are more alike than they are different, because John allows us to see his own weaknesses, and to be with him when he acknowledges his father's strengths. It is appropriate that John dedicated this book to his father, the man who first put a paddle in John's hands. From "The Chagrin" to "The Ocoee," this is a book to be savored, one riveting chapter at a time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving, Exciting, Intimate, May 22, 2006

By 

Katherine M. Shea "K. M. Shea" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Canoeist: A Memoir (Hardcover)

John Manuel's The Canoeist is a page turner at the same time it is poignant and personal. It offers vivid descriptions of dramatic and sometimes nail-biting river runs as it weaves a picture of personal growth, family love, and decades long friendships. It is intensely male, offering a window into the world of summer camps, father and son dynamics, and important relationships. I highly recommend it; it's a great read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The thrill of whitewater - the quiet of the reflective pond, May 22, 2006

By 

A. M. Joyner (Mebane, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Canoeist: A Memoir (Hardcover)

John Manuel's The Canoeist is insightful and well-paced. He intertwines quiet reflections on life and relationships with tales of trips down various rivers, providing insight into more than canoeing and rivers.

Much of the book circles around Manual's prickly relationship with his disapproving father, who died before its writing, and the author's very different relationship with his own son, Jackson.

Recounting a trip down the storied Nantahala with his son, Manuel writes:
We rounded the bend to find a canoe broached on the rock, its bow sticking right in our path.
"Draw right!"
Jackson pulled hard, the sinew flexing in his thin arms. We slipped thorugh the narrow gap between the rock and the shore, punched through the tail wave, and eddied out against the bank.
"Good job!" I said.
Keith and Roger came around the corner, dodged the canoe, and swung in behind us.
"We would've hit the boat if we hadn't seen you bogey for shore," Roger said. "Way to go, Jackson."
Keith nodded his approval. I felt a sudden wave of emotion and glanced away to hide my tears. I couldn't understand what was happening. Was it just Jackson I was happy for, or was there another boy in the boat who'd waited a lifetime for a few words of praise?

Like many memoirs, "The Canoeist" is an interesting recounting of people, events, time and place, but it also offers a rare and welcome perceptiveness.