Customer Reviews

Faithful Travelers

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are expecting to learn a lot about fishing, or about human relationships and all those difficult questions, this is not the book for you. But if you want a well written, charming story of a father and daughter trip out west, this is a great read. It manages to avoid being over sentimental, raises a few interesting questions, doesn't pretend to have the answers but ripples by as enjoyably as a relaxing day on a good stream.

This book represents the how we (fathers of daughters) feel about the fear of having our little girls grow up and away from us. I'm a new father and this book drives home my priority to spend every minute with my little angel.

Congratulations to Jim Dodson! -- someone who I knew, unfortunately not well enough, in high school. Have been promising myself for quite some time to begin writing. You, and the inspiration delivered daily from my (new) son Alex, just might be the catalyst.

20th Century Literature is usually a term reserved for gaudy, existential, stream of consciousness drivel that lays down a subjective take on the sensuality of the day we live in without attempting to make any sense of it. I found this book to be a refreshing departure, a very human story told by I man I find easy to understand as he tries to make sense of situations that I find all too easy to relate to. Most importantly, there is an overriding sense of value, love, worth, interdependence, and genuine warm humanity. I don't feel an attempt to encapsulate a brief series of experiences to wring the emotion from it in a sensational or glamorous way, but rather a down to earth exposition of real life, told with a feeling of assurance that it does all tie together, life does have meaning, it does make sense, love is real, if a bit poignant, someone is watching over us, the past has validity, and there is definite reason to have hope and positive expectations for the future. A beautiful book. Don't miss it.

This is a very heartfelt tale which explores a turbulent time in the life of the author. Strangely, this time is characterized by the serenity of nature and the great love between Dodson and Maggie. Dodson has tried (and succeeded in his attempt) to make this a very American story, about everyday people and their thoughts and dreams. He has appropriately interwoven stories of American folklore, from the tales of the Sioux Indians to President Roosevelt's own trip West many years before. This is more than just a novel about Dodson's vacation, it is reflection upon a society of people and their roots. It is a musing about the peculiar and heartbreaking things that can change a person's life. Ultimately, it is the depiction of a family's love and dedication though their everyday conversations. This is a beautiful book that made me reflect fondly upon vacations with and life lessons from my own father.

For any parent who has experienced the heartbreak of a dissolved marrage and the effects on children, this book will bring sad memories. It will also allow the reader to recognize that only time will help.

The author gets a little long winded at times on topics unrelated to the major themes of the book... father-daughter relationships & fly fishing as a metaphor on life. I found myself skimming through sections, but if the reader can forgive some incorrect information on the geography of the west... and the sources of some rivers... the father's letter to her daughter, near the end of the book, is well worth the time. Glad I read it...

As a divorced flyfisherman with a 7-year old daughter named *Megan*, you'd think I would have loved this book. Indeed, I shelled out the cost of the hardcover based on the similarities between Dodson's book and my own life. Unfortunately, I felt that the book rambled as much as their journey - it reads more like a transcription of Dodson's journal than a coherent narrative. As with any long drive, it's always touch-and-go whether the highpoints outweigh the hours of monotonous driving. That having been said, Dodson has a keen eye for detail and some of his scenes, as well as the letter to his daughter, are excellent. Just don't get your hopes up too high.