With Northern Waters, Jan Zita Grover convincingly conveys the awe she has found in those moments when she has entered wholly into a watery landscape: feeling a fish body rubbing by her leg in a city stream; losing herself to the unthinking rhythm of a perfect cast; fishing alone at night, a woman at peace. Northern Waters is an evocative, broad-ranging collection that encompasses environmental activism, fish tales, nature writing, fly-tying, and an encouragement to stop along our way--not to smell the roses, but to experience the fish.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
One of the terrific things about fish lit is that it's continually refreshing itself with new voices that bring changing perspective to an old and vigorous sporting art. "I wish hooking fish occasionally weren't necessary to me," writes Jan Zita Grover in Northern Waters, "but it is: I need--or have I merely transmuted desire into necessity?--to touch fish with wet and, I hope, reverent hands, to feel their body torquing away from me, leaving a fresh acrid scent on my fingers that lingers as potently, as alluringly, as the smell of sex." More than a memoir of her personal journey from working stiff in San Francisco to resident angler seeking peace (and self) in the woods of Minnesota, Grover's is a story of the geography of those woods, learning to appreciate and care about them, and working actively to conserve the nature encompassed by them. "Submitting myself to the tutelage of waters, weather, and fish doesn't lead only inward," she observes, "it also leads toward the immense, seemingly intractable problems of logging, sewage disposal, mercury deposition--problems that no one can escape on the streams of the North Woods.... Perhaps this explains in part Minnesotans' zeal for fishing Montana: problems there belong to someone else and look different. "As a true angler, of course, she comes to learn that they don't look so different.
There's plenty of fishing in Northern Waters, some pretty good fish stories, and even some catching of fish, but it's the process, not the result, that captures Grover's imagination, infusing her prose. It's a process, she learns, that makes her part of this unique yet interconnected environment. --Jeff Silverman
From Library Journal
Though ostensibly about fly-fishing, this book never talks about catching fish; it is instead a detailed examination of the MidwestAwritten by a native Californian. Although not a spectacular writer, Grover (North Enough: AIDS and Other Clear-Cuts) does have a keen eye for nature and our impact on the environment. (The waters Grover writes aboutAin the "north woods" of Minnesota and WisconsinAhave been familiar to me for 25 years, but she surprised me with her observations.) These challenging essays primarily explore an angler's engagement with the natural world, but they also take on Great Lakes salmon stocking, lampreys, dams, and fishing in Montana (which Midwestern anglers regard as our reward for surviving our winters). Many fly-fishing converts have been driven to write about the sport; few have succeeded as well as Grover. Although there are a few glaring factual errors, this is for the most part a thought-provoking work. Recommended for all fly-fishing collections, especially those in Wisconsin and Minnesota.AJeff Grossman, Milwaukee Area Technical Coll. Lib., Oak Creek, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Northern Waters" speaks to this Minnesotan!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Northern Waters (Paperback)
I don't fish, but I really enjoyed this book. The author writes of themes that anyone can identify with, with a warmth and humanity that drew me in.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
