Customer Reviews

The One that Got Away: A Memoir (Lisa Drew Books)

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

 

 

Beautifully written by a great writer. Understanding some of life's tougher lessons through the filter of fly fishing. An appreciation of his life and the woman in it. At times very funny and at times politically incisive. Always instructive! Buy this book now.

Even though I was not going to write a review about this book, the many critiques posted by other reviewers made me pause and then decide to add my thoughts. For the fisherman who has done any amount of fishing, you find that sooner or later, you discuss just about everything on your mind with your fishing buddies.

This book does meander over quite a bit of territory, both, literally and figuratively. Howell travels the world to engage in his beloved flyfishing hobby and catch the elusive fish of wherever he lands. He also muses on his career, life, and personal values.

The forward and backward in time writing technique seems a little forced sometimes and towards the end it does seem that there has been a little repetition, but, overall this is an interesting book written by a man who has seemingly made peace with himself and life.

To any potential readers, if you are a neo-conservative that can't stand a sentence or two of criticism of Fox News and the Bushies, then maybe you should pass. However, if your skin is not so thin, you wonder about what a smart man thinks when in his 50/60's, and you enjoy a fish tale or two, then read this book.

The reader is engaging and the story is pretty good.

Even readers who have never caught a fish will appreciate Howell Raines' eloquent descriptions of fly fishing and its connection to life. Like Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea," Raines' memoir beautifully captures the struggle between man and nature. At the same time, he recounts his love-hate relationship with The New York Times and the events that led to his firing as executive editor in the wake of the Jayson Blair scandal. Raines concludes that being fired was the best thing that could have happened to him because it allowed him to pursue the things that are truly important -- writing books, fishing, and enjoying life with his wife and sons. Let's hope there will be more books like this from Mr. Raines.

Howell Raines' memoir, The One That Got Away, is a sequel to his best selling Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis, and is an account of the latest years of his life including his remarriage and his career as executive editor of The New York Times.

It is also a book about fishing. If you're looking for a lot of details about the plagiarism scandal that ended his 25 years at The Times, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you love fishing, especially fly fishing, you will be in heaven.

In The One That Got Away, Mr. Raines takes you around the world to a series of well-known (and little-known) fishing spots, where he describes his equipment and explains his techniques for catching the elusive salmon or bonefish or trout. You'll discover his love for this catch-an-release sport, especially in the tale of his epic battle with a marlin that he hooked in the South Pacific and fought for over seven hours.

You also might find yourself speculating about the absolute veracity of these fish tales as well as the other events he describes in his book. After all, aren't "fish stories" synonymous with "lies" in the English language?

His credos on journalism ("to see events wholly and coldly and try to write about them for the informational benefit of the Republic"), and The Times newspaper (to deliver high quality fact-based information and analysis about news that is found out, rather than imagined") were sorely tested when that "small, amiable, brown-skinned young man known as Jayson Blair" was exposed for publishing lies in The Times.

Howell Raines says he had "no way of knowing and no cause to be consulted" about Jayson's rapid promotion from trainee to reporter, his lack of professionalism, or his frequent errors. But, as the guy "at the end of the chain of command," he took personal responsibility and demanded a complete disclosure. When the dust settled the "Gray Lady's" reputation was saved, but the editor found himself without a job.

The One That Got Away is a book about confronting loss, be it fish or career. Howell Raines learned that in relinquishing his former identity as a newspaperman, he actually got what he wanted. As much as he loved journalism, the dream of escape was always there.

As far as his relinquishing that marlin...what do you think?

Raines uses the metaphor of hooking and losing a large fish to describe his career; the surprise of getting a job that was beyond his expectations (hooking the fish), the long tedious years of work (fighting the fish), and his unexpected firing (losing the fish). Raines' first fishing book outlined his political agenda. In his second book, he explains his management oversight that resulted in his dismissal. I prefer fishing literature that makes an environmental point, an ethical fishing point, or is just an entertaining story. I am finished buying Raines' books because I do not care to spend my entertainment money to listen to his personal agenda. Raines' books are editoral pages thinly wrapped in fish.

Not bad , but not as memorable as "Flyfishing Through The Mid-life Crisis ." I didn't have the connection with this that I had with the previous book . Maybe if I had the money to hop jets , and fish Christmas Island , Russia , and other exotic destinations , or if I lived in Manhattan and could hop in a car and drive to my mountain get away home , I would feel different about it . I've actually spent time on the Rapidan , and seen camp Hoover , a couple of times . Also , it would have been better if Howell narrated this audiobook himself , like he did the previous book . There are memorable characters , life lessons , and some good insight reguarding fly fishers , and human nature in general though . I did enjoy it .

Howell Raines writes an incredibly insightful and thoughtful memoir. His descriptive prose is so vivid, and his observations are so accurate that you are "in the moment" from the first paragraphs of the book.
A love, or even an understanding of fly fishing is unnecessary in order to understand and appreciate this book.
Many people might not like this book because they might be offended by his accurate and unflattering statements about fox news- fox news is not the news, but a right wing propaganda machine. Accurate, although unflattering observations about our present president might also offend some, but the facts are the facts.
This book is one of my all time favorite books.

"It is our lost fish that I believe stay longest in memory, and seize upon our thoughts whenever we look back on fishing days." With these words from FLY FISHING, written in 1899 by Lord Grey of Fallodon, Howell Raines establishes the tone and metaphor of this book, a sequel to his bestselling FLY FISHING THROUGH THE MIDLIFE CRISIS, which came out in 1993.

Experience or interest in fishing is not a prerequisite for enjoyment of this book. For although a good deal of it is concerned directly with fishing and is in varying degrees about fishing, about how to fish and where, and the pleasures of fishing, much of the book qualifies as reflections on life and adversity. All of it is so well written as to transcend a reader's preferences regarding subject matter.

Most of Raines's readers will be content to take his title more or less literally, as alluding to fish, while acknowledging that the idea of loss does apply more broadly to the experiences of life. Actually, his working title is said to have been "Catch and Release," which perhaps evolved into "The One That Got Away" as the book was taking shape, perhaps as it developed in ways not fully foreseen by the author.

Speaking of his dismissal as executive editor of the New York Times, Raines remarks that he had run enough people off the paper to know that "going on about whys and what-ifs is tedious and undignified." So he postpones discussion of the Blair scandal for almost 250 more pages, finally taking it up in Chapter 37: "Fly Fishing the Wudacudashuda." Thereafter he devotes a few more pages to the subject, though probably not enough to satisfy those who had hoped for a full-scale postmortem, nor too much to put off the piscatorial crowd.

Raines acknowledges that he would have perceived what was going on with regard to Blair's "errors" had he been reading the corrections column more closely, but says he "never aspired to be executive copy editor of the New York Times" and was focusing on the paper's future on tomorrow's Times and not yesterday's.

In any case, Raines will be remembered in the end not for his circumstantial presence during Jayson Blair's succession of reportorial misdeeds, but for his years as national correspondent, writing pieces so similar in style and tone to most of what one finds in this deeply enjoyable book.

--- Reviewed by H.V. Cordry

This book is a good read for about half of the book. Reading further gets tiresome with many similiar anecdotes, and continual lambasting of people who don't fly fish or support the New York Times. Howell Raines comes across as a typical New Yorker who continually pats himself on the back for being so successful and accomplishing "impossible" tasks as the editor of the New York Times. Raines further ostrocizes readers by claiming that because he is from Hicktown Alabama, he is a common man and can relate to anyone. Yet, he states that people who do not fly fish are bottom feeders and not even worthy of fishing or reading the paper. His book relates his extremely extravagent trips to the most remote and wild places for fly fishing, fishable only by those willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars. Just as Raines honestly complains in one of his chapters, that his $300 back up reel is not good enough, this book is simply meant for those who walk around with their nose in the air.

The sequel to Raine's highly accomplished, insightful, and poignant first memoir, Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis, The One That Got Away fills in the gap between the late eighties and the present, and tracks the occasionally painful arc of the author's professional career and personal life. Compared to Midlife Crisis, the tale is a darker one. Whereas Midlife Crisis had its share of regret, his new memoir has both regret combined with a substantial dose of bitterness, which on occasion gets the better of the author. Still, it's an excellent and in some places truly exceptional piece of work, not lacking in its share of humor, warmth, and wisdom that is clearly hard earned but generously shared. Also, it's simply a pleasure to read such wonderful writing.