Customer Reviews

Two Coots in a Canoe: An Unusual Story of Friendship

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone who's spent time in a canoe will love this book. Anyone who loves nature will love this book. And anyone who's taken (or dreamed of taking) a road trip will love this book. It's a solid "on the road" tale with lots of adventure, but because of the undercurrent of the death of the author's paddling partner, the great humor and cheer are often reined in with a pinch of sadness. Just like life.

And just like life, this month on the river is littered with colorful characters. Like Huck and Jim, Dave and Ramsay (or is it Ramsay and Dave?) find the river is their third traveling companion, unfolding a varied array of stories. As the current carries them downstream, they spend the night with a sequence of like-minded if sometimes eccentric conservationists (any of whom seemed easier to get along with than Ramsay, if you ask me!) who were intrigued with their journey and offered to open their homes for a night to the pair.

And what a pair they are! Some of my favorite parts of the book are Dave's descriptions of his time -- and relationship -- with Ramsay. Dave Morine is one of the funniest story-tellers writing today, and the reader is well advised not to read this book while drinking any beverage that will stain his or her trousers. And he's a born diplomat, a gift that he needed numerous times in dealing with his sometimes unbelievably difficult stern paddler. The Connecticut River must have been howling as they rolled along.

And as a paddler, the river sequences were particularly fun for me. It all made me want to pull out one of my Old Town canoes (I sold my Mad River) and head out to my own local river. If you love a river, and that river runs past a city or two, you will love this book.

The reader is constantly reminded that, although on the one hand Dave is writing this book knowing that his friend killed himself not so long after the journey, on the other, during the journey itself he was completely unaware of his partner's intentions. There's a tension of emotions that's palpable, at times painful, and for a female reader it's a rare glimpse into the heart of a man.

I attended the author's discussion of his book recently, and I expected the story to be humorous in spots, but I never expected it to be a page turner.

The book's title (cleverly and effectively titled by its editor) accurately depicts what the reader expects - two older gentlemen with New England roots (Morine's from birth, Ramsay's from his school days) travel the Connecticut River and depend on the kindness of strangers for food, drink (too much beer, too much rum!) and respite. Both coots have personality to spare, but the helpers-along-the-way are also funny, as well as interesting, people; these New Englanders share their interesting stories (the murder of a daughter) and lifestyles (Morine tours a dairy farm) with the coots, and Morine takes us along for the journey.

Morine is an active conservationist, so environmental issues (dead rivers, industry, dams) are inevitably discussed in the book. He is also an excellent writer. Several LOL moments help to keep this moving. Fully enjoyable read. Great gift, too.

I recently finished reading Two Coots in a Canoe on the advice of a friend.

Since the book opens with an obituary that says something about "unexpected death" of one of the characters, you know right away he's gone. This colors the reading experience because I kept looking for and finding hints that all was not well.

All that aside, the book is well written and I enjoyed very much the journey the two men took paddling down the river. I liked best all the interesting people they met and the descriptions of overnight accomodations where they stayed.

I got an education about the Connecticut river and it's care and the value of the many small groups who are looking out for it's environmental health.

Maggie in Ohio

I spent years living in New Hampshire on the Connecticut River. Years canoeing rivers and lakes. Years making films on conservation. This book brought all these experiences back - and more. Why people are important. Why the natural world is worth preserving and worth exploring. Why life is both a joy and a mystery. Rivers have a source, a journey, and an end. And this tale, woven so well, is a delightful, amusing, and thoughtful journey. Dave Morine is a no-nonsense story-teller and always has been. And beneath the straight talk is the importance of lives that intertwine and influence each other. A mighty pleasurable read that carries us along, engages the mind, and moves the soul. Read it.

This is the travel memoir by one of two older gentlemen (they don't seem that cootish although one is curmudgeonly) who paddle from the source of the Connecticut River to its end at the Atlantic. They stay at a different stranger's house every night of the trip.

The book spends some time describing the river, although not nearly as much as one would think. It spends some time descibing conservation efforts along the river, which is logical since the author is a former officer of The Nature Conservancy. It spends a lot of time describing the strangers with whom they stayed. It spends too much time telling how they got from and to the landing sites. The most interesting parts were the descriptions of the northern portion and the conservation efforts and philosophy. There was some wisdom there. After all the descriptions of the strangers I was left feeling; "eh". Some were mildly interesting, but they were mostly just regular folk who opened their homes.

Although they went to business school together, it is apparent that the two paddlers did not stay in touch that much and did not know each other that well. There were a few sections where the author got really steamed with his co-paddler. The friendship was such that he could not lay into him, however, so the mood festered, leaving the reader to hear the author whine without resolution.

The best part of the book was actually at the end when Mr. Morine describes his feelings at learning of the suicide of his paddling companion.

The book is very well written. I was just left after finishing the book that hollow and unrewarding feeling of: "So what?" I wish there had been more of the conservation portions which were thought-provoking and insightful.

A great story of friendship, unusual travel and conservation observations along the CT river. It has some fine humor and excellent story telling along its journey. It shows that we have a lot in common with relative strangers and yet we can keep secrets from those closest to us. A satisfying read on a few levels.
Rick

Having spent four days on the Connecticut River 21 years past, I picked up this book with great anticipation of completing my Walter Mitty Dream of canoeing the entire river. And to do it without having to camp one night......priceless! Dave Morine is the consummate pragmatic conservationist, and Ramsay Peard is the ultimate hard charging CEO. I am not surprised that Dave lets Ramsay take the aft position of the canoe........... compromise is what the successful conservationist learns to live with. I turned from one chapter to the next as in a Harlan Coben mystery, this book is that spell-binding. I must go back and read Morine's book "Vacationland" next. Anyone who loves our nation's rivers and wants to see why we should preserve them needs to read this book.

Dave Morine's adventure of two well weathered friends paddling from source to sound on the Connecticut River melds human comedy, wry observation of human impact on a majestic river, and the generosity of "strangers" who feed and house the two canoeists along the way. It is filled with colorful anecdotes which illuminate the great circus of life. Yet there is a haunting poignancy which arises from the bonds of friendship. A poignancy which causes the reader to ponder and savor what the call of friendship really means. At the end of the book one feels glad that Dave Morine has reminded us of the slim but plentiful joys of being alive on this planet.

Highly recommend - a great read! Amusing and informative, interesting insights into the conservation movement, touching human stories, a unique travel adventure with a surprise ending. Dave Morine is a serious writer with a funny side and he really knows how to turn a phrase. I loved this book.
Ford Hutchinson, Hilton Head, SC

A different kind of travel/buddy story, to be sure. I first read the jacket notes, and encountered the obituary before the story began, so my reading was colored throughout with portents of suicide. I also wondered if the author would have been so critical of his traveling companion (in print) had this person been alive to react.

On the other hand, I found the "kindness of strangers" aspects of Two Coots delightful. Pleasurable as that aspect was, I was anxious to finish the book, more so that I could know the outcome than because the story was especially compelling, informative, funny.

Imagine my surprise when I offered the book to good friends who had lived near the Connecticut River and paddled there. At a chance meeting, a scant two weeks since giving them my copy, I have learned that they are competing for chances to read and share the Two Coots narrative. They are delighted and engaged.